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of settings to show you the image quality produced by this camera, you can view them full size by clicking the "High-Res" link. Additional sample photos can be seen here in the equipment database, where you can add your own images Sample photos show good detail and colour in photos. EXR DR 1600% shows extended dynamic range. There is very little to no red-eye in the portrait photo and colours are good.Purple fringing is visible in the shot of the trees, but low in other photos. Lens distortion - there is slight barrel distortion at the wide end, very little pincushion at the telephoto end. Very little vignette at the wide end with the lens wide open (f/2.0), and detail is good at the corners. Macro - excellent 1cm macro mode available at the wide end of the lens.Scene modes - Two low-light modes: Advanced Pro Low Light Mode (above left) combines 4 photos for enhanced detail, and low noise, and also EXR SN: High ISO & Low Noise (above right), shoots at 6 megapixels for improved low light performance by combining neighboring pixels.show low noise at ISO100 - 800, with ISO1600 producing usable results. At ISO3200 you can see the loss in image quality, but results are certainly impressive for a compact sensor camera. Colour levels are good right up to ISO6400, where the size is automatically decreased to 6 megapixels. At ISO12800 image detail is clearly lacking as the resolution is further decreased to 3 megapixels.- Auto white balance under tungsten lighting gives warm results, however using the tungsten preset gives much better results. AWB under fluorescent lighting gives excellent results, with the fluorescent presets giving either a yellow or magenta cast.- The X10 has a number of film simulation and colour options. On the Adv. mode dial position you have the choice of: 360 panoramic (choice of: 360° Vertical 11520 x 1624 Horizontal 11520 x 1080, 180° Vertical 5760 x 1624 Horizontal 5760 x 1080, or 120° Vertical 3840 x 1624 Horizontal 3840 x 1080), pro focus (blurs background), and Pro Low-Light (takes a number of shots and combines for low noise).The camera will record Full HD video at 1920x1080 at 30fps with stereo sound, and gives a number of high speed video modes, 70fps at 640x480, 120fps at 320x240, and 200fps at 320x112 - examples of high speed video can be seen on the ePHOTOzine youtube page. There is the choice of centre focus or continuous focus, as well as colour / film simulation options.The Fujifilm FinePix X10 is available for around £529, this puts it at the top end of the market, although the build quality and design of the camera could help justify this additional cost. The majority of alternatives are cheaper, including mirrorless cameras, although to get such a bright lens on a mirrorless camera would likely cost more. Alternatives include the Nikon Coolpix P7100 Panasonic Lumix LX5, and others This camera feels great in the hand, but more importantly it feels great as a camera to use, with extremely quick focusing and shutter response it's very easy to get candid street shots. It's also quick and easy to take shot after shot without being slowed down by the camera. The on/off switch that is part of extending the lens is genius, and the manual zoom control of the lens makes it feel like you're using a real camera. The optical viewfinder can be used with the rear screen switched off for enhanced battery life. The EXR sensor gives the option of enhanced performance in low light or can be used to extend dynamic range, and provides additional versatility. With lots of external controls, and great image quality this camera would make an excellent choice, as long as you can justify the price of the camera. Optical Viewfinder Great on/off zoom control Excellent handling and controls Excellent shutter response, and focus speed Printed manual included in box EXR Dynamic Range works well Bright saturated colour Low noise Fujifilm FinePix X10 Cons FEATURES HANDLING PERFORMANCE VALUE FOR MONEY VERDICT Fujifilm FinePix X10 Specifications Manufacturer Fujifilm Lens Max Aperture f/2 - f/2.8 35mm equivalent 28mm - 112mm Optical Zoom 4x Image Sensor Pixels 12Mp (Megapixels) Pixels (W) 4000 Pixels (H) 3000 Sensor Type CMOS Sensor Size 2/3 inch Sensor Size (width) 8.8mm Sensor Size (height) 6.6mm Aspect Ratio 4:3 3:2 16:9 1:1 LCD Monitor LCD Monitor 2.8in Screen resolution 460,000 dots Touch Screen No Focusing Min Focus 1cm Focusing modes AF Tracking Multi Autofocus Exposure Control Shutter speeds shortest 1/4000sec Shutter speeds longest 30sec Bulb mode No Exp modes Program Aperture-Priority Shutter-Priority Manual Metering Spot M TTL ISO sensitivity 100 - 12800 White balance Manual Outdoors/Daylight Incandescent Fluorescent Shade Auto Exposure Comp +/-2 Shooting Options Continuous shooting 10fps Video Movie mode Yes Video Resolution 1920x1080 FullHD 1280x720 HD 720p 640x480 VGA Video FPS 30 Stereo Sound Yes Optical Zoom with Video Yes Other Features Image Stabilisation Yes Interface HDMI Yes USB USB 2 Wi-Fi No Storage Card Type SD SDHC SDXC File Type RAW JPG RAW + JPG Power Source Battery Type NP-50 Li-ion battery Battery Life (CIPA rating) 270shots Box Contents Box Contents Li-ion battery NP-50, Battery charger BC-45W, Shoulder strap, Lens cap, USB cable, CD-ROM, Owner's manual Dimensions Weight 350g Width 117mm Height 69.6mm Depth 56.8mm High PriceLarger than other "serious compacts"EXR Low Noise / DR Modes reduce resolution to 6 megapixels View Full Product Details(updated with response from ABN below) Join the iFX EXPO Asia and discover your gateway to the Asian Markets In a letter to clients, Dutch bank ABN Amro has told clients that they will no longer be providing physical delivery of precious metals including Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium. ABN blames the change on its switch of precious metal custodians. Clients owning precious metals will see their account balances adjusted by the prevailing Bid prices of gold. (A copy of the letter has been posted on various sites with Silver Doctors providing what is one of the best translations) So the question now is what is the real story, is there a lack of global gold reserves to back up actual trading? Is ABN Amro trading against their client’s book and therefore isn’t a true custodian (in recent research they have been calling for lower prices)? Are they deflecting a possible ‘run on the bank’ of metals? Or is there a legit reason why changing precious metal custodians is inhibiting the delivery of physical delivery of gold? One angle being presented is that gold is being held back by large global and central banks to manipulate prices. Suggested articles Why Brokerages Outsource Their Broker TechnologyGo to article >> We reached out to ABN Amro before posting but a representative answered that they were unable to answer questions from the media. In response to our published article, Alex Evans, Senior International Press Officer at ABN Amro sent us a letter to clarify the issue. At issue is the reorganization of a small unit called Hollandse Bank Unie that faciliated trading in physical gold. “Until 2009 ABN AMRO had a small bank that traded in physical gold called Hollandse Bank Unie (HBU) located in Rotterdam. Following our integration with Fortis Bank Netherlands, ABN AMRO was required by the European Commission to sell a part of its commercial banking portfolio in the Netherlands to Deutsche Bank. This was publicly announced at the time and included the sale of HBU, along with the transfer of HBU clients to Deutsche Bank. These HBU clients were able to use ABN AMRO facilities during the transition phase, and Deutsche Bank also offered its HBU services to ABN AMRO. Deutsche Bank subsequently announced last year that they would cease HBU activities in the Netherlands from 1 April 2013 – including this facility for ABN AMRO. We recently sent a letter to small number of affected clients, advising them that we can no longer make use of the HBU facilities provided by Deutsche Bank from this date. ABN AMRO has not provided these services directly since the sale of HBU, so there is no change to our offering – only to the facilities provided by Deutsche Bank. We have also found a new provider for these services, that is UBS.” We initially proposed that the letter to clients was another sign that trading has an essence become securityless and said: What is apparent is that trading nowadays has become nearly all speculative with very little actual interest in the underlying securities. In the similar way to how retail FX and CFDs are simply instruments that profit and fall based on underlying prices, but actual currencies are never passed between brokers and clients, the same structure is occurring between institutional desks. Specifically this was seen during the collapse of the Credit Default Swap market during 2008 when the value of CDSs were very often way above the actual debt amounts they were being created to insure. The CDS crisis revealed that dealers didn’t in fact have coverage for their products which led to multiple collapses and near bankruptcies of major financial institutions. In light of the response from ABN Amro, I guess we can say that the moral of the story is that transparency is vital. Specifically at a time when bank haircuts are being proposed, any changes, even the small ones can trigger an avalanche of negative opinion.Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? The Great Recession has technically started to recede, but the banks that sparked it have mostly been allowed to walk. Some even prospered in the aftermath. But a jury just hit back against one predatory lender, restoring a little of the confidence in the system that Wall Street stripped away from Brooklyn during the financial crisis. Ad Policy The lawsuit, filed by Brooklyn Legal Services, with support from Center for Responsible Lending and private attorneys, charged Emigrant Savings Bank under the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and New York City Human Rights Law for “aggressively marketing toxic mortgages to Black and Latino homeowners,” using a process is known as “reverse redlining”—pushing high-cost, toxic products that inevitably led homeowners into a financial disaster that still scars the city’s increasingly unaffordable working-class neighborhoods. The refinancing loan product they marketed, STAR NINA (No Income, No Assets), was tailored toward homeowners who were cash poor but had considerable equity in their properties. Under the “no income, no assets” feature—basically Wall Street’s version of “see no evil”—the plaintiffs, all black, Latino, or immigrant homeowners—got loans that looked reasonable initially, but were embedded with a stealth interest rate ballooning up to 18 percent. “Emigrant did not want to know the income of the borrower,” says Brooklyn Legal Services attorney Rachel Geballe, “but they could certainly tell.” Financial records the company had tracked displayed subpar credit and past-late payments at lower rates, revealing “that the borrower doesn’t have enough income to cover a much higher payment. In this case, none of the loans was actually affordable.” The no-verification scheme used in this case was effectively banned by regulatory safeguards recently enacted in the Dodd-Frank reforms. But similar aggressive profiteering could be used to fleece homeowners again given the weakness of current regulations. According to the suit, Emigrant required no actual proof of the borrower’s financial risk status—just a simple signature certifying ability to handle the debt on a “resource letter.” The bank reportedly “did not discuss the letter with borrowers or explain it to them, and it was typically left unread…. Emigrant knew that the Resource Letter was worthless.” Emigrant also knew early on that communities of color would be easy prey. Here “was where it had its greatest success in making its most profitable ‘No Income’ loans.” Emigrant’s “success,” the suit claims, was the fact that “the average STAR borrower had 50 percent equity in their home. That large equity cushion protected Emigrant no matter what happened with the loan.” The practice continued even once the cascade of defaults began rolling in, hitting one in three borrowers, through the end of 2008 when regulators barred the predatory 18 percent interest scheme. While the housing market groaned with toxic debt, Emigrant developed a pattern of marketing most of the costliest, riskiest loans to people with sub-600 credit scores, targeting predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Emigrant’s aggressive ad campaigns targeted local ethnic presses. The loans were overall “32 percent more likely to end up in majority African-American neighborhoods than similarly situated majority white neighborhoods.” Felipe Howell, a middle-aged black Panamanian-American longtime homeowner in Jamaica, Queens, got tethered to a toxic Emigrant loan after being persuaded to build a new rental property on his residence with a contractor tied to Emigrant. Pressured by heavy marketing, the suit states, “Howell was concerned about the timing of the construction and whether he would be able to make mortgage payments, but the broker and contractor repeatedly insisted that it would all work out, that he would have a couple months before he would have to start paying the Emigrant loan.” He went under with $1,800-plus payments while earning no net income. Plaintiffs Edith and Jean Robert Saint-Jean, a Haitian-American couple living with two adult daughters in a three-family Canarsie house, became entangled in an “abusive and patently unaffordable” refinancing scheme, with no chance to fully review the contract before closing. Though the couple, a homecare worker and library clerk, had owned their home in the multi-family property, their refinance loan became “certain to fail,” with unsustainable $4,000 payments. After several missed payments, they fell about $80,000 in the hole. By the time they got their foreclosure notice in 2009, they had suffered the “loss of nearly all of the equity in their long-time family home.” As the market collapsed, the bank twisted the knife by letting families slide into default and letting their usurious debts swell as foreclosure approached. The plaintiffs were awarded a total of $950,000, with individual awards ranging from about $70,000 to $225,000. The verdict provides just partial restitution for the home asset losses. But the jury’s definitive finding shows the consequences of depriving black and brown communities of fair access to credit. As a civil-rights issue, predatory asset-stripping might be more disastrous than duping people into worthless speculative real estate, because it robs communities of the equity they already possessed. LIKE THIS? GET MORE OF OUR BEST REPORTING AND ANALYSIS According to a racial analysis of overall household equity by the Social Science Research Council and ACLU, the Emigrant experience portends the widening of the racial wealth gap triggered by the housing crisis: “during the crucial recovery period of 2009 to 2011…[median] white wealth levels, excluding home equity…exhibited zero loss. During that same time period, however, black households continued to experience severe declines, with the typical black household losing 40 percent of non-home-equity wealth.” While the lawsuit provides limited recompense for just a few victimized families, at least the verdict helps elucidate the tactics lenders have employed and continue to employ, despite Dodd-Frank’s moderate, but still inadequately enforced reforms. Currently, says Geballe, there’s actually a danger of the financial system swinging too far the other way: overcorrecting for the pre-2007 free-for-all, the regulatory climate has shifted now, so that “reverse redlining reverts back to redlining, where communities that were being flooded with poisonous credit. Then it’s hard to get a loan at all. Neither of those options is what we’re looking for. What we’re looking for is safe and affordable lending in all the communities of New York City.” Hopefully, advocates will find a way to build housing justice for local communities before Wall Street—already prowling the foreclosure-strafed streets of Brooklyn—preys again on the spoils of the last crisis.WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of members of congress is asking the White House to declassify the so-called black budget, the budget that funds intelligence operations and make public the amount of money spent on by each agency involved. There are 16 agencies that are involved in intelligence for the U.S., and the budget for doing so cannot be found anywhere in the 1,500-page appropriations bill that congress will vote on this week. Rather, their budgets are considered classified, kept secret from Americans and even from most members of congress. But several lawmakers want to change that. The goal, said Vermont Democratic Rep. Peter Welch, a sponsor of the bill, is “to try to get back to the right balance between security and privacy” and to restore “accountability” to the process. “The biggest threat to the implementation of a vital national program is the combination of unlimited money with nonexistent oversight, and that’s essentially the situation that congress has allowed to develop in the critical work of intelligence gathering,” he said at a press conference Tuesday. Welch told The Daily Caller after the press conference that the legislation was not directly related to the treasure trove of classified documents released last year by Edward Snowden, one of which was the black budget for a number of the agencies indicating that the United States spends about $52 billion a year on intelligence. (RELATED: Snowden reveals the US intelligence ‘black budget’) However, Welch said Snowden’s releases “really raised the question as to whether we’re way out of balance in the security versus privacy balance.” “The revelation that there’s this huge metadata program where everybody’s phone logs and everybody’s emails are in custody of the NSA is very disturbing,” Welch said. “That wasn’t the intent of the Patriot Act, and it’s given an indication that there’s a lack of oversight when it comes to intelligence gathering activities.” Whereas Snowden released all the information about the budgets, with breakdowns for how the funds would be allocated, lawmakers only want the top line sum to be put out there. “Their sources and methods should be private,” said Wyoming Republican Rep. Cynthia Lummis, a co-sponsor of the legislation. “We are not asking them to delve into their sources and methods, and we are not asking them to delve deeper into their budget priorities, other than to give us the topline.” “We believe those topline numbers are appropriate for the American people to know; we believe those topline numbers are appropriate for members of congress to know,” she said. The top lines would give people “a better understanding of where American taxpayer dollars are being spent,” said North Carolina* Democratic Rep. David Price, another sponsor of the legislation. It would also give people a comparison from year to year, illustrated which agencies were becoming more or less dominant, said Lummis. The bill was originally recommended by the 9/11 Commission, which was set up to, among other functions, look at ways to prevent future attacks like the one on the Twin Towers. Former House Intelligence Committee Chairman and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission Lee Hamilton endorsed the bill. The lawmakers sponsoring the legislation span the length of the ideologically spectrum. In addition to Welch, Lummis, and Price, Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, and Republican Reps. James Sensenbrenner, Jim Jordan, and Justin Amash have signed on as sponsors. The sixteen agencies that would have to reveal their spending habits are: Air Force Intelligence, Army Intelligence, CIA, Coast Guard Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Treasury Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Marine Corps Intelligence, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, National Security Agency, and Navy Intelligence. Lawmakers acknowledged potential criticism that revealing the budget would give enemies of the U.S. sensitive information, but said they believed revealing the top line would not do any harm. “I don’t think [protection of the U.S.] will be compromised,” Price said. “In fact, it might be enhanced by confirming, rather than simply leaving to speculation, the substantial sums that we invest in our intelligence capabilities.” *This post previously misidentified the state that Rep. David Price represents. Follow Alexis on TwitterMozart La Para has joined Roc Nation as the first artist signed under the company's new Latin division. "Mozart La Para has created his own signature style fusing urban and tropical music and has created a unique sound for himself," Roc Nation Latin CEO Romeo Santos tells Billboard. "Here at Roc Nation Latin we recognize his talents and today we welcome him." La Para began his career in 2002 and since has become one of the top urban artists in his home country the Dominican republic. Most recently, his singles "Aqui Nadie Toca” and "Toy Enamorao" reached the top of the Billboard Tropical Songs chart and won six Premios Soberano Awards. As well, Pueto Pa' Mi, the 2015 film based on his life broke sales records across Dominican Republic theaters. "It's an honor to be a part of Roc Nation," said La Para. "Having two great powers like Romeo Santos and Jay Z guiding you and helping your music to be universal is a blessing."Mr Snowden, a 29-year-old intelligence contractor, was seeking asylum after apparently leaving a hotel in Hong Kong, where he leaked top secret documents on the National Security Agency (NSA) to the media. "The only thing I can do is sit here and hope the Hong Kong government does not deport me," Mr Snowden told The Guardian, while suggesting that he could alternatively seek protection in Iceland. Senior congressmen accused Mr Snowden of inflicting a historic blow to US intelligence and providing assistance to al-Qaeda, by disclosing the government's telephone and online spying methods. Some former intelligence officials even accused him of being a Chinese agent. "The United States government must prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law and begin extradition proceedings at the earliest date," said Peter King, a Republican congressman for New York and chairman of the House homeland security committee. John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, accused Mr Snowden of "the worst form of treason" and joined mounting calls to see him prosecuted under the Espionage Act of 1917. "This man is a liar," said Mr Bolton. "He took an oath to keep the secrets that were shared with him so he could do his job. He said he would not disclose them, and he lied." The Department of Justice is believed to have opened an investigation. FBI officials were seen entering the home in Pennsylvania, of Lonnie Snowden, the leaker's father. Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, declined to discuss "this individual or this investigation". Mr Snowden's disclosures also raised questions about the corporate outsourcing of US intelligence operations over the past decade. More than half the 25,000 staff of Booz Allen, his employer, hold government security clearances. Bob Baer, a former CIA case officer, said: "The process has just been a great wealth transfer to the private sector. And I hate the systems they've built because they never caught a terrorist." The whistleblower, who worked at Booz Allen's Hawaii office, claimed that Hong Kong had a "spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent", despite continuing crackdowns in mainland China. Experts said that he had placed himself under threat of ultimately being returned to the US by choosing to station himself in a territory that has a 17-year-old extradition treaty with Washington. However, he could benefit greatly from Hong Kong's asylum system having been in limbo since a landmark court ruling was made there in March this year. Its court of final appeal ruled that the Hong Kong government, which previously depended on rulings by the United Nations refugee authorities, must establish its own asylum screening process. Because no system has yet been implemented, an application from Mr Snowden would face lengthy delays, buying him time to consider his next move while probably blocking any attempt to deport him. The Chinese government, which has controlled Hong Kong since its return from Britain, appears entitled to veto any deportation that would impact its "defence, foreign affairs or essential public interest". Mr Baer said some US intelligence officials suspected Chinese involvement in Mr Snowden's leaks and feared that Beijing would ultimately thwart US attempts to capture him. "They are seriously looking at this as a potential Chinese covert action," Mr Baer told The Daily Telegraph. "They have to. And if it was, it was an act of pure brilliance. We will never get him back now." Commentators have pointed out that his disclosures coincided with the visit to the US of Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, who was chided by Mr Obama for China's cyber-attacks in the US. Yet Mr Snowden attempted to have his documents published in The Washington Post weeks earlier, according to that newspaper, which lost contact with him after refusing to rush to publication. Other analysts doubted that China would risk further souring relations with Washington by defying an attempt to extradite Mr Snowden. "They're not going to put at risk their relationship with the US over Mr Snowden, and very few people have found that they have the clout to persuade another country to go out of their way for them," Robert Anello, a New York extradition lawyer, said. Chinese authorities did not comment. A member of Iceland's parliament pledged to help Mr Snowden to secure protection provided he made it there in order to apply. Birgitta Jonsdottir, who previously assisted WikiLeaks with its disclosures of US secrets, said that she and the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative were already preparing assistance. "We feel it is our duty to offer to assist and advise Mr Snowden to the greatest of our ability," she said in a statement.Cubs owner Ricketts is following Boston blueprint in remaking Wrigley, trying to control more of local economy Purists argue that the classic feel is what makes Wrigley a beloved landmark and one of the largest tourist attractions in Illinois. But Ricketts has maintained that he's been at a competitive disadvantage and finally won approval from the city for his video board and other additional signs as part of the Wrigley overhaul plan. Across baseball, it's not just the Cubs who have shown an interest in the revenue potential beyond the stadium gates. Last year, the St. Louis Cardinals opened Ballpark Village next to Busch Stadium. The centerpiece of the project? A 34,000-square-foot bar and restaurant that features a two-level seating deck on the roof for more than 300 fans. "There's no question that the Wrigley Field rooftops are an inspiration to our design approach. … Obviously they're very popular in Chicago," said Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III, noting the project is still growing. He points out that the rooftop seating can be seen as an extension of Wrigley's seating. "They really act as the all-inclusive premium seating for the Cubs," he said. "Wrigley just doesn't have that capacity." In Atlanta, the Braves are planning a $400 million entertainment district surrounding a new stadium that would replace Turner Field, which was built in 1996. The blueprints include shopping, dining, an office tower and a hotel with views into the ballpark. "Baseball owners are trying to generate as much nonshared revenue as they can," said David Carter, executive director of the USC Marshall Sports Business Institute. "If you're an owner, you're trying to get people out to your event as early as possible, sell as much as possible to them and keep them there as long as possible after the game." But a major distinction between Wrigley and its modern counterparts is that the 101-year-old stadium is not surrounded by parking lots. Rather, it sits in the middle of a dense residential neighborhood bordered by small businesses and entertainment options. That means Ricketts needs two things to get what he wants: local business owners willing to sell and approval from City Hall for proposed changes that affect the neighborhood. In 2011, Ricketts paid $20 million to McDonald's for a lot on Clark Street, across from Wrigley, and he has city approval to build a hotel on the property. A parking lot adjacent to the stadium will become an open-air plaza and host pre-game activities as well as events on nongame days. The Cubs received permission to hold pre-game street fairs on Sheffield, although the team hasn't applied for the city permits yet, said Ald. Tom Tunney, whose 44th Ward includes Wrigley Field. Tunney shares some of the residents' concerns about the expanding Cubs footprint, but he also supports the development of the hotel on Clark Street and other retail opportunities in Lakeview. "One of the challenges of our community is that we want more diversified shopping and dining and not just live and breathe with the Cubs," he said. "We just don't want every location on Clark Street to be a watering hole." Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration has largely been supportive of the Cubs' plans, leaving owners of the rooftops — some with deep roots in the neighborhood — as the biggest challengers to those efforts. In an interview, rooftop owner Mark Schlenker said the team once got the owners of the Sheffield Avenue rooftop clubs on a conference call and let them know they wanted to buy their businesses. "There's a plan that the Cubs want to own all that land someday," Schlenker said, referring to properties of the rooftops. "They wanted to buy all the Sheffield buildings. They told us that." Schlenker and Max Waisvisz, a partner in another ownership group, said in interviews that the Cubs told them in negotiations that they want to generate about $24 million in revenue from the outfield, either from signage or rooftops. In 2013, Ricketts told the City Club of Chicago that adding outfield signs would reap $20 million. According to the recent suit filed by rooftop owners, Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney told a rooftop owner that the team will keep open any rooftop business it buys and "we're going to block" those it can't. In December, the team unveiled its latest renovation plans in which it shuffled the locations of outfield signs; the result of those changes is that the views of the three rooftops they soon purchased no longer had signs in front of them. Lakeview Baseball Club and Skybox at Sheffield, the businesses suing the team, hired a tech company to analyze whether the Cubs' signs would block their views. The firm's analysis included the team's own renderings and found "complete blocking of the infield, and nearly complete blocking of the outfield," according to court records. The team and city officials, however, said the revisions stemmed from input from the National Parks Service, the federal agency that will determine if the team is eligible for up to $75 million in federal tax credits. In 2010, Ricketts invested in one rooftop business — Down the Line, on Sheffield — but was unsuccessful in buying any until last month's sales. George Loukas — who helped start the rooftop craze years ago — sold two buildings for a combined $3 million to the Ricketts family while James Lourgos and his partners sold a third for $4.2 million. Ricketts also paid an undisclosed amount for the buildings' rooftop businesses.The airline said it made the decision after reviewing television interviews with the star after his alleged loutish behaviour last month. The bad boys of rock had a troubled Australian tour In a letter to the South China Morning Post newspaper, the Hong Kong-based airline revealed that a ban was now in force. Cathay Pacific spokesman, Chuck Fai Kwan, said: "Cathay Pacific has taken the decision to refuse any further carriage to Liam Gallagher and people known to have been causing a nuisance on the flight in question. "Passenger safety is most definitely a priority at Cathay Pacific. We go to great lengths to ensure our operations are safe and never hesitate to take any necessary course of action when safety is in question." During the flight, the captain threatened to divert the plane and force the band and their 30-member entourage to disembark after they allegedly behaved offensively. The pilot also threatened to arrange for police to meet the group at Perth Airport. Australian aircraft cabin crew have since refused to fly with the band unless they guarantee that they will behave. The flight row launched what became an ill-fated Australian tour for the British band. Four days later Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher launched a savage attack on the public outpouring of grief following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. His younger brother, Liam, prompted further criticism with allegations that he harassed a young Sydney woman. Liam is also accused of headbutting fan Ben Jones The attack allegedly happened as Mr Jones took photographs outside the band's Brisbane hotel on March 5. Gallagher is due to appear in court in connection with the incident on June 9.Says Ohio budget item later signed into law by Gov. John Kasich requires women seeking an abortion to undergo a "mandatory vaginal probe." Ohio’s new operating budget calls for $62 billion in spending over two years and several abortion restrictions, including one that requires patients seeking one to first undergo an ultrasound. And while Democrats are plenty upset about the economics of the plan that Republican Gov. John Kasich ratified on June 30, they sense a political opening on the women’s issues. Viewers of MSNBC’s "The Rachel Maddow Show" recently got a preview of the heated rhetoric that will typify this debate over the next 16 months as Kasich seeks a second term. Maddow, the cable news program’s liberal host, noted on her June 28 broadcast the anti-abortion measures the GOP-controlled General Assembly had added to the budget, which Kasich had yet to sign. In interpreting some of the budget’s more-ambiguous abortion language, Maddow contended that the new regulations included a "mandatory vaginal probe at the insistence of the state." Maddow was referring to a new requirement that women seeking abortions first receive ultrasounds to determine whether a fetal heartbeat is present. Her provocative words quickly went viral and sent PolitiFact Ohio in search of a full copy of the massive state budget. Did it go as far as she claimed? Did it mandate a transvaginal ultrasound, as Maddow claimed, or did it allow for an external transabdominal procedure? We found our answer in the new Section 2919.191 that with the budget’s approval is now part of Ohio Revised Code. Division A of that section says that before performing an abortion, a provider must "determine whether there is a detectable fetal heartbeat of the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying." The method for detecting a heartbeat is then spelled out in Division C, which says: The director of health may promulgate rules pursuant to section 111.15 of the Revised Code specifying the appropriate methods of performing an examination for the presence of a fetal heartbeat of an unborn individual based on standard medical practice. The rules shall require only that an examination shall be performed externally. In other words, not only are external methods such as transabdominal ultrasounds allowed under the new law; they are required. That sinks Maddow’s claim of a "mandatory vaginal probe." We reached out to MSNBC and asked representatives if Maddow had anything more to say, but we did not hear back from them. Because Maddow is an opinion leader on the left, others ran with her claim. The Raw Story, which describes itself as a progressive news website, called attention to the Maddow segment in a June 29 post. And on Twitter, several users seemed to parrot Maddow in tweets at Kasich. "Nothing says Small Government like a mandated trans vaginal ultra sound," read one tweet. "Ohio Gov @JohnKasich just ended his re-election chance, by signing into law mandatory big-government-forced object-rape of pregnant women," tweeted another critic. Abortion is a hot-button issue in politics. And with Kasich up for re-election next year, it’s no surprise that Democrats are eager for a debate that draws contrasts with the governor. But there should be no debate about what types of ultrasounds these new regulations require. Had Maddow read the language closely, she would have seen a mandate -- for external detection methods. That puts Maddow’s "vaginal probe" claim about as far as can be from the truth, into the realm of the ridiculous. Or, in Truth-O-Meter terms: Pants on Fire!Distressed silverback gorilla at London Zoo who did not appreciate the attentions of the crowd one evening in 2013: Bristol Zoo is raising funds with its “18+ Big Night Out" party (29th July) that involves alcohol, music, singing and crowds of people. In 2015, London Zoo scrapped its late night parties after 17,000 people signed a petition to end them. Keepers had reported drunken behaviour toward the animals and people trying to get into animals enclosures, punching birds, shouting at gorillas, fighting penguins, crushing butterflies, and pouring beer on tigers and other animals [1]. Bristol Zoo claims that welfare and conservation is of the utmost priority. Yet in the evening, that seems to go out of the window, and the animals become a commodity. Animal welfare must take priority over our entertainment and financial gain. These events are unethical, unnecessary and outdated; they do not reflect the values that we hold as a society, or the love and care we have for animals. We cannot let drunken people meddle with defence
EXTRAS* SILVER (CHECK MILES) BLACK PLATE? BLACK BB BLACK - 3.4.18 REF CHARLOTTE HAINAN BLUE HREY SILVER LEAF SPHERE BLUE DEEP SEA BLUE PEARL GREEN WRAP SILVER/MINT GREEN ULTIMATE BLACK METALLIC FATHOM BLUE 2 TONE SONIC WHITE/BLACK METALLIC SEASHELL BLACK (CC- ORANGE BODY WRAP) WHITE (218) BLACK (BFO2 TER) GREY (K80 LAH)(125) RED L30 GUE* RED E10 RDB BLACK (FBK 62) STEPPE BROWN BLACK (BO55 PAB) WHITE (E10 JCG) RED (202 UXY) SILVER (DA52 DEB) WHITE (284) Mellow Yellow ORANGE CHECK MILES BLACK Y11 TRM VLACK GREY CHECK MILEAGE SILVER LIGHNING GREY (W25 LCH) BLUE CHECK SPARE KEY BLACK DR SILVER REPO WHITE DR SILVER DR BLUE (131) WHITE - NON RUNNER PAINTED BLUE MULTI-COLOURED SSE* GREY WAS SP03 MUL RED 3 POLAR WHITE/RED ROOF GREY YS57 DRO BLACK WAS KY03 MEN GREY REFURB GREY WAS PA58 GAS REDR777 DWS* SILVER WJ13VOB METALLIC - SILVER STORM NO BRAKES CHECK REG SILVER V5C/2 ONLY BLACK WAS MJ05 MAX URBAN BLUE ARCTIC WHITE PH11 HME SILVER (107) RED REPO JUPITER WHITE MANHEIM COLCHESTER BEDFORD MAGNATIC BLUE BLACK * LEFT HAND DRIVE** SILVER WAS J14 RHY WHITE WAS Y25 DJG BLUE CHARGING CABLE BLACK (D6 EEW) SILVER SD09 SZT RED BB WHITE (74) MOONUST SILVER WHITE BB EMLD MLOCKE 29/3 AZTEC Indigo blue DIAG APPRVD 22/3 GREY PERRY BARR BLACK MEASHAM RED VOSA MOT BOSTON BLUE/BLACK RAINDANCE RED METALLIC BLUE *NON RUNNER*** BARBERA RED WHITE (L8 ADM) WHITE MS10 VED WHITE (HU60 ABS) GREYN77 NSE METALLIC - ROSE QUARTZ GREEN HPI STATES WHITE RED/GREEN MAGNECTIC RED BLUE CRUSH STORM SILVER METALLIC OBSIDIAN BALCK CARMEN RED/DIAMOND BLACK GREEN S90 NJL BLACK MV56 LCX BLACK YE09 HVY SILVER KL05 FFJ SILVER D10 NAM BLACKV9 HSM IWB REQ QUOTE 29/3 BLUE ( RE ASSURE ) MULTICOLOURED BLACK BRIGHOUSE BLACK LTP NOTTS AMMONITE WHITE / GREY GRAK GUN METAL SILVER OLYMNPIC WHITE CHIP SILVER SILVER.PLOT2 BMW IND PAINT - MINERAL WHITE ANDESIT SILVER METALLIC CAPPARIS WHITE BLUE HIGHLIGHT FLUID BLACK WITH HIGHLIGHT BMW IND PAINT- SILK PURPLE SAPPHIRE / TOPAZ MAGMA FLAME RED CHLLI RED ECIPSE BLACK AZURRO BLUE BLUE TOPCAR FIRENZE RED / BLACK ROOF CARBO GREY FLAS RED ONXY BLACK. 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SOLID ALPIN WHITE ESTPRIL BLUE BLUES700 OOR* SILVER N18 WSE BLACK (L19 AEW) WHITE NO V5 (S111 UBH) WHITE CHECK SPEC SILVER WJ13XPR SILVER CE13NKM BLACKS21 MOL GREYAL11 GAV NERO CARBONIO MISTRAL BLUE WHITE *BUS CONVERSION RED DIAMOND WHITE MITS E-AUCTION REF OB OYSTER GREY/BLACK JACK BLACK CRYSTAL LIME METALLIC SILVER AA BLACK (AS09 HAR) DEFIT COMPLETE 26/3 SOLVER GREEN OVER WHITE WHITE QUOTE EM SL 3.4* STRADUST GREY ALUMINIMUM SILVER CHILI PEPPER ITALIAN RED BLACK TYRE REPAIRS GREY AWAITING DOCS COLUMBITE BLACK METALLIC BLACK (L13 CSE) GREY (C1O PGR) SILVER (S2 RFH) SILVER (P12 SLF) ORANGE (CHECK MILES) sohpisto grey xirall ALPINE WITE RED MET. MONTE CARLO BLUE METALLIC BLACK IBM TOP CAR COBALT BLUE# POLAR WHIT# KYANOS BLU# PLATINUM GREY# BLACK (28) SILVER (E14 JEF) BLUE LS09CXM MIDNINGT BLACK SILVER / GOLD SILVER NO REVERSE SILV WHITES5 HVY METALLIC CARBON BLACK TENORITE HOT MAGNETA RED MERLOT (AUDIT COMMENTS) HALO SILVER RED CHECK MILE MYTHOS BLACK METALIC BLUE (P500 MAW) SILVER (H13 BSB) ULTIMATE BLACK/SANTORINI BLACK CAESIUM BLUE/NO LR ITALIAN RACING RED/FIRENZE ODYSSEY RED/MONTALCINO RED BLUEFIRE/NO LR BRTSH RACING GRN/AINTREE GREEN ITALIAN RACING RED/FIRENZE RED DARK SAPPHIRE BLUE/LOIRE BLUE EBONY BLACK/NARVIK BLACK TEMPEST GREY/WAITOMO GREY STORM GREY/CARPATHIAN GREY BRILLIANT SILVER METALIC RFLEX SILVER BLACK (DR54 BHA) SILVER (KO04 ASH) GREY (KE55 MUS) BLUE (068) BLACK (B66 GAM) BLACK OE11 VFT NO COLOUR SILVER NO V5 WHITE VNR METALLIC TWILIGHT GREY SILVER BLACK RED NO V5 GREEN NR-IMMOBILIZED BLACK NO V5 (AS09 HAR) SPECIAL ORDER BLACK WHITELB14 LOU ZANZIBAR GREGIO MARATEA NOTTINGHAM ECM RED.CHECK VAT RED V168 DNA WHITE (X20 JRP) BLACKBUSHE ORANGE (NR) MAHOGANY METALLIC AGATE GREY RED.PLOT2 TENORITE GREY CAT Y BLACK - CHECK SPEC BLUE.PLOT2 WHITE (M55 HKG) BLUE (ALP) MERVURY GREY PEARL WHITE BI-TONE BRILLIANT BLLACK BLUE DENIM CALFERA BLACK BOTTICELLI BLUE BLACK 791 DLT ALMAFI WHITE GREY (BC05 EMC) BLUE (162) BLACK (NE11 LAL) BLACK SAPPHIRE METTALIC ESTORIL SOPHIST GREY BLUEWATER METALLIC RED RUSH BLUE (296) FT12 NJO WHITE (163) BLUE (K4 WAB) BLACK G13 KKS SPORTY BLUE AQUA TINT GREEN/MAUVE WHITE R50 LVE SIERRA BLUE BLACK (C13 NEO) BLACK (F2 ODG)(167) BLUE (T7 NKN) WHITE (D13 NDA) WHITE GREY WRAP BLACK 71 RP BIANCO METOR GREY BLACK (G7 SLP) WHITE AB51 JOE SILVER (270) SILVER (K5 LOK) WHITE (743 RME) BLACK (X21 HKS) SILVER B9 SJC SILVER (G15 KJH) BLACK Y999TAY* GREY (D13 KNG) SILVER (D800 OOH) WAS ORANGE NOW WHITE WHITE OO61MAB BLUE DR51 TOM SILVER N999 DRB SOVERIEGN SILVER RED (CL03 MUL) BLUE DR MAUVE/PURPLE DR BRONZE DR Pacific Blue (flat) BROWN DR YELLOW DR BLACK & ORANGE GREY DR RHODIUM SILVER/INDUS SILVER BLACK (V5 IN POST) STORM WHITE DR TUNGSTEN GREY NO V5 SILVER GET KEY MAN GREY LANE 29 ON FENCE MONSOO GREY BLUE OK TO SELL 12/4 ARTIC STEEL/BLACK PANTHER BLACK OY13 YHG* MIDNIGHT SKY OY13 UBC MONDUST SILVER NAVY BLUE GREY.CHECK VAT WHITE OK TO SELL 12/4 BLACK METALLIC AE13 XVO SILVER METALLIC AE13 ZKL BLACK METALLIC SF13 PHO BLACKBN06 VTK GLACIA BLUE SILVER M60 POB METALLIC TORNADO GREY ALUMUNIUM AZUUROO BLUE GREY OK TO SELL IWB 12/4 RED/BLACKR18 BOW* SILVER OK TO SELL 12/4 SILVER (BLACK BODY WRAP) ORANGE HAD COLOUR CHANGE BRONZE 3 METALLIC BYTE BLUE AQUA SUNNY MELON YELLOW BAROLO RED WHITE (P400 ATE) SILVER (N19 BBS) CPRRIS GREY SILVER.NEEDS INSPECTING FLUID BLACK&BMW IBLUE HGLT MINERAL GREY&BMW IBLUE HGLT BLUE GRD WHITE HA64 OLD BLACK (PA13 AGE) WHITE ORANGE MOONWALK GREY (METALLIC) MOONDUST SILVER LF13 TZU WHITESJ54 KLS BLACKJ5 BYS BLACK AF13 WGP BLACK BU13 SRY BLACKML02 SAM* BLACKK900 LEA GREYRF56 VUC WHITE *11 SEATS BLUE NO CLUTCH WHITE *6 DOOR BLACKOE10 LEW INSCRIPTION CRYSTAL WHITE Pine Grey SILVERTONE METALLIC VITRO 3 MOONDUST SILVER 3 APPLE GREEN BLUE (B19 DSV) MALBEC BLACK BLUE OU12 WWH GREY (J1 CRR) BLACK (1000 GD) BLACK WAIT V5 SILVER (NR55 SER) SILVER (Y21 JCM) SILVER (J111 ANH) MAUVE/PURPLE # WHITE (CHECK VAT) WHITE (MA61 REA)(242) BLACK (J9 AMB) RED/BLACK (138) SILVER (LE MVY) SILVER RO61 ECY BRILLIANT BLACK(I) RACE RED(I) DEPP IMPACT BLUE LIME GREEN PAINT GREEN NO V5 PLATINIUM SILVER MEASHAM GUN METAL GREY(I) BRONZE ULTIME PEARL GREY V5 IN POST SS58 LVS DIAMMOND WHITE EGYPTIN BLUE SPECIAL SOLID YELLOW CARBON FLASH BLACK(I) SILVER (CHECKED) SILVER AA SPECIAL SOLID - PURE WHITE SEPANG BLUE / BLACK (LAST CAR) AZURITE BLUE NORTHERN LIGHTS WHITE AND GREY AVANT-GARDE BRONZE WHITE CHERRY PICKER BODY* SCARLATTIE RED GT RED BLACK MEET KETTLE WHITE & BLACK BLACK WITH SILVER ROOF PERLA NERA BLACK/INFINITE BLUE BABY BLUE BLACK WITH WHITE ROOF WHITE (WH54 TYS) DEEPIMAPCT BLUE SILVER (V9 MPH) RED CHECK KEEPERS SILVER M12 ESO SILVER (L8 MVY) BLUE WF61VZO DARK MOON BLUE GREY (251) SILVER (A16 PAE) SILVER OFF SITE NOT AT BRANCH BLACK LEFT HAND DRIVE WHITE BOSSANOVA BLACK MATT BLACK WRAP MICA GREY GREY (SS58 LVS) HAPTI BLUE MET PAINT LAVA BLUE MYTHICAL BLACK BLUE PLOT 2 TORNADE RED (LEFT HAND DRIVE) BRILLIAN BLACK GREY BK62FKY SILVER KN61 FLA SPRKLING ZONE BLUE R888CYN - WF07RUN BLACK X6 JSN PANTHER BLACK RX13 HNO* PANTHER BLACK OY13 YUT MONDUST SILVER OY13 WXG MOONDUST SILVER OY13 WVC SILVER (L77 MOS) SILVER HX13 FXP SILVER KU13 RNE BLACK AF13 JSY SILVER KU13 WGV BLACK MX13 BNJ WHITE PAINTED ORANGE GREY MP07 MEG SILVER WHITE COOL SLIVER GREY (CHECKED) BLUE NO REVERSE GEAR GREY NON RUNNER BLACK - NO RUNNER RED NON RUNNER PAINTED PURPLE WAS WHITE BLACK CKECK HPI YELLOW/ORANGE SILVER ND54 HVH SILVER (K6CEW) GREY (V1 VEX) SILVER COLLECTED AS N/R SILVER BLACKBUSHE NOT CLEARED FOR SALE 23/2 WHITE BRIDGEWATER BLUE CHASED 16/4 PURE BURGUNDY METALLIC BELLE ILE BLUE/BLACK ROOF BLACK TO YELLOW BLUE (X19 GJP) BLUEM90 JJP GREY (P9 NKA) SILVER PLATE WITH CAR MOD OY13YYV JEWEL GREEN 3 PANTHER BLACK 3 ORANGE ** SANTORINI BLUE MEDITERRANEAN COSMIC BLACK PEARL BLACK ON HOLD KEVIN 26/3 SAMOA ORANGE METALLIC INGOT GOLD MONTALCINO RED RED ROSSO BRUNELLO METALLIC MAGNETIC BROWN METALLIC PAINT MONZA BLUE SILVER OY54 TZW PEPPER WHITE NON METALLIC BLUE JL58 JEN BLACK (W4 BDE) BLUE MD53 VTM SILVER (143) REG QUERY 21.2 BEIGE V5 IN POST GREY NOT ON SITE AT BB BLUE COPY V5 ONLY GREY MANUAL COLLECTION GOLD (WHITE SAND) BLACKX24 APH CANVASITE CORTEZ GOLD BLACK KEY MAGENTIC GREY FROST WHITE CHECK MILEAGE BLUE (083) COLBAT BLUE RED PERRY BAR WHITE PERRY BAR GREY PERRY BAR SILVER PERRY BAR BLACK PERRY BARR BLACK PERRY BAR BLUE PERRY BAR BLUE PERRY BARR AWAITING REPAIR 25/4 GREEN PERRY BAR ORANGE PERRY BAR REDNOTTS FLORETS SILVER RED NOTTINGHAM WHITE IN ADMIN* BLUE POSSIBLE TAKEOVER SPHERE BLUE METALLIC CUVEE SILVER METALLIC PEARL THUNDER GREY RHODIUM SILVER/INSUS SLIVER GLACIER WHITE/YULONG WHITE SILVERX3 DWD* LAZULITE BLUE LASER BLUE METALLIC SOLID GOLD METALLIC ORANGE TWIST/BLACK ROOF CYAN SPLASH/BLACK ROOF BOLD BLACK/RED ROOF PEARL WHITE BI-TONE/BLACK ROOF BLACK 771 BLF RED Y10 NYH GREY (S500 KUN) BLACK (P50 OLO) ESTORILM BLUE BLACK NR-BLOWN ENGINE RED DR BRITISH POST OFFICE RED FABRIC BLACK GREY ACCIDENT DAMAGED SILVER CHECKSPEC BLACK NON RUNNER MAUVE/PURPLE DR CARIBBEAN BLU STAR GREY DARKMOON BLUE METALLIC BLACK DR WHITE DR RICE JAVA APLINE WHITE/BLACK SASuperior method of contact:feathercritter (at) gmail do.t com------------------- Hello I'm K and I draw things for a living. This is my personal blog. Art Blog: @feathercritter // Animation Blog @thechaseanimation // TWEWY Blog: @one-hop-from-eden "They" pronouns please. 29 - INTJ - animation/writing grad ------------------- ART ONLY BLOG Art tag Fanart tag Animation project blog: The Chase Frequently asked questions Tip Jar My Portfolio Fur Affinity Commission Info ------------------- Tags you may want to block if you dislike: "silly posts" "furries" "furry art" "homestuck spoilers" basically any of the above things + "spoilers" ------------------- This blog is always safe for work, with possible exceptions for mild nudity or violence which will be tagged. ------------------- Art use policy: Fanart : Feel free to use for icons, videos, repost, etc. Please credit and link back! Eligible posts are tagged "Fanart" and only posts with that tag please! Original/Commissioned work : Please do not repost outside of reblogging. Please do not use for icons/etc.May 6, 2009: Salmonella, what's gotten into you? Researchers have been asking themselves this question ever since Salmonella bacteria grown on board the space shuttle returned to Earth 3 to 7 times more virulent than Salmonella grown on the ground under otherwise identical conditions. Figuring out why could help safeguard astronauts from disease and lead to new treatments for food poisoning and other common ailments on Earth. New research by Cheryl Nickerson (Arizona State University) and colleagues explains not only why Salmonella gets "revved up" in space, but also how to calm it down again. "We think space travel tricks Salmonella into behaving as if it is in the human gut," Nickerson says. "It's a mechanical phenomenon having to do with 'fluid shear.'" Right: A photomicrograph of Salmonella bacteria. Courtesy of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Salmonella microbes have the ability to sense the force of fluid moving past their outer surfaces. This "fluid shear" acts as a signal to the microbe, helping it to know where in the human body it's located. Salmonella usually enters the body by hitching a ride on food that a person eats. In the middle of the tube-shaped intestines, the liquid-like mixture of half-digested food and digestive juices churns around quite a bit, so the amount of fluid shear is high. Sign up for EXPRESS SCIENCE NEWS delivery Sign up for EXPRESS SCIENCE NEWS delivery But as a Salmonella cell approaches the wall of the intestines, it slips into the tiny spaces between microscopic, hair-like protrusions called microvilli that cover the intestinal lining. There, the cell becomes sheltered from the churning motion, and fluid shear drops to very low levels. And it's there that the bacterial cell can cross from the intestines into the bloodstream to start an infection. So it would make sense for a bacterium experiencing low fluid shear to alter the activity of genes that help the bacterium survive and cause infection. Computer-based simulations have shown that the amount of fluid shear experienced by bacteria in the weightless environment of orbit is similar to the amount in these tiny spaces at the intestinal wall, Nickerson says. "Space flight is a low fluid shear environment." Nickerson's team looked at Salmonella from two shuttle flights to the International Space Station: STS-115 in Sept. 2006 and STS-123 in March 2008. They found that 167 genes were either more or less active in these keyed-up bacteria than in the bacteria that hadn't flown. The team also identified a "master switch" that regulates about one-third of these genes, a protein called Hfq. Activity of this protein was also affected by the low fluid shear conditions of spaceflight. Above: NASA astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper activates a Salmonella experiment during space shuttle mission STS-115. Now that scientists know which genes and proteins help create this virulence-boosting effect, they are working to use this information to develop new strategies to combat Salmonella food-borne illness, such as vaccines and therapeutics. The team has already found one promising way to combat Salmonella's extra virulence: add a dash of ions. When Nickerson and her colleagues grew the same strain of bacteria in a culture medium that contained higher concentrations of five ions -- potassium, chloride, sulfate, magnesium, and phosphate -- the virulence of the bacteria due to spaceflight no longer went up! "Cells are funny things," Nickerson says. "If you give them too much or too little of something they're used to having around, they'll surprise you with how they respond." As it turns out, many of the genes activated by the low fluid shear environment of spaceflight are involved in transporting these ions in and out of the cells, so there could be a connection. Research on this ion effect is still ongoing, Nickerson says, but she speculates that it could eventually lead to new ways to use these ions to ward off Salmonella infections. "One question people ask me is, 'Why in the world did you think of looking at [Salmonella in space]?' I turn that around and ask, 'Why would you not think of it!'" Nickerson says. "Whenever scientists have studied microbes under extreme conditions, we have found amazing new insights into how they function. Space flight is another extreme environment that's relatively untapped." "To me it was a no-brainer." Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips \| Credit: Science@NASAWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The amount of two key greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere rose sharply in 2007, and carbon dioxide levels this year are literally off the chart, the U.S. government reported on Wednesday. Smoke billows from a factory during sunset in the northern Spanish town of Torrelavega in this March 12, 2005 file photo. REUTERS/Victor Fraile In its annual index of greenhouse gas emissions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global climate change, rose by 0.6 percent, or 19 billion tons last year. The amount of methane increased by 0.5 percent, or 27 million tons, after nearly a decade of little or no change, according preliminary figures to scientists at the government’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Colorado. Methane’s greenhouse effect is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide’s, but there is far less of it in the atmosphere. Overall, methane has about half the climate impact of carbon dioxide. The primary source of carbon dioxide is the burning of fossil fuels, which is increasing, with China now the world’s biggest emitter, said Pieter Tans, who studies greenhouse gases at the laboratory. The United States is second. The greenhouse gas index, based on data from 60 sites around the world, showed that that last year’s carbon dioxide increase added 2.4 molecules to every million molecules of air, a measurement known as parts per million, or ppm. OFF THE CHART Carbon dioxide levels were about 270 ppm in the mid-18th century, before the wide use of fossil fuels that began with the Industrial Revolution. Last year’s levels were near 390 ppm, and they have been rising more steeply over the last three decades, Tans said in a telephone interview. “The average (annual rise) over the last five or six years has been 2 ppm and that is actually steeper than it has been in previous decades,” he said. “This whole decade the rate of increase has accelerated, and we have a very clear candidate (for the cause) and that’s emissions from burning fossil fuels.” The rise continued in 2008, according to a chart of global carbon dioxide emissions online here, which showed world emissions of this gas heading off the chart at over 386 ppm. “It’s gloomy,” Tans said. “With carbon dioxide emissions, we’re on the wrong track, it’s obvious. And I’m also fully convinced that we’re in actually quite a dangerous situation for climate.” The increase in methane emissions after years of little change may indicate that methane locked for thousands of years in frozen Arctic soil known as permafrost is being emitted into the atmosphere as the soil melts. “What used to be in the deep freeze is now being taken out in the warming,” Tans said. It is also possible that the 2007 rise in methane emissions is due to some other cause. Methane emissions rose sharply between 1978 and 1998 and then leveled off.Chris Pratt isn’t afraid to admit when he’s wrong. During the interview that corresponded with his April cover of Men’s Fitness, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 star said that he rarely sees his own upbringing represented in movies. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “I don’t see personal stories that necessarily resonate with me, because they’re not my stories,” Pratt, 37, told the magazine. “I think there’s room for me to tell mine, and probably an audience that would be hungry for them. The voice of the average, blue-collar American isn’t necessarily represented in Hollywood.” After facing some backlash on the comment, Pratt took to Twitter on Friday to apologize. “That was actually a pretty stupid thing to say. I’ll own that,” he wrote. “There’s a ton of movies about blue collar America.” That was actually a pretty stupid thing to say. I'll own that. There's a ton of movies about blue collar America. https://t.co/DclYfNsiv3 — chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) April 21, 2017 “Clearly he hasn’t seen literally every movie that’s come out in the last 50 years—let alone recent films about hard-working white men like Manchester by the Sea and Sully,” one writer said, while Twitter users were happy to provide other examples of TV shows and movies that they felt fit the bill. RELATED VIDEO: Aw! Chris Pratt Gives Son Jack His ‘First Tie-Tying Tutorial’ Before Receiving a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame In the same interview, the actor opened up about the polarizing nature of modern politics. “I really feel there’s common ground out there that’s missed because we focus on the things that separate us,” he said. “You’re either the red state or the blue state, the left or the right. Not everything is politics. And maybe that’s something I’d want to help bridge, because I don’t feel represented by either side.” On Friday, Pratt was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where he was joined by his wife, Anna Faris, and 4-year-old son, Jack. Pratt was visibly emotional when he took the podium. “I’m a man of faith and I believe that God works in mysterious ways and gives us signs and gifts in life — and those gifts oftentimes come in the form of people,” he began. “So I’ll just spend the rest of my time expressing gratitude for the people in my life who are gifts.” Afterward, Pratt reflected on his momentous day, telling PEOPLE he felt like he was in “the eye of the storm.” “It feels great,” he said. “It feels a little bit like I’m in the eye of the storm so it’s calm, but I know there’s some pretty wild things happening all around me.”The most obvious joke here is of course the American media’s fear of nudity while not really caring about violence.But there’s also a hidden joke about Sweden’s past. In the old days all countries used torture, but the Swedes were notorious for it in the North. How they turned Scania Swedish is downright nightmare fuel. They would torture guerrilla soldiers to death, kill their families and wipe out whole villages who supported them. Maybe there’s a reason why Sweden is the only one not scared of Åland.Today Sweden is pacifist, so he only gets his morbid jollies from scary ass games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent. No, I didn’t play the game. I let this brave woman do it for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhfTnxG7lLYYes, Iceland wants it for his collection.This is Part 2 of the series: 5 lessons from 150 startup pitches. What if someone copies your awesome business idea? When I meet an angel investor, he may ask: “What if a big company copies your idea and develops the same website as yours after your website goes public?” How can I answer this question? No, the question is: What are you doing now knowing that a big company will copy your idea? No, wait, the real question is: What are you going to do when another smart, scrappy startup copies it, and gets $10m in funding, and is thrice featured on TechCrunch? No, wait, I’m sorry, the real question is: What are you going to do when there are four totally free, open-source competitors? No wait, I forgot, actually the question is: What happens when employee #2 makes off with your code and roadmap and marketing data and customer list, moves to Bolivia, and starts selling your stuff world-wide at one-tenth the price? The good news: There are good answers to these questions! The bad news: Almost no one I talk to has good answers, but they think they do. And that’s fatal, because it means they’re not working towards remedying that situation. Which means when one of the above scenarios happens, it will be too late. The first step is admitting you have a problem. Last week I detailed the most common misconceptions about competitive advantages, so go read that if you haven’t already. To summarize: Anything that can be copied will be copied, including features, marketing copy, and pricing. Anything you read on popular blogs is also read by everyone else. You don’t have an “edge” just because you’re passionate, hard-working, or “lean.” The only real competitive advantage is that which cannot be copied and cannot be bought. Like what? Insider information They say the only way to consistently make money on Wall Street is to have insider information. Unfortunately it’s not a joke, and although it’s illegal (and people occasionally go to jail for it), those in the know will tell you it’s the norm. Fortunately, using intimate knowledge of an industry and the specific pain points within an industry is a perfectly legal unfair advantage for a startup. Here’s a real-world example of how this advantage manifests. Adriana has been a psychiatrist for 10 years; she understands the ins and outs of that business. During a lull in her practice she got a serendipitous opportunity to shift gears completely and ended up leading software product development teams. (Turns out that for big-business project management it’s more valuable to be a sensible thinker and counselor than to be an expert in debugging legacy C++ code.) Now Adriana has an epiphany: Traditional practice-management software for psychiatrists totally sucks; she knows both the pain points and the existing software first-hand. But now she has the vision and ability to design her own software, capitalizing on modern trends (e.g. a web application instead of cumbersome installed applications) and new interpretations of HIPPA regulation (which allows web-based applications to store medical records like patient histories). Adriana holds a unique position: Expert in the industry, able to “geek out” with her target customer, yet capable of leading a product team. Even if someone else saw Adriana’s product after the fact, it’s almost impossible to find a person — or even assemble a team — who has more integrated knowledge. At best, they could copy. Of course by then Adriana has moved on to version two. Single-minded, uncompromising obsession with One Thing A popular comment on the previous post was that a “Unique Feature” could be a competitive advantage in some circumstances. Some examples of a feature being a company’s primary advantage are: Apple compromises everything in the name of design. Their products are over-priced (magically being profitable at half the price 12 months after release), buggy (how many iOS debacles have there been?), and every experience I’ve had with their tech support has been atrocious, but man their stuff looks and feels nice! (I’m typing this on an Air and there’s an iPhone in my pocket, so no Apple fan-boy mail please.) Their products are over-priced (magically being profitable at half the price 12 months after release), buggy (how many iOS debacles have there been?), and every experience I’ve had with their tech support has been atrocious, but man their stuff looks and feels nice! (I’m typing this on an Air and there’s an iPhone in my pocket, so no Apple fan-boy mail please.) Google’s search algorithm was just better, therefore they won the eyeballs, therefore they were able to monetize. Sure Bing and Yahoo are good now, but the advantage lasted long enough. Photodex is a little company you’ve never heard of I worked for in Austin in the 90’s. We made an image browser with thumbnail previews so you didn’t have to open each file individually to see what it was. (In the 90’s, y’all, before that was built into all the operating systems!) Our advantage was speed. Not the best, not the most stable, didn’t read the most formats, didn’t have the most features, just “fastest.” For many users of that product, speed wins; Photodex now makes tens of millions of dollars a year, and “speed” is still the only point on which they will not compromise. However it’s not enough for a feature to merely be unique (like my mini-browser) because it’s still easily duplicated. Indeed, most of the innovations we’ve made at Smart Bear in the art of code review have already been duplicated by both commercial and open-source competitors. Rather, this requires unwavering devotion to the One Thing that is (a) hard, and (b) you refuse to lose, no matter what. Google has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on their search algorithm, the single biggest focus of the company even today, a decade after they decided that was their One Thing. They refuse to be beaten by competitors or black-hat hackers, whatever it takes. 37signals can build simple — almost trivial — software and earn three million customers because they absolutely will not compromise on their philosophy of simplicity, transparency, and owning their own company, and that’s something millions of people respect and support. Competitors could build trivial web applications too (as Joel Spolsky is fond of saying, “Their software is just a bunch of text fields!”), but without the single-minded obsession it’s just software with no features. To remain un-copyable, your One Thing needs to be not just central to your existence, but also difficult to achieve. Google’s algorithm, combined with the hardware and software to implement a search of trillions of websites in 0.2 seconds, is hard to replicate; it took hundreds (thousands?) of really smart people at Microsoft and Yahoo years to catch up. 37signals’ ranting platform — a blog with 131k followers and a best-selling book — is nearly impossible to build even with a full-time army of insightful writers. “Being hard to do” is still a true advantage, particularly when you devote your primary energy to it. P.S. For more, here are detailed examples of how this mindset also sets up your sales pitch. Personal authority Chris Brogan commands $22,000 for a single day of consulting in an industry (social media marketing) where all the information you need is already online and free. Joel Spolsky makes millions of dollars off bug tracking — an industry with hundreds of competitors and little innovation. My company Smart Bear sells the most expensive tool of its kind. How did we earn this powerful authority, and how can you earn this overwhelming advantage? I’m a great example of someone who wasn’t an authority on anything, but built that authority over time to the point where now my company (Smart Bear) is untouchable as the leader in both revenue and ideas in the area of peer code review. Not only was I not an expert on code review prior to building a code review tool, I wasn’t even an expert on software development processes generally! I didn’t give lectures, I didn’t have a blog, I didn’t have a column in Dr. Dobbs magazine, and most interesting of all, I didn’t even know “code review” was going to be what made the company successful! Unfortunately all this “authority” crap takes years of expensive effort, and even then success is probably due as much to luck as anything else, so is it worthwhile? Yes, exactly because it takes years of effort and a little luck. Authority cannot be purchased. You can’t raise VC money and then “have authority” in a year. A big company cannot just decide they want to be the thought-leaders in their field. Even a pack of hyper-intelligent geeks cannot automatically become authorities because it’s not about how well you can code. But how does authority convert to revenue? Here’s one tiny example: I give talks on peer code review at conferences. My competition pays thousands of dollars for a booth, then spends thousands advertising to attendees begging them to come to that booth, then gives sales pitches at the booth to uninterested passersby who are also being bombarded by other pitches and distracted by the general hubbub. Whereas, because I’m a known authority on code review and software development, I get to talk for an entire hour to a captive, undistracted group of 100 people, self-selected as interested in code review. After the talk typically 5-20 people want to chat one-on-one. Some head straight to the booth to get a demo; for many I give a private demo of the product on sofas in the hallway. It’s
65s. In Britain’s 2015 general election only 43% of the 18-24s but 78% of the over-65s voted. In both countries the party favoured by older voters won a thumping victory. “My generation has a huge interest in political causes but a lack of faith in political parties,” says Aditi Shorewal, the editor of a student paper at King’s College, London. In autocracies the young are even more disillusioned. In one survey, only 10% of Chinese respondents thought that young people’s career prospects depended more on hard work or ability than on family connections. All countries need to work harder to give the young a fair shot. If they do not, a whole generation’s talents could be wasted. That would not only be immoral; it would also be dangerous. Angry young people sometimes start revolutions, as the despots overthrown in the Arab Spring can attest.If you want a party done right, call Taylor Swift. Whether it be a fan's bridal shower or a birthday for her very best friend, the number one rule for a Taylor Swift party is go big or go home. For Swift's high school friend Abigail Anderson's 25th birthday, the pop star went all out by arranging for Dashboard Confessional singer Chris Carrabba to make an appearance at the party for a sing-a-long. It's hard to hate, hate, hate T-Swift when she's this sweet. A video posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Apr 5, 2015 at 6:51pm PDT A video posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Apr 5, 2015 at 6:54pm PDT A video posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Apr 5, 2015 at 6:56pm PDT BONUS: 5 Taylor Swift Songs That Are Actually About SandwichesRep. Toe Poe explained on Monday why he resigned from the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline conservative lawmakers who helped block President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan's healthcare bill. Poe said on CNN's "New Day" that the conservative caucus "continues to be the opposition caucus against anything in the Republican party." The Texas congressman argued that while Republican leadership attempted to ignore the concerns of its most conservative members in the past, members were key players in the negotiation of the American Healthcare Act. "There's nothing that could be added to the bill that the Freedom Caucus would ever vote yes on," Poe said. "I got the opinion that there are some members of the Freedom Caucus - they'd vote no against the Ten Commandments if it came up for a vote." Poe claimed that although it was "not a perfect bill," Republicans "promised for years" that they would repeal President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act should they hold the White House. "We voted 60 times to repeal Obamacare. Then when it came down to repealing it, when it actually counted, people said 'Nah, I'm not going to vote to repeal the bill,'" Poe said. Trump and Ryan were forced to pull their healthcare bill from the House after leaders made a large concession to House Freedom Caucus members, removing the essential health benefits requirements which ensure insurers cover basic services under plans including hospitalization, basic outpatient care, and emergency room visits. The move only placated a few conservative members, while some moderate Republicans said they could not support the bill if it allowed states to choose whether they should require essential health benefits. For his part, Trump also cast blame on the House Freedom Caucus for refusing to support the bill. In a tweet on Sunday, the president slammed the House Freedom Caucus and the right-leaning Heritage Foundation's opposition to the bill. Watch the clip below, via CNN: Rep. @JudgeTedPoe, who quit the Freedom Caucus, says its members would "vote no on the 10 commandments" https://t.co/ozTDty7eOh - New Day (@NewDay) March 27, 2017 NOW WATCH: Watch Trump surprise the first White House tour group Please enable Javascript to watch this video "Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare!" Trump wrote, shortening the term "Obamacare."International fraudster Wayne Patterson, who ripped off the government for $3.4 million, wants release conditions about not using the internet and not being able to leave the Wairarapa relaxed. Patterson was jailed for eight years for conning taxpayers out of $3.4 million in benefit money. He created 123 false identities and was collecting benefits from them. At one point he was receiving $54,000 a fortnight. Once in prison he got a further nine months for attempting to escape and escaping. MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Property seized from benefit fraudster Wayne Patterson under the proceeds of crime act. story on proceeds of crime READ MORE: * Forged letters mean extra jail time for benefit fraudster Wayne Patterson * $3.4m benefit fraudster jailed for 8 years Last year he got sentenced for the third time for another two years for two charges of forgery, two of using forged documents and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He had sent forged letters to the Parole Board about a job offer with the Carterton District Council on a council letterhead. Patterson was released earlier this year after serving his sentences and Corrections applied to have release conditions imposed upon him. Among the conditions were that he not leave the Wairarapa where he is living, that he not have a device capable to connecting to the internet and if he is allowed one that it must be turned over to be searched by Corrections or any nominated person. Patterson is appealing the imposition of the conditions. Justice Joe Williams at the High Court in Wellington on Tuesday was not sure about the internet conditions. "I have some sympathy with the internet being oxygen these days," he told Patterson's lawyer Doug Ewen. However he said he also understood given that one of the ways Patterson committed his fraud was electronically. Patterson had created the fake identities and bank account details for them online. Ewen said it was accepted that some restrictions on travel were necessary like a released prisoner not being able to go to a place where they might encounter a victim but not just locking him into never leaving the Wairarapa. Corrections lawyer Charlotte Brook said the conditions, like one where he had to provide the registration of any vehicles he used, were because of how he offended, like driving around the country in disguise to different Work and Income offices so he would not be identified. The judge reserved his decision. Patterson served jail time in Australia and America for fraud offences. In Australia he had conned $A500,000 ($NZ592,900) in benefits using 43 false identities and was jailed for eight years but was extradited to New Zealand after serving three. In 1991 he was arrested in America and jailed for eight years for defrauding authorities of $US2 million. He served three years in America before being deported back to New Zealand but returned there on a false passport. He was extradited to New Zealand in 2002, prosecuted for offences he committed in 1998 and sentenced to home detention. Within a month of ending his sentence in June 2003, he began offending again. When police raided Patterson's modest rented flat in Auckland, they found nearly $700,000 in $50 notes buried in the garden, $184,333 cash in the flat and in his car, and gold bars worth $355,000, also hidden in the flat. They also found 137 automatic teller machine cards, 102 forged birth certificates, 56 community service cards, 79 superannuation cards and 125 Inland Revenue cards. The cards were all in the names of the false identities used to obtain the fraudulent benefits. There was so much art in the flat there was not room to hang it all. The rented flat had been fitted with a sophisticated security camera and had six computers to allow Patterson to keep track of his fraud and false accounts. There was a marble master bedroom suite, tropical fish and a lavish garden with $50,000 worth of plants.Alice Guy, the first female film director, produced a film (silent) on the life of Jesus. Consisting of 25 painted tableaux (typical of passion plays), together with location scenes (which take place outdoors), La Vie du Jesus (1906) is distinctive for its portraits of women Guy highlights Mary Magdalene’s primary role as the first witness of the risen Christ (Matt 28:7; John 20:11-18). Whether or not her themes count as “feminist,” Guy seems to go out of her way to include women in every scene–for instance, instead of Simon of Cyrene, as the one who carries the cross of Jesus (Luke 23:26), six women do. Eight women find the empty tomb (Luke 24:1-5), while many women are present at the foot of the cross. Here’s the film (which runs 33 minutes).I hadn't heard of this match before. I am fully aware of The Bulldogs and Dean Malenko. However, I hadn't ever seen Joe wrestle before. This was quite the treat. As part of AJPW's New Years Giant events, this match came on the final night of the 1990 series. It was a classic. There are a lot of holds. If you are not a fan of the slower and more methodical pace, this might not be for you. Dean Malenko is perfection. He is the best ring strategist. It's always good to see him. Dynamite is on point here. His vicious snap suplex right out of the gate shows his fight and fury. He really resembles Benoit in this match. I kept seeing the Rabid Wolverine flashing in and out here and there. Bulldog appeared to be in his early prime. He showcased his brute strength in numerous spots. Great work. I have no complaints about Joe Malenko, he was a main part of this match. Really athletic and agile. His submission work is really on par with his brothers. Just look at Joe working over The British Bulldog's leg. That jumping tombstone is amazing! I can't get over how good Dynamite is here. And just when I think that it can't get any better, look at this sequence between Dean and Davey Boy Smith! Just perfection. Even this tumble-to-the-outside spot is great considering how dangerously small the ringside area is. I am a sucker for those really risky spots. Then the crescendo as the match builds to the ending. Some fantastic suplex spots and reversals. Joe Malenko and Dynamite Kid duking it out. Dynamite bleeding from the nose. The intensity and fury. There's that word again. The emotion. This was at a time that The Dynamite Kid would have to get himself into a really bad place to even make it to the ring. It was a shame. He was such a talent. 1 2 3 This match went about 24 minutes and was full of action from the get. It had a slower pace but it kept the action solid. Both teams showed their best. Even with Dynamite on his way out, The Bulldogs shined and showed why they were in the upper echelon of Tag Teams. This was a phenomenal showing of how a formulaic Tag match should play out. Five StarsKim Kardashian probably isn’t the type of person who sees much rejection in her life, and certainly not from a 13-year-old, poverty stricken orphan from a poor neighborhood in Thailand. But Kim had to just suck it up when the orphan, Pink, with whom Kardashian fell in love during a visit to the country, declined her offer to adopt her and take her to America to live a blessed life of wealth and opulence. Even though Pink was totally thrilled that Kim Kardashian had shown such a keen interest in her and had expressed a strong desire to adopt her, she respectfully declined the tempting offer, in favor of helping people in her impoverished homeland, as well as the orphans she has grown up with. When Kim visited the ramshackle children’s home in Thailand’s Phang Nga province, which houses over 4,000 people who survived the 2004 tsunami, she was touched at the plight of the people there and took a particular shine to Pink. Having been told that the Keeping up with the Kardashians star perhaps wanted to adopt her for real, Pink said, as reported by the Daily Mail, “Everyone wants to have a different or a better life, I suppose. But when I thought about it I realised it wouldn’t be good for me, because I would have to leave so much behind. I wasn’t ready for that.” Kim was also very excited at the prospect of adopting Pink, telling reporters,“I literally cannot stop thinking about her. I told Kanye, I was like, honestly, this girl is so sweet and so cute, like, I would honestly adopt her.” The orphan, who sleeps on a floor with five other girls at the Home and Life Foundation in Phang Nga, said, “When I found out she wanted to adopt me, I was shaking. I was so excited. It would be such a change of life for me. “ Recalling the first time she met Kim Kardashian, Pink added, “When she came here, it seemed as if I was the first one she looked at and smiled at. We had a connection straight away. I think she is really pretty and she has a very nice personality. I thought she was lovely and I really enjoyed meeting her – and I loved being on TV too.” While Kim Kardashian may not be so used to rejection, of any sort, it seems she understood Pink’s reasons for saying “no” and respected her wishes, without turning the matter into a big deal.The neo-Nazi group has been blamed for numerous violent incidents since the May 6 vote, when it stunned the whole of Europe by winning 6.97 per cent of the vote and 20 seats in parliament amid deep anxiety about recession, unemployment and high levels of illegal immigration. Polling data seen by the Daily Telegraph shows that Golden Dawn is on course to perform just as well or even better in the new election, which was called after the first failed to produce a government. Immigrants groups have said that attacks in Athens have risen in recent weeks, backing up an increase in anecdotal reporting, and fear that once established in parliament the party's black t-shirted vigilantes will feel further emboldened in their campaign of intimidation. Reza Gholami, the head of association for Afghan immigrants, said: "There are daily beatings. Most incidents are not known because immigrants do not notify authorities. They are afraid for their lives or don't have legal papers or lack the funds to pay the cost of a law suit." There have been accusations of police bias after it emerged that 50 percent of Athens police officers voted for Golden Dawn. Suspected perpetrators are often arrested but not charged. In the latest reported attack, a 28-year-old illegal Egyptian immigrant was beaten by men armed with clubs and iron bars as he slept on his roof to escape a summer heat wave. Abu Zeid Mubarak Abu Zeid said he woke to see several men setting upon him. "They were trying to kill me, I swear that they wanted to kill me. I passed out and woke up in hospital." He was left with a double fracture of the jaw, a broken nose, and needed substantial stitching on his head. The gang of ten assailants then smashed windows as they tried break into the house in Perama, a working class district near the port of Piraeus. They were defeated by locks on the doors. "If they had got in I don't know where we would be now," said Abu Habid Saad, the victim's cousin, who has been in Greece for 15 years. "They were swearing and shouting 'come out so we can teach you a lesson'. One had a Golden Dawn t-shirt," he said. "We are family men. We have always lived peacefully, we never had any differences and never expected such violence," he added. A Golden Dawn candidate posted a YouTube message the previous day warning Egyptians in the area that "complaints had been received" and that they would have to "reckon with" the party. Last week a Jerusalem Post photographer was hospitalized after he was set upon by black t-shirted thugs with sticks and batons. He had started taking pictures after seeing them chase dozens of immigrants down the central Patision Avenue. Golden Dawn has denied any role in beatings, although it has campaigned on ridding Greece of virtually all migrants and the daughter of its leader and two MPs elected last month were arrested in a June 4 assault on a Pakistani man who happened to be passing a party motorcycle rally. One of those, Ilias Panagiotaros, this week threatened to remove immigrant children from hospitals to make room for Greek babies. He also said that any MPs from other parties who "uttered rubbish about national issues" would as a warning be shown a video of party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris slapping a communist candidate live on television. The polling data showed that despite widespread condemnation support for Golden Dawn rose by two percentage points after the incident, when Kasidiaris also threw a glass of water over another woman. Rather than apologise, Ilias Kasidiaris has sued the two women and the television station for defamation.NEW YORK -- Stan Van Gundy believes the MVP race is already over, and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls is going to win it. "I don't think it's wide open. The media seems to have made their decision, and they're the ones that vote. So I think it's over," Van Gundy said Wednesday night as his Orlando Magic prepared to play the New York Knicks. "I mean, I just listen and read. I think it's over. Derrick Rose has it. I haven't really read or heard a media guy who is going another way at this point. I'd be shocked if he doesn't win it." Votes from selected sportswriters and broadcasters are due back at the league office on Thursday, April 14 -- the day after the regular season ends. The award is announced at some point during the playoffs. Last year, LeBron James received 116 of 123 first-place votes. Van Gundy has openly campaigned for Dwight Howard, who is scoring 23.0 points per game -- 1.9 fewer points than Rose. Howard is also second in the league in rebounding (14.3 per game), field goal percent (60 percent) and blocks (2.43). The Magic began the night with a record of 45-26, only five fewer victories than they had after 71 games last season. Howard himself acknowledged Wednesday night that Rose is indeed the favorite to win the award, having led the Bulls into first place in the Eastern Conference. Rose is averaging 24.9 points (seventh in the NBA) and 7.8 assists (10th) for a team that has had success despite missing Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah for long stretches of the season. Also, Rose has become a much better 3-point shooter, making 112 shots from long range this season after making just 32 total over his first two NBA seasons.For other people with the same name, see James Corbett Edward James Corbett CIE VD (25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was a British hunter, tracker and conservationist, author and naturalist, who hunted a large number of man-eating tigers and leopards in India. Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were preying on people in the nearby villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon regions. He authored Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett became an avid photographer and spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger, by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish what was called Hailey National Park. In 1957, the park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour. Early life [ edit ] Corbett was born of Irish ancestry in the town of Nainital in the Kumaon of the Himalaya (now in the Indian state of Uttarakhand). He grew up in a large family of sixteen children and was the eighth child of Christopher William Corbett and his wife Mary Jane (née Prussia) who had previously married Dr Charles James Doyle of Agra, who died at Etawah in 1857.[1] His parents had moved to Nainital in 1862, after Christopher Corbett had quit military service and been appointed the town's postmaster.[2] In winters the family used to move to the foothills, where they owned a cottage named "Arundel" in the village now known as Kaladhungi. Corbett House at Corbett Museum, Kaladhungi, Uttarakhand Mary Jane was very influential in Nainital social life among Europeans and she became a kind of real estate agent for European settlers.[3] Christopher William retired from the position of postmaster in 1878. He died a few weeks after a heart attack on 21 April 1881. Jim was then aged six and his eldest brother Tom took over as postmaster of Nainital. From a very early age, Jim was fascinated by the forests and wildlife around his home in Kaladhungi. Through frequent excursions, he learned to identify most animals and birds by their calls. Over time he became a good tracker and hunter. He studied at Oak Openings School, which merged with Philander Smith College in Nainital (later known as Halett War School, and now known as Birla Vidya Mandir, Nainital). Before he was nineteen he quit school and found employment with the Bengal and North Western Railway, initially working as a fuel inspector at Manakpur in the Punjab, and subsequently as a contractor for the trans-shipment of goods across the Ganges at Mokameh Ghat in Bihar.[4] Hunting man-eating tigers and leopards [ edit ] During his life Corbett tracked and shot a number of leopards and tigers; about a dozen were well documented man-eaters. Corbett provided estimates of human casualties in his books, including Man-Eaters of Kumaon, The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, and The Temple Tiger, and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon. Calculating the totals from these accounts, these big cats had killed more than 1,200 men, women, and children, according to Corbett. There are some discrepancies in the official human death tolls that the British and Indian governments have on record and Corbett's estimates. The first designated man-eating tiger he killed, the Champawat Tiger, was responsible for 436 documented deaths.[5] Though most of his kills were tigers, Corbett successfully killed at least two man-eating leopards. The first was the Panar Leopard in 1910, which allegedly killed 400 people. The second was the man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag in 1926, which terrorized the pilgrims on the holy Hindu shrines Kedarnath and Badrinath for more than eight years, and was said to be responsible for more than 126 deaths. Other notable man-eaters he killed were the Talla-Des man-eater, the Mohan man-eater, the Thak man-eater, the Muktesar man-eater and the Chowgarh tigress. Analysis of carcasses, skulls, and preserved remains show that most of the man-eaters were suffering from disease or wounds, such as porcupine quills embedded deep in the skin or gunshot wounds that had not healed, like that of the Muktesar Man-Eater. The Thak man-eating tigress, when skinned by Corbett, revealed two old gunshot wounds; one in her shoulder had become septic, and could have been the reason for the tigress's having turned man-eater, Corbett suggested. In the foreword of Man Eaters of Kumaon, Corbett writes: The wound that has caused a particular tiger to take to man-eating might be the result of a carelessly fired shot and failure to follow up and recover the wounded animal, or be the result of the tiger having lost his temper while killing a porcupine Corbett preferred to hunt alone and on foot when pursuing dangerous game. He often hunted with Robin, a small dog he wrote about in Man-Eaters of Kumaon.[6] Hunter and conservationist [ edit ] Corbett bought his first camera in the late 1920s and—inspired by his friend Frederick Walter Champion—started to record tigers on cine film.[6] Although he had an intimate knowledge of the jungle, it was a demanding task to obtain good pictures, as the animals were exceedingly shy. It is widely believed that Corbett did not kill a tiger without confirmation of its killing people.[7] However, Corbett killed the unusually large and most widely sought after Bachelor of Powalgarh, even though this tiger had never killed a human.[8] Corbett took to lecturing groups of schoolchildren about their natural heritage and the need to conserve forests and their wildlife.[citation needed] He promoted the foundation of the Association for the Preservation of Game in the United Provinces and the All-India Conference for the Preservation of Wildlife.[citation needed] Together with Champion, he played a key role in establishing India's first national park in the Kumaon Hills, the Hailey National Park, initially named after Lord Malcolm Hailey. The park was renamed in Corbett's honour in 1957.[9] Corbett deeply empathized with the poor living in and around the Corbett village or Kaladhoongi in the United Province (now Uttrakhand).[citation needed] As a railway contractor, he employed scores of Indians at Mokameh Ghat.[citation needed] While dedicating his book My India to "...my friends, the poor of India", he writes "It is of these people, who are admittedly poor, and who are often described as 'India's starving millions', among whom I have lived and whom I love, that I shall endeavor to tell in the pages of this book, which I humbly dedicate to my friends, the poor of India." Retiring in Kenya [ edit ] Jim Corbett resided in the Gurney House along with his sister Maggie Corbett. They sold the house to Mrs. Kalavati Varma, before leaving for Kenya in November 1947. The house has been transformed into a museum and is known as the Jim Corbett Museum. Jim also spent a short time in Chotti Haldwani, a village he had adopted and which came to be known as Corbett's Village. Corbett and the villagers built a wall around the village in 1925 to keep wild animals out of the premises. The wall still stands, and according to villagers has prevented wild animal attacks on villagers since it was built.[10] After 1947, Corbett and his sister Maggie retired to Nyeri, Kenya,[9] where he continued to write and sound the alarm about declining numbers of wild cats and other wildlife. Corbett was at the Treetops, a hut built on the branches of a giant ficus tree, as the bodyguard of Princess Elizabeth when she stayed there on 5–6 February 1952. That night, her father, King George VI died, and Elizabeth ascended to the throne. Corbett wrote in the hotel's visitors' register: For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess, and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed down from the tree the next day a Queen—God bless her. Corbett died of a heart attack a few days after he finished his sixth book, Tree Tops, and was buried at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Nyeri. His memories were kept intact in the form of the meeting place Moti House, which Corbett had built for his friend Moti Singh, and the Corbett Wall, a long wall (approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km)) built around the village to protect crops from wild animals. Man-eaters of Kumaon was a great success in India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the first edition of the American Book-of-the-Month Club being 250,000 copies. It was later translated into 27 languages. Corbett's fourth book, Jungle Lore, is considered his autobiography. The Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, India was renamed in his honour in 1957. He had played a key role in establishing this protected area in the 1930s. In 1968, one of the five remaining subspecies of tigers was named after him: Panthera tigris corbetti, the Indochinese tiger, also called Corbett's tiger. In 1994 and 2002, the long-neglected graves of Corbett and his sister (both in Kenya) were repaired and restored by Jerry A. Jaleel, founder and director of the Jim Corbett Foundation.[11] Personal life [ edit ] Corbett remained unmarried in life. Hollywood movie [ edit ] In 1948, in the wake of Man-Eaters of Kumaon's success, a Hollywood film, Man-Eater of Kumaon, was made, directed by Byron Haskin and starring Sabu, Wendell Corey and Joe Page. The film did not follow any of Corbett's stories; a new story was invented. The film was a flop, although some interesting footage of the tiger was filmed. Corbett is known to have said that "the best actor was the tiger".[12] Other adaptations [ edit ] In 1986, the BBC produced a docudrama titled Man-Eaters of India with Frederick Treves in the role of Jim Corbett. An IMAX movie India: Kingdom of the Tiger, based on Corbett's books, was made in 2002 starring Christopher Heyerdahl as Corbett. A TV movie based on The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag starring Jason Flemyng was made in 2005. Honours [ edit ] Corbett received the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal in the 1928 New Year Honours.[13] He was made a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in the King's 1946 Birthday Honours.[14] Items named in honour of Jim Corbett's life and work [ edit ] Jim Corbett National Park was named after Jim Corbett in 1957, as Corbett used his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish the first National Park of India in 1936, initially called Hailey National Park. Indochinese tiger was named after Jim Corbett in 1968 by Vratislav Mazak who was the first to describe the new subspecies of the tiger living in Southeast Asia Books [ edit ] Jungle Stories. Privately published in 1935 (only 100 copies) Contents: Wild Life in the Village: An Appeal, The Pipal Pani Tiger, The Fish of My Dreams, A Lost Paradise, The Terror that Walks by Night, Purna Girl and Its Mysterious Lights, The Chowgarh Tigers Man-Eaters of Kumaon. Oxford University Press, Bombay 1944 Contents: Author's note (causes of man-eating), The Champawat Maneater, Robin, Chowgarh Tigers, The Bachelor of Powalgarh, The Mohan Maneater, Fish of my dreams, The Kanda Maneater, The Pipal Pani tiger, The Thak Man-eater, Just Tigers The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. Oxford University Press, 1947 Contents: The Pilgrim Road, The Man-Eater, Terror, Arrival, Investigation, The First Kill, Locating the Leopard, The Second Kill, Preparations, Magic, A Near Escape, The Gin Trap, The Hunters Hunted, Retreat, Fishing Interlude, Death of a Goat, Cyanide Poisoning, Touch and Go, A Lesson in Caution, A Wild Boar Hunt, Vigil on a Pine Tree, My Night of Terror, Leopard Fights Leopard, A Shot in the Dark, Epilogue My India. Oxford University Press, 1952 Contents: Dedication & Introduction, The Queen of the Village, Kunwar Singh, Mothi, Pre Red Tape Days, The Law of the Jungle, The Brothers, Sultana: India's Robin Hood, Loyalty, Budhu, Lalajee, Chamari, Life at Mokameh Ghat Jungle Lore. Oxford University Press, 1953 Contents: Introduction by Martin Booth, Dansay, Learning to Shoot, Magog, Looking Back, Jungle Encounters, Categories, Jungle Lore, Calls of the Jungle, School Days / Cadets, Forest Fire & Beats, Game Tracks, Jungle Sensitiveness The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon. Oxford University Press, 1954 Contents: The Temple Tiger, The Muktesar Man-Eater, The Panar Man-Eater, The Chuka Man-Eater, The Talla Des Man-Eater, Epilogue Tree Tops. Oxford University Press, 1955 (short 30-page novella) . Oxford University Press, 1955 (short 30-page novella) Jim Corbett's India - Selections by R. E. Hawkins. Oxford University Press, 1978 Contents: Introduction, Kunwar Singh, Schooldays, Loyalty, Life at Mokameh Ghat, Mothi, The Law of the Jungles, The Muktesar Man-eater, The Panar Leopard, Goongi (previously unpublished), The Pipal Pani Tiger, The Pilgrim Road, Terror, Vigil on a Pine Tree, The Chowgarh Tigers, The Bachelor of Powalgarh, The Fish of My Dreams, Robin, Wild Life in the Village-An Appeal (previously unpublished), The Mohan Man-Eater, Just Tigers, On Man-Eating, Looking Back My Kumaon: Uncollected Writings. Oxford University Press, 2012 Contents: Publisher's Note; Timeline; Preface: 'How I Came To Write'; A Life Well Lived: An Introduction To Jim Corbett By Lord Hailey; Section One: The Unpublished Corbett—The Night Jar's Egg; 'One Of Us'; From My Jungle Camp; The Rudraprayag Letters; Corbett On The Man-Eating Leopard Of Rudraprayag; The Making Of Corbett's My India: Correspondence With His Editors; 'Shooting' Tigers: Corbett And The Camera; Wildlife In The Village: An Environmental Appeal; An Englishman In India; Life In Kenya; Section Two: Corbett And His Audience-'The Artlessness Of His Art'; The Man Revealed: Corbett In His Writings; The Universal Appeal Of Jim Corbett: Letters And Reviews; Deliverance For Rudraprayag: Reactions To The Slaying Of The Man-Eating Leopard By Corbett; Corbett's Influence: Man-Eaters Of Kumaon And The Chindwara Court Case; Epigraph See also [ edit ] References [ edit ]January 13, 2015 6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Entrepreneurs often feel like impostors at their businesses and in their lives because they’re constantly trying to do things they’ve never done before. Every day they’re learning new skills and this can prompt them to feeling like they're not really qualified to be running their businesses. But many people experience impostor syndrome at some point. They persistently see themselves as inadequate or failures despite information indicating that their skills are sufficient or they're successful. Confident entrepreneurs accept their inadequacies. They are simply faking it before they make it and that’s OK. It’s called learning. Once business leaders learn to accept this process, their impostor syndrome goes away. Here are 10 other tricks confident entrepreneurs can use to avoid impostor syndrome: Related: Easily Diagnose and Treat Impostor Syndrome 1. Own the victory. Confident entrepreneurs own their accomplishments. The cause of impostor syndrome is an inability to internalize success. Instead, people think they got lucky, slipped in or benefit from an unusual amount of help. It takes integrity to own a victory. Sure, you may have been lucky or have had help as a new business owner, but you probably did your part, too. Even if you were just in the right place at the right time, you were still there. Without you, the victory wouldn’t exist. 2. Don’t rely so much on external validation. External validation is a crutch. No one should have more power to make you feel better about yourself than you. Sure, it’s fine to feel good when other people compliment you and you should always accept external praise, but don't overly rely on it. 3. Keep the pressure on. You can’t fight self-doubt with more self-doubt. Too many entrepreneurs make the mistake of combating impostor syndrome by purposefully lowering the bar for themselves. These types say things like “Oh, I’m not that good” or “I’ll probably mess up” before daring to take a specific action. Some will even go as far as sabotaging their own performance to fulfill the lower expectations. The problem is that trying to take pressure off yourself by pretending to be more of a failure will make you more of a failure. It’s a pitiful cycle. You set the bar lower and lower each time until what you do doesn’t matter at all. Related: Start Before You're Ready, Really 4. Act before being ready. Many entrepreneurs feel like impostors because they wait and wait to take action. They want to launch a new product or change the direction of their business but never have the guts. They just think about acting. Thinking without acting makes entrepreneurs feel like impostors in their own lives. They know what they want and who they want to be but never move toward it, leaving them feeling like a phony. 5. Encounter failure firsthand. Entrepreneurs who critique other businesses but never dare to take great leaps in their own work are the real impostors. Reading about other entrepreneurs’ failures and successes only goes so far. Sooner or later you have to plunge in and start succeeding or failing first, experiencing things firsthand. You can’t be a fake and fail at the same time. If you’re failing, you’re doing it. You’re real. 6. Expose your true self. The only
ism increasingly unable to explain various aspects of mental phenomenon, due to evidence from the study of organic minds or in artificial intelligence. Panpsychism has nothing to do with psychics or new-age phenomenon, on the contrary, it is increasingly the position of serious and respected scientists and philosophers. Often describing themselves by means of the less ‘out there’ sounding term ’emergent cognition theory,’ mainstream theorists from Antonio Damasio, Andy Clarke, and David Chalmers have been powerful advocates for such an approach. A lot of work remains to be done if this scientific set of models, which embrace everything from complex systems science to research on artificial neural networks and experimental mobotics, can productively come together with fields in the humanities like film theory and various philosophies, but one of the tasks of the networkological project is start doing this. Building on Fairbairn, it becomes possible to begin discussing the various self-object pairs which link subjects and their world, which operate in the space between them, extimate formations which can occur in the world of external ‘physical’ experience, inner ‘mental’ experience, and/or ‘virtual’ filmic experience. These self-object pairs, often parts of scenes and narratives which comprise what psychoanalysis calls ‘fantasy,’ which film often works to stage, or the fragmented and shattered parts thereof, are really the ways our brain attempts to organize its own self-perception of its dynamic processes in relation to the world beyond it. And these self-object pairs, which are really multi-pole networks which represent temporary stable patterns within the dynamic networks of the world, exist in various degrees and types of complexity so as to compose the world beyond us, the world within us, and the experience which encompasses all and in between. I plan to develop these models more in future works, but the basic outlines are here. It’s likely that I’ll want to integrate this more with the work of Felix Guattarri’s account of sub-subjective processes of parts of signs and various assemblages and abstract-machines, as well as unformed matter, in his fascinating text Machinic Unconscious (1978). There’s also Hjelmslev’s fascinating notion of purport, and how this relates to sign production via expression and content, a model employed extensively by Deleuze and Guattari in Thousand Plateaus (1981). There’s also a lot by Russian semioticians that I think is useful for think about the ways signs circulate within masses of people. In particular, the work of Yuri Lotman is great for thinking about economies of signs and their fragments, and I also like the world of Valentin Voloshinov and Pavel Medvedev, two early members of the Bakhtin circle. For all these theorists, subjects are the effects and products of networks, as are the which they use to communicate and form themselves, all from microfragments. And it is at the level of microfragments that cognitive science once again comes into the picture. For if there is one thing that artificial neural networks have shown us, it’s how figures like letters are composed of microfeatures which are reconstructed on the fly by the brain from dynamic mappings of their shards. In fact, we never remember any scene in memory, we always reconstruct it from the tiniest of fragments of experience, and in this manner, the brain manages to be radically distributed as well as radically efficient. Bergson was right when he argued that memories were nowhere in particular in the brain, but as if ‘everywhere’ in the brain. For in fact, they are. While the instructions for assembling their aspects are often localized in various ways, the parts and the instructions are always in radically different parts of the brain, and often with multiple slightly different copies of each. No wonder we feel like a teeming mass of people inside of each of us – we are! Advertisements Like this: Like Loading... Related Posted in Uncategorized Tags: complexity studies, deleuze, fairbairn, hegel, klein, lacan, psychoanalysis, winnicott, zizekMANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS/AP) – Leeland Eisenberg, the man who took hostages at one of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign offices in 2007, is missing from a minimum security correctional facility in Manchester, state prison officials reported Sunday. UPDATE: Eisenberg Captured The N.H. Department of Corrections said Eisenberg is missing from the Calumet Transitional Housing Unit in Manchester. At about 3 p.m. Sunday, a regular population count was conducted and the 52-year-old was not in his room. He was placed on “walkway” status, according to a prepared statement from the state prison officials. Eisenberg took hostages in Clinton’s campaign office in Rochester, N.H. He entered the office with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his chest. Eisenberg is a white man, 5-foot-6, 220 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair. He was sentenced in Strafford County Superior Court to 3 1/2 to 7 years and began serving his sentence in the N.H. State Prison on May 6, 2010. Before Sunday’s incident, he was eligible for parole on Aug. 6. His maximum release date is Feb. 6, 2017. The N.H. Department of Corrections Investigations Bureau and the N.H. State Police are investigating. Eisenberg is not considered armed. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call their local law enforcement agency or the N.H. State Prison at 603-271-1801. Eisenberg spent about two years behind bars for the November 2007 siege at Clinton’s Rochester campaign office. No one was hurt in a five-hour standoff and the bomb turned out to be road flares. At his arraignment in that case, public defender Randy Hawkes portrayed Eisenberg as a man at the end of his rope emotionally after being repeatedly turned down when he sought psychiatric help. Eisenberg “heard voices and saw a movie in his head telling him he had to sacrifice himself” to shine light on the flaws in the health care system, Hawkes said. Eisenberg was released on probation in November 2009. His first violation occurred soon after his release, when he failed to charge his monitoring bracelet. He was incarcerated in January 2010 after failing to take mandatory alcohol breath tests. In February 2010, he cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet and fled, a day after being given a last chance at freedom by a judge who released him despite multiple probation violations. He was found in his Dover apartment the next day. Eisenberg’s long criminal record also includes two rape convictions. He was sentenced to 10 years for rape in Worcester, Mass., in 1985 but escaped the next year and committed another rape, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to 11 to 20 years in the second rape case. He was released from prison in March 2005. (TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)Men gawp at them, women envy them. But my 34F breasts are the bane of my life: Unlike Holly Willoughby, our writer DOES mind people fixating on her cleavage Jenny Stallard admits she hates having big boobs They attract unwelcome attention 'Thanks to Holly Willoughby I'm considered fair game for ribard comments' Baggy black T-shirts, vice-like sports bras and a collection of thigh-high mini skirts to re-route male attention southwards. I’ve tried everything to divert the opposite sex from staring at my rather ample chest. But no matter what I attempt, I’ve always been known as Jenny With The Big Boobs. That’s the thing about having a 34F bust: it’s the first thing people see. So, almost inevitably, it becomes your defining characteristic. Curvy curse: Jenny Stallard hates people staring at her cleavage But more often than not the dubious attention attracted by my bangers/ puppies/fun bags — oh yes, I’ve heard all the ‘hilarious’ euphemisms — is entirely unwelcome. Please don’t think me po-faced or ‘ungrateful’ (as some of my more petite friends have labelled me), but the lascivious stares and lewd comments seem to be on the rise — even in this supposedly politically correct age. And I blame the likes of TV presenter Holly Willoughby — who is said to be a size 34DD — who recently declared: ‘I don’t mind people fixating on my cleavage.’ The more that Ms Willough-booby, as she’s apparently happy to be known, pouts and preens and pretends she’s fine with the fact her fame revolves around her mammary glands, the more people think it’s fine to gawp at the rest of us big-breasted girls. Holly Willough-booby: The TV presenter recently declared, 'I don't mind people fixating on my cleavage' Just the other day, I encountered a man in a bar who couldn’t peel his eyes away from my cleavage: ‘God! I mean wow! Seriously — wow!’ I wanted to shout: ‘I do have an entire body — not to mention a brain — you know!’ But, of course, I didn’t say anything. Unlike any other part of your anatomy, when the joke’s about your heaving bosom, you’re simply supposed to laugh along. Despite Holly’s declarations to the contrary, a sizeable bust quickly becomes the bane of your life. Quite apart from the physical discomfort of lumbering around a 9lb bosom (yes, I once weighed them), I can’t go for a run without teenagers shouting ‘Bouncy, bouncy!’ and am yet to speak to a man who has been able to meet my gaze for any length of time. 'I'm sure there are many women who would imagine such attention boosts your confidence, but in reality it's uncomfortable' All this has made me — like everyone else — utterly obsessed with my boobs. If only they were smaller, I muse, I could for once look elegant in a dainty bikini. It wasn’t until I was 14 that my breasts began to grow out of all proportion. Those early days of shopping for bras left mental scars, with me sobbing ‘I hate my boobs’ to my mum. Two-inch-wide straps carved pink grooves into my shoulders and the cups struggled to contain my curves. ‘We all love you as you are,’ Mum would say. ‘Try not to worry.’ She meant well, but as a neat B-cup, how could she ever understand my trauma? I’m 35, but when I was a teenager more generous sizes weren’t readily available. I was consigned to an old ladies’s lingerie store near where we lived in Reigate, Surrey, which only emphasised my freakishness. I’d go home and prod my breasts in front of the mirror. They weren’t round and voluptuous: they were more teardrop-shaped and droopy. Bane of my life: Jenny believes her 34F boobs mean she can never look elegant while she's had to endure taunts of 'bouncy, bouncy' when going for a run Recently, I flicked through an old diary and was shocked to see that such was my paranoia back then that I’d drawn a diagram of everything I hated about what I called my ‘old lady boobs’. And this was before I’d had to contend with the bewildering reactions of the opposite sex. It wasn’t until I moved from my girls’ school to a sixth form college at the age of 16 that I became painfully aware of the rubbernecking and widening eyes that my breasts elicited from hormonal young males. That’s when I started wearing the baggy black T-shirts. I’m sure there are many women who would imagine such attention boosts your confidence, but in reality it’s uncomfortable, humiliating and you just want to run away and hide. So distraught was I with my breasts in my late teens that I visited the doctor to inquire about a reduction. My GP warned me such operations come with big risks and suggested that, in time, I might grow to love my breasts. After his well-meaning words, I didn’t pursue the idea of a breast reduction, but I continued to torture myself with physical comparisons to my svelte best friend, Christine. Size matters The best-selling bra size is 34DD - that compares to 34B in 2010, according to Debenhams Whenever we had sleep-overs, I’d watch how she slipped effortlessly into her pyjamas. When I got changed, my breasts swung from side to side in cumbersome and clumsy unison. When I went to university in Hull, I found myself gravitating towards other busty girls. My housemate’s cleavage was as eye-popping as mine. We endured vulgar taunts about our bosoms, but took comfort in the fact we were not alone. I never dressed revealingly for dates when I was young and, even now, I refuse to display my cleavage when meeting potential suitors. I just want a man who will love me for me — and that includes my whole body and my brain. Meanwhile, my nights out in bars and clubs continue to be dominated by vulgar comments about my chest. As a woman with a larger-than-life personality, I tend to laugh off such comments. But there are times when I go home feeling genuinely upset. Would these men say anything if I was flat-chested? Or big-bottomed? I don't think so. Thanks to Holly Willoughby and her ilk, curvy women with big boobs are considered to be fair game for ribald comments from strangers. As at this time of year, I’m dreading having to strip down to a bikini on holiday. Unwelcome attention: Christina Hendricks' character in Mad Men flaunts her womanly curves but Jenny is not proud of hers Girls with big busts tend to look like budding porn stars, even if they choose the classiest two-piece on the block (which will have to employ heavy scaffolding and cost at least £50). The extent to which my god-forsaken breasts put a dampener on everything is best summed up by a recent phone call. It was my sister Pamela, 25, ringing to tell me she was engaged and she’d like me to be her matron of honor. Of course, I congratulated her, but my very first question was: ‘Do I have to wear a strapless bridesmaid’s dress?’ Forget inquiries about the venue, the number of guests, how she was feeling — my fears about my figure clouded my reaction to her happy news. I admit this makes me feel silly, childish and a bit sad. I do wish I could learn to accept my body. Thankfully, Pamela is very laid-back and assured me that I could wear whatever made me feel most comfortable.On Saturday, Nikki Adams received an official-looking letter in her East Anchorage mailbox. The return address was for an entity called the "Alaska State Voter Program," and the envelope bore an official-looking seal featuring an eagle swooping over a ballot box. Inside, she found a letter that horrified her. "WHAT IF YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR NEIGHBORS, AND YOUR COMMUNITY KNEW WHETHER YOU VOTED?" it began. The letter said low voter turnout was a chronic and worsening problem. "This year, we're taking a new approach," it continued. "We're sending this mailing to you, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues at work and your community members to publicize who does and does not vote." To make good on that threat, the names of 11 people -- some of whom Adams knew personally -- were listed below, along with their addresses and a tally of whether they had voted in the last three statewide elections. There was a big question mark under the 2014 spot. The letter let Adams know that the senders intended to mail an updated chart after the Nov. 4 election. "I was outraged," said Adams, a full-time student who grew up in Alaska. "This is like a violation of privacy. It's not anybody's business whether or not I voted." Whom a person votes for is always supposed to remain private. But whether someone voted has long been a matter of public record, said Gail Fenumiai, director of the Alaska Division of Elections. Increasingly, political groups across the country are utilizing publicly available voter lists and other databases to send mailings that use what researchers call "social pressure" to get people to vote. The most forceful threaten to expose an individual's voting record, or lack thereof, to peers. This election cycle, the "voter shaming" mailings have made their way to Anchorage. It's not clear how the groups target who receives them, though presumably they want to motivate voters they believe will support their candidates or issues to get to the polls. It's also not clear how the Opportunity Alliance PAC customized the letter sent to Adams and others in Anchorage to include the names, addresses and voting records of people she actually knew. Another recipient of the Opportunity Alliance PAC mailing said the only thing the 11 people listed on her letter had in common was that they were her friends on Facebook, which seemed creepy to her. Creepy or not, researchers say the technique works. Letters like the one being delivered to mailboxes in Anchorage are among the most effective ways to mobilize voters, said Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York who studies voting behavior and motivation. Political scientists examined the way social pressure could be used to influence voter behavior and found that shame was an effective motivator to get people to the polls, he said. In the election cycles since the first major studies on the topic came out in 2008, groups have translated those findings to real get-out-the-vote campaigns, mailing letters and fliers that sometimes imitate the very letters social science researchers originally sent out as part of their experiment, Panagopoulos said. The reason shame is such an effective motivator is deeply ingrained in human psychology, he said. People are predisposed to want to at least seem socially engaged. If you see voting as a "pro-social activity," having people whose opinions you care about know you don't vote could be embarrassing. "We want to appear to be good citizens," he said. For all its utility, the technique also causes backlash. News reports from the 2012 and 2014 election cycles describe angry reactions from recipients of "voter shaming" mailers in states like Colorado and Arkansas. Many see it as an invasion of privacy. "People have a visceral reaction to these types of mailers," Panagopoulos said. "One reason is they may not be very aware that their voting history is a matter of public record." Groups and individuals can buy access to a statewide voter list, which contains the names, residence addresses, mailing addresses, voting district and precinct, party affiliation and 10 years of voting participation and registration dates for Alaska voters, said Fenumiai. Whom a person voted for or against is always private and is not part of the statewide voter list. Other states keep similar lists, which are generally considered public information. The voter-shaming mailers don't appear to be in violation of the law, she said. "There are no limitations on what the list can be used for," said Fenumiai. The Division of Elections has received complaints anyway. "(Callers) are being told that legislative changes would be required to stop the voter list from being used like this," Fenumiai wrote. Anchorage residents have reported receiving at least three versions of mailers that use individual data from the voter list, mailed by groups from across the political spectrum. The mailer Adams received did not come from any official state source -- there is no "Alaska State Voter Program" -- despite its appearance. Two separate mailers sent to Anchorage residents bill themselves as "voter report cards" or "voter audits" and remind recipients that whether you vote is public record by including personalized voter data. One was sent by America Votes, a progressive group with national partners like the AFL-CIO and American Federation of Teachers. The other was sent by the Koch brothers-backed conservative nonprofit Americans for Prosperity. The "audit" and "report card" mailers differ from the Opportunity Alliance PAC letters in that they don't threaten to expose a person's voting record to a list of peers. They represent a softer sort of social pressure that may not be as effective as the type of letter that angered Nikki Adams. "Very few things have been proven to be as effective as the heavy-handed social pressure mailer," Panagopoulos said. In fact, research shows they are roughly as effective as the far more resource-intensive door-to-door, get-out-the-vote visits, he said. For Adams, none of that matters. "It feels like, if you don't do this we're going to tattle on you," she said.A core member of the Bhumjaithai party has proposed that buying and selling votes should get death sentence. In voicing his opinion to the problems of vote buying and selling that has undermined the Thai democracy for several decades, the former Nakhon Ratchasimna MP said the existing laws must be amended to increase maximum penalties on vote buying and selling. Boonchong Wongtrasirat, also a former deputy interior minister in the Samak Sundravej governmen, said politician who is ruled guilty of buying votes not only must be banned for life in politics, but also must get the maximum penalty for the crime, while the party involved be dissolved and also banned forever in politics. Convicted politician must either get life imprisonment sentence or death penalty for the crime, he said. For people who sell their votes to crooked politicians, they also should get either life imprisonment or death sentence, he said. Such maximum penalty will effectively stamp out vote buying and selling from this country once and for all, he said. Bhumjaithai or Thai Pride Party, was founded on November 5, 2008.President-elect Donald Trump expresses a profound misunderstanding of foreign government hacking, experts in the field say. “Unless you catch ‘hackers’ in the act, it is very hard to determine who was doing the hacking. Why wasn’t this brought up before election?” Trump wrote on Twitter Monday morning. He was apparently responding to yet more news reports that Russian government forces were behind earlier hacks on Democrats, the fallout of which dominated media cycles at the time and hurt Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, who narrowly lost the electoral college needed to win the presidency, though she still won the popular vote by more than two million. For months, Trump has repeatedly claimed that it is impossible to attribute those attacks to Russia. But there are several fundamental errors in Trump’s claim Monday, experts say. For one, catching hackers “in the act” isn’t how experts usually attribute a major attack. “It’s more difficult to catch someone in real time than forensically after an attack,” Khalil Sehnaoui, founder of cybersecurity firm Krypton Security, told Vocativ. “But determining who did it is not impossible and in most cases people get caught.” Instead, experts often spend months meticulously compiling reports over exactly what a hacker did, how they did it, and what such a hack might have accomplished. In June, the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, hired by the Democratic National Committee after Democrats noticed something might be amiss with their systems, first announced that they believed at least two distinct Russian government-related groups were the culprits. The Director of National Intelligence and Department of Homeland Security eventually concurred, with a joint statement saying it was “confident” that the “Russian Government” was behind the attacks. That assessment, however, only came months later, on Oct. 7. But Trump’s implication that Russia wasn’t actually behind the DNC hack because they weren’t caught in the act is false also because CrowdStrike’s Chief Technology Officer, Dmitri Alperovitch, has said that they did, in fact, watch those attacks in real time in May before securing the DNC’s systems. As a candidate, Trump routinely made gaffes widely seen as ridiculous in the industry. In one presidential debate against Clinton, he expressed his still-standing dismissal of attribution, saying that it was just as likely that the Democrats were hacked by “somebody sitting on their bed who weighs 400 pounds.” The “400 pound hacker” remains a recurring joke within the information security industry. But even as president-elect, he seems unwilling to listen to experts who know more about the subject. Speaking on Fox and Friends Sunday, he confirmed media reports that he rarely attends daily intelligence briefings. Instead, he said, he attends sporadically, adding “I’m, like, a smart person.” Many of the most powerful elected officials in D.C. agree that the concern over Russia tipping the U.S. election is worth a major investigation. Most Democrats on the powerful Senate Intelligence Committee have asked President Obama to at least partially declassify the intelligence community’s findings on the subject. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have called for an investigation, and Obama himself has ordered a review. Even Vice President-elect Mike Pence admitted in October there was “evidence” Russia was behind the hacks. It would be particularly dangerous for the U.S. if its president doesn’t believe in attributing cyberattacks, Jake Laperruque, a fellow at the Open Technology Institute, a think tank that focuses on the intersection of technology and policy, told Vocativ. “If Trump’s policy is that we cannot attribute cyber attacks to foreign adversaries, it will be difficult for the U.S. to properly retaliate against and deter cyberattacks from foreign adversaries,” Laperruque said. “How can we level blame and sanctions the next time North Korea launches a cyberattack if the President says attribution is impossible?”This summer, people with disabilities have a chance to explore an American national park from a new, watery perspective. Beginning this month and continuing until October, the Canoemobile fleet of floating classrooms is going on a tour of America’s national parks. Canoemobile is a program that connects people with limited access to wilderness experiences to the great outdoors. Led by a team of outdoor educators, each of its fleet of 24-foot Voyageur canoes, designed specifically for safe paddling on big water, holds between six and ten paddlers. The canoes have been modified to be used by people with all kinds of abilities, with specially adapted seat pads and paddling equipment. People with vision impairment and hearing loss are also accommodated. The program is run by non-profit adventure travel company Wilderness Inquiry, which promotes access to the outdoors for underserved youth and people with disabilities. “For many of the participants, it’ll be their first time in a boat on the water, perhaps even their first time in a national park,” says Jeffrey Kemnitz, outreach director at Wilderness Inquiry. “They get to go out and experience the beauty of America’s national parks from a new perspective. They’ll experience fear and trepidation, melting away into joy and appreciation for their own strengths.” Each session lasts two or three hours. Part of celebrations marking the centennial of the US National Parks Service, the program is made possible by outdoor equipment manufacturer Toad&Co and the National Park Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the National Park Service. For more information, go to the events page wildernessinquiry.org and click on the location of your choice. You’ll be taken to that event’s information page, where you can register for the event or even volunteer. Inspired? Check out: Thorntree – Travellers with DisabilitiesThe spotlights were flashed at the ISS by holding plywood sheets in front of the lights every two seconds. This procedure can be seen in the video below. The animated GIF above shows a bright blue light alternating with a dim light. The bright light is almost certainly from the spotlights. The bluish tint may be an artifact of oversaturating the camera’s sensor. Astronaut Don Pettit reported that the bright light appeared white, and the dim light appeared blue. He wrote “We could only see the laser when the white light was off and not all the time.” (E.g., the white spotlights overpowered the blue laser.) He added, “It was like there were tracking issues with the laser to keep it on target.” The dim light in the animated GIF may be the laser only, or it may be light from the spotlights that wasn’t fully blocked by the plywood sheets. The astronomers will be working with Pettit, trying to pin down exactly how visible the laser light was. On March 4, 2012, amateur astronomers from San Antonio and Austin were able to flash the International Space Station with two 800 million lumen white spotlights and a 1-watt blue laser, aimed from the Lozano Observatory in Spring Branch, Texas. This appears to be the first time that astronauts have seen civilian light beams aimed at them. A video shows the experiment. In the first few minutes there is a mysterious thin white “beam” which is actually a guy wire being illuminated. At the very end (starting at 6:08) are still photos from space, showing the on and off cycles of the spotlights. A screen capture taken at 1:22 into the video. This is a red 2x4 piece of wood, with deer rifle scope on top for aiming (not visible in this photo) and an unmodified Wicked Lasers Spyder III Arctic 1-watt blue laser mounted underneath it. A Wicked Lasers Spyder III Arctic 1-watt blue laser like the one used in the ISS signaling experiment. For the amateur astronomers, it was a difficult technical challenge to know where to aim and how to track the ISS. The experiment was done with three months of advance planning and cooperation with astronaut Pettit. During the illumination, three people were watching for aircraft. According to Pettit, this is the first time that the ISS has been successfully flashed, at least by civilians. (The U.S. military has done experiments with lasing spacecraft. For example, on Dec. 6 1992, space shuttle astronauts saw a bright green laser dot, from a Palm Bay, Fl. Air Force observatory.) Pettit wrote that friends and well-wishers have tried to flash the station with green lasers, xenon strobes and halogen spotlights, but until March 4 2012 astronauts were not able to spot these amateur flashes. From Universe Today and Smithsonian Air & Space magazine Additional commentary from LaserPointerSafety.com: For general interest, here are some safety calculations. The Spyder III Arctic has an actual output of about 800 milliwatts at maximum, and a stated 1.5 milliradian divergence, and a blue beam of 445 nanometers. The nominal ocular hazard distance (NOHD) is 437 feet, the FAA flashblindness distance is 385 feet, the FAA glare distance is 1,721 feet, and the FAA distraction distance is 17,214 feet. The minimum altitude for the ISS is 1,082,400 feet (205 miles) so the astronauts were definitely not in any eye or visual interference hazard zone. However, LaserPointerSafety.com does not recommend that the general public try to replicate this experiment, by aiming lasers into the sky at the space station or any moving dot in the sky. In fact, for aiming at stars, low-powered lasers should be used (ideally 5 mW or less) and you should circle a star instead of pointing right at it, in case the “star” is really a slow-moving airplane. More info is on our Tips for outdoor use page. .Contemplating the wrath of the Koch Brothers if they don’t get this thing done. In the wake of the Republican Party’s failure to repeal or replace Obamacare, and the habit certain lawmakers have developed for giving scathing interviews and delivering blistering speeches denouncing President Donald Trump, party leaders have responded by dutifully doubling down on that perennial cure-all, tax cuts. Cutting taxes, after all, is what Republicans believe they were put on earth to do, and if there’s anything that can bring a group of conservatives together, it’s pulling a reverse Robin Hood. In fact, Republicans feel so strongly about passing tax legislation that they are willing to ignore the hostility emanating from the White House in an effort to put up a united front on the issue. “I'll stand up [to Trump] when I need to,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, “but I’m trying to get taxes cut.” Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell declared that “If there’s anything all Republicans think [is] important to the country and to our party, it's comprehensive tax reform... If there’s anything that unifies Republicans, it’s tax reform.” Given such pronouncements, you might expect that the G.O.P.'s tax plan is hugely popular among Americans in general and Republican voters in particular. But you would be wrong! According to The New York Times, “polling suggests that Republican voters subscribe less to the tax-cut philosophy than their elected representatives,” and that “Republicans were not especially unified in support of tax cuts.” And while slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20 percent is a centerpiece of the current plan, an ABC News/Washington Post poll from last month found that 65 percent of Americans think large corporations don’t pay enough in taxes. Another poll this week found that 63 percent of Republicans favor deficit reduction over tax cuts for corporations; 75 percent favor deficit reduction over tax cuts for the wealthy; and only 56 percent of Republicans support Trump’s tax plan overall. Of course, as we all know, the apparent disconnect between what Republican lawmakers think they need to do to win re-election in 2018, and what voters actually want, has more to do with the Grand Old Party’s donors than their constituents. “Passing tax reform is critical for Republican lawmakers, and they are building momentum to get it done,” James Davis, the president of the Koch Brothers-owned Freedom Partners, told the Times. Full speed ahead, then, straight into electoral oblivion. If you would like to receive the Levin Report in your inbox daily, click here to subscribe. Chuck Schumer thinks Steve Mnuchin is a lying kiss-ass “I don't know if the man‘s deliberately lying, but it seems so,” the Senate minority leader told Politico’s Ben White in referring to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's claims that the administration‘s tax plan will reduce the country’s deficit through growth. “His statements are outlandish, and he seems just to want to—I don’t know if I'm allowed to use this word, I think I am—suck up to Trump, flatter Trump... this man cannot be believed. And if he used these kinds of arguments at Goldman Sachs, they would have fired him.” Of Mnuchin’s claim last week that the market would fall significantly if tax reform doesn’t get passed, Schumer said, “It’s absurd. No one believes Steve Mnuchin. He has lost all his credibility because of statements like that. Wall Street was doing great, it was going up at a dramatic rate before the president even took office. And it’s doing fine now, because the economy’s doing well, because corporate profits are way up.” Considering Mnuchin is one of the main point-people on the administration’s effort to pass a tax bill, and that many Republicans think about as highly of him as Schumer does, perhaps he should spend more time creating Instagram content with his wife and less time on Capitol Hill in the coming weeks. Surprise: Trump’s “America-First” pronouncements have just been stunts Who could have seen this coming? Four days after his inauguration, Donald Trump signed a handful of executive memos to advance the Keystone XL pipeline and revive the U.S. steel industry. He invited builder TransCanada Corp. to reapply for a permit denied by Barack Obama and ordered up fast-track rules forcing not only Keystone but also all new U.S. pipelines to be made from American steel. “From now on, we’re going to be making pipeline in the United States,” he said. Made-in-America Keystone was a stunt. Most of its pipes had already been manufactured, a fact the White House grudgingly admitted when it exempted the project from any new Buy American rules a few months later. While some of Keystone’s pipes were made in the U.S., at least a quarter of them came from a Russian steel company whose biggest shareholder is an oligarch and Trump family friend. The company, Evraz North America, supplied Keystone from its steel plants in Canada and for years has lobbied in Washington against Trump-style protectionism. Ten months after his Keystone event, Trump has yet to deliver on his pledge to boost the fortunes of American steel. Two self-imposed deadlines for trade action, one in June and one in July, have come and gone. Meanwhile, the prospect of tariffs has led to a surge of cheap foreign steel into the U.S., with imports rising 24 percent in 2017, the fastest increase in years. Incidentally, Evraz North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Russia’s second-biggest steelmaker, Evraz Plc. Its top shareholder is billionaire Roman Abramovich, whose wife, Dasha Zhukova, is friends with First Daughter and senior adviser to the president, Ivanka Trump. (Zhukova, who counts Jared Kushner as an investor in her art-collection business and who attended the inauguration as Ivanka’s guest, separated from Abramovich in August.) Goldman Sachs loves millennials “I love millennials, and one of the reasons I love millennials is Goldman Sachs is a very young workplace,” Goldman Sachs co-president David Solomon said at an industry conference Tuesday. “You can talk about the way the world is evolving, but millennials work hard, they care passionately about who they are working for, and they are interested in what the organization stands for and what it’s doing.” As BloombergView’s Matt Levine points out, this is kind of a funny statement seeing as Goldman Sachs stands for making money, and younguns who “care passionately about who they are working for” and what that organization stands for don’t typically go for... multi-national finance companies. But perhaps the millennials DJ Sol is spinning for are saying otherwise! Trump is basically polling random people on the street re: who he should name Fed chair Yesterday on Capitol Hill, the president of the United States, who is in the midst of deciding who to name as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, asked a group of senators to raise their hands for their favorite Fed candidate. Today, he continued to treat the decision with all the seriousness of a Miss Universe pageant, asking a Fox News host who he thinks should get the job. Tune in tomorrow, when he runs a poll on Twitter and lets his followers decide who should be in charge of the economy. Ryan Zinke’s neighbor is now fighting with the mayor of San Juan Yesterday we learned that a tiny Montana company called Whitefish Energy, which is two years old and as of last month had two employees, somehow landed a $300 million contract to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric grid. To the losers and haters who have questioned Whitefish’s qualifications for such a massive job, and
and started regularly training in 2003. In 2007 I started down the teaching path. My views and opinions are just that, my own. I am sure like with any thing the more I learn the less I'll know so my views can and probably will change over time!Brenda Warren just wants to be able to sit in a chair without feeling the shame. Three weeks ago, weighing 199.5 kilograms, the Whanau Ora worker started a 700-day journey to better health. "It is so horrible. At every hui, I walk in and quickly scan to see what chairs are available. It is so embarrassing to ask for one without arms on it," Warren said. Each stage is being documented on her Facebook page Ka Pai Me, including videos of her Friday "weigh in". Her frank posts have inspired others struggling with weight. After two weeks, she has about 600 "likes" and five other women have joined in. Warren, of Nga Ruahine and Ngati Maniapoto descent, was teased about her weight while growing up. But there are no trolls on her Facebook site, just the encouragement of strangers. "Sometimes I look at their photos and they are so slim and I think, ‘Why are they liking me?' They send me private messages. There are a lot of really kind people on this hikoi [long journey] with me," she said. The Ministry of Health says one in three New Zealanders - and 48 per cent of Maori and 68 per cent of Pacific Islanders - are obese. As a Whanau Ora worker at He Waka Tapu, Warren helps Maori battling drug and alcohol addiction, domestic abuse and anger issues. It was now time for her "head stuff", she said. Her colleagues at He Waka Tapu were cheering her on, as well as her husband, Wairangi Warren, and their children. "You can lose all that weight but you also have to deal with the head stuff - the why - otherwise the circle [of weight gain] will continue. "All my life I feel like I have worn a mask. You just have to bear it when you are teased. I would use the clown mask, be the joking happy person. Now, I am taking off the mask." Warren hit a major judder bar last week when she gained weight. She wanted to go straight to a "big feed" to numb the pain and shock. Her emotional crutch had always been food, she said. Instead, Warren put up the video of her weight gain on Facebook. "I didn't want to put the video up because of the shame. It was killing me inside, but this is an honest journey," she said. Using a grape and an orange as props, her trainer Daniel Hibbs explained on a video why the gain was normal. Warren now weighs 189.3kg. "I'm out of the nineties - I'm kissing them goodbye forever," she said.Story highlights The Clinton campaign is launching a new TV ad It focuses on Trump's failure to release his tax returns New York (CNN) Hillary Clinton's campaign is putting money behind their new chosen attack on Donald Trump. Clinton's campaign will begin airing a new ad -- titled "Absolutely" -- on Thursday that hits Trump for not releasing his tax returns despite saying in 2014 that he "absolutely" would in a interview with an Irish television station. Clinton and her top aides have tried to weaponize Trump's lack of disclosure on taxes, repeatedly slamming the Republican nominee and speculating why he is declining to do what decades of presidential nominees have done. "Under his plans, Donald Trump would pay lower tax rate than middle class families," Clinton said Wednesday in Cleveland. "Of course, we have no idea what tax rate he pays because unlike everybody else who has run for president he refuses to release his tax returns so American people can't really judge." Clinton's use of Trump's tax returns are an effort to raise credibility and honesty questions around the Republican nominee, an effort that Clinton's top aides hope will leave voters questioning whether Trump either has ties to questionable businesses or isn't as wealthy as he says he is. Read MoreThe Interior Ministry announced that four volunteer battalions along with the regular army were clearing Ilovaisk, a city of 17,000 residents southeast of Donetsk, of Russian-backed forces, and promised that more back-up from the National Guard was on its way. That version has turned out to be mostly spin that is likely to rebound on its state and media creators. A week later, 10 men from the Donbas Battalion have been lost and more than 20 injured through what could be incompetence of the army command or even deliberate abandonment. Stranded as they struggle to keep control of city, the Donbas volunteers are reinforced by just one company from the army’s 93rd brigade and some fighters from the volunteer Dnipro Battalion. Both Donbas fighters and three Ukrainian photographers embedded with them are enraged with what they call the lies and prevarications of both government and Ukrainian media, and want to put across their side of the story. “It’s an absolutely shameful situation,” said Alexander Glyadelov, who was evacuated from Ilovaisk on Aug. 21 with a shrapnel injury. An experienced and respected photographer, Glyadelov has covered many wars, including the Moldovan Transdnistria and Russian Chechen conflicts. Exasperated with the heavily restricted access to the front granted by the Ukrainian government’s press service, he joined the Donbas Battalion to see what was really going on. He found that while volunteers motivated by principle and with a high fighting spirit are stranded in desperate circumstances, government and media claim the situation is under control and reinforcements are on their way. “They are frightened of the truth,” he said. “First, they need to actually provide the help they keep promising. And second, they need to stop lying.” With the regular army in a disastrously impoverished state, Ukraine is reliant on the goodwill of volunteers to win its war with the Russian-backed ‘people’s republics’ in the east, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic. Volunteers are providing the army with everything from food to body armour to medical kits. And volunteers are increasingly doing the actual fighting. Volunteer battalions have been in combat alongside regular troops since May. These volunteer warriors come from all over Ukraine, and from a few other countries too. They are driven by a variety of motives, and funded from unclear sources. Donbas was one of the first battalions to make itself public, and its commander Semyon Semenchenko has become something of a national hero, appearing on TV wearing his trademark balaclava. Donbas also included the only known American to be fighting on the Ukrainian side: Mark Paslawsky, who took Ukrainian citizenship in order to enlist. Altogether, four volunteer battalions are officially taking part in the Ilovaisk operation which was planned to reinforce the 93rd mechanised brigade. But Semenchenko says other than a detachment from the Dniepr battalion, the others have retreated and now refuse to come to their aid. “I don’t think there is any other army in the world where they would do that,” he said. “It’s a violation of all army codes, statutes and traditions.” In principle, the volunteer battalions are subordinate to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, while the regular army is under the Defense Ministry. But one problem with the volunteer nature of the battalions is that it is not clear whether people who signed up for a variety of ideals will obey orders if they consider them counter to those ideals. Semenchenko, speaking from a hospital where he is recovering from serious injuries sustained on Aug. 19 in Ilovaisk, said commanders are reluctant to force battalions to obey orders for that reason. “I don’t want to criticize the other battalions,” he said. “I just want my guys to stop dying because somewhere there is a detachment that could come and overcome the situation, but for some reason does not come.” Not just volunteer battalions, but also troops under the command of the Defense Ministry are in the area and could come to relieve the Donbas fighters. But Semenchenko believes the Defense Ministry is deliberately ignoring the situation. “I think it is profitable for the defence ministry not to send help, but to achieve a situation where volunteer battalions start blaming each other about who helped who,” he said. Semenchenko and Glyadelov are not the only ones accusing the army leadership and government of incompetence or worse. Mark Paslawsky, who had enrolled as an infantryman in the Donbas, consistently criticised the way the anti-terrorist operation was run in a Twitter account under the pseudonym Bruce Springnote. He called senior leaders “fat and worthless,” and described the Interior Ministry as “ruled by terror” and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov as a “pathological liar.” Paslawsky was killed on Aug. 19 in Ilovaisk. On Aug. 21, the Interior Ministry reported that 25 percent of all those from special battalions killed since the anti-terrorist operation began had been killed in Ilovaisk. The same day the national guard press office again announced the arrival of reinforcements which in fact did not arrive. There are no recent figures for how many regular army servicemen have died in Ilovaisk. Some of the Donbas men died when pro-Russian and Russian forces flying a Ukrainian flag deliberately fired on a vehicle carrying wounded, says Semenchenko. “This is medieval savagery, it bears no relation to honour whatsoever,” he said. “I can’t stand fighting against these people. But I have to, because I have to protect my country.” With disillusionment and anger at the Ukrainian government and army leadership rising, it is a question how long volunteers like Semenchenko and his men will continue fighting – or rather, just where they think that fight should be taking place. Glyadelov and his fellow photographers decided to disregard principles of wartime secrets or keeping up national morale in order to speak out about what they are witnessing: that more and more volunteer soldiers, tired of the government’s inability to support them, are talking about finishing the war in the east and then turning their guns on Kyiv. “This is a people’s war,” said Glyadelov. “People are fighting, people are equipping those fighters with everything out of their own pockets. The government is only providing weapons and even those not to everyone, and not of the best quality. So when some bosses say you can know this but not that, you can’t tell this to anyone… Go to hell, unless you can do something differently so that [this war] depended on you and not on us.” The many wounded fighters in hospital in Dnipropetrovsk are particularly incensed at Kyiv’s decision to hold a Soviet-style military parade on Aug. 24 to celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day. Though President Petro Poroshenko said in his parade speech that the military vehicles and armaments on display would be sent straight to the anti-terrorist operation, that may be too late to win back the hearts of those who have lost comrades as they still wait for promised tanks. “It’s military games, when there is a real war going on,” said one volunteer injured in Ilovaisk before his battalion, the Azov, withdrew. “We still have the same generals and the same secret service, nothing has changed. Yes, there are those who are real patriots and support Ukraine, but there are many more who are corrupt and would sell anything to anyone.” Some of these volunteer soldiers believe their battalions are deliberately being sent without backup to hotspots like Ilovaisk in order to remove a potential threat to the authorities. Semenchenko describes his men, now armed and seasoned fighters though many had never picked up a gun until a few months ago, as “a restraining factor” on a government many perceive to be betraying the ideals of EuroMaidan. He suggested that after the separatists are defeated, it may be time to take the battle from the fields and towns of east Ukraine to Kyiv’s government buildings. “If volunteers can manage equipping the army better than the army bosses, that means volunteers can run the country,” he said. But he added, “I’m not ready to burn my house down just yet. We have to be responsible about these things.” Lily Hyde is an author and former Kyiv Post staff writer. Editor’s Note: This article has been produced with support from www.mymedia.org.ua, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and implemented by a joint venture between NIRAS and BBC Media Action, as well as Ukraine Media Project, managed by Internews and funded by the United States Agency for International Development.Update: As most of you have probably picked up over the years with all of our anime references and love for JAPAN TIME, we have a soft spot here for anime. It's something most of us and our immediate pony circles are involved in while waiting between seasons for more cartoon horses.We have always considered adding another side blog to go along with Equestria Daily, but couldn't quite decide on a specific topic. There have been Gravity Falls ideas, MOBA themed sites, and a plethora of others thrown around, but never anything we could really fully grasp. At the end of the day, it was either going to be gaming or anime focused, and since gaming websites are a nightmare, anime wins!Like EQD, Desu Daily will be focused on bringing in the anime and manga news, fan art, silly Youtube videos, music remixes, and other things you've come to expect here in ponyland. Obviously one show Vs. the entire world of anime is going to be a bit different, so we have some growing pains to get through, but for now it should be a lot of fun!Expect writer recruitment, and expect us to lose our minds figuring out exactly how to keep it from turning into a flood, and expect the usual nonsense you've come to know here on EQD. Check out Desudaily over here (And be sure to hit that submit section to send in your interesting anime finds!)Since some are worried, followup message reassuring you all that this will not effect EQD in any way on a day to day basis!Where to bet Who has the best boxing coverage? 1xBit (review, bettors in the must use a VPN) have the most comprehensive boxing betting coverage with the largest amount of fights and the biggest range of bet types available on each fight. Sportsbet (review, bettors in the must use a VPN) has less fights listed but they do have a good range of bets for the fights that are listed. Who has the best odds? You can see who has the best odds for the bet you want to make on our boxing odds comparison. You can see which sportsbook has the best odds overall on our best odds sportsbook ranking. Who is the best allround sportsbook? See our detailed written and video crypto sportsbook reviews for all the top options.Nitrogen Sports (review), mBet (review) and Betcoin (review) are the best in that order. Boxing bet types To win the fight This is the most popular boxing bet type. Be aware if the market includes the option to bet the draw or not. If the fight ends in a draw and you bet on a fighter in a market that; Includes the draw as a betting option Your bet loses Does not include the draw as a betting option You bet is refunded As such if the market does include the draw as a betting option it should give better odds on the fighters. Method of victory Here you bet which fighter will win and how. You can bet on Fighter-A to win by knockout/technical-knockout/disqualification Fighter-A to win by decision/technical-decision Or This can be an exciting bet for those who have a good feel for how different fighter’s strengths and styles could affect the exact outcome. If you bet on fighter A to win by decision you are on edge hoping he will punch the other guy but not too hard! Number of rounds An example of this bet type is betting if the fight will go over or under 9.5 rounds. The.5 does not refer to the halfway point of the round. For example, if the fight ends any time in the 7th round then it has gone 7 rounds for the purpose of this bet, so over 6.5 rounds and under 7.5 rounds. The.5 is there to avoid a push. For example if we had betting on over/under 8 rounds and then the fight went for exactly 8 rounds, all bets would be refunded. One variation of this bet type is betting if the fight will go the distance or not. Betting the fight will go the distance puts you in a strange situation of watching a boxing match hoping neither fighter lands a punch! Live betting Boxing is well suited to live betting because every break between rounds is a perfect opportunity to consider the odds and make a bet. Often the odds swing too far in favor of whichever fighter had momentum at the end of the last round. This can be a good chance to find value by being contrarian and betting on the other fighter because the momentum often resets or reverses after the change of rounds. How to win Follow the points on how to be a winning sports bettor Don’t pay attention to media pundits. They are paid to be entertaining not accurate. Try both pre-game betting and live in-play betting, to find out which suits you better. Get the highest possible payout for every bet by using our odds comparisons Great boxing quotes Boxing has become America’s tragic theater. ~Joyce Carol Oates Never Fight ugly people – they have nothing to lose. ~Wayne Kelly Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. ~Mike Tyson Boxing should probably be banned. But until then, I’m a big fan. ~Sam Simon I’ve seen George Foreman shadow boxing, and the shadow won. ~Muhammad Ali The referee is the most important man in the ring besides the two fighters. ~George Foreman A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. ~Emo Philips Sure, there have been injuries and deaths in boxing – but none of them serious. ~Alan Minter If you screw things up in tennis, it’s 15-love. If you screw up in boxing, it’s your ass. ~Randall Cobb Boxing is like a ballet – except there’s no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other. ~Jack Handy Boxers, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers. ~Wayne Kelly In life and in a boxing ring, the defeat is not declared when you fall down. It is declared only when you refuse to get up. ~Manoj Arora, Dream On When we started, it was based on lies. It’s changing now. There are no secrets in the business. You’ve got to come with the truth. It’s becoming very confusing. ~Don King The whole thing of ring fighting was hurting somebody else, deliberately, and particularly when it was not necessary. Two men who have nothing against each other get in a ring and try to hurt each other, to provide vicarious fear for people with less guts than themselves. And to cover it up they called it sports and gambled on it. ~James Jones, From Here to Eternity[Shout out to my friends Mandolyn Mackenzie, Christen Gall, Brian Sheehan, and Emma Shafer for helping me out with this article.] What do both “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Fireproof” have in common? Easy. Despite being made for entirely different audiences, they effectively portray the theme of redemption. Crazy concept for a gritty superhero movie and a Christian film cheese-fest to actually be similar, right? Arguably, the problem with Christian films is just that: They are Christian films. I’m not writing this to start an all-out agnostic battle against the Christian movie scene. Complaining about something doesn’t solve problems, but suggestions couldn’t hurt. So, after much careful consideration, and critical thinking, here is my two cents: STOP MAKING MOVIES WITH A CHRISTIAN LABEL ON THEM. Whew, that one took a lot out of me. But, seriously though. Think about it. These films, whether it’s made public on paper or not, are marketed to a Christian audience. In the same way the “Twilight” franchise targets teenage girls, desperate for some affectionate vampire boyfriend, so does something like “Courageous” target Christian families who want a feel-good experience. Now, this isn’t to say that these movies don’t hit hard issues, because they do, including pornography, fatherly absence, drugs, etc., however, I think there is more to be accomplished. Let’s just take a step back outside of the Christian bubble. The vast majority of people who don’t share the same beliefs that the ‘religious types’ do, scoff and laugh at the cliched plots and infinitely more predictable, positive, yet unrealistic endings. Tons of people will knock the films for their poor acting, but we should all know by now that films with less than favorable performances can still get the nod from the Academy (e.g. Ben Affleck’s lead role in the critically acclaimed “Argo”). So, admit it. For the most part, Christian filmmakers sell short the most important aspect of visual storytelling: story. Now, please don’t misunderstand me. The end result of “Courageous” is wonderful. A congregation of Christian men pledge to join together and be… Well, be Christian men. As an audience, most of us love resolution and a happy ending, but gosh what a contrived and forced way to end a movie. Okay, it works for the church building premiere on Wednesday night, but I don’t, for even a second, believe that was an effective ending for the average moviegoer. If Jesus’ message to his church was to go out into all the nations, then why are we marketing movies to a Christian audience? That sounds sort of counter-productive to the end goal, doesn’t it? “Okay, Chris. We get it. You don’t like Christian movies. How do you suggest we fix it?” “So glad you asked,” said Chris, with a sly grin on his lips, and an old pipe in his hand, as he spun around to face the reader in his new office chair. I mentioned my favorite superhero, Batman, earlier. Nolan’s “Dark Knight Trilogy”, in my opinion, perfectly captures the message of Christianity. Side Note: I chose Batman because if Bruce Wayne ever gave me a call to fill out an application to be the Caped Crusader, I would drop everything to do it. I digress. Separate the character of Bruce Wayne and Batman for a moment. Bruce Wayne is obviously an imperfect being with a messed up childhood, but he wants to seek out resolution for the ever-growing problems of crime in Gotham. He chooses Batman. Batman arrives on-screen as the savior of Gotham. At first, people accepted him because he helped them by putting his life on the line. Suddenly, Gotham’s White Knight, Harvey Dent, goes crazy and ends up dead. Batman takes the blame, and now a city full of people hate him, mostly because they don’t understand him. Finally, the Dark Knight is faced with the choice of letting a bomb detonate, which will kill everyone in Gotham, or sacrifice himself for the very people that despise him. Of course, he’s Batman, so without question, he takes the bomb out of the city—in a way only Batman can—and takes on the sins of a broken city that allowed crime to flourish. End result: Batman dies, so the people can live. Odd. That sounds eerily familiar to something I’ve heard before; cough, cough, Jesus, cough. There are more obvious examples of Christian themes in film, like last year’s “Les Miserables”. Jean Valjean undergoes extreme life change. Caught in the midst of his thievery, he is offered freedom by a priest, free of any cost, if only he would turn his life around. He goes from petty thief, to a man who lives his life in sacrifice for what is right and good. So, what am I getting at? You don’t have to brand a movie ‘Christian’ for it to employ themes of unconditional love and forgiveness. I’ve given you two examples of movies that do it extremely well, with the box office, and the Academy in agreement. By not branding those movies as explicitly Christian, they attract and reach a much larger audience. Moviegoers looking for an entertaining night out at the theater are subconsciously exposed to themes and messages that exemplify what a Christian filmmaker is trying to say. Christian films are not bad. They work. They are okay. But they could be better. Much better. Christian filmmakers, this is a call to strive for excellence and stop excusing the importance of a good, believable story. I think Jon Foreman of Switchfoot would agree with me. AdvertisementsVino H. regrets stabbing 96 year old Oma Toni, according to his lawyer Bob Meijer. A pretrial hearing on the case will be held in the court of Amsterdam on Tuesday. It is not yet clear whether the prosecution will hold H. responsible for the death of the 96 year old Amsterdam woman. "He has written a letter of apology which will be forwarded to the lawyer of Oma Toni's family." Meijer told RTL Nieuws. "He regrets that he stabbed Oma Toni and that she died thereafter." The psychiatric examinations on H. have not been finalized yet, according to the lawyer. The 24 year old man from Arnhem stabbed Oma Toni several times on March 19th while she was walking through the Pijp in Amsterdam. The seriously injured victim managed to flee to her home and call the police. She passed away in April. An hour after the stabbing, H. turned himself in to police officers on the Dam. He was carrying a knife and told the officers that he stabbed someone to take revenge on his father. Oma Toni was a random victim.Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is impressed by what he’s seen so far from the Los Angeles Rams under new coach Sean McVay. But he remains taken aback by one startling fact. He is 35 and McVay, who was the Washington Redskins offensive coordinator from 2014-2016, is 31. “It’s something,” Witten said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever played against a team that I’m older than the coach. Maybe that’s a sign. He deserves it because he’s one hell of a football coach. He’s smart, he communicates well. He’s done it in Washington. You can see his touch, his wrinkle on the offense with the way they try to attack. “Not only am I older, I’m like four years older than him.” Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to the Star-Telegram The Cowboys host the Rams at noon Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Asked what it was a sign of, like maybe a sign for him to walk away, Witten refused to bite. “A sign to just keep on going, brother,” Witten said. “A sign to just keep on going. In the preseason game, I saw (Rams tackle) Andrew Whitworth who I’ve known over the years, a left tackle, we’re similar in age, and I made a comment, how is it being older than your coach. He said he owns it. That’s a great personality to have. Whit is one of the better left tackles in football. You know, age is just a number. It’s all about production and play.” Witten, a 15-year veteran, leads the Cowboys with 18 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.Alright lets finally talk about the big chest in the room, Antonio Brown. I…honestly dunno what to say at this point. It’s all so baffling. This was a comic topic I wanted to touch on like 10 times this year, but then something else a little more immediate would grab my attention. I never had a concrete idea. I never got close enough to actually be forced to come up with something. I only did this one because it felt like I’d waited too long to talk about a subject I’m sure plenty of people want to comment on. And then Robert Kraft goes and gets a fucking handy from a slave and dammit now it’s pushed out another 2 days well here you go. I hope one day we understand AB’s nonsense a little better. The dude is obviously greedy, he’s obviously talented, he’s obviously egotistical, but this is still bizarre. There must be something about the Steelers organization we don’t know. Something about that locker room we don’t get. If AB was in a vacuum it would be easy to judge him as purely an ego-driven diva boy. But with Le’Veon Bell also holding out the way he has, it feels more complicated. Two of the best at their positions in the game, rejecting a team with a good chance for success in the near future…why? Clearly egos are involved but it feels like there is an extra layer to this tasty drama cake. Is the problem Mike Tomlin? Tomlin seems like a guy who doesn’t reign his players in very well and has always seemed loose. Is the problem the GM? Is he constantly undercutting these dudes enough to make them want to leave this bad? Is it the ownership? The Rooneys seem pretty hands off. It’s Ben isn’t it. Brown seems to have beef with the berger boy. They won’t come out and say it, because you gotta play politics, but most people seem to sense it’s there. Ben has been treated like royalty by the team despite being a dipshit asshole of a person. He’s good at throwing a football, but I think on a certain level even a lot of Pittsburgh fans take issue with him as a person. He’s a butt. His buttness is probably the reason he’s honestly never been praised as much as he could be for what he’s accomplished. He has a good argument for being the best of the 2004 QB class, but the debate usually talks about Rivers & Eli (for obvious trade related reasons). Brown maybe wants to prove himself outside of this bubble. He’s a huge diva, he seems like he’s the person a lot of people assume OBJ is. Shooting shirtless videos of himself on social media, talking vague nonsense, acting like a ponce. He’s our true T.O. successor. I wish we had twitter when TO was forcing his bullshit in San Francisco and Philadelphia. It would have been magical. The Steelers honestly should trade him. They should have traded him the instant he started with this shit, because the Steelers are fucking magic at finding good WRs. Maybe it’s another talent of Big Ben that doesn’t get enough credit. Brown is absolutely great as a player and possibly the best WR they’ve had during his tenure, but it feels like the Steelers are very good at pulling good to great WRs out of their ass. Remember Santonio Holmes? Dude was great. Then he left. Who took his place? Mike Wallace. Remember how good Mike Wallace seemed as a Steeler? He left. Didn’t pan out. Antonio Brown replaced Mike Wallace, but he wasn’t AB quite yet. They also had Emmanuel Sanders shows up. Martavis Bryant was a decent guy too. All these dudes have left and been…bad to decent elseware. Sanders is pretty good. Mike Wallace was trash. Thing is, they already have Brown’s replacement on the roster. The latest Steelers WR ass-pull goes by JuJu Smith-Schuster. So honestly I understand why Steelers fans are bummed, but they don’t have much reason to be. They keep finding pretty good dudes to replace them. It really does make me wonder how good Ben actually is. I don’t know where Mr. Brownie Boy is gonna end up, but I hope he fails miserably because it would be satisfying to watch the failure drama. I hate giving credit to fatboy rapist but he’s a very good QB and I do think he’s a large reason for Brown’s success. But trade him, Steelers. Let’s find out. Mr Big Ego. His chest is of okay size. It could be bigger.Former University of Montana law professor, Rob Natelson, has released a video encouraging citizens throughout the country to consider an Article V convention of the states to amend the U.S. Constitution. In the video, Natelson explains the Article V convention, which has never been used in U.S. history. "Presidents do use the veto, but our framers inserted another check that has never been used," Natelson said. "It's located in Article V, and it's the right of the people through their state legislatures meeting in convention to propose corrective Constitutional amendments. The idea was to give people in the states a way to curb an overbearing federal government should it ever become necessary. Many people believe it has become necessary. That's why there's so much interest in calling a convention of the states for proposing amendments to cure federal overreach." Natelson, current Fellow for Constitutional Jurisprudence with the Independence Institute in Denver, Colorado, told KGVO News that North Dakota became the 27th state to apply for a convention to call for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Natelson, who appears on the first Tuesday of every month on KGVO's Talk Back show, says the effort is nearing the necessary two-thirds of the states needed, 34, to call for a convention. Here is a link for anyone interested in receiving more information regarding an Article V convention of the states.A version of this article first appeared in the March/April 2012 issue of Winestate magazine. French semantics are to the fore as we delve into the fog-bound world of attempting to differentiate between Burgundian ‘clos’, ‘climat’, ‘lieu-dit’, ‘cru’ and ‘appellation’. Some are easier; others require increasing magnitudes of microscopy, combined, perhaps, with a small gallic shrug for the inevitable French paradoxes. Appellations are relatively easy, being delimited geographical areas codified from the 1930s. These are our basic units of measurement for Burgundy, and rank from basic Burgundy, up through village Burgundy, then premier cru then grand cru. ‘Cru’ is given a rough translation of ‘growth’, as there is no direct equivalent. ‘Clos’ is also easy, being a delimited geographical area bounded by physical walls. Indeed some ‘crus’ have been recognised as far back as the 7th century, for example Clos de Bèze in Gevrey-Chambertin. Given that much of early Bugundian viticulture was under the aegis of monks and dukes, adding a wall (clos) around a vineyard may have been common early practice. It is ‘climat’ and ‘lieu-dit’ that are challenging even the Burgundians, especially as they progress their UNESCO application for world heritage site status. These terms have evolved since the Middle Ages, as monks recognised one named vineyard parcel or plot or field as producing different-tasting wine (from the same grape) from a neighbouring parcel. In the Burgundian context, climat was being used to describe such parcels, so it is not derived from climate, or weather (as a French dictionary will suggest). Cécile Mathiaud, spokesperson at the Burgundy Wine Board explained “there is no official definition for a climat. They come from history and from the evolution of vineyard parcels. The work of the monks meant that parcels were divided between different qualities.” In more recent history, the field name of each lieu-dit has been documented since the creation of the land registry by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1807, so these parcels have been legally recognised plots of land for a couple of hundred years. Mathiaud added “at the time the land registry was created, climats already existed, so we can say it was both the names of the climats and the names of the lieux-dits that were registered” though lieu-dit is the official name for the land registry. The Burgundy Wine Board define a climat as “land with precisely defined limits, benefiting from specific geological and climatic conditions” … so delimited geographical areas. A lieu-dit is defined as “a geographical place with boundaries” … so also a delimited geographic area. Mmm. It appears that over time, climat and lieu-dit have been used pretty much interchangeably, which means an amount of confusion is being created as the region now attempts to extricate one from the other. This is proving rather tricky, especially as one climat can contain several lieux-dits, for example within the grand cru Clos de Vougeot. Equally, and paradoxically, we are told, a climat may cover just part of one lieu-dit. In broad terms, it was the climats that were effectively made into appellations in the 1930s, though not exclusively, so don’t use that a golden rule. Not all climats are classed as premier cru. Climats generally were better parcels, so these are the premier cru and grand cru appellations. More than 600 climats were made into premiers and grands crus. But there are more than 1,200 climats in Burgundy, so many are named plots in some village, or even regional, appellations. Champ de Perdrix, for example, is the name of the climat, (or lieu-dit?), of Domaine Jean-Pierre Charton’s Bourgogne Pinot noir. Given that appellations, specifically premier crus, can extend over a couple of hundred of metres of altitude, with fractionally differing aspects, gradient and exposures, it is reasonable to deduce that different bits of an appellation perform differently, and may therefore have parcellated names. So one appellation may have several climats (or lieux-dits?) within it. The Burgundy Wine Board is moving to suggest that the climat be used for premier and grand crus. These are the names found in the appellation declaration, certified by INAO (the government body that controls appellations). And the term lieux-dits be used
and Scotland to start the day. Fresh Westerly winds will blow over N.Britain and N.Ireland with moderate W winds further south, so a blustery day. Very different temperatures for the ends of Britain. The far NW of Scotland at only 11C in wind and rain, feeling more like 8C. The SE of England and E.Anglia will be up into the low to mid twenties and feel very warm and humid. Everywhere will be quite cloudy but where the sun does come through, the temperatures will zoom up. Rain and blustery wind for northern areas N.Ireland has some heavy rain in the NW to start the day and this band will move SE this morning. When it clears there will still be grey skies and dampness in the air with the brisk wind. Temperatures will range from 13C for the north coast to 18C in Belfast. The frontal band is just waving up through the Central belt this morning but will soon sink away over the Borders. SW Scotland will see some heavy rain before that and then it is a cloudy, dull and windy picture for Scotland. Northern and western parts stay damp and cool although the east coast could see a little brightness and reach 16C.Arsenal’s loanees are some of the most talked about and debated players at the club, with thousands of fans using websites, blogs and social media to put their points across on potential stars of the future. However, few truly know the daily goings on of players at their loan clubs like the actual supporters of that particular outfit. To get the full perspective on another crop of exciting youngsters, Young Guns’ Loanee Analysis sees me catch up with journalists who follow their club closely. To get the low-down on Henri Lansbury, I caught up with Michael Bailey, a sports journalist who works for the Eastern Daily Press and PinkUn.com. He gave me the Norwich perspective on Lansbury’s time in Norfolk. What was the feeling when Henri signed for Norwich? “I think initially there was a little surprise, given City were flushed with midfielders. But his debut came in the 4-1 home win over Ipswich, which he started, and Lansbury’s performance whetted the appetite perfectly. His energy and quality on the ball shone through that day, and consistently after.” How has the season been, and what part did Lansbury played in it? “As you can imagine, the season has been magical for all Norwich fans. From the depths of League One football, then going on to complete back-to-back promotions without the need for the play-offs. It’s a rare achievement for any club, let alone Norwich.” “As for Lansbury, he contributed a great deal to it: Four goals in 23 appearances, including the winner against Millwall with the final kick of the game that was really special. An equaliser at Leeds, followed by his now cult Dougie dance, and a substitute appearace for the final nine minutes against Bristol City at home that turned one point into three. There have been plenty of star performers for Norwich this season, but Lansbury is definitely up there with them.” What would you consider his highlights this season? “His appearance against Bristol City was probably key, having such a dramatic effect on the game, at a time when a win took Norwich second in the Championship on a Monday night, after their promotion rivals had all slipped up. It was a big moment in the season.” What would you consider his low-lights this season? “Nothing really. Maybe the fact that later in his spell, he wasn’t getting in the starting XI due to how settled City were. I’m sure that was a little frustrating for him. But still, when he came on he looked the part. He always seemed committed to the cause, and the opposition would have almost certainly looked at having someone like him to come on from the bench as a sign of City’s strength in depth.” What does the future hold and do you think he’ll make the grade at Arsenal? “It’s difficult to say. He is still young and at Premier League level, there are things you just cannot get away with. He does like the odd Hollywood pass, and they don’t always come off. That said, he has fantastic quality on the ball, some serious commitment and, for me, I think Arsenal could have done with him at times this season, let alone in the future. I would be surprised if he didn’t feature more at the Emirates next season.” Any other stats, facts or little pieces of extra information? “It’s worth noting that the Norwich fans at the open top bus parade were chanting for Lansbury to sign for another year on loan. I personally believe Paul Lambert will have an eye on permanent signings first, but most would welcome him back here with open arms in the Premier League next season.” You can read all the articles in this series in our loanees area.Before last year's draft, we had NFL Nation reporters play general manager for the team they cover and project a first-round mock draft. Now they're back playing GM again, this time re-drafting the first round of the 2016 draft. A few notes before we get started: The draft order is from before the draft started, so we're not taking into account any draft-day trades. Trades that took place before draft day are accounted for. The Patriots forfeited their first-round pick due to Deflategate punishment. Now, to the re-draft, starting with a new quarterback at No. 1... Re-draft pick: Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State Actual pick: Jared Goff, QB, Cal The Rams went into the 2016 draft in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, but the ideal candidate might have been the guy taken in the fourth round. With the Cowboys, Prescott benefited from a dominant offensive line, a dynamic running back in Ezekiel Elliott and an impressive collection of pass-catchers. But he also showed great poise, accuracy, athleticism and decision-making ability. -- Alden GonzalezThe first Welsh Supreme Court judge has called for the creation of a new institute of Welsh Law. Sir David Lloyd Jones says the body is needed to help coordinate and consolidate the work of various academic and other institutions which are helping map an emergent body of Wales law. Pooling expertise would help avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ every time new law develops, he said. Citing areas where Wales is already going its own way - such as in planning, social services and residential tenancies - Sir David said he expects the process of divergence from English law to accelerate under the 2017 Wales Act. That legislation devolves more responsibilities from Westminster to Cardiff. Lord Justice Lloyd Jones has been a judge on the Wales circuit and was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2012. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in July, but has yet to take up the post. Speaking to the 2017 Legal Wales conference in Swansea this morning, the former Law Commission chair said the growing body of Wales law must be made readily available to the people of Wales. This is ‘essential’ to enable access to justice, and secure commercial certainty and economic prosperity, he added. Show Fullscreen ‘This will not be an easy undertaking,’ he conceded, while noting the ‘very satisfactory’ response to a Law Commission report which recommended that the Welsh government implement a programme of consolidation and codification. Last December counsel general for Wales Mick Antoniw announced a major programme to codify and publish a distinct body of Welsh law. ’There is no shortage of initiatives or activities in relation to the study, teaching and propagation of the new Welsh law,’ Lloyd Jones said. ’It does seem to me that since so many different organisations and bodies are following very similar paths, what is needed now is a measure of coordination, in order to avoid duplication of effort, frustration, inefficiency and a waste of resources.’ There are precedents for such coordination, said Lloyd Jones. He cited the Justice Wales Network, set up to enable justice agencies to share good practice in relation to language training and bilingual service provision. He added: ’Today I would like to propose a further initiative - the creation of an institute of Welsh law which could coordinate the efforts of so many different bodies in promoting the study and propagation of Welsh law. I realise different bodies have slightly different objectives - the academic study of law obviously differs from the training of judges. ’But the initiatives these bodies are undertaking have far more in common with each other than divides them. It ought to be possible, for example, to share efforts in producing a manual for practitioners or judges in relation to residential tenancies, or the law relating to social care or planning law in Wales. ’It ought to be possible to disseminate a knowledge of Welsh law without reinventing the wheel on each occasion. Moreover, and this is vital, it should be possible to coordinate efforts without impinging on the independent functioning of these various bodies.’ Lloyd Jones suggested the Welsh government could help efforts to set up such a body. Professional bodies, law schools and the Judicial College would be ‘ideal collaborators’, he added.Last week we reported that Andy Kirkpatrick and Calum Muskett were on the (very cold) North Face of the Matterhorn. The pair had to retreat due to the cold and windy weather, and Calum was relieved not to have suffered cold injuries to his hands and feet. If there is anyone who you would choose to be with in that situation it is cold weather expert Andy Kirkpatrick. Despite climbing winter routes all over the world, Hull's second best climber has never had the hotaches. In this article he shares his tips for staying warm and consequently staying alive! The first time I realised I'd become something of an expert at climbing in the cold was when Andy Cave asked me about clothing for Changabang in 1997, which surprised me a bit as I was just a shop spod and Andy was a legend. I guess although my experience was pretty limited (a few winter seasons in the Alps), maybe he could see that I was 'into that kind of thing', and I guess I was, going on to gnarl it out in winter from Patagonia to Alaska, Norway to New Hampshire. This year, climbing in Antarctica I ended up having a reputation as a hard man due to the fact I rarely put on my down jacket, while every one else lived in theirs, and that I climbed in thin gloves instead of puffy mitts, and actually seemed to enjoy the climbing at minus thirty. Well like the great Borge Ousland (who skied to the North Pole in winter) I'm actually a bit of a wimp - I don't like the cold. Also in many of the places I've climbed being cold was never an option, as very quickly you'd go from very cold, to very hypothermic, to very dead. Being able to dress well for the cold is one thing, but being able to move, climb, sleep, and repeat day in, day out (in Antarctica we lived, climbed and skied for 50 days in one set of clothing) is another thing. Fundamentally staying comfortable and operating in such conditions is simple, and can be scaled up or down for climbing in winter on Ben Nevis, the Aiguille Verte or Denali. And so here is my top ten tips - from head to toe - on how to take out the suffering this winter. Andy Kirkpatrick demonstrates his Antarctica layering system! © Andy Kirkpatrick Collection 1.Don't sweat Long understood by polar travellers and native people from the far north, sweat is the biggest killer, as once you stop, saturated layers will chill you off. Not sweating is easy, just have a system that allows you to stay just warm enough for whatever you're doing. This tends to work as an 'action' suit (shell, base layer, light mid layer) for walking and climbing, a'static' layer (belay jacket) when you're not moving, and a layers to add to either the 'action' suit to allow you to adjust it for speed (say a synthetic jacket, pile pants, mid-weight hooded fleece on slower mixed routes) or if you get in the shit (wearable bivy kit). Adjusting all these layers, along with opening and closing zippers, taking hats and gloves on and off, will help you keep the sweat at bay. If you know you're going to really work hard then take a second base layer top and switch tops once at the base of the route. The alternative option is the one layer system (as used by the Inuit), where you're able to dump all the heat, then zip it up when you're static - best typified by Buffalo PP clothing and Montane Extreme. Cold climbing in Antarctica © Andy Kirkpatrick Collection 2.You will sweat! You're like a cheese, you will sweat, so make sure your base layer is able to deal with this, along with all your layers! Membrane soft shells are nice and smart but for tough conditions I'd always go for more porous layers (Polartec grid fleece, or fluffy pile) as these will stay warmer when wet, dry faster, and allow moisture out fast (non windproof layers can be cooled off fast by the wind, which may sound like a bad idea, but by adjusting your shell you'll gain more over all control. 3. Ultimate Comfort base There are tons of great base layers on the market, from synthetic to wool, but by far the best for what you'll be doing - i.e. stop and go (as proved by countless tests by armies around the world) is mesh Brynge underwear. This super unsexy underwear is made from polyurethane and cannot absorb water, but due to it being spun into an open mesh you are effectively creating just a layer of air (think of the mesh as simply the scaffolding for that air). This stuff has been used on some of the hardest most extreme adventures of the last 100 years, and simply works better than anything else (and also looks worse than anything else). Being Norwegian this is not cheap, but a top (long or short sleeved) is a great investment, and works well worn under a merino wool top (the wool helps suck up the sweat, and the mesh keeps it off your skin). Buy some and I guarantee you'll be warmer, drier and happier. Just nipping out for a pee..... © Andy Kirkpatrick Collection 4. You're not a turtle - stay out of your shell No matter how good your Gore or Polartec shell is it will not breathe as well as not having a shell on, and so try and have a layer that will do the same job for the times it's not raining. Take a look at mountain runners, they tend to do all they can to avoid putting on shells, as they understand heat/sweat output better than most (you can run at sub zero temps in clothes skimpy enough for a night out in Newcastle). Instead they go for very light windproof layers when they can, or nothing when they're working hard (again the wind is cooling you down). Softshell trousers (non membraned) work well for legs (you can climb everything in these most of the time), and a windproof top (pertex, microfibre etc) can go over the top of your base and mid layers. Having a non shell system will both keep you dryer plus allow you to feel your environment more - vital when it comes to climbing. One great piece of kit that weighs nothing is a windproof gilet, as this can really keep your core warm while allowing your arms to cool. 5. Keep your feet warm Most parts of your body can be warmed up with a bit of work, but not your feet. For me everything begins with my feet. If I have cold feet, or worse still I can't feel my feet, then I'll be worried, tense and want to bail. My 'go to' boots for any climbing are Sportiva Spantiks, which I've trusted from Ulvertanna to the Eiger, Mount Dickey to the Droites. They will do roadside ice, Scottish mountains, big walls and alpine faces. They're not cheap, but having a pair of boots that I know will be warm, solid and easy to look after over a long climb, or long trip, makes them better then cheaper, lighter or more sensitive boots (having warm feet is the best way to climb well). Andy Kirkpatrick in his element in Antarctica © Andy Kirkpatrick Collection 6. Plastic Fantastic I've played around with vapour barrier socks over many years, and think just having a cheap thin shopping bag next to your skin, then a good sock over the top, is a no brainer on any super cold, or extended routes. Having it next to your skin means you don't end up with stinking liner socks, and you also have a little more friction between the layers when front pointing. You really get the advantages from a vapour barrier system when your day becomes extended, say that 12 hour winter route on the Tacul draws on to a 24 hour epic, where saturated socks suck the heat out of your feet with the combination of nighttime temperatures and fatigue. 7. Face off In a real storm your face can get really battered, and when navigating or trying to climb just hiding in your hood is not an option. Your face needs to be protected by a combination of a good pair of googles and some kind of facemask. The most common way to protect your face is the universally adopted Buff, and sometimes it's good to carry two, as one can make a good neck seal, while the other can be pulled up over your face. For more extreme conditions the Cold Avenger face mask works really well, as it fully protects the face without stopping you from being able to breath as well as forming a good seal around your nose and googles (this stops moisture getting into your goggles). At the moment my favourite face mask is the GURU Face Mask form IceTrek in Australia (yes it's a bit of a strange link up, but Eric Philips, who owns IceTrek, guides a lot in both the Arctic and Antarctic). This is a super simple version of the old neoprene face-mask, but simplified with a interesting way of locking it onto your face via your ears and a velcro strap (this makes it easy to pull it away from your face… although if you've already lost your ears to frostbite then it's a bit of a non-starter). 8. Mobile Heat I've never been one for those little disposable heat pads, as I look at them a bit like using oxygen on Everest: what do you do when they run out? (instead I try and have the right kit), but there is one little gadget that is a little different that actually works pretty well - the mini charcoal burner beloved by fishermen and painters everywhere (or so I'm told). If you've never seen one, it's a small felt-covered tin (like an old tobacco tin) into which you place a burning charcoal stick, and it gives out about six hours of good heat. These are cheap and easy to pick up, and simply having one in a pocket at a long belay can really help (there's also a small hand-warmer that uses lighter fluid that's mean to work well, but I've yet to try one). 9. Hot Hands One thing that all climbers are obsessed by when dealing with the cold is how to keep their hands warm. This of course is easy - just wear a huge pair of f**k off mitts! The real problem is how do you keep your hands warm while being able to grip your axes, place and remove gear. Well the most blunt answer is that there is no easy answer, and that there is always going to be some pain (I may be a freak but I've never had hot aches), but the more you climb the better you are able to handle it. The trick comes when you can recognise the difference between pain that means your hands are bloody cold, and no pain when your hands are redlining (I know a few climbers who could never climb again after getting frostbite like this). If you're forced to wear thin gloves then consider these points: 1. Have several pairs of thin gloves, and rotate them around your clothes to keep them warm, but always start the pitch with warm hands and dry gloves. One of my favourite tough skinny climbing gloves are the Petzl Cordex Plus over a pair of powerstretch gloves (soak the leather in nikwax, and avoid if conditions are super wet). 2. If you're going to skimp on hand insulation then bulk up on the rest of your clothes, and have a look at powerstrech arm warmers to boost the heat going into your arms (Marmot Stretch Wrist Gaiter and Lowe Alpine Wrist warmers boost your hand warmth without effecting your dexterity). 3. Always have a warm back-up in the form or some warm mitts to stick on as soon as you stop (take off your gloves), or if the pain gets too much. Very often in the coldest conditions the lightest glove will be a heavy duty shelled pile one, and although you may feel you can't climb in them, I find you get used to most gloves as long as they have the right finger length. I know it's old-school, but climbing in Antartica, where we had some amazing kit, the handware that both kept us warm, lasted best with the abrasive rock, and never let us down was our Dachsteins. Having a slightly baggy pair, well broken in, with a bungee loop going to your forearm allows you to just whip them off and on when you need to manipulate things. Simple. © Andy Kirkpatrick Collection Belay jacket and mitts in very low temperatures 10. Use Your Head Lastly fancy gear will not help you stay warm unless you understand how best to employ it, and this comes through both experience (i.e. having loads of bad experiences!) and fundamentally understanding both how your body performs as well as your brain. What I often see lacking in those who just can't get it right in the mountains is the ability to monitor themselves, they take off clothes too late when they've already saturated their base layers, or put on more layers after they're already shivering, and basically don't support their body in any shape or form. In these high-tech days I guess some imagine that fabric technology is like GPS - it lets you get lazy, which isn't true. In the past climbers really needed to understand these things in order to stay comfortable, and fundamentally things have not changed (well apart from swish marketing).Self-defense is the most widely accepted basis for gun ownership rights. When the Supreme Court asserted a constitutional right to private gun ownership in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), it referred to "traditionally lawful purposes" and offered a single example: self-defense in the home. Those who assert moral (or human) rights to gun ownership also invoke self-defense as a foundation. There is one problem, however, which everyone seems to miss: There is no absolute right to self-defense; the right is qualified or limited. When the limits to this right are in view, the ground beneath gun ownership rights appears shakier. Suppose I live in a country with useless law enforcement and know that an assassin is trying to kill me. Surely I, an innocent person, may defend myself. But if the only effective means is by blowing up a crowded building, killing not only the assassin but dozens of innocent people, I may not proceed. My act of self-defense would be disproportionately harmful to innocent others and would violate their rights. My right to self-defense is limited by the means I may take in exercising it. Perhaps, then, people have a right to take effective means to defend themselves so long as these measures don't wrongly harm or violate the rights of others. Yet this isn't quite right either. When others threaten your security or rights, certain measures may be necessary to protect you. But it doesn't follow that you may take those measures if another party has assumed responsibility for taking them on your behalf. As Thomas Hobbes argued centuries ago, when we leave a "state of nature" and enter civil society — which features the rule of law rather than anarchy and vigilantism — we transfer some rights to a government whose job description includes protecting us from various common threats. For example, the police, an arm of the government, are permitted to pursue criminals, forcibly apprehend them and bring them to justice. As private citizens, we generally lack the authority to perform these actions. So it is questionable whether we have not only a right to forceful protective measures but also a right to take those measures ourselves. If the right to do so has been delegated to the police and, in case of foreign invasion, to the military, then our right to self-defense is further qualified. We have, in fact, partly delegated the job of protecting our security to the police and military in the interest of a well-ordered society. So the qualified right to self-defense comes to this: a right to defend oneself when doing so (1) does not wrongly harm others or violate their rights and (2) is necessary to protect one's security and/or rights because such protection isn't otherwise forthcoming. Does the qualified right of self-defense support gun ownership? Presumably, this right concerns the freedom to use effective means to defend oneself — subject to the two qualifications just stated. So, it must be asked: Are guns effective means? Are they necessary for one's protection? And does gun ownership steer clear of harming others and violating their rights? These questions raise complicated issues in the social sciences, political philosophy and ethics. In this short space, I can only offer a few brief notes of skepticism. First, in our current American milieu of minimal gun control, gun ownership is associated with an increased likelihood that someone in the household will die a violent death. Assuming the spirit of "self-defense in the home" includes defending not only oneself but other household members, this evidence-based generalization suggests that gun ownership, on average, is not an effective means to personal security; rather, it tends to be self-defeating. Second, is gun ownership necessary in the event of an attempted break-in? That is uncertain. Some evidence suggests that calling the police and hiding are more frequently sufficient for a good outcome than is brandishing or using a gun. Third, does gun ownership avoid wrongly harming others or violating their rights? Not if, as I believe evidence suggests, gun ownership more often leads to injuring or killing innocent persons than to appropriate defensive use. Self-defense is therefore a shaky basis for gun ownership rights. No wonder so few developed nations have acknowledged them. David DeGrazia (ddd@gwu.edu) is professor of philosophy at George Washington University. His seven books include "Debating Gun Control," co-authored by Lester Hunt and published this month by Oxford University Press.People are seen at the entrance to the maternity emergency unit at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, Spain July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Albert Gea MADRID (Reuters) - Spain has recorded the first case in Europe of a baby born with the microcephaly birth defect associated with the Zika virus, Spanish health authorities said on Monday. Though dozens of people in Europe are known to have contracted Zika, usually after spending time in affected countries such as Brazil, it is the first European birth of a baby with the defect by a mother carrying the virus. The woman had been diagnosed with the virus in May and had decided to keep the baby, a spokeswoman for the regional health authorities of Catalonia, where the baby was born, told Reuters. The mosquito-borne Zika virus has been linked to hundreds of cases of microcephaly. Spain had 190 known cases of Zika infections at the latest count, 189 of which resulted from traveling overseas and one was sexually transmitted. The woman, who was 20 weeks into her pregnancy when she was diagnosed, had been infected with the virus and with dengue during a trip to Latin America. Doctors from the Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona said the boy’s condition was “stable”. “He is being monitored but he doesn’t need any respiratory assistance,” said Felix Castillo, head of the hospital’s neonatal care unit, told journalists.Correction: After this article was published, Microsoft clarified that the version of the Ask Toolbar it classifies as malware is not the current version. The latest version of the toolbar will not be banned by Microsoft as it does not contain search protection code. PCWorld regrets the error. It's good that Ask ceased its troublesome behavior. Unfortunately, it looks like you'll still be manually uninstalling the Ask Toolbar for the foreseeable future. —Ed. You know it, I know it, Wikipedia knows it, and now Windows knows it: The Ask Toolbar is a bad thing that nobody wants on their PC. The next time the Ask Toolbar tries to sneak onto your computer it will be marked as “unwanted software” (that’s a nice way of saying malware) by Microsoft’s security tools. Microsoft previously warned it would take action against software that tries to prevent users from changing their browser’s default search engine. Although the age of the browser toolbar is pretty much over, Ask’s Toolbar has managed to live on as software bundled with Oracle’s Java for Windows. In March, Oracle also extended the Ask Toolbar download to Macs. Bundleware is bad enough since even veteran PC users can be tricked into installing unwanted software—especially when you’re multitasking. But the Ask Toolbar has its own special annoyances. When installed it switches your browser’s default search provider to Ask.com, and when you try to switch away it attempts to prevent you from doing so with a pop-up warning. If you’re not careful the toolbar can also reappear the next time you update Java. But the power of the Ask Toolbar is no more, as first noted on Slashdot. Microsoft warned that as of June 1 any program containing search protection functionality—code that tries to stop you from changing your browser or default search settings—would be treated as malware. It appears Microsoft made good on its promise. Microsoft’s Malware Center now lists the Win32/Ask Toolbar as posing a “high threat to your PC.” The Ask Toolbar entry was first published in February, but was updated on Tuesday. Microsoft’s security products including Windows Defender on Windows 8 and up, and Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7 and Vista can now detect and remove the toolbar. The impact on you at home: This is great news for anyone who spends the holidays doing tech support for parents, aunts, and cousins. The Ask Toolbar is one of the leading annoyances most of us end up dealing with during those times. Now, however, Microsoft’s software should do all the heavy lifting allowing you to focus on reverting your sister’s default keyboard setting back to English and getting Outlook to download mail again on your uncle’s PC.An Indian hailing from Kerala, who deserted his Pakistani-origin British wife and married again, was traced by the woman to his home town in Malappuram district and made to pay alimony after a long and arduous legal procedure on Thursday. While doing his MBA in London, Noushad Hussain, from Chavakkad in the district, befriended a Pakistani-origin British citizen Mariyam Khaliq (34), a sales officer. After 18 months’ courtship, they got married in April 2013. A year later, Noushad left UK promising to return after getting his parents’ nod and solemnise their marriage again in Kerala. She said initially he used to call her but later the calls stopped and he remained incommunicado. After some time, he sent a letter saying his parents were against the marriage, and he would not come back to the UK. Since he didn’t leave much trace in UK, she landed in Malappuram in 2015 with their wedding album, trying to locate him. But the task was far from easy, especially because of her Pakistani background, with even police officers, literally shooing her away. Moved by her plight, ‘Snehitha,’ a Kudumbhasree (a successful women self-help group)-controlled NGO, came forward to help her. After two months’ of intense search, Hussain, who was getting ready for another marriage, was located. When he refused to accept her, she filed a case against him in Kunnamkulam first-class magistrate court in 2015. Later, the magistrate granted her permission to stay in Hussain’s house and directed the police to give her protection. Despite her stay at his house, Hussain went ahead with his second marriage. She said his family, citing her Pakistani roots, tried to intimidate her on a number of occasions. They also gave a false complaint, saying she was an agent of Pakistan intelligence outfit but she was unmoved. “They tried their best to cancel my visa, but I was firm,” she told HT. Soon, many good samaritans and lawyers came around. After obtaining a divorce decree from London, a settlement was brokered before the court, as per which she would be paid a one-time alimony that was commensurate with the living conditions in the UK. “I made three trips to India in between and faced many hardships. It is not for money alone. I want to teach him a lesson for playing with my life. I want to give a message that women can’t be taken for granted and fooled so easily,” she said, adding she would tour the country before leaving for UK. “People are friendly here. Though the system is a bit slow, it works effectively. I hope my case will work as a deterrent to many women who are duped in a similar fashion,” she said. First Published: Jan 26, 2017 14:57 ISTAggregators: the good ones vs. the looters Frederic Filloux Blocked Unblock Follow Following Sep 19, 2010 News aggregators have grown into all shapes and forms. Some are truly helping the producers of original content but others simply amount to mere electronic ransack. My daily media routine starts on Techmeme. It is a pure aggregator — actually an aggrefilter, as coined by Dan Farber, at the time editor-in-chief of Cnet, who recommended it. This little site combines simple concept and sophisticated execution. As shown in its “Leaderboard”, it crawls a hundred sources and applies a clever algorithm using 600 parameters. More importantly, it adds a human editing layer. In this Read Write Web interview, Techmeme’s founder Gabe Riviera recently discussed his views on the importance of human editing, how it allowed him to fine-tune the his site’s content. The result is one of the most useful ways of monitoring the tech sector. And, since Gabe Riviera also launched Mediagazer last year, I use it to watch the media space. (Another iteration of the concept, Memeorandum, aggregates political news; for reasons I don’t quite understand yet, it doesn’t work as well as the two others.) Techmeme and Mediagazer benefit the news outlets they mention. Story excerpts are short enough to avoid being self-sufficient and the hierarchical structure works. (Self-sufficient excerpts result in the aggregator not sending back traffic to the source — I’ll come to that later.) These twin sites are definitely among the best of their kind, resulting in a sound six persons business, not the next Google News but doing OK financially. In fact, in their very own fields, Techmeme are Mediagazer are more useful than Google News. By crawling through so many sources, with the sole help of a powerful (but aging) algorithm, Google News ends up lacking finesse, precision and selectiveness. It’s a pure product of the engineering culture the search giant is built on, where obsessive hardcore binary thinking sweeps away words like “nuance”, “refinement”, “gradation”. At the other end of the aggregator spectrum, we have The Huffington Post, one of the smartest digital news machine ever and, at the same time, the mother of all news internet impostures. In France, where true journalism is in a state of exhaustion, everybody wants to make “Un Huffington Post à la Française”. The dream hardly comes from the best and the brightest. No, the fantasy agitates click-freaks building “traffic machines” on the generous losses their investors are willing to put up with. So, in spite of the red ink, why do they yearn for their Huffington Post so much? One word: Numbers. As recalled in Newsonomics story, in one year, the HuffPo doubled its audience. And now, the HuffPo is nibbling at the NYTimes.com’s ankle: 13m unique visitors/month (Nielsen) vs. 19m for the Times. The HuffPo is a privately-held company with abundant funding and therefore does not release financial numbers. Revenues are said to be in the $15m range, and profitability is “near”…, this according to fascinated bloggers who kissed the HuffPo CEO Eric Hippeau’s ring. Editorially speaking, the HuffPo relies on a high profile commentators, members of Arianna Huffington social and political circle, as well as on an armada of unpaid bloggers (6000) edited by a commando of human cutters & pasters and condensers. The recipe is simple and extremely efficient: you take a 2600 words Vanity Fair interview of the financial reporter Michael Lewis on the rotten Greek public finances, you squeeze it down to 360 words (that’s down to 14% of the original length), and you have a self-supporting article that perfectly sums up Lewis’ point. This fits the internet era’s snippet culture: unless you nurture a secret passion for Hellenic bonds, you have no need to click and link from the HuffPo back to the original Vanity Fair story. Still on business topics, the HuffPo is fond of economic professor Nouriel Roubini, the famous doomsayer. Then, when he wrote a 1045 words piece in the Washington Post (here), the HuffPo’s mincing machine squeezed it down to a 410 words piece (a mere 39% reduction). Since the piece dealt with a strong general interest theme, the Payroll Tax Cut, it triggered serious activity among HuffPo readers: 510 comments and 72 Facebook “Like”; this is three times the number of recommendations on the original Post article. I could go on an on with more examples of HuffPo content and traffic hijacking. Here are the Huffington Post’s “principles”: — Take an original story available on the internet, preferably outside a paywall. — Match the subject of the story against a traffic analysis of what readers like on your superblog. — Process the story according a compression ratio of 15% to 30% (sometimes more); stay as much as possible within an elastic interpretation of “fair use”. — The result of your editorial meat-processing must absolutely be a self-sufficient entity. — Always quote and link generously; your fairness and integrity must be unquestionable; linking is no big deal since no one will actually click and go to the original source (your treatment should be designed to prevent going back to the originl content). — You get it: the reader has to stay in the environment of the Huffington Post, in which he will comment, babble profusely, (I spotted a 12,000 comments on a copyright free video); he will Facebook-share the “piece”, creating further reverberation the Huff
nothing he can say that will sway black voters, he takes us for idiots. …The whole birther movement was racist and for [Trump] to say yesterday that within four years he would have 95-percent of blacks voting for him is schizo fantasy." That should come as no surprise, as Colin Powell has never been a fan of Donald Trump. But even though he's a Republican, he is more favorable towards Hillary Clinton or so it seems. The hackers put out this out there quote: "Sad thing [Hillary Rodham Clinton] could have killed this two years ago by merely telling everyone honestly what she had done [about the emails] and not tie me into it. I told her staff three times not to try that gambit. I had to throw a mini-tantrum at a Hampton's party to get their attention." Powell, as you may know, used private email himself as secretary of state, but not nearly to the extent that Mrs. Clinton did. The general continued with another email quote: "Been having fun with email-gate … Hillary's mafia keeps trying to suck me into it." Now if a guy like Colin Powell can be hacked, anybody can. The effect on the vote will probably be minimal, but we can expect more hacking stuff between now and Election Day. Hacking aside, Donald Trump seems to be gaining in the race. At least two new polls say that. According to Reuters, Hillary Clinton's support is now 40%. Trump, 39% among likely voters. The LA Times daily tracking poll has it 47% for Trump, 42 for Clinton. They must be going nuts out there in California. Also a new Bloomberg poll has trump up by five in Ohio. And a Monmouth poll out today of Nevada voters has Trump with 44%, Clinton 42%. Back in July Mrs. Clinton was up by four. While mid-September polls are interesting, the first debate on Monday, September 26th is likely to change things. Both candidates know if they lose that debate they could very well lose the election. Summing up, no privacy on the planet anymore; Colin Powell's embarrassed; the presidential race very tight.MORELIA, Michoacan — The mayor of the small rural community of Turicato was arrested on murder charges after her husband and chief bodyguard killed a suspected cartel member who happened to be the son of a rival politician. The Michoacan Attorney General’s Office (PGJE) moved against Maria Gisela Vasquez Alaniz after her husband and chief bodyguard had fought off an assassination attempt outside of her home in Turicato Michoacan on August 13. Local news outlets identified the victim as Jorge G. M.–a 28-year-old neighbor who is the son of a local politician from a rival party. Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that Jorge was targeting and threatening Vasquez for months on behalf of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). Intelligence sources consulted by Breitbart Texas revealed that Jorge was identified as a member of Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), a Mexican cartel that earned a reputation for extreme violence. In recent months, CJNG has waged war with other cartels and armed groups over control of drug production areas and the southern port of Lazaro Cardenas, where a large portion drugs and its precursors enter the country. Turicato is one of the small municipalities that are in the contested areas. Some information that leaked to local outlets points to Jorge being unarmed at the time of the shooting when he allegedly threatened and apparently assaulted Vasquez. Prior to the shooting, Vasquez filed two complaints before the Michoacan PGJE, claiming to be the target of cartel threats and intimidation. In those complaints, Jorge was identified as one of the men behind them. According to Vasquez, her husband, in his capacity as the chief bodyguard and licensed peace officer, was able to be legally armed at the time of the shooting for protective purposes. Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo León and other areas to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Jose Luis Lara, a former leading member who helped start the Self-Defense Movement in Michoacán.UPDATED 10/23 TO SHOW OFF HOW AWESOME IT IS FRAMED AND IN MY OFFICE!!!! Finding the awesome flat package in my mail box at work today was a superly (I know that's not a word but it is now) awesome surprise! I was on my way to grab a print out from the copy room before heading out for the day when I happened to notice a flat brown parcel in my mail slot (which I almost never check). I grabbed it and smiled really big as soon as I saw it was from Society 6. I absolutely LOVE Society 6! I want to back track though before I tell you what was in it! I honestly thought I was going to get the shaft on this one. Now, mind you, I've actually only been shafted once (on the same exchange no less...both the original match and rematch failed to come through) so I figured that at some point the statistics would have me left with no gift again. 11 days ago my giftor marked my gift as shipped but the tracking number they included was for DHL (even though they said USPS) and when I checked the tracking # it showed a package that was shipped last month internally in India. I thought maybe I was getting trolled... Turns out I wasn't! Society 6 is notoriously slow in shipping so I understood the wait. Also, when I double checked the order number against the 'tracking number' I realized what my SS had done; posted the order number as the tracking number! (Which I have done before btw...) I'm sooooo sorry for ever doubting you SS!!!!! Okay...back to the story: I grabbed my copies and ran back to my office with my package. I tore it open and was even happier! It was a Doctor Who print that I have on my Amazon wish list and have been eyeing for a really long time. I cannot wait to get it in a frame and hang it up! I really wanted to show it in my office in a frame but I need to go and get a mat cut and something better than a 6 dollar frame from Target! It's worthy of some stylistic framing! So, again, thank you so very much SS. I really LOVE it. And again, I'm sooo sorry for ever doubting you.Get the biggest Liverpool FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is lining up a last-minute swoop for Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge. Rodgers will have to pull off a massive clear-out at Anfield to get the proposed £15million deal done though. He is ready to sell Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing this week to raise the funds to carry on his rebuilding plans and Sturridge is right at the top of his hit-list. Andy Carroll could also go, with Newcastle and West Ham still interested in a loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer. The Geordie favours a return to his native North-East. Rodgers is a big admirer of Sturridge who has become frustrated at Chelsea after failing to nail down a regular place in the side or get a chance in his favoured role as a central striker. New Chelsea boss Roberto di Matteo appears no more inclined than his predecessors to move him up the pecking order, only using him as a sub so far this season, which has alerted Rodgers and he is watching developments closely. Chelsea are aware of Liverpool’s interest even though a bid has yet to come in, and may be reluctant to sell if it leaves them short of attacking options. Having sent Romelu Lukaku out on loan to West Brom for the season, Sturridge is their only senior striker other than first-choice Fernando Torres. However, they have been linked with a number of frontmen, including Napoli's Edinson Cavani and Bayer Leverkusen's Andre Schurrle. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now Rodgers has impressed the Liverpool hierarchy and fans with his rebuilding plans and philosophy and if he can generate cash through sales then he will have the funds to get Sturridge. Downing may be difficult to shift after a disappointing first season at Liverpool despite being an England international. Adam is unlikely to be part of Rodgers’ long-term plans and has been linked with a move to Everton. Full-back Jose Enrique has also attracted interest. * CHELSEA misfit Gael Kakuta is set to join Marseille on a one-year loan deal with the French club having a £5million option to buy. The 21-year-old, who joined the Blues in 2009, is due to fly out to France for talks and is eager to return to his homeland.Poor old Franck Ribéry. After weeks of exhaustive canvassing for Ballon d'Or votes by the Frenchman, Cristiano Ronaldo took 38 second-half minutes in Stockholm to tear Ribéry's candidature to shreds, at the same time as Les Bleus were enjoying their best night in years at the Stade de France. Before Tuesday night, some of us had allowed ourselves to be convinced that this year's running would be different. Ribéry, the epitome of individual quality combined with supreme work ethic at the hub of team brilliance, seemed to have a real possibility of winning the prize after being the main motor behind Bayern Munich's historic year. Yet if football's most prestigious individual prize has become simply a celebration of the world's single most brutal punisher in front of goal, then it is surely game, set and match to Portugal's captain. The news that Fifa has extended the previously closed voting period to the end of the month – and will allow those who have already submitted their choices to alter them – cannot be good news for Ribéry either. Ronaldo's display was of the type that defines eras, never mind seasons, with his hat-trick drawing him level with Pauleta on Portugal's all-time scorers' list, with 47. He has already eclipsed the mark made by Eusébio – widely considered in Portugal to be the only player in the country's history to threaten Ronaldo's status as their greatest ever – and this was further evidence for the nation's ceaseless quest to recognise him as the world's best. Even by their own expressive standards, Portugal's leading sports titles are beside themselves. Ronaldo Põe Portugal no Brasil – O Maior! (Ronaldo puts Portugal in Brazil – The Best!) was the front-page proclamation of A Bola, embellished with a quote from Ronaldo himself, positioned by the newspaper as a further riposte to the backtracking Fifa president, Sepp Blatter. "I don't have to respond to anyone," Ronaldo said post-match. "I'm just me." Record's headline was an even less subtle nudge to voters – Bola de Ouro –while O Jogo led with the simple headline "Colossal". "If it was needed," gushed the Porto-based daily, "he'd fly the plane [to Brazil]." It was a night of delirium, even if it reminded us of Ronaldo's capacity – quite baffling to the Portuguese – of rubbing opponents up the wrong way. He was jeered by the Swedish crowd throughout; every time he received the ball, lost the ball or had an unsuccessful effort on goal. Ronaldo also endured the drone of "Messi, Messi" from the stands, which began two years ago when Portugal's delegation arrived in Sarajevo ahead of the Euro 2012 play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Some local kids even scaled the stadium fence at Zenica to continue the baiting. Ronaldo responded by extending his middle finger. His demeanour in Stockholm was cut from similar defiance, as he simply moulded events to his desire. His display at the Friends Arena carried all the features that his detractors use to beat him – dissatisfied tirades at team-mates, tunnel vision for the goal and seemingly bathing in the opprobrium in the aftermath of each strike. In the event, he was more than entitled to all three. When Portugal rocked, he refused to allow them to tumble. His finishes were exemplary, pitiless and unanswerable. He is, in the words of his team-mate Miguel Veloso, "a machine". The scorecard may have read Zlatan 2 Cristiano 3 but the difference was much more appreciable. Ibrahimovic gives hope where there is none. Ronaldo makes the impossible possible. In his current mood, he is perfectly placed to streak away from Lionel Messi's challenge for the Ballon d'Or, especially with the Argentinian expected to be out through injury until 2014. It is not fanciful to expect Ronaldo to be close to a half-century by the time Barcelona's jewel returns to action. "He's not from this planet," said the Portugal striker Hugo Almeida. "It's absolutely incredible that we're still discussing who's the best in the world." Tuesday night in Stockholm may have been the last word for now.Shelling from Yemen has wounded two people in southern Saudi Arabia, the kingdom's civil defence agency said late Thursday, in a rare breach of calm along the border. The civil defence's Twitter account said the shelling occurred in the Tawal area of Saudi's Jazan region, without providing further details. Dozens of civilians and Saudi soldiers were killed in fire from Yemen along the border after a Saudi-led military coalition launched operations in March 2015 against Iran-backed Houthi rebels who overran much of Yemen. The Houthis are allied with elite troops loyal to Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The border has been relatively calm since March when local tribes brokered a truce. United Nations-mediated peace talks between the government of President Abd-rabbo Mansour Hadi and the rebels started two months ago in Kuwait. Negotiations have so far failed to achieve a major breakthrough. Short link:Facial recognition technology is becoming one of the nation’s great unknowns. There are no laws that expressly regulate the software, nor is there data available on how much it is being used by American businesses to track customers and collect data. ADVERTISEMENT As the technology advances, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is renewing its call for Congress to strengthen consumer privacy laws. “The privacy issues stakeholders have raised about facial recognition technology and other biometric technologies serve as yet another example of the need to adapt federal privacy law to reflect new technologies,” the GAO said. The push for action came in the form of a new GAO report released Thursday and commissioned by Sen. Al Franken Alan (Al) Stuart FrankenVirginia can be better than this Harris off to best start among Dems in race, say strategists, donors Virginia scandals pit Democrats against themselves and their message MORE (D-Minn.) — a vocal privacy proponent who has called on Congress to develop a new framework. But at least one former industry official told the GAO that comprehensive privacy reform in Congress does not appear likely any time soon. And a working group that the government formed to develop voluntary guidelines hit a roadblock last month when privacy advocates abandoned the talks. Meanwhile, the technology is rapidly evolving, and according to the GAO, can even be more effective than the human eye in some respects. It has been used on social media, in retail stores and at casinos. A GAO report on the FBI’s use of the technology will be out next year. “I believe that all Americans have a fundamental right to privacy, which is why it’s important that, at the very least, the tech industry adopts strong, industry-wide standards for facial recognition technology,” Franken said. “But what we really need are federal standards that address facial recognition privacy by enhancing our consumer privacy framework.” The GAO identified Google and Facebook as two companies that are already using facial recognition technology. Facebook uses the technology to help users tag friends in photos, while Google uses it to help users find photos and videos of themselves. Google requires that you opt into the program, while Facebook automatically uses the feature unless people opt out. Both companies said they do not have any plans to share the information collected with a third party, aside from certain limited reasons like legal action. Six other major social media companies did not use the technology, the report found. The GAO also could not find facial recognition information about the five largest retail chains or the four largest casinos, though that does not necessarily mean they are not using it. Digital ad signs in some retail stores also use facial recognition technology to detect age and gender for targeted marketing. The Digital Signage Federation has developed voluntary standards for the technology and said 28 members have certified they are abiding by them. Privacy advocates have called for federal guidelines, but had also been working to develop voluntary rules as part of a National Telecommunications and Information Administration initiative. The thinking went that companies could voluntarily agree to the guidelines and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would be able to take enforcement action if the companies went back on them. The talks are still ongoing, but nine privacy advocates walked away last month, mainly because of disagreement over whether companies should be required to get consent before using the technology. “People deserve more protection than they are likely to get in this forum. Therefore, at this point, we choose to withdraw from further deliberations,” said the groups, which included the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The FTC has recommended companies gain consent for facial recognition in some circumstances. It has also advised that companies provide clear notice when the technology is used to target demographic features, that companies set up a specific retention period, and that companies require consent if they want to share the data with a third-party. Some advocacy organization has gone further, saying companies should not use the technology to determine demographic features of a person. The GAO found that the FTC might have limited authority to regulate the use of facial recognition technology if it violated a privacy policy or caused consumers substantial injury. And a patchwork of other privacy laws might cover the sharing and distribution of data collected, in limited instances. “Federal law does not expressly address the circumstances under which commercial entities can use facial recognition technology to identify or track individuals, or when consumer knowledge or consent should be required for the technology’s use,” the GAO concluded.Buenos Aires, Argentina (CNN) -- Laura Feldman was kidnapped by the Argentine military on February 18, 1978. The 18-year-old was never seen by her family again, a victim of the ruthless regime that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. For 31 years, her sister Ana searched for answers -- and her remains. "Laura was politically active. She was young and had her ideals. But she didn't deserve to die," says Ana, 51. In 2004, bones believed to be Laura's were found in a mass grave in a cemetery outside Buenos Aires. After a series of genetic tests confirmed her identity, Ana finally received her sister's bones in April 2009. "I can now speak in the past tense: my sister was executed," says Ana. "And now that I have her remains, I can mourn her -- something her murderers tried to deny me," she says. Ana has her sister's remains today because of the efforts of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team -- known by its Spanish acronym as EAAF -- a non-profit, NGO based in Buenos Aires that uses science to solve the mysteries of Argentina's "Dirty War," a period during which at least 13,000, and perhaps as many as 30,000 people, were "disappeared." The "Dirty War" is still very much alive in Argentines' collective conscience. Immunity laws granted to former military leaders were overturned in recent years, and now many are standing trial for human rights violations, including the country's last military dictator, former Gen. Reynaldo Bignone, 81, who went on trial this month along with five others on torture charges. Since 1984, the EAAF team has used forensic anthropology and other disciplines like archaeology, ballistics and radiology to locate, identify and ultimately, reunite, family members with the skeletal remains of their loved ones. As their skills and experience have grown, so has demand for them. The team now travels the globe regularly, visiting other countries where human rights violations and mass murder have occurred, like Sudan, Haiti, Ethiopia and El Salvador. "You are dealing with violence, with human rights, with relatives that lost their loved ones. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need this job, but we are proud of what we do," says Mariana Segura, 28, a team member since 2001 who has also worked in Paraguay, Bolivia and East Timor. For the families of Argentina's disappeared, the work the EAAF team does is vital in bridging the past with the present. "The team is made up of all young people, most of whom did not live through the era of state terrorism here, but they have taken on this investigative task as a moral obligation," says Sara Cobacho, a human rights activist who lost six family members to the dictatorship, including two sons, neither of whom have ever been found. During a recent exhumation at a cemetery in the Buenos Aires suburb of Merlo, the EAAF team opened two plots where they believed victims may have been dumped into unmarked graves. After carefully separating dirt from human remains, and meticulously marking, labeling and photographing the condition of the graves, the skeletons were removed, wrapped in paper, and then boxed up for analysis in the EAAF laboratory. One of the skeletons had a two-centimeter bullet-sized hole in its skull, likely from a point-blank gunshot, a bleak reminder, the team says, of the brutality that took place in Argentina not long ago. "You learn the history of the disappeared person, and their family, and of course, you get very close to them. It can be hard," says Segura. A recent EAAF campaign -- funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Congress -- yielded more than five-thousand blood samples from relatives of missing dictatorship victims. The samples came from throughout Argentina and Latin America, as well as from as far away as Spain and Sweden. The blood samples were then sent to a forensic laboratory in the United States, where they were compared with bones that the EAAF team had already collected. The results surpassed expectations: 42 missing people were positively identified, and their remains have since been returned to their families. More identifications are expected soon. Closure like that is exactly what EAAF team members strive for, but they say just arriving to that point can be physically and emotionally grueling. "I try to put mind blank and do my job," say EAAF member Analia Simonetto, 29. "It's the best thing I can do for them and the families that are searching for them and want some explanation of what happened to their beloved ones." Now that the forensic secrets held in blood and bones have reunited her with her sister's remains, Ana Feldman is looking forward to the next step in closing this painful chapter in her life: the trial of the former officers suspected of killing Laura, which will begin in Buenos Aires on December 15th. "The EAAF team is deeply committed, and their amazing work should be commended," she says.(Bike Snob NYC/flickr) Say you're a cyclist, and you're cruising up to a red light. It's rush hour, so there are already three other cyclists piled ahead of you. Do you a) pull up behind them, as decency probably dictates, or b) swerve around them to get to the head of the pack, certain you can burn the hell out of the businessman on a Citi Bike and the young woman perched on the beach cruiser? The latter move is called shoaling, and according to some, it's unspeakably rude. As Bike Snob NYC, who's credited with coining the term, puts it: As I've explained before, no rider, no matter how slow or diminutive, will ever come to a stop behind another rider at a red light. Instead, it is standard practice to pass that rider and stop in front of him, even if this involves doing so in the middle of the crosswalk or in the actual intersection, well ahead of the traffic signal. "Shoaling" is an incredibly rude practice, and it's tantamount to cutting in front of someone at an ATM, supermarket checkout, or urinal line. If you're waiting, someone will pull up ahead of you. If a third person comes, they'll roll ahead and stop in front of the second person. On a busy day, this accumulation results in sort of a shoal of cyclists which juts out into the middle of the street like a sandbar of idiocy. Shoaling is the byproduct of the increasing popularity of cycling, an ostensible net positive that longtime riders nevertheless seem to secretly resent. As more people ride and infrastructure expands, the rules imposed on what was once a somewhat lawless form of transportation can chafe the Mad Max sensibilities that inspired many to bike in the first place: No traffic, no waiting, no rules, no speed limit, no fucks given. Then Citi Bike came along, ejecting into the streets hundreds of discombobulated tourists who proved themselves largely as unconscientious on two wheels as they are on two legs. And we have them—these lurching, sluggish, erratic neophytes—to thank for making our streets safer. "Safety in numbers comes at the cost of the clumsiness of inexperienced riders, whose ranks are only growing," Kriston Capps wrote in CityLab last year. "Bygone is the era of the edgy bike messenger, zipping through traffic in Lou Reed's New York. Dawned is the day of the doofus, the Citi Bike rider pedaling 0.37 miles per hour, probably toward a Shake Shack." In the scheme of risks assumed when cycling (the potential to be mauled by a car is still very real), is parsing the etiquette landscape for minor irritations even worthwhile? Yeah, why not. Around 50 people are killed by subway trains each year, but still we expound at length on manspreading and whether it's kosher to leave your bag of unattended snakes on the M train. I took a little poll around among Gothamist's cyclists to determine whether or not we're an office of shoalers. Results were mixed! Nathan Tempey: My main problem is not so much being cut, but cyclists sailing past me into the crosswalk without looking for pedestrians. Many in this group expect the pedestrians to stop or they treat them like moving obstacles in Frogger, violating the sanctity of the one place in the road pedestrians are supposed to be stress-free. A secondary aggravation that is as common is cyclists stopping smack in the middle of the crosswalk, which I imagine is less motivated by wanting to get in front than by thinking that one is the only person in the entire world. What I do, and what doesn't drive me up a wall, is stopping in the box or in single file, in any case behind the crosswalk, looking for pedestrian traffic, and if it's clear, scooching up to the far side of the crosswalk to look around parked cars for a break in the traffic. I do this wherever it's congested or there's limited visibility. Christopher Robbins: Break the law when it's reasonable, don't break the law when you put yourself or others in danger—traffic patterns and lights are designed for cars, not cyclists. Imagine if the same shoaling "rule" applied to pedestrians. Are we really going to waste time and precious brain juice to complain about people who walk faster or safely jaywalk? Jake Dobkin: I don’t think you should pull in front of someone. But I do think it’s ok to pull up next to them, and at crowded intersections, where there’s going to be a long line of bicyclists, I think it’s ok to spread out horizontally in front of the first car. This has the advantage of getting all the bikers through the intersection at once, rather than having the back compete with traffic. Some intersections even have a bike box painted at the front for this purpose. Also, if someone stops well in back of the light, and there’s 10 feet in front of them, I’m going to pull up to the light, where I can get a better look at cross-traffic. No beef! John Del Signore: Always. Be. Shaolin. What do you think? To shoal or not to shoal? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.Today, the Money, Politics and Transparency (MPT) project, a joint-initiative between the Sunlight Foundation, Global Integrity and the Electoral Integrity Project, is excited to release a new set of resources that expose money’s troubling role in political parties and election campaigns globally. Our revamped Money, Politics and Transparency website now includes a first-of-its-kind dataset and series of case studies documenting campaign finance transparency practices globally. We are also fueling next steps for policy advocates through the release of the Declaration on Political Finance Openness for public comment. Global dissatisfaction with the funding of political parties and elections is undeniable. Citizens, advocates, journalists and policymakers often voice concerns about the associated risks of corruption, undue influence and the potential for abuse of state resources that money’s role presents. However, our new findings substantiate vague anecdotes of corrupt practices and cronyism with a rigorous methodology that gives national-level reformers a starting point to inform their advocacy efforts. The Campaign Finance Indicators systematically assess the regulation and enforcement of political finance across 54 diverse countries, while the in-depth comparative case studies shed light on ways in which states around the world attempt to regulate the role of money in politics, what triggers landmark reforms as well as what works, what fails and why. Finally, the MPT Declaration builds upon the research components and existing international standards for combating corruption to create an affirmative vision for reforming political finance systems. The Campaign Finance Indicators and case studies reveal the following key challenges in regulating political finance practices: Systems of public funding for political parties and elections are often unfairly distributed and ripe for abuse. Although public funding programs are often employed to prevent political actors from relying solely on private sector donors, these systems are often inequitably implemented. In 94 percent of the countries researched in the Campaign Finance Indicators, political actors deploy state resources for electoral gain. Abuses take diverse forms, ranging from the relatively mundane (traveling to campaign events in state-owned helicopters in Bangladesh) to the dramatic (deploying agents of the national intelligence agency in Korea). Details on how political parties and elections are funded are still distressingly opaque. Despite widespread efforts globally to strengthen disclosure requirements, full details on the donations and expenditures of political actors are rarely publicly available — and they are even less likely to be usable. In 96 percent of the Campaign Finance Indicators sample, there is limited or no information on the financial activities of political actors made available to the public in a timely fashion, online and in an accessible format. In fact, only the U.S. and Australia make all reported political finance information available online in machine-readable formats. Scandals can power political finance reform. The cross-national evidence shows that rational political parties are responsive to corruption scandals and demands of powerful interest groups. Italy, for example, had no legislation regarding the funding of political parties until 1974, when a scandal generated citizen mistrust and the first political finance law was passed in a record 40 days. Widespread lack of regulation of third-party actors contributes to poor oversight and lack of transparency in political finance systems. Third-party actors who solicit contributions and make expenditures related to electoral campaigns are rarely subject to oversight. Only 11 percent of the countries researched in the Campaign Finance Indicators regulate the electoral activities of nonprofits, unions and independent expenditure groups. Regulations are only meaningful when there is a capability for enforcement — which is highly restricted in many states. Partisan appointments, insufficient staff and budget, and a lack of substantive legal power hinder oversight bodies in countries as diverse as the U.S., Romania, Nigeria and Russia, and can lead to corruption and imbalanced party competition. These findings confirm the weighty challenges that lay ahead for the political finance reform community (a network that can be found through the MPT google group). There is much work to be done, but also unlimited potential for progress, and a diverse global community dedicated to this issue is essential to generating change. Today, we are also excited to launch the Declaration on Political Finance Openness. It’s intended to build consensus among the interests of the community monitoring political finance, uniting CSOs, journalists, academics and even civic hackers behind an affirmative vision for what we believe a robust, open and accountable political finance system looks like. The forthcoming provision commentary will also be released this fall alongside the finalized document, which will provide background, specific examples and guidance for policymakers. We hope that the MPT Declaration will ultimately become a platform that advocates can present to political parties and government officials to support their campaigns for reform. We are now opening up the document for a public comment period to ensure that the MPT Declaration truly encompasses the widest range of perspectives from the global community. We welcome and encourage you to provide feedback on the document by commenting on the Money, Politics and Transparency web page. Additionally, if you have any questions about the MPT Declaration or would like to share comments privately, please direct them to Sunlight International Policy Analyst Lindsay Ferris at lferris@sunlightfoundation.com. We believe that the Declaration of Political Finance Openness will only be as strong as the champions behind it. We look forward to hearing from you.A new Human Rights Watch report says thousands of vulnerable minors, many fleeing violent gangs, are being sent back, with only 1% granted refugee status Vulnerable children fleeing gang-fuelled violence in Central America are routinely deported by Mexican immigration officials regardless of the dangers they may face on their return home, according to a new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. Less than 1% of children detained in Mexico are accepted as refugees, even though about half are running away from criminal gangs in Central America’s violent northern triangle. The migrants who fled violence for the US only to be sent back to their deaths Read more HRW found that Mexican authorities create a series of obstacles which prevent vulnerable children from seeking asylum, forcing thousands to return home despite serious threats of physical or sexual violence. Only 52 unaccompanied children were offered protection by Mexico last year. In addition, children are routinely held in immigration facilities in breach of national and international laws which state detention should be used only as a last resort, according to Closed Doors: Mexico’s Failure to Protect Central American Refugee and Migrant Children. In 2015, Mexico apprehended more than 35,704 children from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala – 55% more than in 2014 and a staggering 270% more than in 2013. Children often flee after being targeted by violent street gangs amid little hope of protection from overwhelmed, corrupt and inept state institutions. In Honduras, most of the 400 children murdered in the first half of 2014 were thought to be victims of gang violence. The sharp increase in the number of Central American children – and adults – detained by Mexican authorities began in July 2014 at the behest of the US. Mexico declared it would beef up its border security and clamp down on undocumented migrants after Barack Obama declared a surge in unaccompanied children and families seeking assistance at the US border a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of immigration and federal security officers were subsequently deployed along popular migration routes as part of Mexico’s Southern Border Plan, and the number of detentions and deportations immediately surged. Since then, there has been mounting concern among human rights groups about the treatment and indiscriminate detention and deportation of migrants, especially children. Children are regularly detained in immigration holding centres even though Mexican law states unaccompanied minors should be handed over to child protection services, HRW found. More than half the children held in 2015 were travelling alone or without a relative, official figures show. Over 60% of the children detained in 2015 were travelling alone or without a relative, official figures show. Immigration agents rarely inform children about their right to seek asylum or screen them to determine whether they may have viable refugee claims. Those who apply for asylum are bamboozled by the confusing, long process and are rarely given access to a lawyer. Mexico’s refugee agency has only 15 officials qualified to assess claims. The agency’s staffing remains unchanged despite its caseload doubling since 2013. Some children and parents interviewed by HRW said they were frightened into dropping their asylum applications after immigration agents warned it would mean spending months in detention. “On paper, Mexican law appears to provide every protection for children who have fled their home countries in fear of their lives, but the government is not giving adequate consideration to their claims,” said Michael Bochneck, senior children’s rights lawyer at HRW. He added: “Both Mexico and the US – which has pressured Mexico to interdict Central Americans – should work to provide appropriate care and a reasonable opportunity to apply for protection for children fleeing danger.”INDIANAPOLIS -- Talor Battle looked better than anyone else on the ugliest night in Big Ten tournament history. At least he scored when nobody else could. The record-breaking guard finished with a team-high nine points Friday, hitting a 3-pointer and a free throw in the closing minutes to give Penn State a 36-33 victory over No. 13 Wisconsin in the lowest-scoring game in the event's 14 years. And it wasn't even close. The previous tourney low was 85 points, set in 2008 when Wisconsin beat Michigan 51-34. The Badgers have been involved in four of the tourney's six lowest-scoring games, though none of the others looked as though they should have been played in the era of peach baskets and set shots. "We won a game two years ago 38-33 over Illinois, so we're pretty good in the 30s," Battle said. That's not what the fans at Conseco Fieldhouse expected to see Friday night, and it's certainly not what the nation wants to see in next week's NCAA tournament. But if the Nittany Lions win Saturday's semifinal against Michigan State, the selection committee might have to think about putting surging Penn State (18-13) in the 68-team field anyway. The Spartans defeated No. 9 Purdue 74-56 earlier Friday. The Nittany Lions have won two straight tourney games for the first time in school history -- though it may be advisable to avoid watching the replay on tape. "It wasn't boring to me," Tim Frazier said with a laugh. "Every possession meant that much more to us. Every single play was that much more meaningful. It wasn't boring at all to us." Still, it was inexplicable. The Badgers came to Indianapolis hoping to face No. 1 Ohio State a third time. Instead, they left with long faces and dumbfounded looks, trying to figure out what went wrong.Today I’m going
support for enabling/disabling different types of tooltips. Added an option to show tooltips for terrain. Creatures will now pathfind further distances. Lighting fires with a torch no longer uses decay. Added team artwork to the about menu. Dropping an item now always drops the item. There are three settings for drop location: “Drop on Facing Tile”, “Drop At Feet”, and “Drop At Feet When Facing Tile is Blocked”. When being damaged by a creature while sleeping/resting, it is no longer considered persisting pain. (Thanks sechsauge!) Messages in a bottle now have a chance to drop paper (and less of a chance to drop refined sand). Added sort options for highscores. Saves by default now export with their name in the filename. A confirmation screen will now appear when walking over traps if the warn on dangerous action is enabled. Added new binds for zooming in and out. Condensed messages when picking up all items in a stack. Added highscore places to highscores menu. Added binds for toggling developer mode, reloading the game, and toggling developer tools. Animal skulls can now be dismantled into bone fragments. Tilling or digging grass will now raise gardening instead of mining. (Thanks Aurion!) Items will now be checked that their disassembly items match a known recipe (so old items will transfer over to updated/new recipes from old saves). You are no longer able to water route directly from grass or other flooring tiles. (Thanks blay.paul!) You will no longer receive hand damage when using hand armor/protection when gathering, digging, etc. Blood will no longer be able to be placed on the same tile as other blood and will attempt to be placed at an adjacent tile. Plants will now produce damaged gatherables when being damaged (through trample/fire/throwing). You will no longer receive a fire warning when moving into a doodad that is on fire if auto gather is disabled. When digging cave entrances, tiles and flooring on the other side now get dropped as items (instead of disappearing). (Thanks sechsauge!) Added tabs to the options menu and reorganized the options. Fire elementals now have their own loot group of items. Delays of actions and quickslot usages are now consistent, speeding up many quickslot actions. Separated the title menu bind and the bind to close all dialogs. Clicking on a menu title now scrolls to the top of the menu. Added some missing tools to loot groups and potential starting items. Added plant roots to wheat gathering to be consistent with other plants. (Thanks Megan!) The mortar and pestle you must create in the Starter Quest can now be either stone, sandstone or wood. Action and item menus are now hidden when going into options/help/rename/confirmation screens. Creatures that can spawn after the decay or durability has reached 0 on some items will now attempt to find any adjacent tile, instead of just a random one. Lava can now randomly turn to cooled lava (instead of ash previously). You will also now receive obsidian instead of ash on gather. You can now pour out liquids into lava to cool or harden it. Changed interface scaling to be at specific multipliers, and locked the upscaling maximum to what can fit on the screen. Protected items using the “Protected Crafting Items” option will now be displayed within the item tooltip. Fire elemental corpses are now animated. The resource gathering hint will now only show for mature trees and rocks/sandstone. You can now gather from growing (normal) grass. Gathering and harvesting from damaged plants will now produce damaged items. Skullcaps now require a hammer to craft (instead of a rock). Inksticks now use carbon powder for their recipe. Corpse tooltips are now condensed by grouping and count. Added a binding for displaying more information within item tooltips, defaulting to Shift. Chives can now be harvested for seeds during the ripening stage and gathered during the budding stage. Ranged attacks on to doodads will now damage them. Aberrant slimes will now split into other aberrant slimes 100% of the time. (Thanks Megan!) Modified creature health messages to refrain from using words like “healthy” to prevent things like “healthy zombies”. Plants now have a chance to spread their quality on to their children plants. You no longer require a set amount of food or water when travelling; however, you will use them as needed and may begin to starve and dehydrate if you do not have enough. Anatomy revealed health messages for creatures now uses different language for low and moderate accuracy with verbiage such as “appears” and “seems”. Increased the spreading factor of normal grass by large amount. (Thanks blay.paul!) The “offer” action is no longer context sensitive and can be assigned without a facing a creature. Fixed a white box that appeared briefly when loading Wayward. Added messages for enabling/disabling hand usage. The Starter Quest now asks for either stone or sandstone campfires and water still resources and crafting (instead of forcing stone). You can now “win” or complete the game multiple times and record the highscore, it will no longer simply return you to the main menu. Fixed up some confusing wording in the Starter Quest concerning building doodads, clicking items, and skewer use. Bug Fixes Fixed a bug where toggling left or right hands with the keybinds would not effect your hand usage when the equipment window was closed. Fixed a bug that was not applying bonus decay based on skill and quality to crafted items with decay. Fixed an issue where the selected quick slot action did not keep a checkmark beside it when re-opening the item’s menu. (Thanks Brad!) Dead trees can no longer be fertile. (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed a bug where creatures would prefer going either left or right all the time. Fixed mod customizations changing when exporting/importing characters or saves between installations where customization mods were installed in a different order. Fixed an issue where some items could have their disassembly recipe broken, leading to not being able to disassemble them. (Thanks blay.paul!) Added in a fix and possible prevention for a bug that would corrupt the inventory of a player in rare instances. (Thanks Aurion!) Fixed an issue where harvesting and gathering did not reveal hidden creatures. Fixed the over-eating/hydration messages not showing the correct values. (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed a bug where the trapping creature chance worked in reverse of skill gain. Yikes. (Thanks holyshield!) Fixed a bug where destroying a plant while it was fire would not burn you. Fixed doodad disassembly data not getting saved when building/picking them back up. (Thanks RawCode!) Fixed a bug where desert oases did not spawn any coconut trees around them. Respawning will now reset trapped status so one movement is no longer cancelled after dying from a trap. Added a fix that will verify item orders to prevent item corruption/duplication. (Thanks Onkel Herrmann!) Fixed another issue where lit/animated doodads would sometimes show incorrect graphics (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed an issue where players would appear to be walking on water when spawning on top of water (in casual mode). Fixed an issue where world tooltips were not refreshing when idling. (Thanks Lyceq!) Fixed boglings becoming untamed instantly after offering them accepted items. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed an oversight that set the Lava Beetle Helmet as 0.1 weight. (Thanks Megan!) Rabbits will now accept carrots, apples, lettuce and pineapples. (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed an issue where old maps could be used in new worlds. Fixed multiple “The fire around you is warm and comforting.” messages from appearing when sleeping next to multiple fire sources. (Thanks tim!) Fixed an issue where cods and blindfish would attempt to attack other creatures when tamed without any result. They no longer try to defend you. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed flying creatures not appearing above trees when flying over them. Fixed a graphic issue with the dreads hairstyle while swimming. Fixed an incorrect message appearing when attempting to pack dirt. (Thanks tim!) Fixed an issue where weight was not being saved when picking up doodads that were built/placed. (Thanks Megan!) The stone anvil now uses stonecrafting and the iron anvil now uses blacksmithing. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed several cases on incorrect character cases in messages. Fixed a bug that allowed aberrant creatures to drop “Unknown” items. (Thanks blay.paul!) Prevented the “Talented” milestone from showing with more than 1 decimal place. Fixed many grammatical issues. Fixed an oversight that allowed you to gather water underneath a creature or a pile of items. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed the honey fungus description from being uncapitalized in the tooltip. Fixed the message text being red when healing tamed creatures. (Thanks Adrien S. Enzo!) Fixed a bug that revealed trapdoor spiders via tooltips when they were on top of a doodad or item. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed an incorrect particle color that was set for grass. Fixed an issue where some world generation templates would spawn growing doodads over top of improper tile types. Fixed a bug that granted full parry defense even when not duel wielding. Fixed a bug that would produce a randomized legendary property on torches when picking them up from being built. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed another issue regarding milestones not updating when transmogrifying while equipped. (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed an old bug that prevented flying creatures from spawning on top of doodads that blocked normal movement. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed an issue where extinguishing a fire on top of a lit doodad that contained items on the tile would not actually extinguish it. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed a bug that did not update the game properly when extinguishing fires on top of fully grown plants or full water stills. Fixed the raft not producing any particles when paddling. Fixed an issue that prevented you from lighting a pile of 12 items on fire. (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed an issue where the message dialog (when expanded) could freeze item moving, causing item ghosting/duping. Fixed an oversight that caused trees not to count as obstacles for ranged attacks. Fixed an issue where drawn maps (that dropped as loot or created internally) were not being created with map information. (Thanks Megan!) Fixed a bug that was not giving the correct chance for giving quality items from harvesting/gathering. Fixed the “Navigator” and “Seafarer” milestones from not triggering. (Thanks Caerold!) Fixed a bug where tamed creatures could attack you and be unreleasable when reloading a game. (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed an issue where using a quickslot hotkey would not trigger gathering confirmation dialogs (for gathering while on fire/destroying the plant). Fixed a bug that did not produce particles or sound effects across world borders. (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed a bug that was using mining skill to dictate tilling chance of success. Fixed an issue where dialog windows would clamp to your resolution incorrectly on the height axis. (Thanks blay.paul!) Fixed various typos. Fixed a bug where your crafts were not updated when breaking an item from attacking. Fixed an issue that did not allow ponds or desert templates from spawning on world generation. Fixed a bug that showed the gathering while on fire message when moving into a tree that was not grown yet and other edge cases. Fixed a bug that caused gathering at map edges to not damage the terrain. Fixed errors occurring when dying after consuming an item. Balance Reduced the weight of branches, wooden poles and wooden dowels. The chance of claw worm spawning is now based on player’s reputation and has been decreased near the 0 reputation mark as a result. Slings and bows now require two hands to fire/shoot. Offering items to aberrant creatures can now fail (based on skill). Increased minimum stone arrowhead weight (to be more inline with iron/wrought iron arrowhead weights). Arrows now use cordage (instead of a full string), reducing their maximum weight. Increased the damage of most melee weapons. When using lava/cooling lava, it now has a chance to cool down or spread fire around. Slightly decreased damage benefit from tactics. Reduced the damage of all arrows and bullets due to new skill damage increase. Added a rare chance for quality of gathered/harvested resources to be one quality above what the plant was. Trees will no longer alter their gathering drops based on quality. Other quality benefits will still apply. Reduced aberrant damage slightly. Increased base gathering success chances moderately. Reduced the maximum fuel that can be placed on to torches. You can no longer gather wheat fully while it is flowering. (Thanks blay.paul!) The sand cast flask (and talcum) is now used specifically for metal items that would typically require a cast to create them. This also applies to wrought iron items now. Player armor resistances are now scaled with increased aberrant damage, meaning less damage will be taken with resistant armors. The same is also applied for vulnerabilities in reverse. Cods and blindfish now accept insect items as offering, but are harder to tame naturally. Increased the health of bears, sharks, grey wolves and sandcats slightly. Increased damage benefit from archery/throwing skills (on top of tactics). Reduced the damage of all pickaxes and hoes. Increased lava spawns within caves. Hobgoblin traps now do significantly more damage. Destroying a plant when gathering with a tool will now damage the tool. Reduced the amount of iron per tile slightly. Raspberries now quench 1 thirst. You will no longer receive parrying skill bonuses while not dual wielding. Equipping two held items will now always add at least one defense from parrying. Reduced chance of getting plant roots from grass tiles, and increased chance for grass to turn to dirt when gathering seeds. More limestone will drop from each tile (up from 2 to 4). Trap damage can now be negated by base/blunt defense. The skill damage reduction has been slightly lowered due to this. Modding Added a mod options button that appears for enabled mods, when that mod provides options. Modification of weightBonus is now available via localPlayer.weightBonus. Added PreExecuteAction and PostExecuteAction hooks. Added OnPlayerJoin and OnPlayerLeave hooks. Item quality, resistances, and vulnerabilities are now translatable. Added an OnMoveComplete hook. Fixed the character creation menu not respecting imageOverrides. Added a PreExecuteCommand hook. The game version is now translatable. Keystrokes (for bindings) are now translatable. Added “CommandManager”, allowing mods to create custom chat commands. Added method of loading additional mods when playing in browser mode through a “wayward.mods” localStorage property. Specify a comma delimited list of mods to load. Added an OnTileUpdate hook. Added CanPickupDoodad and OnPickupDoodad hooks. Mods can now only be enabled/disabled if all dependencies/dependents are also enabled/disabled. The game now prompts for if you want to enable/disable them automatically. Added hooks for getWeightStatus and getWeightMovementPenalty. mod.json is no longer updated if the publish file id is already correct. Added a “multiplayerClientside” property for allowing mods to load in multiplayer that only effect client. Fixed some improper/outdated documentation for functions in the modding guide. (Thanks Amax!) (Thanks tim!) Cache busting is now disabled when running Wayward in Electron (so Chromium Developer Tools changes are kept). (Thanks Amax!) Added CanDoodadSpawn and OnDoodadSpawn hooks. Added a new hook “OnUninitialized” to be called after a mod has completely unloaded. Added a Wayward++ navigation class to take advantage of near native speed for path-finding. Mod references will now be automatically published each night for the development branch via Github. Mods Reincarnate Players can no longer reincarnate into water or deep water. Skills and stats are now randomized a bit on reincarnation. Ridiculous Hairdos Added two new hairdos and a few new hair colors and skin tones. Developer Tools Converted all tools to use the action system (for multiplayer compatibility). You will no longer take damage or have a warning prompt when no-clipping over dangerous tiles. Added an “Open Dialog on Load” option. Tiles that cannot normally be tilled will no longer receive a tilled status (causing graphical issues). Added a teleport to host button (for multiplayer). Added a /refresh chat command to refresh stats. Added a particle spawner. Removed the invalid “None” item. Added a tame creature button. Added a reputation slider. TechnicalHide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT AS SOON AS THEY RECEIVED THEGREEN LIGHT, CITY WORKERS WENTDOOR-TO-DOOR, LETTING NORTHSACRAMENTO RESIDENTS KNOW THEIRDRINKING WATER IS ONCE AGAINSAVE.SEEN THE IS NOT TAKING ANYCHANCES, PICKING UP EXTRA WATERON HER WAY HOME.LIKES I WENT TO HOME DEPOT ANDBOUGHT FIVE OR FIVE-GALLONBOTTLES.AND SIX GALLON JUGS FOR MY MOM.TOM: THE CITY SPENT THE DAYFLUSHING THE SYSTEM AND TESTINGTHE WATER.>> TESTING INDICATES THERE IS NOISSUE AT THIS TIME.TOM: TESTED IS QUARRYING,MANGANESE, PH AND BACTERIA.THE CITY ONLY TESTED THE WATERAFTER IT HAD BEEN FLUSHED, NOTTHE PURPLE WATER.>> WHATEVER THE ISSUE WAS HASPASSED.BUT IT'S A WE IDENTIFY THECAUSE, WE DO NOT KNOW IF IT CANRECUR.TOM: ABOUT 85% OF SACRAMENTO'SWATER COMES FROM OUR NEIGHBORINGRIVERS, INCLUDING THIS INTAKEFACILITY ALONG THE AMERICANRIVER.THE REST COMES FROM WELLS -WHICH FEEDS THE HOMES WHERE THEPURPLE WATER WAS DISCOVERED.BOTH SYSTEMS ARE DIFFICULT TOACCESS, SO THE CITY BELIEVESIT'S UNLIKELY CONTAMINANTS GOTIN FROM THE SOURCE.WEIGEL STILL PLANS TO TAKE EXTRA Advertisement 'Do Not Drink' advisory lifted for North Sacramento residents Cause of contamination is still unknown Share Shares Copy Link Copy City officials lifted the “Do Not Drink” advisory for some residents in a North Sacramento neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.Late Tuesday night, utilities officials posted signs on the doors of people living between Main Avenue, Norwood Avenue, Pell Drive and Interstate 80 saying not to drink the or use that tap water. Residents also reported that the water was purple.By 6 p.m. Wednesday, officials said there was no longer any contamination in the water and that it was safe to drink.“Flushing of fire hydrants in the area has resolved the color issue and the city continues to investigate the possible causes,” officials said in a statement. “Laboratory results indicate that water samples are normal.”The lab tested for iron, manganese, chlorine, pH, turbidity, color and bacteria. All results came back normal. However, the city only tested the water after it had been flushed and had not tested the purple water."Those items indicate to us that whatever the issue was, has passed," Sacramento Water Quality Superintendent Pravani Vandeyar said. "But until we identify the cause, we don’t know if it can reoccur."Late Wednesday utilities workers went door-to-door to as many as 1,000 homes, talking to residents and delivering flyers with information about the steps the city has taken.The city is looking into whether dye or chemicals somehow flowed back into the system from a business or some industrial use. More complex tests are still being processed, and the city plans to continue monitoring and testing the water for another week.The cause of the discoloration is still unknown.PREVIOUS STORY:Some residents in a North Sacramento neighborhood are being warned Wednesday morning to not drink or use tap water because of an undisclosed problem, the Department of Utilities confirmed with KCRA.Residents in a several block radius between Main Avenue, Norwood Avenue, Pell Drive and Interstate 80 woke up to a letter on their door warning of problems with the water.Officials with the Department of Utilities said they began receiving calls about 4 p.m. Tuesday of reports of purple water."An unknown substance has been added to the drinking water supplied by the city of Sacramento," said the letter, which was posted Thursday by the city of Sacramento. "(Residents are advised) to not use the tap water for drinking and cooking until further notice."The letter was posted on residents' doors between 10:30 and 11 p.m. Tuesday, but officials did not knock on doors because they didn't want to wake people up.The letter goes on to say that residents should use bottled water only for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice and food preparation "until further notice."Residents are urged to not treat the water themselves by "boiling, freezing, filtering, adding chlorine or disinfectants or letting water stand" because it will not make the water safe, the letter said."We will inform you when tests show that the water is safe again," the letter said. "We expect to resolve the problem within 24 hours. We will keep you informed as we gather information."The area receives its water from two wells, and no purple water was found in the wells. The issue is likely coming from the pipes that run from the wells to people's homes, according to water quality superintendent Pravani Vandeyar. The pipes range in age from more than 100 years old to pipes that are relatively new, she said."We’re not sure that this is a health issue because we still don’t know what caused the color. So, it’s difficult to say whether there is an impact if you’ve ingested water," Vandeyar said. "We’re thinking there’s probably no impact, but it’s difficult to tell that for sure."A variety of initial testing showed the water to be normal, said Vandeyar.Vandeyar said it's hard to tell what caused the purple water because they don't have sample of the purple water to test. Finding a cause could be like finding a needle in a haystack, she described. Water appears to be running clear Wednesday morning, but bacteriological test results won't come back until about 4:30 p.m., according to the Department of Utilities.The city is providing drinking water to the elementary school and the middle school in the area, and anyone else who needs drinking water can contact the Department of Utilities.Anyone with questions is told to call the following numbers:Water utility contact: 311 or 916-264-5011 (24 hours a day)California Division of Drinking Water: 916-449-5577Local County Health Department: 916-875-5881The proud Praetorian karax form imposing phalanxes of interlocking shields to impale closing enemies, sweep aside all incoming blows, and protect themselves and those behind them from explosive blasts. Endless training in unit tactics removes all trace of individual initiative and allows karax to advance resolutely into even the most fearsome artillery barrage as shrapnel and fire wash harmlessly over their shields. SPECIAL NOTE: PIP 74079 contains the same Mk II stat card as PIP 74032. The models in this box represent the same figures in the game. PIP 74079 replaces PIP 74032 and PIP 74033 by offering their contents in a complete unit. However, the models in PIP 74079 are new sculpts and therefore look different from the models found in PIP 74032 and PIP 74033. In addition, these models are plastic rather than metal. The replaced PIPs will no longer be available from Privateer Press beginning December 1, 2014. 3D Rotation Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content.After much speculation, the premiere date for the next season of Power Rangers has finally been revealed! NickAndMore, the social media account detailing Nickelodeon releases, confirms that Power Rangers Ninja Steel is set to begin on January 21, 2017! Summaries have also been posted for the first 2 episodes of Ninja Steel: “Return of the Prism” (Jan. 21) A young teen named Brody escapes to Earth from an alien spaceship with a special artifact called the Ninja Nexus Prism. He and two new friends must unlock its secrets to defend it from the villainouse champion Galavanax. “Forged in Steel” (Jan. 28) As Brody, Preston and Sarah return to Brody’s childhood home in an attempt to find his lost family, Hayley and Clavin come across a strange alien named Mick. Stay tuned to TokuNation as we keep you up to date on all Ninja Steel news!Hi guys! This is a new set of 12 artworks I did for the new Star Wars Essential Reader's Companion. Although the dateline for this book was a lot tighter it nevertheless was an enjoyable and rewarding experience.As with the last book I will be posting them in the order of sequence as it appears in the Reader's Companion. Enjoy!A scene from the ever popular Thrawn Trilogy. I believe this is from the 1st book, Heir To The Empire. Chewie and Ralrra take Leia to safety after an attempted assassination on her life by Noghri commandos sent by Grand Admiral Thrawn.Trying to depict wookiees climbing and hanging from giant tree branches was really tricky but I think I managed to pull it off. Turned out better than expected.Copyright of Lucasfilm Ltd.Published by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.You can get the book here >> [link]Tag Meir launches crowd-funding campaign Tag Meir, an anti-racism organization, has launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise money for five-year-old Ahmed Dawabsha, whose parents and younger brother were killed in an arson attack in late July. Almost six weeks after the attack, there have been no arrests, although Israeli security officials have labeled it “Jewish terrorism” based on racist slogans in Hebrew spray painted at the site. Israel is holding two known Jewish extremists in administrative detention and a handful of others have been told to stay out of certain areas. There is widespread Palestinian anger that the Israeli government is not expending more effort to catch the perpetrators. An anti-racist Israeli group called Tag Meir has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for Ahmed, who is recovering in an Israeli hospital, and his grandfather Hussein, who has barely left his grandson’s bedside. The goal of the campaign is $20,000 and within hours after being posted on Facebook, it had reached almost one-quarter of its goal. “It’s amazing,” Gadi Gvaryahu, the chairman of Tag Meir told The Media Line said. “This was a public sin and we all have to take responsibility.” The initiative comes at a time when Jews prepare to celebrate the holidays of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, a day of fasting and repentance. Gvaryahu was among a group of Israelis who visited the Dawabsha family in the village of Duma after the firebomb attack, and has stayed in touch in ensuing weeks, including during the funeral of Ahmed’s mother Riham Dawabsha, who died on the eve of her 27th birthday. Now the family is just Ahmed, who this week had a skin graft operation, and his grandfather, Hussein, 51, who has spent decades doing manual labor in Israel, most recently laying tile floors, and who speaks fluent Hebrew. “I want the Israeli government to find the people who burned my family to death,” Hussein told The Media Line, just a few days after his daughter’s funeral. “I think they should be burnt to death too, but at the least they should go to jail for the rest of their lives.” Since the attack, Hussein has barely left his grandson’s bedside. They still haven’t told him that his parents and brother were killed, but Hussein says he knows that something is wrong. “When I came back from Riham’s funeral, he kept asking me if his mother was dead,” Hussein said sadly. “I didn’t know what to say to him.” Gvaryahu says the Israeli government will pay damages to the Dawabsha family after the perpetrators are caught. But that could take months, and meanwhile Ahmed and Hussein need money to live on. “Hussein has not been working in almost seven weeks, and he is using a lot of money just to travel back and forth to the hospital,” he said. “They really need the money and we have to provide for Ahmed’s future.” Tag Meir was formed as a counterpoint to Tag Mechir, which means price tag, referring to efforts to respond to any perceived concessions by the Israeli government with violent attacks. Over the past five years, Price Tag has claimed responsibility for hundreds of attacks on Palestinians and their property, including burning mosques and cutting down thousands of olive trees. Just over a year ago, Jewish extremists burnt a Palestinian teenager, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, to death following the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers. Donors to the Tag Meir campaign said they believed it was the least they could do. “Faced with hateful extremism it is important to do acts that show another side of Jewish culture,” Rabbi Yehiel Greniman, a board member of Tag Meir who works for Rabbis for Human Rights told The Media Line. “Compassion is a basic Jewish value and it is desperately needed in this country today.”A key part of House Speaker Paul Ryan's tax plan is getting no love from the New York Federal Reserve. Its economists criticized Ryan's proposed "border adjustment tax," arguing that it would raise prices for American consumers and businesses on both imports and goods made in the United States. New York Fed economists Mary Amiti, Oleg Itskhoki and Jozef Konings made the argument in a blog post Friday. A border adjustment tax would give tax breaks to companies that export products and take away tax breaks from companies that import products. The idea is to encourage companies to produce in the United States, and remove the incentive for firms to relocate jobs overseas solely for tax purposes. The White House sent mixed signals about it on Thursday. "It could lead to a lot more jobs in the United States," President Trump told Reuters in an interview, without fully endorsing the border adjustment tax. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin wasn't so positive. He told told CNBC: "We think there's some interesting aspects of it. we think there's some concerns about it." Related: White House sends mixed signals on U.S.-Mexico trade ties Ryan's plan has a big catch: it only works if the U.S. dollar rises 20% in value very quickly. New York Fed economists doubt that the dollar would rise solely because of the new tax plan. They argue that other countries could implement the same tax or retaliate against the United States in other ways on trade. It's also unclear whether the World Trade Organization, which includes the United States, would approve it. All those factors could hold back the dollar from rising 20%. Retailers across America have already thrown up caution signs on the border adjustment tax. They import a lot of clothes, TVs and appliances that they sell for low prices. Taking away tax breaks for retailers would probably raise prices for Americans, the economists argue. Exporters could face higher hurdles, too. If the dollar rises some, but not by the full 20%, American products would still become more expensive -- and therefore less attractive -- for foreign buyers. Related: Mexican senator ready to hit Trump where it would hurt: Corn "This will provide incentives for our trading partners to switch their demand away from U.S.-produced goods, resulting in lower U.S. export sales," the economists write. There's one more possible unintended scenario: Supply chains stretch over borders and oceans these days. Many companies that sell products overseas also import parts for those products from abroad. Those companies would be subject to both higher taxes on the production side and lower taxes on the sales side. The overall impact wouldn't change, according to the post. Ryan's office did not respond to a request for comment. --CNNMoney's Heather Long contributed to this report.“Selfie” is not just word of the year, but also the mainstay of postings on social media sites such as Instagram. With the prevalence of camera-equipped smartphones the posting of selfies has reached epidemic levels – even the funerals of national leaders aren’t exempt. But is there a psychological fall-out? A new study by Florida State University academics Jessica Ridgway and Russell Clayton found that people who were more satisfied with their body image posted more selfies to Instagram – confidently showing off, you might say. But in turn, they reported experiencing more conflict with their romantic partner – such as jealous arguments about attention others had paid their photos online – and poorer relationship quality. So does this mean that Instagram selfies are bad for relationships? The study’s authors speculate that when one partner frequently posts attractive selfies, the other partner may feel jealous or threatened. This may lead to excessive monitoring of the other’s Instagram feed, which means they see even more of the attention the photos receive from followers, potentially winding them up still further. This could potentially lead to greater conflict, cheating, or a break-up. While the study didn’t directly measure this sort of monitoring behaviour, other research has revealed how social media surveillance of a romantic partner is associated with greater jealousy, insecurity, and dissatisfaction in relationships. Another way to account for the potentially relationship-damaging effects of posting selfies is that they may simply alienate other people. There is a tendency for people to report less intimacy and emotional support in their relationships with people who are selfie-posting addicts. One reason why people may withdraw from these relationships is because they perceive the excessive selfie-posting as indicative of a narcissistic streak. Now, the correlational design of Ridgway and Clayton’s study means that we cannot say for sure whether the posting of Instagram selfies actually caused the other romantic partner to feel insecure or alienated, thus instigating a downward relationship spiral. Rather, it could be that an underlying personality trait – such as narcissism – caused some people not only to be more satisfied with their body image and to post more selfies, but also to have poorer-quality relationships. Signs of a narcissist Narcissism is characterised by grandiose self-regard, a need for attention and admiration, vanity, a sense of entitlement and an exploitative attitude towards others. Narcissists’ preoccupation with their body image and craving to be admired could be one reason why they are more addicted to social media and post more selfies. Along these lines, one study found that narcissistic men posted more selfies and were also more likely to use photo-editing software or filters to make themselves look better. Other studies have found a link between narcissism and selfie-obsession in both men and women. Narcissists don’t just post more selfies, they also post more Facebook status updates about their diet or exercise routine, consistent with their preoccupation with their physical appearance. But alongside their vain and attention-seeking behaviour, narcissists also tend to experience poorer-quality relationships. A recent study found that couples reported a greater decline in relationship quality over the first four years of their marriage when the wife was a narcissist (interestingly the same result was not found when the husband was a narcissist). These couples had not reported a decline in their relationship within the first six months of marriage; in fact, narcissists are often viewed positively by partners at the beginning of a relationship – and narcissists themselves may view a new relationship as an opportunity for ego validation. Over time, however, the narcissist’s low commitment, self-centredness and antagonism may chip away at relationship satisfaction. Similarly, a narcissist’s selfie-posting may be viewed as attractive or endearing in the early stages of a relationship, but may become increasingly irritating as the relationship progresses. So it’s not yet possible to conclusively establish whether posting selfies in itself damages relationships or whether selfie-posting and problems in relationships are symptomatic of an underlying trait such as narcissism. Further research may prove the link, but until then, you might want to consider not just the message your obsessive posting of selfies give to others, but also the potential damage it could cause to your love life. By Tara Marshall, Lecturer in Psychology, Brunel University London This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.Bad news, you lovers of liberty and cryptocurrency. Somebody just hacked into the resurrected version of the Silk Road (a.k.a. Silk Road 2) and stole everybody's money. And since that money was all in the form of Bitcoin, there's no way to get it back. Advertisement The anonymous administrator who goes by Defcon of the black market site confirmed reports of the hack in an emotional announcement. Defcon blamed the breach on the "transaction malleability" bug in Bitcoin that actually caused some exchanges to halt the trade of the cryptocurrency earlier this week. It was an expensive breach, too. According to security researcher Nicholas Weaver, the hacker stole 4474.266 BTC which is worth roughly $2.7 million. Some revealing—and actually pretty sad—quotes from Defcon's announcement: I am sweating as I write this. This attack hit us at the worst possible time. I have failed you as a leader, and am completely devastated by today's discoveries. I will fight here by your side, even the greedy bastards amongst us. The details we have on the hacker are below. Stop at nothing to bring this person to your own definition of justice. Advertisement In case, you didn't gather from Defcon's words, the hacker stole not only all of the customers' Bitcoin but also all of the marketplace's Bitcoin. As such, Silk Road 2 will be offline for a couple days and will make some changes to how it handles transactions thereafter. Now we can all sit back and watch the Bitcoin price drop, as it does when things like this happen. [Deep Dot Web]On June 16, 2015, Donald Trump announced his bid for the presidency of the United States with what back then constituted a shocking statement. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” he said. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” The outrage poured in quickly. Leaders in the Republican field vehemently denounced their fellow candidate and major corporations—including NBC, which broadcast his reality TV series Celebrity Apprentice—cut ties with Trump. He did not back down. That same month, Trump told CNN’s Jake Tapper that people coming into the United States “from all over … are killers and rapists.” He also threw in an additional claim, declaring, “Public reports routinely state great amounts of crime are being committed by illegal immigrants.” This is not true. Study after study shows undocumented immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than the general population, and crime rates in cities with large immigrant populations have fallen disproportionately in recent years. Regardless, the lie that undocumented immigrants are likely to be violent criminals would help propel Trump to the GOP nomination and ultimately the presidency. Propagating this myth and using it to justify an immigration crackdown have since become a central focus of Trump’s Justice Department, which in late July announced potentially unconstitutional new
finally entered in the CCRL engine competition in Mar-2011, it was ranked #1 and rated 68 Elo points higher than Rybka. Mortuus est autem rex, vivat rex. search thread: < Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 2 OF 2 · Later Kibitzing>I will show you two methods for the making of this weave. 1. Required Tools and Materials For this tutorial you will need: rings with an aspect ratio (AR= inner diameter – ID divided by the wire diameter – WD) of at least 3,8 two pairs of chain nose pliers For both methods, I will use rings with WR=0,95 mm and ID=4 mm. 2. Step by Step Process 2.1. The first method Put 4 closed rings into one opened ring: Close the ring and add another one near it, going again through the 4 rings: Arrange them into 2-2-2 chain: Spread the rightmost 2 rings apart and pass a ring through them, between the middle ones. I put 2 pictures, from 2 sides of the piece for a better understanding: Add another one near the last ring, going the same way as before: Add 2 rings, going through the last 2 ones: Observe that a 2-2 chain has formed. Again spread the rightmost 2 rings, until they touches the back rings. Pass a ring through them, between the middle ones: Add another one near the last ring, going the same way as before. I took a picture with the other side of the piece for a better understanding: Again add 2 rings, going through the last 2 ones: Every time you have a 2-2 piece you repeat the spreading rings step, followed always by the adding 2 rings step. Continue: You will observe that the piece has the tendencies to change his shape. To reduce this bad habit you can add another ring at the beginning of the piece. If you make a tight weave (~4 aspect ratio) the piece will be stable when you finish it with 4 rings. I put pictures from the 2 sides of the piece for a better understanding: 2.2. The second method I recommand the first method because is easier and faster. But if you have a piece of 4 in 1 and you want to transform it in box chain, this method will do fine. Also you will learn to make european 4 in 1. Put 4 rings into one opened ring. Close it and arrange the rings as show in the picture: Pass an opened ring through the 2 bottom ones. Add another 2 rings, close it, and arrange them as showed below: It’s called 4 in 1, because the center links have always 4 rings in them. If you want to add more links you will pass an opened ring through the last 2 ones and add 2 more, in order to have 4. Repeat this steps: We shall name the center links, the bosses, and the rings in them, the underlings. Now bring the last 2 underlings together and fold the ones above as showed in the picture: Pass a ring through the 4 underlings you just moved and close it: Fold the next above underlings the same way as before: Pass a ring through them and the previous folded ones. If you find it difficult, flat the rings with your fingers, so that the links will self arrange well: And repeat the steps. Fold the next above 2 underlings and pass a ring through the 4 underlings neighbours. 3. Conclusion Here is a fine silver box chain bracelet: For the full piece, you can check out my Esty store.Packetbeat is an open-source data shipper and analyzer for network packets that are integrated into the ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana). A member of Elastic’s family of log shippers (Filebeat, Topbeat, Libbeat, Winlogbeat), Packetbeat provides real-time monitoring metrics on the web, database, and other network protocols by monitoring the actual packets being transferred across the wire. Monitoring data packets with the ELK Stack can help to detect unusual levels of network traffic and unusual packet characteristics, identify packet sources and destinations, search for specific data strings in packets, and create a user-friendly dashboard with insightful statistics. Packet monitoring can complement other security measures (such as the creation of SIEM dashboards) and help to improve your response times to malicious attacks. In this article, I will demonstrate most of the above-mentioned benefits. Specifically, we will use Packetbeat to monitor the HTTP transactions of an e-commerce web application and analyze the data using the Logz.io cloud-based, enterprise ELK Stack. Installing and configuring Packetbeat Our first step is to install and configure Packetbeat (full installation instructions are here): $ sudo apt-get install libpcap0.8 $ curl -L -O https://download.elastic.co/beats/packetbeat/packetbeat_1.2.2_amd64.deb sudo dpkg -i packetbeat_1.2.2_amd64.deb 1 2 3 4 $ sudo apt - get install libpcap0. 8 $ curl - L - O https : //download.elastic.co/beats/packetbeat/packetbeat_1.2.2_amd64.deb sudo dpkg - i packetbeat_1. 2.2_amd64.deb Open the configuration file at /etc/packetbeat/packetbeat.yml: $ sudo vim /etc/packetbeat/packetbeat.yml 1 $ sudo vim / etc / packetbeat / packetbeat. yml The Sniffer section of the configuration file determines which network interface to “sniff” (i.e., monitor). In our case, we’re going to listen to all the messages sent or received by the server: interfaces: device: any 1 interfaces : device : any In the Protocols section, we need to configure the ports on which Packetbeat can find each protocol. Usually, the default values in the configuration file will suffice, but if you are using non-standard ports, this is the place to add them. My e-commerce application is serviced by an Apache web server and a MySQL database, so my protocols are defined as follows: dns: ports: [53] include_authorities: true include_additionals: true http: ports: [80, 8080, 8081, 5000, 8002] mysql: ports: [3306] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 dns : ports : [ 53 ] include_authorities : true include_additionals : true http : ports : [ 80, 8080, 8081, 5000, 8002 ] mysql : ports : [ 3306 ] The Output section is the next section we need to configure. Here, you can define the outputs to use to export the data. You can output to Elasticsearch or Logstash, for example, but in our case, we’re going to output to a file: ### File as output file: path: "/tmp/packetbeat" filename: packetbeat rotate_every_kb: 10000 number_of_files: 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 ### File as output file : path : "/tmp/packetbeat" filename : packetbeat rotate_every_kb : 10000 number_of_files : 7 An output configuration to Elasticsearch would look something like this: output: elasticsearch: hosts: ["192.168.1.42:9200"] 1 2 3 output : elasticsearch : hosts : [ "192.168.1.42:9200" ] And last but not least, we’re going to configure the Logging section to define a log file size limit that once reached, will trigger an automatic rotation: logging: files: rotateeverybytes: 10485760 1 2 3 logging : files : rotateeverybytes : 10485760 Once done, start Packetbeat: $ sudo /etc/init.d/packetbeat start 1 $ sudo / etc / init. d / packetbeat start Installing and configuring Filebeat Packetbeat data can be ingested directly into Elasticsearch or forwarded to Logstash before ingestion into Elasticsearch. Since we do not yet have a native log shipper for Packetbeat, we’re going to use Filebeat to input the file exported by Packetbeat into Logz.io. First, download and install the Public Signing Key: $ curl https://packages.elasticsearch.org/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch \| sudo apt-key add - 1 $ curl https : //packages.elasticsearch.org/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch \| sudo apt-key add - Then, save the repository definition to /etc/apt/sources.list.d/beats.list: $ echo "deb https://packages.elastic.co/beats/apt stable main" \| sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/beats.list 1 $ echo "deb https://packages.elastic.co/beats/apt stable main" \| sudo tee - a / etc / apt / sources. list. d / beats. list Now, update the system and install Filebeat: $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install filebeat 1 $ sudo apt - get update && sudo apt - get install filebeat The next step is to download a certificate and move it to the correct location, so first, run: $ wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/logzio/public-certificates/master/COMODORSADomainValidationSecureServerCA.crt 1 $ wget https : //raw.githubusercontent.com/logzio/public-certificates/master/COMODORSADomainValidationSecureServerCA.crt And then: $ sudo mkdir -p /etc/pki/tls/certs $ sudo cp COMODORSADomainValidationSecureServerCA.crt /etc/pki/tls/certs/ 1 2 $ sudo mkdir - p / etc / pki / tls / certs $ sudo cp COMODORSADomainValidationSecureServerCA. crt / etc / pki / tls / certs / We now need to configure Filebeat to ship our Packetbeat file into Logz.io. Open the Filebeat configuration file: $ sudo vim /etc/filebeat/filebeat.yml 1 $ sudo vim / etc / filebeat / filebeat. yml Defining the Filebeat Prospector Prospectors are where we define the files that we want to tail. You can tail JSON files and simple text files. In our case, we’re going to define the path to our Packetbeat JSON file. Please note that when harvesting JSON files, you need to add ‘logzio_codec: json’ to the fields object. Also, the fields_under_root property must be set to ‘true’. Be sure to enter your Logz.io token in the necessary namespace. A complete list of known types is available here, and if your type is not listed there, please let us know. prospectors: paths: - /tmp/packetbeat/* fields: logzio_codec: json token: UfKqCazQjUYnBN*********************** fields_under_root: true ignore_older: 24h 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 prospectors : paths : - / tmp / packetbeat / * fields : logzio_codec : json token : UfKqCazQjUYnBN* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * fields_under_root : true ignore_older : 24h Defining the Filebeat Output Outputs are responsible for sending the data in JSON format to Logstash. In the configuration below, the Logz.io Logstash host is already defined along with the location of the certificate that you downloaded earlier and the log rotation setting: output: logstash: # The Logstash hosts hosts: ["listener.logz.io:5015"] tls: # List of root certificates for HTTPS server verifications Certificate_authorities: ['/etc/pki/tls/certs/COMODORSADomainValidationSecureServerCA.crt'] logging: # To enable logging to files, to_files option has to be set to true files: # Configure log file size limit. rotateeverybytes: 10485760 # = 10MB 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 output : logstash : # The Logstash hosts hosts : [ "listener.logz.io:5015" ] tls : # List of root certificates for HTTPS server verifications Certificate_authorities : [ '/etc/pki/tls/certs/COMODORSADomainValidationSecureServerCA.crt' ] logging : # To enable logging to files, to_files option has to be set to true files : # Configure log file size limit. rotateeverybytes : 10485760 # = 10MB Like before, be sure to put your Logz.io token in the required fields. Once done, start Filebeat: $ sudo service filebeat start 1 $ sudo service filebeat start Analyzing the data To verify the pipeline is up and running, access the Logz.io user interface and open the Kibana tab. After a minute or two, you should see a stream of events coming into the system. You may be shipping other types of logs into Logz.io, so the best way to filter out the other logs is by first opening one of the messages coming in from Packetbeat and filtering via the ‘source’ field. The messages list is then filtered to show only the data outputted by Packetbeat: To help to identify the different types of messages, add the ‘type’ field from the list of available fields on the left. In our case, we can see Apache, MySQL and DNS messages. I’m going to focus on HTTP traffic by entering the following query: type:http 1 type : http Our next step is to visualize the data. To do this, we’re going to save the search and then select the Visualize tab in Kibana. We’re going to create a new line chart based on the saved search that depicts the amount of HTTP transactions over time. The specific configuration of this visualization looks like this: Hit the Play button to see a preview of the visualization: Save the visualization. Another way to use Kibana to visualize Packetbeat data is to create a vertical bar chart stacking the different HTTP codes over time. The specific configuration of this visualization looks like this: The end result: As this image shows, this visualization helps to identify traffic peaks in conjunction with HTTP codes. After saving the visualization, it’s time to create your own personalized dashboard. To do this, select the Dashboard tab, and use the + icon in the top-right corner to add your two visualizations. If you’re using Logz.io, you can use a ready-made dashboard that will save you the time spent on creating your own set of visualizations. Select the ELK Apps tab: ELK Apps are free and pre-made visualizations, searches and dashboards customized for specific log types. (You can see the library directly or learn more about them.) Enter ‘Packetbeat’ in the search field: Install the HTTP dashboard, and then open it in Kibana: In just a few seconds, you can have your own network monitoring dashboard up and running, giving you a real-time picture of the packets being transmitted over the wire.The cold undocumented emptiness of Banished Tom Chick, February 24, 2014 \| Game reviews Banished is a city builder for people who haven’t played city builders and therefore don’t know what they’re missing. It doesn’t do anything that about a half dozen other city builders haven’t already done better. It’s Tropico stripped of any flavor, or Anno stripped of its elaborate economic interdependences, or Children of the Nile minus any of Tilted Mill’s insight into the genre, or Settlers without the hearty Germanic personality, or Stronghold without the castle. It’s a bare bones proof-of-concept without any larger gameplay framework, like one of those version.097 betas that might come together as a modest little game in about six months to a year. After the jump, your town The biggest obstacle keeping Banished from being a competent city builder is the lack of information to help you make choices. Instead, you make choices that might as well be coin flips. Do you grow apples or walnuts in your orchard? What good does it do to buy extra seeds when you can already provide enough food with the crops you’ve got? How many people should work at the trading post? What good are all those mushrooms in your storage barn and how are they different from the onions? Should you make your ale out of berries or potatoes? How many herbalists does a town of fifty need? What do you need to do to make your people happy? Why are they unhappy? Why are they unhealthy? What will initially be mistaken for difficulty is merely obfuscation. If you can’t sustain a town, it’s because the game hasn’t given you information. See the above questions. Not knowing the answers is what makes Banished challenging. You may, however, stumble across the answers, at which point your town is thriving. Now you’re watching the years creep by without any reason to watch the years creep by. Alternatively, you can probably find some sort of wiki to get you more quickly to the “watching the years creep by” level. “Why are you playing?”, one of the most fundamental questions for any game to answer, is yet another bit of information missing from Banished. You can get some marginally helpful data once you build an expensive building called a town hall. Do you have the stone to spare? A button called a pathfinding tool is helpful for showing you that the game really needed diagonal roads. The interface consists mostly of clicking on tiny arrows to rejigger who’s doing what job, which reveals that job security isn’t a facet of Banished. You just shunt people into whatever building you need staffed at any given moment. There is no identity for these named people, who will be teachers one moment, farmers the next, and gatherers the moment after that. It’s like Tropico, but shuffled every two minutes. Fortunately, you don’t have to consider the job whiplash you’re inflicting, because it’s all on a central panel that might as well be a spreadsheet. Here’s how the experience of Banished looks most of the time: The pacing is terrible. Here I am waiting for a child to grow up. Other city builders know how to keep your attention while you wait for a child to grow up, or a pile of gold to get big enough to buy a town hall, or more people to move into a house. Anno throws little quests at you. Children of the Nile lets you give your nobles different tasks or check the overworld map. Simcity Societies gives individual buildings specific powers. Dwarf Fortress splays before you its exhaustive detail. These games know that a player’s attention is a precious commodity, that we want to be entertained, involved, engaged by making decisions, drawn into our cities instead of just hovering above them. City builders cannot simply be anthills. They must also be interactive toyboxes. But Banished, a game so streamlined that no resource chain is longer than two links, hopes to occupy you with the swirling snow of its eternally recurring winters. Which is lovely in a Currier and Ives way, but it can only get you so far. I don’t have any Currier and Ives artwork in the house myself, since I don’t really find staring at winter wonderlands particularly entertaining. I got my fill of that in Skyrim, which was better documented. What really kills Banished for me is the overwhelming sense of pointlessness. There are no goals, no scenarios, no unlockables, no longterm luxury goods or endgame wonders or upper level populations or advanced buildings. There is no finale. There is, instead, a world without end. When your people all starve to death, the clock keeps running. There will be no score, no stats, no records, no monuments, no sign that you were ever even here. It is always and only one of those sandbox games that’s more sandbox than game.At least one person has been sent to hospital in stable condition after a violent incident on the Bow River pedestrian path Monday morning. A man is in custody after a woman was assaulted Monday morning along the pedestrian pathway at Memorial Drive and Crowchild Trail. (Courtesy Guy Lacourciere) A man attacked two people on the pathway near Crowchild Trail and Memorial Drive at around 8 a.m. MT, police said. Acting Duty Insp. Leah Barber said the suspect also pushed another woman off a bike and was reported to be throwing rocks at people. She said there appears to be no reason for the attacks. Guy Lacourciere was walking to work when a passerby threw a rock at him. "He picked up a rock and then I turned and he kind of started following me and then the next thing I know he just 'whack' on my right ear with the rock." One man was taken in to custody. The suspect, who is in his 30s, was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment. Investigators interviewed several witnesses to the incidents.This is a great instructiable! Even if you aren't into the whole prepper / survival thing these are reasonable and good instructions to be able to salvage a stove and reuse it in a different way (or even the same way installing it into another RV) doesn't really matter. Its sound stewardship of the earth which is an extremely important lesson to teach our kids! So you get an A for that alone. For me personally I always consider (and notably this is just me personally... everyone is different and anything is also acceptable) if we really are going for off Grid, well what does that term mean. I suppose this fits the bill in many ways. I just want to toss in though, plan on other ways as well if you are truly going for an emergency disaster plan. I live in New England and we lost our power for 12 days during a freak ice storm that encased anything outside in an inch thick sheath of ice. It brought down numerous trees. Living on an old and long farm road we couldn't even get to town for the first four days and boiling a pot of water in 15 degrees took an amazing amount of propane. Talk about "a watched pot never boils"! Furthermore, once we could get into town (mostly because we sturdy New Englanders broke out our chain saws and worked together to clear trees from the roads... yep after the second day it really sunk in that we couldn't depend on road crews there was simply too much damage for them to handle) So once we COULD actually get into town there was no gas, no propane, Home Depot had long run out of generators. Even if deliveries for any product from gas to food had been able to get through which they couldn't because of all the trees down, no places that sold such products had power. There was no refrigeration at the markets, there was no power to run gas pumps. Propane under pressure worked until that ran out too. And our governments response? And I will publicly complain here! FEMA should be ashamed of themselves! Their solution was to create a video that told us to take care of our neighbors and make sure they were safe and not freezing to death! The awesome part of that video, almost none of us had the power to view the video you realize, so we only found out about it after the issue had passed! Brilliant. I want a refund on my taxes for the fiasco! I am clearly paying for a service that I'm not getting! So yes this stove is awesome and works well when everything is fine and dandy in life, (I might use such a stove to boil down maple sap into maple syrup for instance) AND it is a GREAT way to use something up (the discarded stove), which we all need to be doing in every facet of our lives, but in a real emergency it has a limited shelf life that being when you run out of propane. I vote have many levels of backup emergency gear in place, including some good old fashioned wood at your disposal. A dutch oven on a simple campfire will also cook food and boil water! For those reasons I may not consider it "off grid" as such. The Grid just like a food chain or food web that the children study in school has many different routes that ultimately affect many other things, when one path is disrupted there may be far reaching consequences that one did not formerly consider... just something to think about.... But overall I like this project very nicely done and you have come out with something that is attractive as well. Nice cabinet and great thinking to put the shelf for pots underneath! Great Job! I love that the kids helped! Good job dad! If everyone had involved their children years back in just such ways we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today with the environment! In other thoughts we MUST work to be as self sufficient as possible, because if you're waiting on the government for help well don't hold your breath! I consider here that perhaps the people in my area could have made use of military generators and why didn't they truck some in. Nope we got a video that we couldn't watch and which instructed us to do what we were already doing. It was a pretty huge failure on FEMA's part!Shortly after Barack Obama won reelection in November, New Jersey governor Chris Christie pointed out that Republicans’ cloudy political prospects had a bright silver lining. “One of the reasons you have 30 Republican governors in America, and why we’re the only organization to add Republican strength,” Christie said, “is because people see us getting things done.” Christie’s stance countered most of the elite postelection commentary, which gleefully pronounced the Republican Party’s political irrelevance. But the governor was right. Since Obama first took office in 2008, Republicans have picked up a net nine governorships, bringing their total to 30 states, which hold nearly 184 million Americans. In 24 of those states, containing 157 million Americans, Republicans also control the legislatures. Democrats boast similar power in just 12 states, with a population of 100 million. Even Republicans’ unimpressive national showing last November didn’t reverse their state-level momentum. Illustrations by Jeff Koegel The next-wave Republican governors have ignored proclamations that President Obama’s victories have vaporized fiscal conservatism and opened a new era of American big government. At a time when Washington policymakers seem paralyzed by our toughest problems, these state-level revolutionaries have restrained government growth and radically reformed local tax codes. They’ve made their states friendlier to business, reshaped government-employee pension systems to reduce state debt, and restrained the power of public-sector unions over state and local budgets. Some have even proposed eliminating income and corporate taxes. Christie, whose stock has risen in New Jersey as he heads into a reelection battle this year, believes that the next national leadership of the Republican Party will emerge from the ranks of its effective governors. “I don’t think this is a core philosophical examination we have to go through,” he has observed. “What this is about is doing our jobs.” Few observers predicted this Republican resurgence back in 2008, when elections not only handed the Democrats the White House and Congress but also cemented their control of 29 governors’ mansions. During the subsequent recession, these governors faced enormous budget challenges. State tax revenues plunged in 2009 and again in 2010, bottoming out at $702 billion—a scary 10 percent drop in two years, according to U.S. Census data. In some states, Democratic governors tried to bridge the resulting budget gaps with big tax increases. In fiscal year 2009 alone, the states as a whole raised taxes by nearly $29 billion, the National Conference of State Legislatures reports—the largest single-year increase on record. It included some $10 billion in personal income taxes, $6 billion in sales taxes, and $1.3 billion in corporate taxes. Despite all this extra revenue, states still needed federal stimulus funds to balance their budgets. Even as the country seemed to lurch leftward, however, state voters began to revolt against the tax increases. Both gubernatorial elections that took place in late 2009—in Virginia and New Jersey—flipped control from Democrats to Republicans. In New Jersey, Christie defeated Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine with a platform that rejected new taxes. Over the previous eight years, Corzine and his Democratic predecessor Jim McGreevey had raised taxes by more than $5 billion. McGreevey boosted taxes and fees $3.6 billion between 2002 and 2004 alone, raising everything from income taxes to levies on home sales. Corzine followed in 2006 with his own $1.1 billion sales-tax hike. Three years later, he slapped a temporary income-tax surcharge on households making more than $400,000 a year, part of another proposed $1 billion in new taxes. But actual tax collections imploded, leaving Christie with a $4 billion budget deficit when he took office in 2010. Christie ran enormous political risks in trying to shrink that deficit. Despite discontent over the high taxes, polls showed that voters wanted higher levies on the rich, so that the state could continue a popular program of property-tax rebates for homeowners. And though the voters favored winning concessions from government workers, they also wanted the state to keep subsidizing public schools richly. Christie disagreed. He chose not to renew the surcharge on high earners and slashed aid to municipalities. He also reduced the property-tax rebates; after all, property taxes are imposed by localities, so the rebates amounted to a state subsidy that let cities and towns avoid making tough budget decisions. When homeowners complained, Christie urged them to vote against the expensive municipal and school budgets that were driving their ever-rising property taxes. Voters responded, defeating nearly 60 percent of the school budgets proposed in 2010. Christie’s reforms slashed state spending by nearly 9 percent and balanced the state budget without new taxes. Christie then pressed the legislature to pass reforms that restrained municipal spending, including a cap on annual property-tax increases. He also signed off on roughly $347 million in business tax cuts, though he has yet to find the revenues to make good on his pledge to lower Jersey’s income tax. Christie’s favorability rating was just 44 percent after his first budget passed, but as Jerseyans watched his strategy play out, his popularity grew. Even before his effective and sympathetic response to Superstorm Sandy, more than 50 percent of voters approved of the job he was doing; since then, his popularity has soared. New Jersey business executives, whose confidence in the state had plummeted, have begun to reconsider; about six in ten said in a recent survey that Jersey had improved in its attitude toward businesses over the last three years, while 57 percent believed that it had gotten better at attracting new investment. The number of executives saying that New Jersey is a good place to do business has doubled. “Despite the challenges that Sandy presents for our economy, I will not let New Jersey go back to our old ways of wasteful spending and rising taxes,” Christie recently announced. “We will deal with our problems, but we will continue to do so by protecting the hard-earned money of all New Jerseyans first and foremost.” A year after Christie’s victory came the 2010 elections, when 26 governorships were up for grabs. Republicans wrested 11 of them from Democrats and lost only five, an impressive tally. The party added North Carolina last November, reaching its current total of 30 governorships. Perhaps the most ambitious of the 2010 crop of reform governors is Michigan’s Rick Snyder, a former venture capitalist with no previous experience in office. Snyder initially received less national attention than Christie or Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, whose battle with government unions grabbed headlines throughout 2011. Perhaps Snyder’s post-partisan image was what kept him off the national press’s radar for so long: he ran as a wonk who would use his business acumen to fix the state’s finances. In his first budget, Snyder sought to close a $1.5 billion deficit while pushing—successfully, as it turned out—to get rid of the hated Michigan Business Tax. The MBT didn’t just tax businesses’ profits, as most corporate taxes do; it taxed their revenues as well, meaning that firms had to pay even when they weren’t making money. Politicians and policy experts in Michigan had long acknowledged that the MBT was one of the nation’s worst corporate taxes and that it drove away business. But it brought the state $1.7 billion in yearly revenue that no previous governor had wanted to forgo. Snyder’s tax-reform plan was audacious. To make up for the lost MBT revenues, he proposed a flat corporate levy; jettisoning $400 million in targeted corporate tax credits, which had tried to keep particular companies in the state; and (most controversially) taxing the pensions of all Michigan residents. Michigan, Snyder observed, was one of only three states that exempted pensions from income tax. The anomaly had originated in the mid-sixties, when state pols and public-sector unions reached a deal to exclude government pensions from taxes and public anger over the favoritism led to a broadened exemption. Snyder’s call to tax pensions understandably upset retirees and government-worker groups, who threatened to try to recall the governor. But he persisted, and the recall idea fizzled. The Michigan legislature eventually agreed with him and reshaped the state’s tax code. The new arrangement moved Michigan’s corporate levy from next-to-worst in the Tax Foundation’s national rankings to 18th best. “The Wicked Witch is done,” Snyder said. Nor was that the end of Snyder’s reform drive. Last year, he lowered Michigan’s personal income-tax rate. And now he’s seeking to eliminate the state’s so-called personal property tax, which is actually an outdated tax on business equipment. Snyder’s changes are “unshackling the state from its obsolete economic past and positioning it for new prosperity,” noted the Detroit News. Other members of the 2010 class of Republican governors share Snyder’s passion for tax reform that attracts businesses. Pennsylvania’s Tom Corbett quickly took aim at his state’s Capital Stock and Franchise Tax, a charge on business assets. Pennsylvania already has a corporate income tax, which means that firms face double taxation—a big reason that the state’s business environment has won a reputation as one of the country’s harshest. Calling the levy a “job-killer,” Corbett reduced it by 40 percent and wants to end it entirely once the state’s economy rebounds. To balance his first budget without new taxes, Corbett cut spending by 3 percent from the previous year. When residents grumbled about cutbacks to local education grants, he took a page out of New Jersey’s playbook and signed a law allowing Pennsylvania voters to approve or veto tax increases proposed by school boards. In Maine, former businessman Paul LePage, also elected governor in 2010, has worked to reform the tax code in a state with one of America’s heaviest tax burdens—and highest poverty rates. During his first year in office, LePage, who grew up poor and even lived on the streets for two years as a runaway, chopped Maine’s top income-tax rate from 8.5 percent to 7.9 percent, cut business taxes, and got rid of income taxes entirely for 70,000 low-income families. His most recent tax legislation slices the top income-tax rate to 4 percent in years when Maine runs a budget surplus. To make up for the lost revenue, he has reformed the pension system for public employees and placed a five-year limit on welfare benefits. In discussing the welfare reform, the outspoken governor startled incredulous voters by claiming that Maine had more people on welfare than people paying income taxes—which turned out to be true. His budget, LePage argued, “sends the message that work and independence are what is expected of everyone in Maine.” Florida governor Rick Scott—formerly the chief executive of Columbia/HCA, the largest for-profit health-care firm in America—arrived in office in early 2011 with an ambitious agenda to make his state more attractive to outside investment. Scott’s predecessor, Republican Charlie Crist, had raised cigarette taxes and fees on government services by a combined $2 billion in 2009. So far, Scott has raised the exemption on income subject to the corporate tax, freeing some 12,000 small firms from it. He wants to exempt more firms each year and, in time, eliminate the charge entirely. Scott has held state spending flat over the two years that he’s been in office, a feat that has enabled him to make the tax cuts and also to lighten Florida’s long-term debt by $1.5 billion. These fiscal moves drew little national attention, though that’s unlikely to continue as Republican governors grow even bolder, aiming for simpler tax systems with lower rates and fewer exemptions. Some want to end the income and corporate taxes entirely, citing research showing that those taxes are the most economically harmful because they target productivity and investment, discouraging both. Studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have determined that consumption and property taxes, by contrast, raise revenues without becoming such a productivity drag. One study using OECD data suggests that every 1 percent shift in tax revenue from an income to a consumption tax can produce as much as 1 percentage point in extra GDP growth. So Nebraska’s Dave Heineman has proposed replacing the income tax, which brings in some $1.6 billion in revenue, with sales-tax money. Nebraska collects $2.4 billion in sales tax already but exempts certain products and industries, forgoing as much as $5 billion; Heineman would eliminate many of those exemptions. He’s asked the legislature to study the impact of his proposal before proceeding. Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal also wants to end the income tax—continuing a movement that he started in 2008, when he repealed $359 million in income-tax increases that Louisiana had passed six years earlier, arguing that the higher levies were destroying jobs. Jindal’s current push would mean $3.3 billion less for the state in annual tax revenue, which the governor thinks could be made up partly by hiking the sales tax and applying it to some of the nearly 500 products and services currently not subject to it. (He’s also counting on some economic growth.) Jindal, who was elected governor in 2007 and reelected in 2011, is exploring ways to lessen the impact of a sales-tax hike on lower-income Louisianans, who suffer disproportionately from the bite of such taxes. One of his ideas: excluding basic products, such as groceries, from the tax. Like Jindal, Kansas governor Sam Brownback is pushing to extend a tax-reform program. Brownback roared into office in 2011 proposing to lower income-tax rates and to regain the lost revenue by capping some popular tax expenditures, like the mortgage-interest deduction. Republicans in the state legislature, balking at ending the popular items, passed a tax-cut package without them, lowering the state’s income-tax rate from 6.45 percent to 4.9 percent. “The
itz-Carlton. And although his access to communication is reportedly limited, he’s eating “diet food” and exercising. That said, if he gives his cousin too hard of a time over this, he might find the accommodations at the Ritz become less … well … less accommodating.LAS VEGAS: SONY unveiled the Xperia Z1 Compact at CES in Las Vegas on Monday, a miniature version of its flagship Xperia Z1 smartphone that retains its high-end specifications. Taking a different approach than Samsung and HTC, Sony has decided that "mini" shouldn't mean sup-par, and has configured the Xperia Z1 Compact with the same top-end specifications as its flagship smartphone to attract those looking for a powerful, pint-sized handset. Design The Xperia Z1 Compact is a smaller version of the Sony Xperia Z1, which in terms of design is no bad thing. We're fans of the boxy, glossy design of Sony's Xperia line, and the Xperia Z1 Compact is no exception. We do have a couple of gripes, though. The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is slightly chunkier than its predecessor, measuring 9.5mm thick compared to 8.5mm, which means it doesn't sit quite as comfortably in the palm of the hand, although at just 140g, it does feel light. The handset's also prone to picking up fingerprints, which means it can get grubby quite easily, although its glossiness means it's very easy to clean. We can let these gripes go, however, as the Xperia Z1 Compact's design also means that like the Xperia Z1 it's resistant against dust, water and scratches. It will also launch in a number of colours, including black, white, yellow and pink. Screen The display on the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact isn't as impressive as its big brother's 5in 1920x1080 resolution display, but that's not to say that it's disappointing. Measuring 4.3in with 1280x720 resolution, it's clear that text isn't quite as sharp as on the Xperia Z1, but the screen still delivers vibrant colours and detailed images. Sony has equipped the Xperia Z1 Compact's screen with IPS technology, which means that viewing angles on the pint-sized smartphone are above average. Performance and software The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact comes powered by a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, and it's rare for a smartphone of this size, besides the iPhone 5S, to have such nippy components. The chip is just as impressive in the real world as it is on paper, and we found the device very nippy, especially for a smartphone of its size. There's LTE support onboard, and the handset arrives with 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded to 64GB with a microSD card. As for software, the Xperia Z1 Compact runs Google's Android 4.3 Jelly Bean mobile operating system, but Sony has said that it will put out an update to Android 4.4 Kitkat "almost instantly" after the handset's release. It's unlikely to make too much difference however, as Sony has coated Google's mobile operating system with its own custom user interface. While we've never been huge fans of Sony's own skin, finding it overbearing compared to a vanilla Android user interface, the firm's application lineup is a bonus, with the Xperia Z1 Compact arriving loaded with the firm's Walkman and Playstation companion apps, a boon for those who own a PS4. Cameras Perhaps the most impressive feature of the Xperia Z1 Mini Compact is its rear-facing camera, with the downsized device packing the same 20.7MP sensor as its flagship sibling. We gave it a quick go on the CES show floor, and we're pleased to report that image quality is just as impressive as on the Xperia Z1, with pictures appearing crisp, clear and full of natural colour even under the glaring Las Vegas lights. The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact also features a 2MP camera on its front that's capable of shooting HD 1080p video. First impressions For those after a pint-sized smartphone with top-end smartphone specifications and features, it's a tough call between the iPhone 5S and the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. The handset's 4.3in screen is impressively vibrant, while its quad-core processor and top-end camera make this one of the most attractive small smartphones on the market. However, the handset's success likely will depend partly on its price, and Sony has yet to reveal how much it will cost when it goes on sale in the coming months. Check back with The INQUIRER soon for our full Sony Xperia Z1 Compact review. µIt’s been six months since Homestuck ended. On April 13th, Andrew Hussie’s wildly ambitious and undeniably impressive webcomic finally (finally!) reached a conclusion, seven years to the day since it began. Though epilogues and a tie-in game are promised, now seems the only time to do to Homestuck what must be done on the Internet to all media: let’s write a review. What is Homestuck? That’s a tricky question. For those who weren’t fans, the Homestuck phenomenon has been at best perplexing, and at times infuriating. If you’ve been to anime conventions in the past five years, you’ve seen hundreds of eager Homestuck cosplayers, but despite common misconceptions, it isn’t an anime. In 2012, it made headlines when the video game tie-in raised 2.5 million dollars on Kickstarter, but it’s not a video game (at least, not most of the time.) It provokes strong reactions: Homestuck’s been called “The Internet’s Ulysses,” but also, after its finale, “a piece of shit that finally got flushed.” If you ask a fan, you get a flood of enthusiastic but intimidating nonsense: It’s… well, it’s a webcomic, but sometimes it’s more like an old-school text-based roleplaying game. It’s about… a group of kids who are playing that game, and also cause the end of the world, and also it’s about growing up, but there’s also time travel, and of course we can’t forget about the, uh, alien trolls! and there’s like, complex four-dimensional romance! and really touching moments, and surreal humor, and so many callbacks, self-references, and running jokes I don’t know what it’s even about except for itself, I mean, the author appears as a character, and then gets killed, and the fourth wall isn’t just broken: fourth walls are a tool used by the characters to travel from the… well, see there are lots of universes, and dream universes- Okay. Fine. The intense passion of Homestuck fans has become a meme in itself. The only way to be introduced to Homestuck and not immediately get overwhelmed is to start at the beginning. Homestuck is a webcomic by Andrew Hussie, who has kept most biographic details private. He looks like this. He was born in 1979 (maybe.) At one point he studied computer science. He (probably) lives in Western Massachusetts. Besides his webcomics, he’s best known for a series of absurdist Star Trek: The Next Generation video edits. In the mid-2000s, he put his first comics online, mostly one-offs featuring bizarre and horrifying scenarios. One of Hussie’s less-weird early comics. Hussie’s juvenilia is the sort of faintly disturbing yet truly creative content one often came across in that early Internet, after we all got access to the web but before huge social networks were there to regulate it. Most infamous is the “Humanimals” series, a sort of office comedy where the characters get more grotesquely sexual as the scenarios get more inane. If you look hard enough, you can find the roots of his later style in these early works; he already had a knack for blurring the lines between parody and sincerity until both angles are uncomfortable, and it’s clear he enjoyed messing with his audience from the start. However, taken less charitably, his early comics never rise above shock humor. They can be somewhat offensive (his comics and writing were under the name “Team Special Olympics,” or “S_O” for short) and fans of Homestuck sometimes had negative reactions when his early work is rediscovered. On Hussie’s part, he’s claimed he still finds them hilarious. A screen from the 1980 game Mystery House. In 2006, Hussie began a game with visitors to his website, who had mostly been recruited from the forums of long-running webcomic Penny Arcade. He started drawing mockups of a game in the style of ’80s text-based adventures: basic graphics, some obvious clues, and a running narration in the captions. Instead of a clunky program parsing the player’s commands, though, Hussie would act as dungeon master. Each time a new panel was posted in the thread, the next person to comment would see their command acted out in-game. Hussie’s forum-goers shared his sarcastic sense of humor: the first panel showed a stick figure in jail, next to a large key, with the caption “There is nothing at all in your cell, useful or otherwise.” The first command given was “Attempt to pry open window.” The first panel of Jailbreak. This would become Jailbreak, his first structured webcomic, and would prompt him to change his site’s name to MS Paint Adventures, dedicated to adventure games nominally scribbled in Microsoft Paint (though they’ve always been done in Photoshop.) After Jailbreak’s brief run, he posted Bard Quest on the new site. This was a real game: unlike the single narrative of Jailbreak chosen by the forum, Bard Quest has multiple options on each screen, so the readers can play out different storylines by themselves. But Bard Quest isn’t nearly as much fun to play as Jailbreak is to read; perhaps planning stories out in advance boxed in Hussie’s creativity, or the collaborative spirit of the forum game was the secret to his style. The webcomic was abandoned after about a month in the summer of 2007, and Hussie announced the site would shut down indefinitely. He stayed away until the following spring. The first page of Problem Sleuth. In March of 2008, Hussie returned with another crudely drawn figure trapped in a room, and another fake game, with all commands taken from the forum. Problem Sleuth, the game that put Andrew Hussie on the map, kept Jailbreak’s format, but it was soon clear the author was taking this story much, much more seriously. In Jailbreak, Hussie had messed with his forum-goers by arbitrarily altering the rules of his game’s reality. When they asked to examine the pumpkin in the cell, he just wrote “What pumpkin?” and redrew the room with no pumpkin in it, reassuring them it had never been there. (“What Pumpkin” is now the name of Hussie’s media company, and a running joke throughout his works.) In this game, when they asked the Problem Sleuth to grab his gun, Hussie redrew the scene with a key, and insisted it had always been a key on the table. But when they reached for the key, suddenly the character was cradling his gun. Putting it back in the inventory, it was a key. When they tried using the key on the door, he shot the doorknob off. Each time the object was used, it switched properties. This wasn’t a cheap joke. This game’s sense of humor had rules. When they tried opening a window, the window fell right off the wall, revealing it to be a fake with a safe behind it — even though they’d already thrown objects through the window, and yelled at the people outside. This was a moment of surreal humor, but it was also a clue. Like many old adventure games, Problem Sleuth features complicated object-based puzzles, and readers were soon trying to rope together objects inside the room with ones outside, or shake the window, or climb through the window, or, most terrifyingly, push one dimension-defying open window through another. Hussie gamely met his audience’s challenges; the more demented Problem Sleuth’s physics got, the further he pushed their limits. He made an item in game a telescope that doesn’t magnify the objects behind it, but physically makes them larger, and let the readers find out what happened when they broke the lens and reached through it. Another was a corset that can squeeze any objects into it: overloading the corset created a black hole, and Hussie deftly mixed technical information on Hawking radiation into his increasingly cosmic narrative. The plot sprawled, abandoning the noir conceit for a galactic-scaled epic. By the end of its run, some Problem Sleuth updates were just maps of the universe (well, universes) where the story took place, so readers could keep up. A panel from Problem Sleuth, featuring the main character using his tommy gun/typewriter to shoot strongly worded letters. The artwork had also drastically improved. Hussie started incorporating animation into his story, and though his art style remains based in simple drawings and copying and pasting, he’d remixed these doodles into legitimately exciting art. This is, perhaps, the hardest thing to believe about Problem Sleuth: it was good. In description, it just sounds creative or interesting, a pure experiment in playing with paradoxical logic. But it’s legitimately exciting, and fun to read, with no clear division between the story and its own self-parody, the text and the commentary on the text. Absurd humor and twisted physics slid seamlessly into classic adventure; you laughed when characters were in mortal danger, and cheered when they used a bust of Snoop Dogg to escape. It was simultaneously utter nonsense and took itself completely seriously, and both aspects worked. While Jailbreak had taken a little over a hundred pages, Problem Sleuth would break a thousand. When it began, it had a few hundred readers from Hussie’s forums. It ended exactly one year after it began, on March 10th, 2009, with hundreds of thousands of fans. (By the way, I was one of them; I finished Problem Sleuth just after it had ended, and saw the first panel of Hussie’s next project already up on the website. Too mentally exhausted to start another epic from the beginning, I closed out of the first page of Homestuck and forgot about the site for over a year.) But really, what is Homestuck? The first panel of Homestuck. Problem Sleuth attracted a dedicated following, but in a very specific niche. (To illustrate: a complex Problem Sleuth-based riddle was part of the 2010 MIT Mystery Hunt.) The complexity, scientific rigor, and reference-based humor attracted intensely nerdy fans of old games and sci-fi, but the story lacked something to give it universal appeal: characters. By Hussie’s own admission, the characters of Problem Sleuth are largely ciphers on which the action plays out, only differentiated by appearance and a few broad personality types. Most notably, there isn’t any dialogue in Problem Sleuth; all conversations are simply described by the narration. By the end of its run, it would be reasonable to assume Andrew Hussie just isn’t very good at writing characters: he’d graduated from oddball humorist to hardworking puzzlemaster, but had little talent or inclination for dialogue and emotion. I won’t even try to describe the plot of Homestuck. Just picture the cosmic scale I described of Problem Sleuth, then imagine ten times the complexity, the rule-bending surrealism, the invented terminology and off-beat humor, but permeated throughout with characters and conversations. And the most surprising reveal of all: Andrew Hussie is very, very good at writing characters. Hussie’s dialogue is as clever and funny as the rest of his text, but he also shows the same obsessive care towards his characters as his plots: just as the simple scenarios of Problem Sleuth spiraled into labyrinthine epics, the personality archetypes laid out in the early acts of Homestuck turn into charming, complicated characters with distinct identities and emotional arcs. Quintessential Hussie riffing in an early Homestuck chapter. By the finale, this character is riffing on how to grow up with only masculine role models, and why his sarcasm masks anxiety over his path to adulthood. And there’s a lot of character in Homestuck. At an estimated 800,000 words, it’s one of the longest written works in the English language, and almost all of that is dialogue. Much of it is inane. Some of it is profound. That’s a balance that holds true to real conversations, as well. (Hussie borrowed some dialogue in the beginning from his own chat conversations.) That’s how fans always seem to refer to the IM conversations in Homestuck; they’re startlingly real. For the most part, characters don’t talk face to face, but communicate over instant messenger. There have been some feeble experiments to write chat dialogue (books like TTYL), but there’s a particular rhythm to online conversations, a way they shift in and out of deep emotion and self-referential riffing, that no author but Hussie has ever really captured. (Bryan Lee O’Malley, author of Scott Pilgrim, agrees in an excellent interview.) For kids who grew up on IM and chatrooms, the rambling cadence of Homestuck dialogue is immediately familiar. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves; I was just trying to explain what Homestuck is. One reason Homestuck fans are so off-putting is their tendency to answer “What is Homestuck?” with gibberish. Kernelsprites! Troll quadrants! The universe is a frog! All the most exciting moments depend so much on the wonky worldbuilding it can’t be summarized. You can’t compare it to similar works, either, because there are none. It’s sort of like The Secret of Monkey Island as coded by Thomas Pynchon. It’s like if House of Leaves was adapted by Monty Python, or Tristram Shandy rewritten by Franz Kafka. Maybe if Borges had written A Wrinkle in Time, but was kind of drunk at the time, and was really, really into dumb memes. If you want to know what happens in Homestuck, the only way is to read it. Hussie seems fond of giving extremely simple summaries; his first, a “creation myth about kids in houses,” is evocative but not actually very clear. On the other hand, in a response to a fan question on his now-defunct formspring page he once said: If asked to define it, “a story that’s also a puzzle” is as close to true as any answer I’d give. I think that’s how I’d describe Problem Sleuth. I’ve come to describe Homestuck as “Problem Sleuth, but with real people.” Homestuck is a story that’s also a puzzle, that’s also wrapped around a truly emotional core. It’s a game of five-dimensional chess where you care about every pawn. On to the more interesting question: Why is Homestuck? Every review of Homestuck points out how much it depends on its medium. As the Atlantic called it, it clearly is “a story that could only be told online.” It’s not always clear why reviewers feel this way, though. What is it about Homestuck that ties it to the Internet? What made me call it “the Internet’s first masterpiece”? (Yes, we are getting there.) Problem Sleuth’s final panel. The last panel of Problem Sleuth gives the credits: Lots of minor roles are credited to “Andrew,” but the last line simply reads “STORY: YOU.” There are some who think the great promise of Internet art is collaboration; many voices joining together as one to produce a work that no individual could. Is that what makes Homestuck such a unique product of the internet? Did the forum allow, for the first time, a truly collective piece of story-telling? A problem: those credits are less than accurate. In Problem Sleuth, unlike Jailbreak, Hussie didn’t take the first suggested command as his input; he picked his favorite out of all suggestions. This gave him tremendous creative control, as he explained in one of his last blog posts: The hero approaches three doors. Which will you choose? Obviously all three doors will be suggested with a large enough pool of suggestors, plus plenty of clever non sequitur “option D” commands. Knowing this, which door the hero goes through was always up to the author, whether he pre-planned it, or merely delayed the decision until the suggestions were made. So was Problem Sleuth’s collaborative nature just a gimmick, another joke played on the reader? Hussie’s relationship with his readers is complicated, and he has a tendency to insult his readers in and out of the comic. It was in this post he seems the most annoyed with them: [There] will always be tension between the author and the suggestors, whose main purpose is to leave their distinctive personal stamp on the story, and as a result, often resort to the outlandish, the overly elaborate, or the non sequitur. These are fine to embrace in small doses, but they are poison to a cohesive story if resorted to regularly. In an interview on a now-defunct blog, Hussie gives his readers more credit: But that said, I don’t want to marginalize user input’s role in forming the story either. Some things, many things, enter the story that I just did not anticipate. Catch phrases especially seem to blossom through user commands. Things like “shit just got real”, or “punch ___ in snout to establish superiority”, or “ride ___ like mechanical bull”. All those and plenty more were originally authored by random users, who’s names I’ve long forgotten or never even knew, and unfortunately are relegated to a great pool of anonymous yet critical contributors to this story. Still, giving readers credit for the running jokes isn’t much better. Were the complexity and worldbuilding that made Problem Sleuth so great were all Hussie’s? Were we really just stumbling through the world he had already built? I apologize for the diversion, as in this case it doesn’t really matter: Homestuck dropped the audience submissions entirely after a few months. Music and animations were contributed by a small group of collaborators, but for the most part, Homestuck was conceived, written, and drawn by Hussie alone. We’ll get back to this later. Others get excited about Internet art because of the unique powers of the medium itself. Panels in Problem Sleuth were occasionally animated gifs, but Homestuck expanded its palette to include detailed Flash animations, music, and eventually, playable minigames. This is what led popular Internet analysis blog Storming the Ivory Tower to dub Homestuck a “Hypercomic,” a “comic that can only exist within the confines of a digital environment.” To StIT’s Sam Keeper, what makes Homestuck so great is that it’s the first webcomic to take full advantage of all the different media one can display on the internet, and put those media to work in service of the story. One of Homestuck’s most famous animated panels. I’m not sure I buy it. The minigames can be interesting, but they’re rarely necessary, or the best way of furthering the story; they seem more like experiments, the story in service of the exploration of the medium. I like the animations, but in Hussie’s words, from his Kickstarter pitch: While the story includes hours of animation, and thousands of relatively static panels, the overarching experience is actually more similar to reading a book. […] The result is an unusual media hybrid. Something that reads like a heavily illustrated novel […] It’s a story I’ve tried to make as much a pure expression of its medium as possible. I think the animations and games are the “trying” to make it an expression of the medium. They’re an experiment; Hussie exhaustively exploring the properties of his medium the same way he exhaustively explores characters, but they aren’t why the story exists. Put another way, I think the Flash animations are there because Homestuck is on the Internet, but Homestuck wasn’t put on the Internet so it could have Flash animations. Mordicai Knode, writer for science fiction site Tor.com, took a different tack and called Homestuck “The First Great Work of Internet Fiction” for living up to the early promise of hypertext fiction. That title sounds a lot like mine; is that what I think makes Homestuck so important? Fiction written in hypertext has been promised since before the technology existed to support it. Hypertext (text which links to other text) is the basis of works like Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire, which takes the shape of an epic poem and its hundreds of annotations; the annotations start to tell their own story, and to fully understand Pale Fire you need to awkwardly flip back and forth between the pages, tracking each link. But the Web is built on hypertext, and for a time there was great hope that the technology would redefine storytelling as we know it. Futurists of the ’90s eagerly awaited the new frontier of hypertext fiction, envisioning a world where stories would no longer be linear narratives, but worlds to be explored. That flood never came. As it turns out, authors think in single narratives, and even if they wrote many paths through a story, there was usually a preferred one. Hypertext fiction was difficult to write or read and rarely worth the trouble. Was Hussie’s achievement to finally give hypertext fiction its masterpiece? Well, another problem: Homestuck isn’t really hypertext fiction. Sure, each panel is a webpage connected by links, but almost every panel only has one link, and that’s to the next panel. There are only a few times a page links to outside content, or to a different point in the narrative, and it’s often for the sake of a quick joke. Even when the links start doubling back on themselves later in the story (yes, there is definitely time travel) there’s only one ending to Homestuck, and only one path to get there. Hypertext fiction has gotten better (Failbetter Games’ Fallen London is an underrated mixture of gaming, worldbuilding, and solid prose) but it was Bard Quest’s conceit, not Homestuck’s. After all, you can buy printed copies of Homestuck with only minor alterations. What’s special about Homestuck isn’t just that it was built in HTML. You said this was a review. How is Homestuck? People who grew up online don’t think of the Internet as a series of hyperlinks. Clicking a link has become such a natural motion it doesn’t register as traveling from one place to the next. The Internet is just the air we live in, and acquiring information is as easy as breathing. If you want to freak out Millennials, don’t show us old records or rotary telephones; we know enough hipsters that those objects are familiar. Tell them how hard it was to get an answer to something before the Internet. You needed to go to the library to learn facts. Read the paper all the way through to know what was going on. Most unimaginably of all, how sometimes, before the Internet, you wouldn’t know something and you just couldn’t find anyone who did; you just had to live with unanswered curiosity. That feeling of not knowing is completely alien to the current generation. Now the ability to know is so present you can feel it behind your eyelids. When we’re curious about a restaurant, it’s an instinctive motion to pull out our phones and find the opinions of hundreds of strangers. Before, after, and during an episode of TV we’re reading reviews, commentary, live reactions and summaries. Slightly curious? About anything at all? The information you need is there, and the hyperlinking to a webpage is unconscious; it’s there immediately. It’s a fundamental part of the way we perceive the world, and even if you aren’t constantly gathering data on everything you encounter, the knowledge that you could changes the way you approach life. How have we changed? First off, the idea that the Internet makes us only appreciate bite-sized, 140 character media is ridiculous. Millions of viewers are tuning in to Game of Thrones, the hyper-complex fantasy series that, in book form, was only stuffed into the backpacks of the highest echelon of geeks. Marvel is dominating mainstream movie-making not with standalone characters but a complicated shared universe that everyone’s trying to emulate. Most who rushed to see Captain America: Civil War didn’t see at least some of the preceding Avengers, Captain America, or Iron Man films that set up the plot, but it didn’t matter; they could just quickly check summaries of the relevant world-building before they hit the theater. We’re all nerds, or at least we can all act like them. The rise of nerd culture isn’t an accident, it’s a structural inevitability of the way we get information. To be a nerd is to love things thoroughly, not just reading a work but diving into its fictional world, learning its history, theorizing about its rules, speculating alternate plotlines or romantic pairings. (You don’t have to love science fiction and fantasy to be a nerd, but this is why those genres are so popular with us. A novel set in the real world offers only a story. Fantasy and science fiction, despite their differences, have united nerds by promising depth, if only for those willing to ignore the real world for the time it takes to dive.) With modern technology, everything you see has a halo of context around it, as accessible as a memory. You don’t need to remember all the characters to watch an episode of Game of Thrones, as every episode will be summarized, each important plot point highlighted, even the easter eggs pointed out online before and after. Millennials don’t cultivate our knowledge like crops; we live in a jungle of abundance, and pluck information from the Web as we need. That’s the first reason Homestuck’s been so successful; in an age when we’re all hungry for deep fiction, it promises infinite depth. An early attempt to map the relationships of some main characters, later complicated by the reveal that many characters’ parents were, uh, also their biological children. Confession: much of the time I was reading Homestuck, I didn’t completely follow what was going on. But I’m not sure anyone did; Hussie claimed that at his peak output, he never kept any notes, but even coming from the author that’s hard to believe! (His summary of the first year of Homestuck was a terse 5,500 words.) I, like everyone else, was regularly supplementing my view of the comic with visits to the forums, the wiki, the subreddit, and the endless theory-curating tumblrs. I think Homestuck is the first work of media intended from the beginning to be read through the perceptual filter of the Internet. The real change the Internet made to narrative art is not to the art, but to the audience; the fact that we’re all checking in with the fan community changes the kinds of stories that you can tell. It’s this support network of information that’s allowed so many different kinds of people to appreciate Homestuck from any angle they prefer. If you want Problem Sleuth-style puzzles, there’s complex riddles galore! Interested in hypothetical societies? There’s a whole alternate universe of alien trolls, with a complicated history and culture to imagine! Just want to pair your favorite characters? Affection is merely one dimension of romance available to Homestuck ‘shippers; troll culture features four ways to pair, based on the suits of playing cards, and both fans and characters in the story appreciate tabling all the ways the many characters can be aligned. Again, all of this content isn’t just interesting, but good; as weird as the ‘shipping section of the fandom may seem, Hussie’s romantic quadrants are creative and oddly intuitive. (Who among us can’t understand romantic hatred?) Instead of getting lost in Homestuck’s tangle, we travel through it as one moves through a dream: no matter how bizarre it gets, the knowledge we need is always there, as if it had been in the back of our mind all along. TV shows and movies are still using the Internet clumsily; some bonus content is put online, the writers do a reddit AMA, but the work itself is directed at the individual. Homestuck is the first media directed at people for whom the Internet is a way of life, at the constantly connected, information-rich community, rather than the individual viewer. Homestuck may not have been written by all of us, but it was written for all of us; since its beginnings as a forum game, Hussie’s writing can only be read by a team constantly supplying each other with knowledge. Hey, that brings us back to collaboration! What does a story told by a group of people look like? I think the Internet actually has produced a purely group-generated collaborative story: it looks like Twitch Plays Pokemon. Twitch.tv is a video streaming site, mainly used by gamers to livestream their play while fans congregate in a linked chatroom (if watching other people play video games sounds strange to you, you now know how I feel about sports.) In 2014, an anonymous programmer launched a “social experiment:” they loaded up a game of 1996’s Pokemon Red, but the controls were in the hands of a chatbot, which pulled commands directly from the fans’ chatroom. Typical progress in Twitch Plays Pokemon. All of the commands. Anyone who ever typed a valid command saw the player character, “Red,” perform their action, until Red was constantly running in circles, opening and closing menus. The hilarious chaos sent the project viral, bringing hundreds of thousands of voices to drag Red helplessly around the map. Collectively, they did manage to beat Pokemon Red (after 16 days of constant play), but something even stranger occurred along the way. Each Pokemon was given a name by the Twitch chatroom, and they’re all as coherent as you’d expect a collectively typed name to be: their first Pokemon was a Charmander named “ABBBBBBK(.” To keep things easy in chat, players started referring to it as “Abby.” Twitch Plays Pokemon fanart, from http://engraven.deviantart.com/ Then they gave it a gender: obviously, “Abby” was a girl’s name. Then a personality. Perhaps it’s impossible for someone to invest so much effort into a game and not get emotionally attached as well. Each Pokemon was given a collectively agreed-upon story: the Pidgeot “aaabaaajss” showed early leadership, and became “Bird Jesus,” savior of the party. That, of course, made the Zapdos “AA-j” the “Archangel of Justice” (or “John the Zaptist,” or “Battery Jesus.”) Most famously, the player constantly opened their inventory and tried to use the first item, the generally useless Helix Fossil. The commenters quickly realized that he was really consulting the Helix Fossil, which became a guide, oracle, and god all in one. The “social experiment” was no longer about beating the game: Twitch Plays Pokemon became something between a story and a religion. Distributed between the stream itself, discussions on reddit and tumblr, and the surprisingly high-quality art coming out of Deviantart, the Twitch Plays Pokemon community had all the structure of a modern Internet fandom, just without the canon at its center. The actual events in game provided the bare minimum of story elements; the community turned every accident into an increasingly bizarre plot (peruse the wiki to see what I mean.) And the style of Twitch Plays Pokemon’s “plot,” with its complexity, off-beat humor, and cosmic scale, is oddly similar to Homestuck’s. Andrew Hussie writing Homestuck, while in Homestuck. Didn’t I say all this was irrelevant? The fandom didn’t write Homestuck, Andrew Hussie did. As prolific as the fandom was, the story was still carried by a single person, and it was better for it; It’s hard to imagine anyone reaching the level of serious, emotional investment in Twitch Plays Pokemon that Homestuck fans were infamous for. Twitch Plays Pokemon was a fascinating mess, but not a masterpiece. (Homestuck fans did get a chance to run their own community without Hussie: he took a one-year “Gigapause,” starting in October of 2013, to plan out the final acts and bring the tangled narrative to a conclusion. It was not a great time for the community: it stagnated, many people left, and the art produced quickly descended into.) So what did the fans do? What was our contribution? As mentioned, Hussie’s interactions with fans are often antagonistic. When he had an account on formspring, a site that lets one respond to anonymous questions, his answers ranged from detailed articulations of how he constructed a story and what he was trying to accomplish to brusque, dismissive sarcasm. He could come across as egotistic at one point, and self-deprecating to the point of self-hatred the next (e.g.) More than anything, he seemed to resent accusations that he was “trolling” his audience, that all the twists and turns in Homestuck were purely to shock his audience for his own entertainment. As he put it: When you […] have your expectations subverted in in some way and say HUSSIE’S TROLLING US AGAIN, you sound silly. You sound like you don’t understand what trolling is, or what I’m actually doing here. When plot developments killed off beloved characters or ruined readers’ expectations, he could lose fans. He invariably claimed this was a good thing. I’ve been trying to shake off all of my fans so hard for so long with my every story decision, but they are all such tenacious sons of bitches. I am the mailman. You are the yappy little dog. This site is my pant cuff. One could see his dislike of fans as an affectation; he was pouring unimaginable hours into Homestuck, and it’s difficult to believe he didn’t care if anyone read it. Given his previous work, though, it’s not that implausible. Homestuck’s fandom skewed younger than he was used to, and it flourished on Tumblr, where a culture of bottom-up social justice and call-outs of problematic behavior clashed with his irreverent, sometimes offensive sense of humor. Even with those differences aside, Hussie’s disregard for fans came before he was widely known; any earlier criticisms of Problem Sleuth had been dismissed with similar arrogance. And, of course, he was trolling his fans. There are too many moments in Homestuck that could only be there to deliberately screw with the reader, and Hussie insisting that he definitely wasn’t a troll comes across as just another level of the joke. There are trolls who appear in the comic: first as internet trolls, then revealed as
the most basic sense, you gave up your right to object the minute you put yourself out there. As a Harvard Law grad, you would think Ted Cruz would know this, but clearly, he doesn’t have a clue. Cruz might have been selected as one of the best young litigators under 45 at one point, and has even argued personally before the Supreme Court nine times, which is pretty impressive. I mean, he is a good lawyer — when it comes to promoting guns, election laws, and immigration crackdowns, but clearly, he doesn’t seem to understand how the Establishment Clause works. The ability for a business to pick and choose which religious principles it wants to live by has been smacked down in court case after court case for almost the entire history of the United States. The minute the government allows one particular set of religious principles to take precedence over the public good, the First Amendment is meaningless. The government knows this and has sided time and again against allowing even the smallest favoritism toward one faith over another. Despite the fears of many LGBT Americans, even some of the most strident conservatives working within the legal system see this as a bridge too far, and the types of people who push these laws are often of a particular, um, persuasion. OK, they’re religious zealots or hypocrites who charge huge legal fees to push these cases. This means that Ted Cruz can only be one of three things: a religious zealot who has gone off the deep end, a hypocrite who is pandering for fame and power, or someone who is honestly out of his depth as a lawyer and doesn’t know it. And I think before I say which I think it is, I’ll stop, since I know what I don’t know sometimes. AMANDA KERRI is a writer and comedian based in Oklahoma City. Follow her on Twitter @EternalKerri.I wrote a piece yesterday on how this NBA season has moved so fast, it’s almost standing still. Or, to throw it at you another way, so much has happened, it feels like nothing has. Jeremy Lin is the sole exception, and the big winner, in this year of cognitive overload. But I had a nagging sense that someone else has, if not quite achieved a Linsanity-like hold on all audiences, at least made a sizable impact on his team and done much to change the way we judge said team’s destiny. It’s James Harden, a.k.a. the Black Ginobili, a.k.a. still everyone’s pick for Most Improved Player, even after Jeremy Lin’s arrival on the scene. Harden, drafted third overall in 2009 by the Thunder, was once favorably and unfavorably compared to pre-injury Brandon Roy. He wasn’t known as the most physically gifted athlete (though the combine said otherwise); he was a big backcourt scorer who liked to take on the lead guard’s role when it came his way. At the time, the pick was controversial; that was the Ricky Rubio draft and the despite the Thunder’s positionally inventive rotation, there just didn’t seem to be minutes for Harden. But the team was committed to Russell Westbrook, Sam Presti saw something in Harden, and well, Presti is always right. When Jeff Green was moved last year, Harden’s numbers went up, but not his minutes; he started to look like an overly legit sixth man. He also garnered tons of media attention during the playoffs as a purveyor of fine blipster memes and the owner of one of the NBA’s best post-Freeway beards. This year, he has joined with Durant and Westbrook to form the league’s highest-scoring trio. It’s a wonder no one has called them The Big Three yet. I know I heard the Manu Ginobili comparison before this breakout year from someone way smarter than me, and probably laughed it off because Ginobili is such an idiosyncratic beast. As it turns out, Harden has that rare ability to let the ball flow through him while always staying ready to go on the attack, perhaps the defining feature of Ginobili’s game. It’s not the same as a point guard, who sets up the floor with scoring as one possible outcome. With Ginobili and Harden, it’s more like one of those fuzzy logic particles that is somehow "yes" and "no" at the same time. Harden hasn’t exactly brought structure the Thunder’s offense, but he has been a calming influence, or at least brokered some sort of tacit understanding that he, Durant, and Russ all need their touches for the team to win. Ignoring one guy is easy, and can get frustrating for both parties. Throw in another, and there’s more of an obligation to others. Throw in someone like Harden, who can facilitate or go for his without missing a beat, and the Westbrook-Durant problem dissolves. Harden is a buffer, a neutralizer, and an impediment all at once.coffee culture by shenkar college of engineering and design, ramat gan c8- h10- n4- o2 by gilad davidi photos by sasha filt all images courtesy shenkar college of engineering and design, ramat gan under the supervision of alex padwa and david spectre, students at the shenkar college of engineering and design, ramat gan were encouraged to look closely at the various daily coffee rituals and consumptions for their coffee culture project. here are a few images of the works they developed. c8- h10- n4- o2 by gilad davidi c8-h10- n4-o2 glass coffee cups consist of inner structures that are influenced by molecule shapes, liquids, geometrical shapes and more. when the coffee is poured into the glass a contrast between the translucent exterior and coffee is visible. c8- h10- n4- o2 by gilad davidi c8- h10- n4- o2 by gilad davidi tea= time by erez bar am the cup is made of porcelain and has a broad opening and a coaster made from stainless steel. the sugar has been designed to float and disintegrate slowly to make us take our time. tea= time by erez bar am tea= time – sugar by erez bar am espresso cup by nir siegel the three legged espresso cups can be connected to each other. espresso cup by nir siegel coffee cup by guy yehonatan ‘threesome’ by ron from the cups connect with inner grooves and create a whole shape (all cups are identical). espresso cups ‘audrey’ by evgeny onutchin espresso set consisting of cup, coaster and spoon. espresso and cappuccino cups by lee casper the cups stay in exact standard size and with minor but significant change in shape the cup becomes an integrative instrument fusing with the hand due to the cups upper edge slanted supportive area. espresso and cappuccino cups by lee casper ‘cubi cup’ by michal zohar the mug is cubic and has an inner cylindrical shape. the square shape also assists in isolating the heat. ‘cubi cup’ by michal zohar ‘roller coaster’ by etay amir cofi by oron ohayonUptown mom, Yvonne Lin gave a man a "#1 Decent Dude" award on the A train for being the first to give up his subway seat to her while she was pregnant. View Full Caption Instagram/@helloyvonnelin Yvonne Lin went through nearly two entire pregnancies before a man offered her his seat on the subway. Lin, a 38-year-old designer, said she had gotten plenty of seats from women, most of whom were Latino and black women. She wanted to change the situation. "I was getting no seats from men,” she said, "if I finally get a seat from a guy then I have to celebrate this some way and make sure he knows he’s appreciated." Lin purchased what she called a “silly little card” and carried it around throughout the third trimester of her first pregnancy, but no gentleman ever earned the accolade. When she got pregnant again last year, Lin said she decided to continue her “social experiment,"but raised the stakes: she carried around a 7-inch trophy inside her work backpack. The bronze statuette — which appears to depict the "Incredible Hulk" tearing his shirt — atop a plaque that reads "#1 DECENT DUDE. First man to offer subway seat to pregnant woman throughout Two Pregnancies." "I thought, 'You know what, it's worth it to carry it,'" Lin said, adding that she dressed to show that she was "obviously pregnant" to ensure her experiment had the best chance of succeeding. Lin, who usually takes the A train during the morning and afternoon rush hours, found her winner last month on a ride home, she said. On Feb. 24, she stood in front of a seated man who was playing on his smartphone before he glanced up and noticed Lin standing directly in front of him. "He looked up at me and looked super startled and embarrassed," Lin recalled, "and he immediately stood up and said, 'Please take this seat, I just noticed.'" The Washington Heights mom said she never learned the well-bred young man's name; they did, however, speak briefly, she snapped his photo with her statuette and the gentleman revealed he was a father of two. ► READ MORE: Meet the 'Decent Dude' Who Gave up His Subway Seat to a Pregnant Woman Lin said she hopes experiments like hers raise the bar for how New Yorkers treat one another, pregnant or not. “If men just gave up their seats the same amount of time or similar [as women], then it would be no problem,” Lin said. The MTA's "Courtesy Counts" advertising campaign already encourages straphangers to offer their seats to elderly, disabled and pregnant passengers. Dr. Victor Klein, vice chairman of quality and patient safety for Northwell Health’s OB-GYN services, said, ”From a scientific point of view, it’s not going to make a difference whether a woman stands on a subway for ten minutes, 20 minutes or not." However a woman, on average, gains between 25 and 35 pounds during pregnancy, Klein noted. With that extra weight, he said, "I don’t think you want to be standing for a long period of time.” Experts say that pregnancy may also exaggerate back issues, such as sciatica, which causes pain in the lower back, hips, buttocks and legs. The bottom line, in Klein's opinion: ”I think we should all give pregnant women seats.”Pushing through the sickness: The Men. Courtesy Sacred Bones Records “Living in a city where you’re face-to-face with the best and worst aspects of humanity, I think that’s inspired me to reach new lows with music,” says Kevin Barry, guitarist/yelper for Brooklyn-based industrial-strength corrosives White Suns. “To make happy music and pretend that America is this great place where we elected a black president and everyone’s happy and gay people can finally get married in New York? These are pretty small things when you look at the big picture.” This bleak, unflinching outlook may be one reason why distortion-mad gangs of local twentysomethings—bands like White Suns, The Men, Pop. 1280, and Pygmy Shrews—are terrorizing Brooklyn’s humid loft spaces with violent defibrillations of New York noise-rock. Forced to duck beer cans, fireworks and smoke bombs at places like Death By Audio and 538 Johnson, these four bands of muckmakers are stylistically dissimilar, but all are spiritually linked to what Robert Christgau dubbed “pigfuck” in these pages in 1987—atonal downtown splatter, metallic AmRep churn and a brawny, muscular bludgeon that’s one generation removed from metalcore. Maybe the contusion-is-sex aesthetic embraced by this new generation is the result of recession anxiety, or a long-needed buzzkill for indie rock’s comfy-in-Nautica vibes. Or possibly it’s just as simple as Pop. 1280 guitarist Ivan Lip says: “We didn’t put too much thought into it. We just wanted it to be annoying.” The most visible of the nu-pigfuck charge is Brooklyn four-piece The Men, whose Leave Home (Sacred Bones) has met an outpouring of critical accolades for its sludgegaze-submerged mix of Wipers-ready ecstasy-punk and kraut grooves. Leave Home finds its emotional center in vocals that crack and collapse and break down. “We were sick a lot,” says guitarist/vocalist Nick Chiericozzi “I had the flu during that session. I had to go to the hospital afterwards so I was pretty much on edge the entire time. My voice cracks like crazy—that’s because I was pushing hard through the sickness.” “My goal was to just blow out my voice, just to take a toll on myself,” says bassist/vocalist Chris Hansell, who screeches “I am nothing” on the full-contact “My War”-dosed poetry-slam of “L.A.D.O.C.H.” (The acronym, Hansell confesses, stands for “The Life And Death Of Chris Hansell.”) “I didn’t really write any lyrics for that. I just kind of improvised what I was saying. I probably couldn’t tell you what I actually said, but it definitely was a ball of emotions coming out. I did the vocals at 12 at night in pitch black… My voice was probably blown out in the first minute of me singing. I didn’t want people to like it necessarily. I almost wanted to make people a little angry. ‘What is this, the same riff for six minutes?'” “L.A.D.O.C.H.” was recorded in an empty cement classroom in the basement of a former Catholic school that until recently housed Python Patrol Recording Studio, inhabited by Pygmy Shrews frontman (and friend of this writer) Ben Greenberg. Greenberg also recorded the most recent releases by Pop. 1280 and White Suns, and his abrasive yet ultimately comprehensible style unites the genre in a way. “Between those bands, we developed a common aesthetic of making things dirty and loud, but I try to keep a clarity and a power,” Greenberg says. “Everyone’s so into the lo-fi thing, and it’s so easy. There’s a lot of people being really lazy about what they let a label press into wax.” The most luminous of Greenberg’s recordings is Pop. 1280’s EP The Grid (Sacred Bones): 24 minutes of Blade Runner synths, Birthday Party dementia, and knife-like guitar noxiousness. “I think that making art is about confrontation. I really want my guitar to be loud and piercing. I don’t want people to be able to talk over it,” says guitarist Ivan Lip, who adds cheekily, “People don’t like us a lot. We can really clear a room.” Lyrically, Lip and vocalist Chris Bug concoct an unflattering view of a world full of public masturbators, sewage surfers, RedTube-gazers, cops made of trash and bedbugs; The Grid peaks with the dreary ejaculation “the city’s a cockroach lying on its back.” Lip travels to poor neighborhoods in his day job as a social worker, and he admits that juxtaposing his daily ritual of visiting dirty subway stations against his rural Massachusetts upbringing has led him to view New York as a “really scummy place.” The band also finds the roots of its perverted gaze and dark humor in the work of Dennis Cooper and William S. Burroughs—and they also influence the balance of caustic fuckery and melody. “Bret Easton Ellis is interesting because he’s, like, a best-seller,” says Lip. “In American Psycho, a guy puts a rat inside a woman’s vagina, but it was one of the most popular books of the year. I like that it’s not some weird transgressive thing that’s only sold in the weird bookstore—it’s, like, in Barnes & Noble.” The unapologetically hideous trio White Suns’ debut Waking in the Reservoir (ugEXPLODE) is eight nearly impenetrable blasts of piston-like rhythms, prickly grinding and raw-throat wails. The extra layer of noise is thanks to the home-brewed instruments of Rick Visser, who cuts a mystifying live figure while playing an amplified spring and a mounted ceramic sundial. “It was a garden ornament in my moms house,” says Visser. “I remember being a little kid, playing around, thinking it was pretty cool. One day, she was asking me to throw it away. I was walking to the trash and instinctually I threw it in the air and hit it with my hand. And I thought, ‘Whoa, I want that.’ It’s a very dead sound. You can feel it in your chest, but it doesn’t ring out.” White Suns’ scavenged instruments are of a piece with it being highly attuned to the city’s economic realities. “I’m forever broke,” says Visser. “I can’t go out and get a Kaoss Pad or a laptop. It’s about improvising and being ingenuitive with pieces of metal.” The lyrics wailed by Barry touch on the hopeless lie of employment (“Skin Deep”) and class warfare (“Harvest”). “There’s a definite economic power structure in America,” adds Barry, “and White Suns is by no means at the top of it. So our art is kind of influenced by our position in those ranks.” Is that why the band has railed against chillwave? (Earlier this year, Barry told the Voice that the genre epitomizes a “pretend-nothing-is-happening mindset.”) “It just seems lazy intellectually and it seems lazy politically too,” says Barry. “That music just seems like support for some stupid lifestyle, rather than art.” Adds Mark Perro, guitarist and vocalist for The Men, “I don’t think we know any [chillwave] bands, but fuck those bands [Laughs]. Having not even heard them, we don’t care.”What should a fan-oriented, spoiler-heavy talk show look like on Netflix? The streaming giant is embarking on a seven-episode experiment with Beyond Stranger Things, featuring the creators and stars delving deeper into the themes of the sci-fi phenomenon. The chat show, which launched Oct. 27, comes months after the platform first tested out the concept with a 30-minute 13 Reasons Why postseason featurette on suicide prevention. That one-off special, Beyond the Reasons, was a success by the streamer's (elusive) standards, says Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. While aftershows have traditionally been created for ad-driven networks to own and profit from the conversation around a hot property (think: The Walking Dead's Talking Dead and Better Call Saul's Talking Saul), Netflix also is looking for ways to increase engagement for its marquee shows. "With the level of fandom on Stranger Things, it's a nice way of extending the series and giving people that extra level of connection with the show when they're all done but want more," says Sarandos of the Stranger Things aftershow, made by AMC's Talking Dead producers Embassy Row. (The Walking Dead talk show returned on Oct. 29 with 5 million total viewers, which outrates most cable scripted series.) It took a bit of convincing to get Matt and Ross Duffer to participate in Beyond Stranger Things, however, as they're not used to being the ones on camera. But the fact that writer-actor Jim Rash was selected to host helped get the brothers on board. "It went from me being wary about it to, 'This is actually a lot of fun,'" says Matt Duffer, who appears with his brother and executive producer Shawn Levy in the series. The episodes, which range from 15 to 25 minutes, are available to watch on the platform anytime, but they're meant to be consumed after viewers complete the entire season to avoid spoilers. "We didn't want to interrupt the show with the aftershow," says Sarandos of the rollout plan, which keeps Beyond from autoplaying until after the season two finale. Levy adds that producers never seriously considered sticking the aftershow between episodes of the drama, reiterating that it wouldn't fit with a binge-friendly model: “We knew early on that that’s not the way people consume Netflix and it’s definitely not the way people consume Stranger Things.” Sarandos is open to the idea of aftershows to other original series, too. The exec says, "I think [it'd work for] shows like The OA that are super layered, where people can really tear apart what they think they just saw. And Black Mirror would be fun, too." A version of this story first appeared in the Nov. 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.There are 81 Trophies that can be earned in this title. Show/hide completed trophies Status: Visible Show/hide secret trophies Status: Visible Obtain all trophies. (3) Make the choice Find at least one of each collectible item (5) Find all of Max's toys (3) Find all records (3) Find all gold Collect all Übercommander death cards Find all starcards Found all concept art Upgrade a weapon Fully upgrade a weapon Fully upgrade all weapons (1) Beat the game Beat the game on "Bring 'em on!" difficulty or higher Beat the game on "Do or die!" difficulty or higher Beat the game on "Call me Terror-Billy!" difficulty or higher Beat the game on "I am death incarnate!" difficulty or higher (1) Beat the game on "Mein leben" difficulty (24) Max a perk Max all Perks Ramshackles tackle a charging Supersoldat (1) Perform a Constrictor Harness takedown (1) Perform a Battle Walker takedown (1) Stealth kill 10 enemies in a row Collect 1000 helmets (2) Visit every District (1) Complete the Killboard Acquire all Contraptions and Contraption upgrades (2) Upgrade a Contraption Achieve the highest score in the Shooting Range (2) Achieve the second best time in the Killhouse (3) Perform a takedown while in the wheelchair (1) Throw a hatchet and kill an enemy from 30m (2) Visit a District Decipher an Übercommander's location using the Enigma Machine Play Wolfstone 3D Finish a District without triggering an alarm (3) Complete all side missions (2) Secret Trophies Use the power armor Stop the Nazi signal from Section F Recruit Grace's group Find Area 52 Kill dad Get a new body Recruit Horton's group Travel to outer space Capture the Ausmerzer Kill Hitler during the Aerostat Audition (1) Beat the Panzerhund ride without killing anyone on "Bring 'em On!" difficulty or higher (5) Destroy a Zerstörer with an Übergewehr (1) Wait for the game to resume after the credits DLC: Adventures of Gunslinger Joe Cost: TBD Trophies: 10 Escaped from Research Station Omega Eluded your pursuers. Enact Revenge on Übercommander Metze Find all readables in "The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe" Find all gold in "The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe" Beat the "The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe" on "I am Death Incarnate" difficulty or higher Beat "The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe" on "Mein leben" difficulty Beat the Station Omega challenge on "I am Death Incarnate" difficulty Beat the Nightmare challenge on "I am Death Incarnate" difficulty Beat the Venus challenge on "I am Death Incarnate" difficulty DLC: The Diaries of Agent Silent Death Cost: TBD Trophies: 10 Eliminate Übercommander Hans Cancel Chuck Lorentz Kill General Dunkel Find all readables in “The Diaries of Agent Silent Death” Find all gold in “The Diaries of Agent Silent Death” Beat “The Diaries of Agent Silent Death” on "I am Death Incarnate” difficulty or higher Beat “The Diaries of Agent Silent Death” on "Mein leben” difficulty Beat the Sacramento challenge on “I am Death Incarnate” difficulty Beat the Hollywood challenge on “I am Death Incarnate” difficulty Beat The Moon challenge on “I am Death Incarnate” difficulty DLC: The Deeds of Captain Wilkins Cost: TBD Trophies: 10 Return to America Destroy the cannons of Kodiak Island Stop the Sun Gun Find all readables in "The Deeds of Captain Wilkins" Find all gold in "The Deeds of Captain Wilkins" Beat "The Deeds of Captain Wilkins" on "I am Death Incarnate" difficulty or higher Beat "The Deeds of Captain Wilkins" on "Mein leben" difficulty (1) Beat the Anchorage challenge on "I am Death Incarnate" difficulty Beat the Kodiak Islands challenge on "I am Death Incarnate" difficultyAfter a six-month saga involving attempts to pay off its debts, Baltimore Clayworks’ board of directors decided Monday to close the 37-year-old nonprofit ceramic arts center for good. “We’ve had to make the difficult decision to file Chapter 7 [bankruptcy] and shut down operations,” interim executive director Devon Powell said. “We’re sad about the totally avoidable and unnecessary loss of Baltimore’s jewel of a ceramics organization.” Chapter 7 calls for liquidation of assets to pay off debts. Facing $1 million-plus debt, the Clayworks board of directors announced last winter a plan to relocate and sell the organization’s studio and gallery buildings in Mount Washington. Last week saw the collapse of a deal to sell Clayworks’ facilities for $3.7 million to Itineris, a Baltimore nonprofit that provides job training for adults with autism. (Itineris decided instead to buy the building it had been renting). In a statement released Monday afternoon, board president Kathy Holt said: “We understand the impact this will have on the larger arts community. It is exceedingly painful to those that Clayworks has served. We are all grief-stricken with the result.” An effort this summer to raise $50,000 to restore cash flow at Clayworks generated a little more than 10 percent of that goal. The Clayworks Community Campaign, the grassroots organization that sprang up quickly in opposition to the sale plan, raised $200,000 in donations and pledges. It offered the sum to the board to ease the financial pressure and allow time to plan Clayworks’ future. In exchange, the Community Campaign asked for representation on the Clayworks board. The offer was not accepted. Holt said that the $200,000 offer “came with a variety of restrictions in order to be disbursed.” Some of the money could have been available this week, Holt said. “It was not enough, nor in enough time, to stave off bankruptcy,” she said. “An infusion of an immediate $200,000 would have allowed us to file for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, giving us time to continue operations and restructure, to continue to seek a buyer for our property(ies), to work with the steering committee, and, potentially, to survive. Without it, and with many creditors, now being insolvent, we are facing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy this week.” Over the past several months, each side accused to other of bad faith, misrepresentation and more. Powell said that “thanks largely or directly to Clayworks Community Campaign members,” the board’s efforts to chart a new direction for the organization were unsuccessful. “We told everyone that this would happen if we couldn’t sell the buildings,” Powell said. “We’ve been drowning for six months. But unless there is a dead body, people don’t react.” Clayworks, which has had an annual budget of about $1.2 million, had about a dozen full- and part-time employees. In a statement, Marsha Smelkinson of the steering committee of the Clayworks Community Campaign called this “an awesomely difficult time, with many pressures.” Smelkinson said that “fresh ideas and renewed energy and vision come from a change in leadership. Fresh leadership is called for, and the larger Clayworks Community and Maryland arts community [are] aware that there are vast resources and new leaders ready and eager to get to work.” The Clayworks board “should not close the doors and take this once grand institution into bankruptcy,” Smelkinson said. At this point, it is unclear when or how artists will be able to retrieve works they have in the Clayworks buildings. Holt said that the buildings will be closed “until further notice, very likely until a bankruptcy-court appointed trustee can manage the situation.” CAPTION Dirt bike riders were seen zipping down North Monroe Street in West Baltimore and popping wheelies Tuesday while filming a movie scene. Based on a casting call posted to the Maryland Film Office’s website, it appears the “ride scenes” were shot for the feature film “Charm City,” alternately called “12 O’Clock Boys.” The film will reportedly be executive produced by Will Smith and is based on the 2013 documentary “12 O’Clock Boys” directed by Maryland Institute College of Art alum Lotfy Nathan. Dirt bike riders were seen zipping down North Monroe Street in West Baltimore and popping wheelies Tuesday while filming a movie scene. Based on a casting call posted to the Maryland Film Office’s website, it appears the “ride scenes” were shot for the feature film “Charm City,” alternately called “12 O’Clock Boys.” The film will reportedly be executive produced by Will Smith and is based on the 2013 documentary “12 O’Clock Boys” directed by Maryland Institute College of Art alum Lotfy Nathan. CAPTION Actor Kevin Spacey has been spotted in Baltimore recently. Scheduled to appear in court Jan. 7 in Nantucket to be arraigned on the indecent assault and battery charges, Spacey could face as many as five years in prison if convicted. Actor Kevin Spacey has been spotted in Baltimore recently. Scheduled to appear in court Jan. 7 in Nantucket to be arraigned on the indecent assault and battery charges, Spacey could face as many as five years in prison if convicted. tim.smith@baltsun.com twitter.com/clefnotes(Editor note: Arduino’s Massimo Banzi has supplied us with his direct information about the Arduino rift. Read his note here) There’s nothing worse than when a family starts fighting amongst itself. If only because, after years being cooped up for weeks at time during the Christmas vacations, you know exactly where to cause the maximum amount of damage. Right now Arduino LLC—the company founded by Massimo Banzi, David Cuartielles, David Mellis, Tom Igoe and Gianluca Martino back in 2009—is suing Arduino Srl founded by Gianluca Martino. The second Arduino, Arduino Srl that is, was originally named Smart Projects Srl and was responsible for manufacturing the Arduino boards in Italy. While the first Arduino, Arduino LLC, is the company we’re more familiar with, responsible for development of the boards, management of the open source projects surrounding it, and the community. However disagreements last year about the direction of the Arduino brand between Martino and the four other co-founders led to Martino taking on Federico Musto as the new CEO of Smart Projects and renaming the company Arduino Srl. The Arduino board itself is open source—one of the earliest decisions made by the group behind the board was to release the design files. Anyone can make an Arduino compatible board, or even an exact copy of the board. However the Arduino name, logo and graphics are protected by trademark which, while it hasn’t stopped the flow of cheap counterfeit boards, has at least meant that if you saw a board with the Arduino logo on you could be fairly sure of its provenance. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. It’s difficult to determine what actually happened or is still happening, but right now we have the arduino.cc site we’re familiar with, the home of Arduino LLC, alongside arduino.org, a site created by the new Arduino Srl. Both use the same trade dress, logo, names, fonts—they even (mostly) call their products the same thing. At least at the moment, and at least to outsiders, there are two companies claiming to be “Arduino” and it’s rather hard to tell the difference. Talking to la Repubblica back in November last year—when Musto was hired to lead Arduino Srl—Massimo Banzi said “E’ surreale quel che sta accadendo…” which, at least as close as my rusty Italian can make out, means that he thinks the entire situation is surreal, and really, who can blame him? Right now the whole problem is sitting before the First Circuit and a Massachusetts District Court where Arduino LLC is suing Arduino Srl and co-defendants for trademark infringement. Against this background is the quiet release by Arduino Srl, rather than Arduino LLC, of the long awaited Arduino Zero. Announced at Makercon last year the Arduino Zero represents the future for Arduino. While it shares the same form factor as the older boards it is powered by a 32-bit ARM Cortex M0+ core, and is significantly faster than the traditional 8-bit Arduino, as well as being much more capable. While the arduino.cc site still isn’t listing the Arduino Zero as available, the arduino.org site has an updated product page for an ‘Arduino Zero Pro’ advertising that it is available now—although after looking I couldn’t find anyone with stock, or anyone that claimed they would have stock, at least not amongst the usual suspects. However it might well just be a matter of time before stock of the board starts to become available. Interestingly as well as the new Arduino Zero Pro there is another new product—one we haven’t seen on the Arduino roadmap before—the Arduino Yún Mini. All we know right now is that this new board will be available from the end of April. However, and perhaps somewhat tellingly to those that are familiar with the background behind the situation, the new Arduino Yún Mini looks awfully like the Linino One board with a different silk screen. While it’s possible that the design of the new Yún Mini is based on the Linino One, it’s equally possible that it might well just be the Linino board in a fetching shade of blue. Either way, we should find out soon. All in all the whole situation is fraught with difficulties and murky at best. I’m certainly not going to be the only person in the maker community that’s awaiting the decision by the First Circuit with some degree of concern. Because there really is only one thing that we know for sure about this mess, that whatever happens it’s not going to be good for the community that’s grown up around the Arduino—the community that’s turned the Arduino from a humble micro-controller board into something that’s part of the permanent collection at the MOMA.Four of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides appear to have adopted an unusual legal strategy, hiring the same ex-Justice Department attorney to represent them in the FBI’s investigation of Clinton's private email server. Beth Wilkinson, a well-connected former assistant U.S. attorney best known for prosecuting Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, is listed as representing three of Clinton’s top State Department staffers, according to a congressional letter obtained by POLITICO and dated Feb. 10. A fourth Clinton aide, Philippe Reines, is also represented by Wilkinson, according to sources familiar with their representation. Story Continued Below The united front suggests they plan to tell investigators the same story — although legal experts say the joint strategy presents its own risks, should the interests of the four aides begin to diverge as the probe moves ahead. The quartet includes Clinton’s former chief of staff Cheryl Mills, who counseled Clinton politically and legally; deputy chief of staff Jake Sullivan, whom sources say authored a number of emails to Clinton that are now considered “top secret”; Heather Samuelson, Mills’ deputy who initially sorted Clinton’s work-related emails from personal messages that were then deleted; and Reines, who served as Clinton’s spokesman and also used personal email for work purposes at State. Wilkinson and the four staffers, as well as the Clinton campaign, did not respond to requests for comment. The FBI is investigating whether classified information was ever mishandled or put at risk by the former secretary of state’s unusual, home-based email arrangement. Mills, Sullivan and Reines all regularly emailed Clinton's personal account. And following reports that the FBI plans to start interviewing top Clinton staffers in the coming weeks, many expect at least some of Wilkinson’s four clients to sit for questioning. Hiring the same attorney allows Clinton’s advisers to have one gatekeeper for most of the DOJ's inquiries — and it likely indicates that they expect to offer substantially similar testimony if they're questioned. Lawyers are barred from simultaneously representing people who may have conflicting interests in an investigation, or who would say something negative or potentially legally harmful about the lawyer’s other clients, experts say, although some such conflicts can be waived by the clients. Thus, the aides' decision to use a so-called “joint-representation” or “common-defense” strategy suggests the staffers believe they’re in this together and are unlikely to turn on each other. On the other hand, if one of the aides ends up in criminal jeopardy as part of the probe, choosing a “common-defense” strategy could mean trouble for that staffer, who may need to say something adverse about his or her attorney’s other clients. “The premise of employing the same counsel is that they believe there is not likely to be a situation where they start pointing a finger at one another to save their own skins — or perhaps at Secretary Clinton,” said Dan Metcalfe, founding director of the DOJ's office of information and privacy. “And there’s a sense that if one of them goes down, they all go down. It shows they think they can coordinate the defense to everyone’s benefit.” Metcalfe, now a law professor at American University, called it an “optimistic approach”: “They must believe prosecutors don’t have that much.” Legal experts said it's possible the staffers will change their strategy and decide to get their own, separate legal counsel if they feel like their risks are increasing. By tapping Wilkinson, the Clinton confidants have selected someone with deep ties to Washington politics and the DOJ. The 53-year-old wife of former “Meet the Press” host David Gregory is a Clinton donor and Democratic contributor, according to Federal Election Commission filings. She cut her teeth on classification issues early in her career, serving as a captain and assistant to the Army general counsel for intelligence and special operations. As a former assistant U.S. attorney in New York, counsel to the deputy attorney general and principal deputy to the Justice office on terrorism and violent crime, Wilkinson is the only two-time recipient of the DOJ
the calm waters to get to the vegetation she craved. Perfectly in-tune with her tool — the boat — with her baby on her lap. It seemed like the usefulness derived from the different tools was dependent on the existence of a purpose. With the hammer and the saw it seemed like the Orangutan didn’t really have a purpose that drove her to use the tools. Although she was using the tools like humans do, she probably could not come up with a purpose for the tools. However, with the boat, her purpose — the need to float and scavenge on water with her offspring without getting wet — was clear. I think the moral of the clip is that without purpose, technology is useless. And that Orangutans are majestic animals. Here is the clip. Note: Additional recommended essays on machine learning/artificial intelligence from team Archie.AI 🤖If you’re interested in learning more about my work with AI/ML, check out my startup Archie.AI- The Artificially Intelligent Data Scientist. 🤖If you’re interested in building machine learning models, check out our workshops on YouTube. 🤖Want me to help you build your AI/ML project? Reach out to me on Twitter @buildanytingCan We Create Banks We Love? Can we have a banking system that provides good services to people at reasonable rates? A banking system that doesn't bring down the global economy every few decades? Anat Admati thinks we can. She's a finance professor at Stanford, but she never paid much attention to banks until the financial crisis. (This is not unusual in the superspecialized world of academia.) After the crisis hit, Admati started reading up on banks. And, in a basic banking textbook, she came upon a single line that changed her career. "I sat in my office and I thought, 'Something is really wrong in banking.' " On today's show, Admati tells us what she thinks is wrong in banking — and how she thinks we can fix it. Subscribe to the podcast. Music: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart's "Belong." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/ Spotify.In the last week, bitcoin rallied from $5900 on November 12 to an all-time high of around $8250. The current leader in cryptocurrency seems to have shaken off the cancellation of SegWit2x and the resulting sell-off without much trouble. There are multiple factors contributing to bitcoin's quick recovery, with increased interest from Wall Street perhaps being the most impactful. As reported yesterday, CME Group published the Bitcoin Futures Contract Specs and announcing plans for bitcoin futures contract as soon as December 10, pending regulatory approval. If such a financial product becomes a reality, it is safe to expect an influx of money from traditional investors into the crypto market. Despite strict measures taken by China and South Korea when it comes to cryptocurrency regulation, Japan is continuing with its crypto-friendly policies, recognizing 11 crypto exchanges at the end of September. Such an attitude from the world's 4th largest economy (3rd if we don't count the EU as a single entity) is bound to generate confidence in the market. In the realm of technology, Lightning Network's successful off-chain atomic swap opens the possibility of decentralized exchanges and a general improvement in the utility of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is riding a wave of positivity at the moment, but volatility is still the name of the game.Confirmed: Next week’s Heroes Reborn season finale will be a series finale. “As far as I know there are no more incarnations of Heroes coming,” NBC entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt told reporters Wednesday at the Television Critics Assoc. winter press tour in Pasadena, adding that it was “always the plan” to do just one season “unless [series creator] Tim [Kring] woke up one day and said, ‘Oh, I have another chapter to tell.’ “I think we’re coming to the end… of the world, maybe,” Greenblatt added with a smirk. “Stay tuned.” The revival premiered in September to 6.1 million total viewers and a 2.0 demo rating; it resumed its season on Jan. 7 with 3.7 mil and a 1.0. Heroes Reborn‘s climax airs Thursday, Jan. 21 at 8/7c.The Democratic People's Republic of Korea, everybody's second-favorite Korea, hasn't won any new medals since we last checked in. But that hasn't stopped the state-run news agency from reporting breathlessly on their Olympic success. Today's coverage tends toward the meta—first, an article on how the world media is covering North Korea. Athletes of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have become a focus of world media for their good results in London Olympiad. Reuters, BBC and other media of UK and media of China, Russia, the United States, Japan and other countries have introduced DPRK athletes' achievements in the Olympic Games.... Those media said that the secret of the DPRK athletes' victory is deep concern of leader Kim Jong Il and strength, courage and deep trust from the dear respected Kim Jong Un. Advertisement I don't remember saying that. The second article is just rubbing it in, comparing pre-games medal forecasts with North Korea's impressive haul. The U.S. newspaper USA Today, Australian newspaper Herald Sun and other Western media guessed that only Kim Un Guk among DPRK athletes would snatch a silver medal in London. But, the DPRK garnered three gold medals as of today, one in women's judo and another two in men's weightlifting. Media of south Korea and the world said that the world's attention is focused on the successes by the DPRK delegation of 56 athletes and they are making a rush of wind in the London Olympics. Their successes represent the inexhaustible strength of the DPRK, which can never be gauged by the Western view of value and criterion. Advertisement I think we all just got told. For a handy master schedule of every Olympic event, click here.Nike SB is planning to bring back another of its classic Dunk releases. According to pro skater Danny Supa, his highly coveted Nike SB Dunk Low "Supa" from 2002 is set to come back for Holiday, 2017. In a Facebook live stream with The Ride Channel, Supa talks about his history with the brand and getting back on board with the Swoosh. "I actually signed another little two-year contract with Nike because we're about to re-release some shoes," Supa says in the video. He goes on to explain that Nike is planning to re-release the shoe, maybe as a Dunk High. Nike's not confirmed anything yet, and likely won't given how far out Supa says the shoe is, but a High re-issue is more likely than a straight retro of the Low given Nike SB's approach on bringing back shoes like the Diamond and Cali Dunks. UPDATE 9/29: Here's a look at the upcoming "Supa" Nike SB Dunk High, inspired by the original low-top from 2002. The shoe is seen here on-foot, along with some immaculate #NTDenim. While a release date hasn't been announced, the word making rounds is that these may hit shelves as soon as Oct. 7.A proposed multibillion transport project to connect Dublin Airport and Swords to the city centre is not expected to be completed until after 2030. A new Metro North plan was one of six projects on a shortlist of options for the transport link, which was revealed by Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe on Monday. About €165 million was invested in the original plan for Metro North before it was shelved in 2011 during the economic downturn, money that could be lost if the scheme is not chosen. The other options include Dart links from Clongriffin, Maynooth railway line, a Luas line from Cabra through a tunnel under Glasnevin, a number of Bus Rapid Transit services and a combination of different transport services. National Transport Authority chief executive Gerry Murphy told The Irish Times the design and planning stage would normally take about four years, before tendering and construction. “We want [the chosen project] in place in the early 2030s,” he said. Mr Murphy said construction completion time was dependent on the scheme chosen and its complexity. He added that it was not the last time the public would have a say in the process. However, he encouraged people to have a look at the plans before January 19th. “People should say what they think. The objective is to find the project that best meets the needs on a value-for-money basis of such an important area of the Dublin region.” Scaled-back metro Metro North’s scaled-back plan is from St Stephen’s Green to the airport and Swords, with an estimated cost of €2.8 billion, €460 million less than the original plan. Savings would be made through having fewer Dart stations, smaller stations, and no tunnel through Ballymun (as the train line would be at surface level). The Minister said the population growth estimate for the original plan was incorrect. “Metro North was clearly a project of its time. That’s why I’m so eager to have a process that will look at all of the options afresh.” Mr Donohoe said the project would need to be decided on before he could identify where the money would come from to build the new transport links. “We do remain in difficult financial circumstances,” he said. “It’s difficult to say at this stage; it depends what the project is going to be.” Mr Donohoe said the Fingal area was one of the fastest growing areas in the country and the public transport needs of north Dublin were not being met. To see the details on the full study go to nationaltransport.ie Six proposals Two heavy rail: 1. Dart link from Clongriffin to the airport and Swords (HR2): Projected cost: €790 million 2. Dartlink from the Maynooth Railway Line to the airport and Swords via a tunnel under Glasnevin (HR8). €2.1 billion Two Luas/metro: 3. Luas line from Cabra to the airport and Swords via a tunnel under Glasnevin (LR3); €1billion 4. A metro proposal from St Stephen’s Green to the Airport and Swords (LR7); €2.86 billion One Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Option: 5. Combination of a number of proposed Bus Rapid Transit services (BRT 5); €330 million One Combination Option: 6. Combination of a Dart link from Clongriffin to the airport and a Luas line from Cabra to Swords (C1). €1.3billionDemocratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to her supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) are battling for the Democratic nomination. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) “Smile. You just had a big night.” Those words were tweeted by “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough on Tuesday night during Hillary Clinton’s speech after the Democratic front-runner for the presidential nomination won in big states such as Florida, North Carolina and Ohio. A viral lightning rod, his message lit up Twitter. (Scarborough drew much less notice for his previous tweet, saying “what a massive night for @hillaryclinton.”) The response from women on Twitter was, well, not so happy. “Frown. You just had a big night of proving you're a dope,” tech journalist Kara Swisher wrote. “Way to condescend to a potential future world leader,” wrote another. Plenty of women did respond with smiles -- in photos and GIFS that ranged from creepy toothy clowns to "Broad City's" Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson turning up the corners of their mouths with their fingers. Then on Wednesday, Samantha Bee, the "Daily Show" alum and host of “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” replied with a tweet of herself frowning and added her own hashtag, saying “Ladies, it’s very important that you #SmileForJoe.” Some replied with pictures of their dogs. Others added their daughters. Or a photo of the Joker. In a series of tweets Wednesday, Scarborough responded on Twitter, saying "we've called @BernieSanders grumpy for a year. @HillaryClinton is tough as hell. She doesn't need this fake outrage." In yet another tweet, he wrote, "we've hammered all candidates on their style and substance. We try to hold all candidates to the same standard." In reply to a woman who said he crossed a line, Scarborough wrote that "I don't look at HRC as a woman anymore than I did Thatcher. I look at her as a tough candidate who can handle it." But the outrage appeared to be real. And the gender biases we ascribe to women leaders certainly are. Being told to "smile" may be the ultimate nails-on-the-chalkboard comment for women, yet it's also illustrative of an impossible predicament female leaders face in their jobs. Study after study has confirmed what's known as the "double bind" problem female leaders confront, in which they're expected to act like our stereotypical idea of a leader -- bold, serious, tough, assertive. Yet they're often held back when those don't conform with the gender norms we associate with women, such as being selfless and agreeable. It's a big reason that underpins why women don't as frequently negotiate on their own behalf, ask for a promotion or speak up in meetings. As Deborah Gruenfeld, a professor of leadership and organizational behavior at Stanford University, described the dilemma in Sheryl Sandberg's book "Lean In": "We believe not only that women are nurturing, but that they should be nurturing above all else. When a woman does anything that signals she might not be nice first and foremost, it creates a negative impression and makes us uncomfortable." Not that it really matters, but Clinton did smile in her speech. She practically beamed at the beginning of it, as she thanked her supporters, and she grinned when she hit on popular themes, such as equal pay for equal work or when the crowd chanted her name. In fact, she smiled a whole lot more than GOP front-runner Donald Trump did in his speech Tuesday night. He lets out a half smile or two, such as when he takes the stage, but doesn't even crack a grin when he says he's having a good time. Finally, there's a big smile at the end, when the crowd laughs at his joke about the discomfort of hosting corporate executives at Doral while the TV was playing negative ads about him. Trump, it's worth noting, had a very big night on Tuesday, too, winning Illinois, Florida and North Carolina. Read also: The secret to getting more women to the top could be giving fathers more time off The double bind for Jill Abramson and other women at the top Like On Leadership? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.There were 750 active players on Opening Day rosters. They all play baseball better than you or me (unless, say, David Ortiz happens to be reading this article). They all have their interesting and sometimes amusing style of play, and we learn to love all the little quirks of the players on our favorite team. Some players, however, are certainly more must-watch than others. This is my list of 30 must-watch players for 2017, one for each team. Some are among the best players in baseball. Others are the most exciting or simply the most intriguing for certain reasons. A few are here because I just enjoy their style of play. American League Baltimore Orioles: Mark Trumbo This isn't a knock on Manny Machado. Machado is awesome! He's one of the top 10 players in the game and a bazillion times more fun to watch than Pedro Baez. While we know Machado will be great, Trumbo is compelling because we don't know what he’ll do. Will he hit 47 home runs again? How much outfield will he play? Boston Red Sox: Chris Sale Media in Boston and Red Sox fans like to believe playing in Boston is somehow more difficult than playing in other cities (except New York) because of the intense scrutiny. I don't completely buy into that, but you can argue that it adds another dimension to watching Sale this season. New York Yankees: Greg Bird He hit.451 in spring training with eight home runs and more walks than strikeouts. He's probably not the next Joey Votto, but maybe he could be? Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Kiermaier Watching this guy play center field just makes me happy. He's won two Gold Gloves in a row and deservedly so, as he catches everything he should catch and then some he shouldn't. He's also improved enough at the plate to become a league-average hitter with the potential to hit 20 home runs. Toronto Blue Jays: Jose Bautista I love watching Marcus Stroman pitch, and Josh Donaldson always plays like his pants are on fire, but Bautista's proverbial chip on his shoulder is probably the size of the CN Tower after basically going unwanted as a free agent and being forced back to Toronto. After missing time with injuries in 2016, he'll want to prove he's still the 40-homer guy of 2015. Chicago White Sox: Tim Anderson In a rebuilding year, the young shortstop is dynamic and athletic, with the speed and arm strength to make the Derek Jeter-like jump throw from deep in the hole. What we don't know is how good he'll be, particularly if his aggressive approach will ultimately limit his offensive production. Cleveland Indians: Francisco Lindor The Indians should run away with the division, and if Mike Trout has a hiccup, Lindor's two-way game could make him a strong MVP candidate. Of course, it's not just that he can hit.300 with developing power while playing Gold Glove defense. He plays the game with the joy of a kid who just hit his first home run in Little League. Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera Cabrera has hit.300 or more in 11 seasons now. Nothing particularly unusual there. He's one of 38 players to do that since 1901. If we change the parameters to "since 1947," which is the post-integration era and eliminates a bunch of guys from the 1920s and '30s (when everyone hit.300), that number goes down to 15 players. Just seven of those players were right-handed hitters. Three of those -- Jeter, Paul Molitor and Roberto Clemente -- didn’t have Cabrera's power. So we're really looking at a peer group of Hank Aaron, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez (Albert Pujols, Willie Mays and Edgar Martinez are close with 10.300 seasons). Just another way of saying what you already know: Cabrera is a living legend. Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer I'm fascinated to not only see what Hosmer does, but to see if he gets traded before hitting free agency after the season. If he hits.300 (which he's done once, back in 2013) with 20-something home runs (which he's done once, last season), he'll get a nice contract. But his career OPS-plus is the same as Kiermaier, and a lot of people think the Rays gave Kiermaier too much in signing him to an extension that could max out at $66.15 million over seven seasons, with a peak salary of $13 million. Note: Hosmer doesn't play center field. Minnesota Twins: Byron Buxton He already made two diving catches on Opening Day. With Buxton, Kiermaier, Kevin Pillar and Jackie Bradley Jr., we are in a golden age of defense in center field in the American League. Whether Buxton will hit remains a question, but he was terrific down the stretch last season after returning from the minors (.287 and nine home runs in September). Houston Astros: Jose Altuve He's shorter than your grandmother and finished third in the MVP voting! Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout I mean, no offense to C.J. Cron or Ricky Nolasco. Oakland Athletics: Khris Davis Ball go far. Seattle Mariners: Edwin Diaz I would not normally consider a closer for this, but Diaz is no normal closer. With a fastball that can click triple digits, he fanned 88 batters in 51 2/3 innings. If you saw him pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, you saw a dynamic, energetic presence on the mound. He’ll have to learn to reign that in a bit over a full season, but the potential is there to become the game's next great closer. Texas Rangers: Rougned Odor He’s a fascinating blend of power (33 home runs) and frustration (135 strikeouts against just 19 walks), but he's also just 23 years old. Oh, and you never know when he may punch an opponent in the face. Rougned Odor's power and temperament make him a must-see player. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images National League Atlanta Braves: Dansby Swanson Is he the next great young shortstop? Miami Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton RIP, Jose. New York Mets: Noah Syndergaard You worry that maybe, like late-career Nolan Ryan, the hype exceeds the actual results. But, like Ryan, Syndergaard is so unique, so potentially dominant, that you feel every outing has the chance to be something wonderful and amazing. Philadelphia Phillies: Odubel Herrera Never change, Odubel. Washington Nationals: Trea Turner/Bryce Harper TIE. Yeah, so I said one guy per team. Maybe I'll do two Nationals and no Padres. (I kid, Padres fans, I kid.) Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo You know, I love watching Addison Russell play shortstop. Javier Baez does things -- like his no-look tag during the World Baseball Classic -- that are half-crazy, half-extraordinary. Kris Bryant is enjoyable simply because he's so good and his eyes are as blue as the Sargasso Sea. Kyle Schwarber plays with his lunch bucket in his back pocket. Jake Arrieta has no-hit potential every time out. But none of them ever made an "Anchorman" reference in the middle of Game 7 of the World Series. Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto I assume most of you might say Billy Hamilton, and there's no doubt Hamilton will make more highlight-reel plays. But on a day-to-day basis, I still appreciate a good base on balls and a guy who can hit.300. Milwaukee Brewers: Jonathan Villar Fun with numbers! Players with at least 60 steals, 19 home runs and a.285 batting average in the same season: Villar, Jose Reyes, Rickey Henderson and Joe Morgan. That's like the all-time power-speed awesomeness list (although it should include Eric Davis, who had 27-homer/80-steal and 37-homer/50-steal seasons. And, yes, this absolutely was just an excuse to mention Davis). Pittsburgh Pirates: Tyler Glasnow The big right-hander is unhittable at times, holding batters to a.189 average in the minors. He's also Nuke LaLoosh-ian at times with his control, so his range of outcomes ranges from potential No. 1 starter crushing souls of opposing hitters to a future bullpen arm if he can't throw enough strikes. St. Louis Cardinals: Carlos Martinez After watching his Opening Day devastation of the Cubs, I'm all in. Arizona Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt I know, you probably expected Robbie Ray -- check out that strikeout rate! -- but I have a special affection for a first baseman who steals 32 bases. A short list of players who never stole 32 bases: Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., Dustin Pedroia, David Eckstein, Andruw Jones, Bernie Williams, Speed Kelly, Horace Speed. Heck, Joe DiMaggio only stole 30 his entire career. He's a lot like new Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, a guy who turned himself into a great baserunner besides being one of the best hitters in the game and a plus defender. Colorado Rockies: Nolan Arenado The Gerardo Parra Fan Club has yet to outnumber the Nolan Arenado Fan Club. Rich Hill holds his own among the Dodgers' stars. David J. Phillip/AP Photo Los Angeles Dodgers: Rich Hill Threw you for a curve there, didn't I? I mean, of course Clayton Kershaw and Corey Seager are awesome, and Joc Pederson is a thrill ride with his "try to hit everything 500 feet" approach. But Kershaw is so good he's almost automatic these days. Hill, on the other hand, is so unique with that big loopy curveball that there's nobody else like him today. Don’t forget that only Kershaw had a lower ERA among pitchers with 100 innings last season. San Diego Padres: Ryan Schimpf Hey, he's on my fantasy team. Plus, he was one of the fun stories last year, a 28-year-old who slugged.533 with 20 home runs in 276 at-bats and is listed at 5-foot-9 (Hint: He's not 5-foot-9). San Francisco Giants: Madison Bumgarner At least when he's batting, although I guess he's pretty good on the mound as well.City authorities in Dubai launched their own cryptocurrency. The currency was called emCash, and you can use it to pay for government and other services. According to Deputy General Director for Economics of Dubai Ali Ibrahim, the token will be considered a legitimate means of payment for various government and non-public services, from their daily coffee, to utilities and money transfers. It should be noted, that the blockchain is widely distributed in the country, and Dubai seeks to become the financial and technological center for the eastern world. Disclaimer. These videos are brought to you by CoinIdol.com in partnership with Koles Coin News Channel. This information is provided by a third-party source and should not be viewed as an endorsement by CoinIdol. Readers should do their own research before investing funds in any company.When Pew Research Center started the Fact Tank data blog back in 2013, our goal was to present data that would help people better understand the news of the day. But in looking at our top blog posts of 2015, we realized that the pieces we published often made news, too. From Millennials in the workforce to religion in America, our most popular posts told important stories about trends shaping our world. Here’s a look at some of the themes of 2015’s most popular Fact Tank posts. 1 This year’s deadly attacks by radical Islamic groups sparked a hunger for information about Muslims and Islam, as evidenced by the amount of traffic reaching our posts via Web search. Our five facts about the Muslim population in Europe answered the question: Just how large is Europe’s Muslim population, and how fast is it growing? Another post explored why Muslims are the world’s fastest-growing religious group. And our roundup of key findings about Muslims and Islam published shortly after the Paris attacks answered key questions about Muslims and the Islamic faith. We also dug into our international polling and found that in nations we surveyed that have significant Muslim populations, there is much disdain for ISIS – but in a few countries, such as Pakistan, favorable views were not insignificant. 2 Many of our posts looking at data through the lens of religion proved popular, too. We explored which religious groups in the U.S. were most and least racially diverse (the results were a little surprising), and we highlighted seven facts about atheists and their beliefs. We also started keeping track of where Christian churches and other religions stand on same-sex marriage, a landscape that was often changing (we had to update this post and chart a few times). And we examined how the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage could affect religious institutions. 3 By and large, Americans don’t much like income taxes or the federal tax system as a whole. But it’s not, as you might imagine, because they think they pay too much. Rather, they feel corporations and the wealthy don’t pay their fair share. But are they right? We took a look at the data and found that high-income Americans pay the most in income taxes – though people can and will differ on whether it’s enough to be “fair.” As for corporations, it’s true they are funding a smaller share of overall government operations than they used to, and corporate tax receipts haven’t kept pace with the overall growth of the U.S. economy. 4 Illegal immigration has been a hot political topic in recent years. Even though Congress did little to address the issue in 2015, our post on five facts about illegal immigration resonated with readers who were looking for nonpartisan information about undocumented immigrants, from how many there are in the U.S. currently to where they come from and where they live. And as the 2016 presidential race shifted into high gear, we looked at what Americans think should be done about illegal immigration, as well as their overall views of immigrants. 5 Alexis de Tocqueville, the early 19th century French political thinker, famously described the United States as “exceptional.” And indeed, the data show that Americans stand out from the rest of the world in a few distinct ways, from our sense of individualism and our work ethic to how religious or optimistic we are, especially in comparison with other wealthy countries. 6 Information about the middle class is a perennial favorite of both presidential contenders and Fact Tank readers. Our recent analysis found that the American middle class is both shrinking and falling behind financially. But middle-class Americans are still rich by global standards. Two of our most popular posts this year offered readers interactive calculators that helped them discover whether they are part of the American middle class and the global middle class – and if they aren’t, where they do fall relative to the rest of the country or the world, respectively. 7 Millennials continue to make headlines, including on our Fact Tank posts. Our research showed that this confident, politically independent generation not only overtook Generation X as the largest generation in the U.S. workforce, but also is projected to overtake Baby Boomers as the nation’s largest living adult generation – two data points that resonated with our audience. There was also our striking finding about Millennials and free speech: 40% of Millennials say it should be OK for the government to limit speech that’s offensive to minority groups, a far greater share than in other generations. Overall, our survey found that a majority of Americans say people should be able to say offensive things about minority groups publicly. And our post examining how Millennials compare with their grandparents 50 years ago offered a popular long view on this younger generation. Note: Item No. 7 in this post was updated on June 16, 2018, to reflect the Center’s revised definition of the Millennial generation and the updated year in which Millennials will be the largest generation. 8 Studying the nation’s demographics and shifting habits leads us inevitably to … yes, online dating. Our survey about online dating sites finds that they’ve lost their stigma; in fact, a majority of Americans say they are a good way to meet people, and 5% of married or committed Americans say they’ve met their significant other this way. Still, a third of those who sign up say they’ve never gone on a date with someone they met on an online dating site. 9 Scientists and the general public have markedly different views on any number of topics, from evolution to climate change to genetically modified foods. But one thing both groups agree on is that science and math education in the U.S. leaves much to be desired. A Pew Research Center survey found that only 29% of Americans rated their country’s K-12 education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (known as STEM) as above average or the best in the world. And, among scientists surveyed, just 16% called U.S. K-12 STEM education the best or above average. Fact Tank’s look at standardized test results around the world seemed to bear out these sentiments: U.S. students are improving – slowly – in math and science, but still lagging their peers internationally. Note: Item No. 7 in this post was updated on June 16, 2018. Topics: Unauthorized Immigration, Taxes, Muslims and Islam, Millennials, Middle Class, Internet Activities, Religious Affiliation, EducationCarrie Fisher is finally going public with a secret she has guarded closely for 40 years: When she was 19, she and Harrison Ford, then a 33-year-old married father of two, had a whirlwind three-month affair while filming the original Star Wars in 1976. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “It was so intense,” the actress-author, 60, tells PEOPLE exclusively of the real-life romance die-hard fans of the franchise have wished for since Han Solo and Princess Leia captured hearts on-screen. “It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend,” she says. After stumbling on often angst-ridden journals she kept while filming on location in London, she felt the time had come to open up about the formative experience. “It’s been 40 years,” explains Fisher, who went on to write The Princess Diarist, excerpted exclusively in this week’s issue. Ford, who had a heads-up about the book from Fisher and received a draft, didn’t respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. Mary Evans/LUCASFILM/Ronald Grant/Everett After spending their first night together following a birthday party for director George Lucas, Fisher was wracked by self-doubt. “I looked over at Harrison. A hero’s face — a few strands of hair fell over his noble, slightly furrowed brow,” she writes. “How could you ask such a shining specimen of a man to be satisfied with the likes of me?” Although their unlikely romance took Fisher by complete surprise and ran its course once the film wrapped, she remembers the time fondly. Lucasfilm Ltd./Everett “I was so inexperienced, but I trusted something about him,” she says. “He was kind.” For much more from Fisher — and to read the exclusive excerpt of The Princess Diarist — pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.The controversial digital currency Bitcoin has a display at CES. It's a good-sized booth, featuring a giant picture of a smiling woman holding an iPhone running a Bitcoin app. Crystal Campbell, a waitress who works at an Orlando restaurant that accepts Bitcoin, greets curious conference-goers with a friendly but not overeager smile. "It's basically like the cash of the internet," she explained to a tall brunette who had heard of Bitcoin, but wasn't sure exactly what it was. It was a surprisingly professional setup, considering that Bitcoin is a decentralized payments system with a robust but fragmented community. The $13,000 booth was paid for by Butterfly Labs, which makes the hardware used to create Bitcoins, and Bitpay, a startup that helps merchants accept the currency. Bitpay just raised $510,000 in funding from notable investors including Barry Silbert and Jimmy Furland of SecondMarket, Shakil Khan of Path and Spotify, and Roger Ver, an e-currency enthusiast who contributed his share of the round in Bitcoins. This is all strange new territory for Bitcoin About half the people who stopped by were already familiar with Bitcoin, Bitpay CEO Tony Gallippi told The Verge. He was optimistic about all the investors, merchants, and Bitcoin users who had hit up the booth. There were two Bitcoin-related booths at CES last year, but they were smaller and stuffed into corners. This year's placement, across from an audio company and a startup showing off night vision goggles, was much more ideal. The team has been too busy schmoozing to try the night vision goggles. This is all strange new territory for Bitcoin. Because it isn't tied to any central authority, it's become popular among a certain set of technolibertarians. (the Porcupine Freedom Festival in New Hampshire, a libertarian retreat where neither the police nor the US dollar are welcome, is the kind of place where Bitcoin finds its fans.) It's a bit weird to see the currency represented at the same corporate trade show where the world's largest electronics makers announce their latest TVs. Employees from a music label came by out of curiosity; apparently their site had been hacked and the hijackers were demanding Bitcoins "and we thought we'd stop by and see what this technology is all about." Representatives from Bain Capital also chatted with the Bitcoiners for a while. This was good publicity for the currency, which has been associated with the online black market. Bitcoin first entered mainstream consciousness in a Gawker article about the black market website Silk Road titled "The Underground Website Where You Can Buy Any Drug Imaginable." Senator Chuck Schumer called for an investigation into the subversive coin. The mainstream media became fascinated with the currency, fueling a speculative bubble that drove the price of a single Bitcoin up over $30. Then a prominent Bitcoin "wallet" that was storing lots of people's Bitcoins disappeared suddenly, along with the deposits, sending the price back down (it's now around $14). These are just a few of the hijinks the fledgling economy has seen in its three short years, but Bitcoin has been cleaning up lately. The Bitcoin Foundation has launched an effort to coordinate public relations, a few startups such as Bitpay have raised serious cash, and respectable web companies like Wordpress announced they would start taking payments in Bitcoin. Representatives from Bain Capital also chatted with the Bitcoiners for a while Bryan Micon, a Las Vegas native and prominent user in the online Bitcoin scene, suddenly appeared wearing a homemade badge with a picture of his face on it. One of the Bitcoin booth reps, who asked that he be identified by his forum name "tuxavant," started talking about the Bitcoin scene in Las Vegas. Tuxavant wants to start a business catering to Bitcoin users who vacation in Vegas. "I want to get helicopter tours," he said. "I can get bottle service for Bitcoin if you want," Micon said. "I do want that," Tuxavant said. Just then, a security guard materialized and asked to see Micon's badge. "Sure," he said, holding up his fake. "I'm with BryanMicon.com. Not supposed to be here." "Let's go," the guard said, touching his elbow and guiding him out of the ballroom as Micon grinned over his shoulder at us. Tuxavant showed The Verge a YouTube video for "Love you like a Bitcoin," a riff on the Selena Gomez song that he made with his 11-year-old daughter. "I, I like my Bitcoins not so shady, so, so, send me one more Bitcoin maybe," the lyrics go. "She gets her allowance in Bitcoins," Tuxavant said. Just then local Bitcoin miner Fon Duke walked up, also sans badge, to meet up with the crew as the show
the woman to someone entering her home. She later watched surveillance video footage and saw Burdette committing the act. Burdette had done landscaping work at the woman's home, Vance said. Vance and Burdette's attorney, Jacob Will, both said there had been no personal or romantic relationship between the man and woman. The woman did not drink the tainted juice. The first-degree felony was not the appropriate charge, Vance said. The contaminating substance for human consumption charge is intended for terrorism cases and involves biological agents and toxins, he said. No law is on the books in Ohio that specifically pertains to nature of Burdette's case, Vance said. "I expect (the prosecutor's office will) talk to (legislators) in Columbus and suggest this is something they look at," he added. "We arrived at this (attempted felonious assault) charge as a compromise," Vance said. "Clearly this conduct was beyond inappropriate." Will said his client has no prior criminal record. A presentencing investigation will be conducted prior to the court hearing early next year. "He is and continues to be remorseful for what happened," the defense attorney said of Burdette. Farmer said she will consider sentencing Burdette to probation. He faces up to three years in prison on each felony charge. Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ed.balitn@cantonrep.com On Twitter: @ebalintREPThe people have spoken. Bike ridership has surged in recent years among almost all demographics outlined in a new Health Department report on cycling use in New York City. The report, published Tuesday, shows increases in bike use among adults and high school students of both sexes, as well as across racial and ethnic groups and in low- and high-income neighborhoods between 2007 and 2014. The data is the first of its kind from the city agency, billed as a comprehensive look at how riding demographics have changed during a period of earnest commitment to building bike infrastructure. “Cycling is not only a great mode of transportation in New York City, it’s also a way to increase physical activity and lower the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and other chronic diseases,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett in a statement. “This is true for everyone, whether you live in a wealthy or a high-poverty neighborhood. This report shows that not only are more and more New Yorkers cycling, but that the increases are widespread. We will continue our work with DOT and community partners to promote safe active transportation across the five boroughs.” Between 2007 and 2014, the number of New York City adults who cycled at least once a month increased from 12 to 16 percent, according to the report. Cycling among high school students also increased, with 25 percent of those surveyed in 2013 saying they ride bikes at least once a month, compared to 17 percent in 2009. Eat it. Drink it. Do it. Tackle the city, with our help. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. The demographic data complements another cycling report that the Department of Transportation published this spring, which focused exclusively on traffic volumes. That report found that 778,000 New York adults bike at least several times a month — about a 67 percent increase when compared to 2009 figures. Experts and advocates believe that reliable bike infrastructure has spurred the cycling swell. Since 2010, the city has installed almost 300 bike line miles, including more than 40 miles of protected lanes. The largest increases in riding occured around the city’s most robust bike infrastructure, according to the Health Department report. “I thought it was very telling that the highest reported increases really overlap with the densest parts of the bike network; the parts of network-protected bike lanes and parts of the network that have Citi Bike,” said Jon Orcutt, spokesman at TransitCenter and former policy director for the Transportation Department. “So it’s very much, ‘Build it and they will come.’ The real challenge for the city is expanding that into more residential parts of town.” The Bronx, which the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranks as the worst New York county in terms of health outcomes, was the only borough that did not see an increase in the number of adults who cycled once a month or more. “I think it’s symptomatic of Bronx’s overall transportation needs being put on the backburner for years,” said Bronx Councilman James Vacca, a supporter of bringing more bike infrastructure to the borough. “I think the Bronx has been overlooked and you cannot expect a bike usage to jump when there is no impetus and incentive.” High-density Manhattan has been a proving ground, but the city is challenged to build out infrastructure in more residential areas. “When you’re looking at low-income neighborhoods, the ridership report makes it clear that the mayor needs to double down investment in building bike lanes,” said Caroline Samponaro, deputy director of Transportation Alternatives. (With Ivan Pereira)Here it is, a world-first look at Hennessey’s Venom F5, Texas’s V8 twin-turbo hyper-thing aiming not just to go quicker than the 268mph Veyron Super Sport, but blow the pesky Bugatti into the weeds, targeting a top speed of 290mph. Perhaps even more. “I think something in the 290mph range will be possible,” boss John Hennessey tells TG in an exclusive interview. Normally a claim so big from a manufacturer so small should be taken with a pretty hefty helping of scepticism. But don’t forget Hennessey has form. As you’ll likely be aware, earlier this year Hennessey’s first hypercar, the 1,244bhp Venom, hit 270.49mph on Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center runway: faster than the Veyron Super Sport’s 269.86mph recorded vmax (the Bugatti’s official 267.86mph figure, if you’re wondering, was the average of its upwind and downwind runs at Ehra-Lessien). That run wasn’t enough to pinch the official Guinness top speed crown from Bugatti - the Venom’s run was only made in one direction, not both ways as required - but still emphatically proved the point. The Venom ain’t slow. TG takes the Bugatti Veyron across Route 66 And the F5 - named after a particularly destructive breed of tornado, not the refresh button on your keyboard - is Venom upgraded: more aero, more tech and, of course, more power. How much more power? Hennessey isn’t revealing precise figures yet - partly because he’s still figuring out exactly how much extra juice there is to be squeezed from the 7.0 twin-turbo V8 - but tells TG “it could possibly exceed 1,400bhp”. Kerbweight will remain under 1,300kg - the standard Venom weighs 1,244kg, and there’s no reason to suspect the F5, with its all-carbon bodywork, should be significantly heavier - meaning this car will exceed 1,000bhp per tonne in the power-to-weight department. The Veyron SS makes around 630bhp per tonne. That smart new bodywork, wrapped around a developed version of the mutated Lotus Exige frame that underpins the Venom GT, is far more than just show. The standard Venom GT has a drag coefficient of 0.44, while the F5’s figure will dip below 0.40. Hennessey says this added slipperiness won’t significantly affect stability at speed. “It’ll have more than enough downforce,” he says. Watch - and listen - to the ‘standard’ Venom GT go from 0-230mph In addition to the six-speed manual offered in the current Venom, the F5 will be offered with a single-clutch paddle-shift transmission: a dual-clutch ‘box was rejected on grounds of weight and durability. There’s trick new GPS-based traction control, which can, we’re told, be calibrated to specific racetracks. Hennessey namedrops the Nürburgring Nordschliefe. Jeez. The Venom F5 will land next year, with first deliveries reaching customers in 2016. A production run of over 30 cars is planned. Prices are to be confirmed, but we’re told F5 will cost more than the $1,200,000 (plus taxes) Venom GT. A lot of cash, but potentially a lot of speed. Hennessey is adamant his 290mph-plus claim won’t remain merely theoretical, and wants the F5 to secure the production car speed title outright. “With the F5, we definitely want to validate its top speed potential,” says Hennessey. “We’ll probably go to Bonneville. But running on the salt flats is a challenge, for sure.” Fourteen hundred horses, rear-drive, and a slippery salt surface? Sounds like a challenge to us.Shane Biggs has been dropped for the Good Friday clash with North Melbourne - Dogs axe premiership pair Caleb Daniel and Shane Biggs - Jaeger O'Meara out after knee knock suffered last week - Geelong dumps small forward Lincoln McCarthy THE WESTERN Bulldogs have axed premiership pair Caleb Daniel and Shane Biggs for their Good Friday clash against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium. The Bulldogs have named Liam Picken, however, after the tough midfielder suffered concussion in a sickening head clash against Fremantle in round three. Forward pair Clay Smith and Josh Dunkley come into the 22 to replace Daniel and Biggs, who have each been omitted on form for the first time since 2015. Stewart Crameri has not made the cut after failing to overcome a hip injury. See all the round four teams here North Melbourne has also made two changes, with Sam Durdin and Ryan Clarke omitted and replaced by defender Scott Thompson and small forward Jy Simkin. In other key selections, Hawthorn recruit Jaeger O'Meara will miss the Easter Monday clash with a knee knock, Jamie Elliott has been named in Collingwood's 25-man squad, and Greater Western Sydney star Steve Johnson has failed to overcome a knee complaint. The Giants have made two changes for Saturday's clash against Port Adelaide, with key forward Jon Patton and midfielder Matt Kennedy replacing Johnson and Ryan Griffen (ankle). Port Adelaide has also made two changes, with Matt White and Jasper Pittard, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, each named for their first games this season. They replace ruckman Paddy Ryder (suspended) and forward Brett Eddy (omitted) for the crunch game in Canberra. Melbourne stopper Tomas Bugg has been named for his first game this season after the Demons made three changes for Saturday's clash against Fremantle at the MCG. Defender Sam Frost has also been named after recovering from a toe injury, while ruckman Jake Spencer replaced injured star Max Gawn. Rookie forward Tim Smith has been omitted after one match, with defender Oscar McDonald also making way for the clash against an unchanged Fremantle. Carlton has axed midfielder Sam Kerridge and recruit Rhys Palmer for its clash against Gold Coast at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night. The Blues will unveil draftee Zach Fisher, who was recruited with pick No.27 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, while young forward Charlie Curnow returns after one match out with a quad injury. The Suns have made one forced change after their big win against Hawthorn, replacing the injured Rory Thompson (quad) with key defender Jack Leslie. Adelaide has recalled small forward Troy Menzel for Saturday night's clash against Essendon as a left-field replacement for injured tall Mitch McGovern (hamstring). The Bombers have made two changes, omitting Heath Hocking and Martin Gleeson and replacing them with speedy pair Josh Green and Conor McKenna. Draftee Cedric Cox will make his debut for the Brisbane Lions in Sunday's clash against Richmond at the Gabba. Cox, who was taken with pick No.24 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, comes into the Lions' 25-man squad alongside inclusions Ryan Bastinac, Claye Beams and Michael Close, with Jake Barrett omitted. Richmond has not made any changes yet but brought in tough midfielder Anthony Miles and hard-running pair Oleg Markov and Connor Menadue to its extended squad. Collingwood has named Elliott as expected and in its starting 18 for Sunday's clash against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium. It will be his first game since September 2015. The Magpies have also included ex-Demons defender Lynden Dunn and small forward Jarryd Blair on their extended bench, with no omissions at this point. Saints midfielder David Armitage has been named after recovering from a groin injury, with draftee Ben Long set to make his debut. Midfielder Koby Stevens, formerly of West Coast and the Western Bulldogs, has been named on the extended bench. Hawthorn has made at least two changes to the team that was thrashed by Gold Coast in round three, with O'Meara (knee) joined by Teia Miles (omitted) ahead of Easter Monday. There could be more to come, with Tim O'Brien, Billy Hartung, James Sicily, Daniel Howe and Blake Hardwick brought into the 25-man squad to face Geelong. The Cats look set to make multiple changes, despite only omitting Lincoln McCarthy at this stage. Inclusions George Horlin-Smith, Rhys Stanley and Josh Cowan have all been named in the starting 18, with Nakia Cockatoo included and named on the seven-man bench. Thursday, April 13 West Coast v Sydney, Domain Stadium, 6.10pm AWST WEST COAST In: S.Butler, L.Duggan Out: M.Hutchings, L.Jetta SYDNEY In: H.Cunningham, T.Papley Out: S.Naismith (knee), J.Dawson Friday, April 14 North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs, Etihad Stadium, 4.20pm AEST NORTH MELBOURNE In: S.Thompson, J.Simpkin Out: S.Durdin, R.Clarke WESTERN BULLDOGS In: C.Smith, J.Dunkley Out: C.Daniel, S.Biggs Saturday, April 15 Melbourne v Fremantle, MCG, 1.45pm AEST MELBOURNE In: J.Spencer, T.Bugg, S.Frost Out: M.Gawn (hamstring), T.Smith, O.McDonald FREMANTLE No change Greater Western Sydney v Port Adelaide, UNSW Canberra Oval, 4.35pm AEST GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY In: J.Patton, M.Kennedy Out: R.Griffen (ankle), S.Johnson (knee) PORT ADELAIDE In: M.White, J.Pittard Out: B.Eddy, P.Ryder (suspended) Carlton v Gold Coast, Etihad Stadium, 7.25pm AEST CARLTON In: C.Curnow, Z.Fisher Out: R.Palmer, S.Kerridge New: Zach Fisher (Perth WAFL) GOLD COAST In: J.Leslie Out: R.Thompson (quad) Adelaide v Essendon, Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm ACST ADELAIDE In: T.Menzel Out: M.McGovern (hamstring) ESSENDON In: J.Green, C.McKenna Out: H.Hocking, M.Gleeson Sunday, April 16 Collingwood v St Kilda, Etihad Stadium, 3.20pm AEST COLLINGWOOD In: L.Dunn, J.Blair, J.Elliott Out: - New: Lynden Dunn (Melbourne) ST KILDA In: D.Armitage, K.Stevens, B.Long Out: - New: Ben Long (NT Thunder), Koby Stevens (Western Bulldogs) Brisbane Lions v Richmond, Gabba, 4.40pm AEST BRISBANE LIONS In: C.Cox, R.Bastinac, C.Beams, M.Close Out: J.Barrett New: Cedric Cox (North Ballarat U18) RICHMOND In: A.Miles, C.Menadue, O.Markov Out: - Monday, April 17 Hawthorn v Geelong, MCG, 3.20pm AEST HAWTHORN In: T.O'Brien, B.Hartung, J.Sicily, D.Howe, B.Hardwick Out: J.O'Meara (knock to the knee), T.Miles GEELONG In: R.Stanley, J.Cowan, G.Horlin-Smith, N.Cockatoo Out: L.McCarthyWhen did New York Times economic/political columnist Paul Krugman take leave of his senses? It’s hard to pinpoint, but I’d venture sometime in the early part of 2010, when the loosely-organized Tea Party threatened—and succeeded—in upending Congress for Barack Obama. Since then, the very wealthy Krugman, who still—still!—poses as an “ordinary American,” uses his semi-weekly platform at the Times to repeat the same message: Republicans are nuts, Democrats are upstanding public officials. Krugman, like so many of his media colleagues, has enjoyed himself immensely this summer as Donald Trump has zig-zagged from one gaffe to another, presumably indicating a Hillary Clinton landslide. But now he’s getting antsy that Clinton will suffer the same fate he insists holier-than-thou 2000 candidate Al Gore did—lots of jokes at his expense, some fair, some not—and that Trump, like George W. Bush, will be graded on a curve by reporters eager for a tight election. His Sept. 5 column, "Hillary Clinton Gets Gored," opened on a ridiculous note: “Americans of a certain age who follow politics and policy closely still have vivid memories of the 2000 election—bad memories, and not just because the man who lost the popular vote somehow ended up in office. For the campaign leading up to that end game was nightmarish too.” I’m of that “certain age,” and as I recall, it wasn’t just idiots (which Krugman implies) who voted for Bush. Bill Clinton fatigue was a factor, as was Gore’s imperious debate performances, and in the pre-9/11 era, Bush was a rare young GOP candidate, and one who was in favor of real immigration reform and social tolerance. Had his campaign manager Karl Rove—believing the election was in the bag—not diverted the candidate to wasteful appearances in California, for example, in the last week, and concentrated on close states, it’s likely Bush’s victory would’ve been clean. In any case, it’s now 2016 and Krugman’s got the hives. He tweeted on Monday that his column might be hated by “journos,” but it was his “moral duty” to get them back in line. I’d no idea that Krugman had taken on the position of Conscience of American Journalists, but it wouldn’t be the first major appointment that’s escaped my attention. He writes: “So I would urge journalists to ask whether they are reporting facts [about Clinton] or simply engaging in innuendo, and urge the public to read with a critical eye. If reports about a candidate talk about how something ‘raises questions,’ creates ‘shadows,’ or anything similar, be aware that these are all too often weasel words used to created the impression of wrongdoing out of thin air.” I’d agree that the current focus on Clinton’s health isn’t really cricket—unless she’s hospitalized—and it’s not as if Trump, a large, red-faced man, sometimes appears as if he’s about to stroke out. On the other hand, The Clinton Foundation, and its Byzantine structure, is fair game, even if Krugman believes it’s all above-board. And questions about Clinton’s shaking down the wealthiest Americans for campaign donations she hardly needs—while she ludicrously claims to be a Sanders-like populist who’ll throttle highly compensated men and women, although not in Silicon Valley—are fair. Oh, and for good measure, yesterday Krugman tweeted (which caused some to justifiably ridicule him as a modern Pauline Kael): “Funny how enthusiastic HRC supporters, of whom I know many, are like a secret cult the media hasn't discovered.” It can’t be said enough that the 2016 race is the weirdest election in modern times. Clinton could raise a trillion bucks and it wouldn’t matter: Trump and his supporters are immune to negative advertising. In the last couple of days, the latest round of polls have Trump gaining on Clinton—and part of a CNN poll has him leading—and those mean nothing either. Reporters and op-ed writers still haven’t received the memo that this election is an anomaly, that it can’t be covered in a traditional way. In my print version of the Times this morning (Washington edition), the lead headline was, “Trump and Clinton Begin Final Sprint to November,” hewing to the idea that the campaigns start moving fast after Labor Day. Maybe in statewide races this year, but not the presidential election. My impression—and I’m as flummoxed about the dynamics of this contest as any other honest observer—is that the public will have a more clear idea about the November results after the first debate, September 26, between Clinton and Trump. Then again, I thought Trump was done after he slagged, more than a year ago, John McCain and other soldiers who were captured in battle. Both candidates are just awful (and Libertarian Gary Johnson, as expected, has no shot), so whatever the results are on November 8, there’s no reason to celebrate. Should Trump win, however, I’ll at least have the consolation of Krugman’s deep despair. —Follow Russ Smith on Twitter: @MUGGER1955Hi. I’m Wayne Allyn Root for Personal Liberty®. Something amazing just happened. Last week, I watched Donald Trump give a political speech in a football stadium in Mobile, Alabama. I watched Trump deliver the most inspiring political message since Ronald Reagan. When it was over, I knew I had just watched the next president of the United States, if: Trump can devise a simple, common-sense, easy-to-remember plan to truly make America great again. And if he sticks to that plan 24/7 for the next 15 months until the 2016 election. My favorite line of the night: “We’ll make America great again … and it will be fun!” Yes, it will be. Now here’s the plan. The Magnificent 9 Trump wins the presidency if he lays out his vision for the first year as president. This plan contains nine simple, popular, easy-to-remember, common-sense solutions that Trump will fight for in that all-important first year as president of the United States. Donald, if you’re asked anything else, just keep going back to these nine simple points. Pass these nine, and America will be fine. The average voter doesn’t want to read detailed position papers. The average voter can’t deal with too many issues at once. Voters want jobs. They want to keep more of their own money. They want to get rid of Obamacare. And they want to make America great again. That’s it. Relentlessly stay on message. If the media asks you about anything else, here’s your answer: “We have a lot of problems in this country. A president can’t do everything at once. No one ever has. Let’s start with important stuff that’s quickly doable. We’ll deal with the rest later. It’s time to pass The Magnificent 9, and America will be fine.” Why should Donald stick to The Magnificent 9? Because no presidential front-runner can withstand 180 more days (prior to the first vote in Iowa) of “gotcha” questioning and withering attacks by the liberal media with an agenda to elect a Democrat. So please, Donald: Stick to the script! I would urge Donald to stick to these Magnificent 9 and only these Magnificent 9. Nothing else matters. Stick to the script relentlessly (as I describe in my new book “The Power of Relentless”!). 1. I will build a wall. Build a wall and they will come — voters, that is.Trump must keep “the wall” as his No. 1 issue. The biased liberal media have lied and covered up the truth for years: Most of America is on your side.This could be the one issue both black Democrats and white conservatives agree on: Illegal immigration is killing jobs for American citizens.’ Trump needs to keep it simple: “I will build the wall, secure the border, deport illegal aliens who commit felonies, and stop anyone already here illegally from getting welfare. We’ll also make English the official language of the United States. We’ll deal with rest of immigration issues later.” 2. I will be the jobs president. “I’ll build a team of 10 of the most brilliant business leaders in U.S. history. These 10 together will have created millions of jobs. We’ll turn it around with the ideas of this amazing brain trust. And we’ll have one important rule: No government bureaucrats involved.” 3. I will repeal and replace Obamacare.“Obamacare is destroying the U.S. economy: killing jobs, raising taxes, imposing regulations, dramatically raising insurance premium prices and prescription drug prices for middle-class Americans. I will repeal it. I’ll appoint Dr. Benjamin Carson to head this huge project. He is the only one qualified to save the U.S. healthcare system. We need a brain surgeon — no joke. We happen to have the best one in the world.” 4. I will give the American people a Reagan-esque low flat tax for individual taxpayers and corporations. “We will give the money back to the people. It’s your money, not government’s.” 5. I will cancel every single regulation imposed by Barack Obama and George W. Bush. We’ll go back to Bill Clinton levels.“This is as moderate and reasonable of an idea as it gets. You want jobs? Regulations are strangling business. Businesses either close their doors or move jobs offshore. The biggest regulation years in history were all under Obama and the last year of Bush. I’ll wipe ’em all out. Regulations are strangling the economy. If Democrats liked the economy under Bill Clinton, great! Then let’s go back to his last day in office. Start there — with only those regulations. It’s time for a reset.” 6. I will make people on welfare of any kind work.“We have to level the playing field. It’s not fair to give people welfare and then allow them to not work, while rest of us go to work each day. Everyone who needs welfare in America will get it. But they have to work, period. 7. I will hold our government accountable. “In America no one is above the law. People have to trust government. If politicians break the law, they must pay the price just like rest of us mere mortals. Obama talks about ‘fairness.’ So I’m going to level the playing field between the people and the politicians.” Trump needs to say, “I will investigate and prosecute Obama for the massive IRS conspiracy. I will investigate and prosecute Hillary Clinton for all of her many scandals, including the Benghazi lies and cover-up, 32,000 deleted emails, risking the national security of America with classified emails on her personal server, as well as billions of dollars in bribes (aka donations) accepted at the Clinton Foundation while Hillary was secretary of state. And from this day forward, Congress has to live by same rules as the American people. Anything Congress passes applies to Congress, too.” 8. I will always support Israel and I will cancel the Iran Treaty. Period. 9. I will never again allow Congress to raise the debt ceiling. “Real estate is my business. If I had a leaking sewage pipe, I wouldn’t raise the ceiling of the home; I’d fix the leak. Raising the debt ceiling is stupidity and insanity. It does solve a debt crisis; it simply makes room for more debt. Eventually, America will be like Greece. We will suffer a debt crisis that will plunge our economy into the depths of disaster and tragedy. The buck stops here. We will solve a debt ceiling crisis under my watch by fixing the leak (cutting spending, firing incompetent and redundant government employees, reforming government employee pensions), not raising the ceiling.” End of story. Then, Donald must tell the press: “That’s all I will talk about. Pass The Magnificent 9, and America will be fine. The rest can wait. We’ll deal with all the rest after my first year. But I’ll take care of these nine in my first year. The media can try to distract the people with personal questions. I won’t play that game. If the media asks me about anything else, I’ll go back to these nine simple principles to make America great again.” Relentlessly stick to the plan. Do that for 15 months, and Donald Trump will be the 45th president of the United States. I’m Wayne Allyn Root for Personal Liberty®. Have yourself a magnificent week. God bless America.Top 10 tips to improve the on-page SEO of your blog Do you want to get more traffic for your blog? We know the answer and how to do it. You have to improve the on-page SEO so it ranks better in the search engines. In addition to the ways to promote and spread the articles of your blog, you need to optimise the on-page SEO of each of your articles, that means: you do what is necessary to improve the on-page SEO, to appear higher in Google when people do a search with certain words to find your website in the top positions. Only then you get more FREE web traffic. So today we give you 10 easy tips and you don’t need to be an SEO expert to improve the on-page SEO of your blog. 10 super easy tips to improve the on-page SEO of your blog In order to optimise your articles, it’s imperative to search and choose the best keywords. Those that will make you receive more traffic as they are what your audience is looking for. Of course, they have to be keywords that don’t have much competition because otherwise, it will be difficult to rank them. These keywords will have to be placed in different sections of your post like titles, URL, subtitles, body, the image text, meta description etc. We don’t want to do keyword stuffing (cramming your text with the main keywords) because: 1. Google detects and penalises it. 2. Your audience will not like it at all. Write for your human audience, not for Google robots. So, first of all before writing an article you must find the keywords that are easy to rank using tools like Google Word Scheduler, Google Trends, SEMRush or Keyword Tool, among others. One of the strategies that you must follow is to see which keywords are the ones that carry the most traffic to your competition and use them to create better content and much more quality. You’ll have to work for it, but it’s worth it. You should focus on long tail keywords because, although they have far fewer searches, they are of higher quality. For example, if you sell women’s shoes and rank your website for “shoes“, many visitors that are looking for men’s shoes will click but they are not relevant to your website. Instead, if you rank your website for “women’s heeled shoes “, you will have fewer visits but these will be of great quality. Here are our top 10 tips to optimise the on page SEO of your blog. 1. Create high-quality content The most important thing in optimising and improving the on-page SEO of your blog is to create the best possible content. Quality content that interests your audience. Content that solves the problems of your audience and offers them what they are looking for. Google knows when a post is good or bad. So work hard and create the best content for your blog. Google will love it but also your readers. 2. Optimize titles The headline is the first thing your readers see so it must seduce them. It’s also the first section that Google takes into account to rank a page. To improve the on page SEO of your blog, you have to have creative titles but also optimised and the main keyword has to appear in the titles. Take advantage of the 70 characters Google displays in search results and use the main keyword. The more at the beginning of the title the better. Your article must answer a question or solve a problem – such as “How to do …”, “How to improve …”, Tips for … “,” Why …? “,” Guide to … “,” The Top 10 … “ Example title: “Top 10 tips to improve the on-page SEO of your blog” 3. Optimize URLs Although many CMS like WordPress or Blogger create URLS automatically, if you want to improve the on-page SEO of your blog, always personalise them. The URL of your blog post has to be short but rich in content and relevant. Eliminate empty spaces by using hyphens between words. Including the main keyword in the URL is super important since it’s another factor that Google uses to rank a page. 4. Create internal links Every time you write a new article on your blog, create links in content that lead to other articles on your blog as long as they are related, of course. Why? 1. You give Google a way to navigate your blog and can rank it better as the links help to transfer authority from one page to another and reinforce the thematic relevance. 2. You give your readers valuable information as you enrich your content with other useful information. Look at point 6 and you’ll see what we’re talking about. Link these articles with an anchor text as descriptive as possible, include the main keyword of the article you are linking to. DO NOT use “click here”, “in this video” or nonsense like that. You should also add, at the end of your post or in your sidebar some related posts to read. You will make your audience stay longer on your blog. 5. Link to external pages Linking external websites offers great value to the visitor as it gives them more information about what you’re talking about, of course, you should link to pages related to your content in the anchor text. 6. Optimise your images The on-page SEO of an article is improved by optimising the images that appear on it. How can we do it? Add a descriptive and relevant name to your images and don’t leave the typical “image24”. Optimise the size and weight of the images before uploading them to the article. Add the “alt” tag to all images, using the main keyword. Fill in the “Title” label descriptively and using the main keyword. Add a description to the image. Surround the image with related and quality text. Use an image compressing plugin like Smushit for WordPress. 7. Publish regularly Google likes websites that are updated often. So create an editorial calendar and follow it. You don’t need to post every day but do it more than once a month. And be regular. If you decide to publish once a week, always do it on the same day and at the same time. Your readers will appreciate it. 8. Optimize content The body of the article is where you have to work the hardest as it’s what your visitors will read. We have said it before but we repeat: the content has to offer great value to your audience and be of great quality. Focus on solving problems for your readers and give them what they are looking for. On the other hand, to improve the on-page SEO of your blog, your main keyword has to appear in the body but also variant words of the main keyword, other related keywords and synonyms. Why? Because Google doesn’t rank a page using only a single keyword but it analyses all the content (on-page SEO ) and external factors (off page SEO) to see if the content is relevant. Use headings and subtitles (h2, h3, h4) to organise and structure your content. Take advantage and use different keywords in these headings as they have more value for Google than the words within the paragraphs. Although Google does not pay much attention to the bold, italic and other formats use them to indicate the most important parts of the text. Complement your text with multimedia content like images, gifs or videos to enrich it. Your readers will like it and Google as well. In addition, the videos increase the time your readers stay on your website and reduce the bounce rate. 9. Optimise meta descriptions The meta description of your page or blog is what appears in the search results under the title and URL. Aside from being one of the factors that Google uses to rank a website, it’s one of the best ways to invite people to click on your article and not another. The meta description should be suggestive and seductive for a person to click on your post. So, if you want to improve the on-page SEO of your blog use the 156 characters that google shows in search and add your main keyword for increased relevance. If you blog on WordPress you can use the SEO plugin by Yoast to improve the optimisation of each of your articles. Yoast is one of the best plugins out there for on-page SEO. 10. Optimise the loading speed Another very important factor to improve the on-page SEO of your blog is the loading time. The lower it is, the better, because Google likes pages that load fast. You need to keep it under 0.5 seconds. In addition, if it takes ages to load, the person who clicked on your link might get bored and click the back button. You can check your page speed by using the pagespeed insights tool. We assure you that by following our 10 tips, you’ll improve the on-page SEO of your blog and you’ll see how you slowly rank on Google’s search results. Remember that the most important point is the first: create quality content and solve problems for your audience. What do you think of these tips to optimise the on-page SEO of your blog? Do you think there are other ways to improve the on-page SEO of your blog? Can you tell us your secrets? Leave us a comment below and tell us what you do to optimise your blog.How to Make Waffles with Marijuana: It’s never too early to get high, and marijuana waffles seem to be the best way to get your morning started off right. This recipe calls for canna-flour as well as canna-butter so be ready for a very happy and uplifting breakfast. This same mixture can be applied to pancakes as well, so if flapjacks are your thing you’re still in luck
the deal has been done and the Munster legend, holder of 101 Test caps, will play in France for the next two seasons. Ireland's oldest captain of all time will offset the loss of World Cup-winning locks Bakkies Botha and Ali Williams, who both retired at the end of the current campaign. Irish rugby and Munster chiefs last month agreed to release O'Connell from the remainder of his dual contract, that was set to run until June 2016, paving the way for his new challenge in France. O'Connell's final appearance for Munster was the Pro12 final defeat to Glasgow at Ravenhill in May. O'Connell made his Munster debut in 2001, progressing to claim two European Cup titles and three Celtic League crowns. The evergreen lineout boss has spearheaded Ireland's drive to successive Six Nations titles under the stewardship of taskmaster coach Joe Schmidt, and it is that relentless drive and tactical acumen that has led Toulon to complete his recruitment.Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin may be taking steps to withdraw from the China market, following possible sanctions against the conglomerate after the deployment of THAAD on the Korean peninsula. File Photo by Yonhap Sept. 15 (UPI) -- South Korean conglomerate Lotte may be taking steps to withdraw from the Chinese market, following lagging sales and alleged economic retaliation from Beijing in response to South Korea's decision to deploy U.S. missile defense on the peninsula. Lotte, owner of the discount chain Lotte Mart, had been rumored to be completely shutting down its $7-billion operations in the world's second-largest economy, or selling its assets to a prospective Thai buyer, the Charoen Pokphand Group in Bangkok, according to Yonhap. That move is increasingly more likely after North Korea's sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3 and the United States and South Korea completed installing four additional THAAD launchers on the peninsula. THAAD is currently being deployed on a golf course that once belonged to Lotte. Lotte Mart sells cheap-but-chic items, carries groceries, and appeals to middle-class consumers with upscale, trend-driven merchandise similar to Target and Kmart in the United States. Lotte Mart's parent company also operates 22 affiliates specializing in the production of snacks, beverages and chemicals, but their operations could also be susceptible to Chinese sanctions, according to the South Korean press report. Sources at the company told Yonhap the group has reached out to U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs to manage the sale of its China-based assets. Sources said the decision came following North Korea's sixth nuclear test, although Lotte chairman Shin Dong-bin had said there were no plans to withdraw from China. Lotte's tough decision, however, is being well received in financial markets, according to South Korean news service Money Today. Sohn Yun-kyung, an analyst with SK Securities in Seoul, said the decision to withdraw, if finalized, would "reduce business uncertainty" for Lotte. RELATED Rally in oil prices stalls despite global tensions "At this point even if [Beijing-initiated] business suspension is stopped, it is difficult [for Lotte] to maintain stable operations in China," Sohn told Money Today. China may have suspended all online commerce for Lotte Mart in March, and dozens of Lotte Mart outlets remained closed because of the THAAD dispute.MoD police officers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire stand accused of failing to complete routine patrols Ministry of Defence police officers are being investigated over allegations they slept on duty and failed to complete routine patrols at a nuclear weapons factory. Seven officers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Burghfield, Berkshire, have already resigned without facing disciplinary charges. AWE, which occupies the site of a former munitions factory, is responsible for the complex final assembly and maintenance of nuclear warheads and their decommissioning. The Burghfield site is guarded by members of the 2,700-strong MoD police who are normally armed when on duty. A spokesman said that disciplinary action was initiated immediately because of the importance of nuclear security, and where appropriate officers had been removed from the site to other duties pending the conclusion of misconduct investigations. The MoD denied that staff were being investigated for sleeping on the job and insisted there had been no threat to the security. A spokesman said: "We can confirm a number of officers are under investigation for failing to complete their full patrols at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. "The investigation is ongoing and the Independent Police Complaints Commission has been notified. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the case is ongoing, however we can be clear that at no point was the security of the site or its nuclear assets compromised." Peter Burt, of the Nuclear Information Service, which campaigns for nuclear safety, told the Daily Mirror: "The sheer scale of these claims are astonishing, especially given the highly sensitive nature of the complex. It handles radioactive materials, explosives and hazardous chemicals. "The government never misses an opportunity to tell us how sites like this are at constant risk from terrorists. It's clear there have been problems with security and supervision at a high level."10-year old Casey Doyle has been on a mission to beat “Boris.” Boris is the golf-ball sized tumor that doctors found in Casey’s neck. During his months of treatment, Casey mentioned to his U-M nurses that he wished he could physically destroy his tumor. Thanks to their can-do attitude and our renowned 3D printing capabilities, U-M doctors were able to let him do just that. Read more about Casey’s #BashBoris story. REQUESTING A 3D REPLICA OF YOUR CHILD’S TUMOR Inspired by Casey’s experience, a generous donor has provided funds to enable us to give 150 other kids the same chance to smash a 3D replica of their own tumor. Submit your request online. NOTE: We are only able to create replicas for 150 children at this time. Thank you for understanding! Mail a completed release form and a CD of MRI or CT scans showing your child’s tumor to the address that will be shown on screen after completing the online form. You will receive a confirmation email notifying you when your child’s MRI or CT scans are received. The replica of your child’s tumor will be mailed to the address provided on your completed release form 4-6 weeks after receipt of your CD. Other important information: 3D replicas can only be requested by the parent or legal guardian of a child, or the patient themselves if he or she is a legal adult. You must be able to provide a CD of your child’s MRI or CT scan in order for us to make a 3D replica of his or her tumor. Contact your medical provider for more information about getting a copy if you do not have one already. CDs containing MRI/CT scans will not be returned. DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A 3D PRINTER? You can print a 3D replica of Casey’s tumor and join Casey in his efforts to #BashBoris. With permission from Casey and his parents, we’ve posted an STL file and g3drem file of Casey’s tumor, Boris. Don’t forget to let Casey know you’ve joined his fight by using the #BashBoris hashtag in posts showing you crushing a replica of his tumor! WANT TO HELP US CHANGE LIVES THROUGH 3D PRINTING? Support our groundbreaking 3D printing research initiatives.The oil sands of Canada’s Alberta province hold one of the largest known oil reservoirs in the world, with bitumen deposits estimated at more than 1 trillion barrels. But extracting and refining the bitumen emits toxic metals such as mercury and other pollutants. Researchers and environmentalists are concerned that these operations could threaten the wildlife of the Athabasca region, where most of the extraction is taking place, as well as residents who hunt and eat birds and fish from the area. [+]Enlarge Footprint In Snow Estimated loads of methylmercury (MeHg) from snowmelt show a bull’s-eye pattern centering on the area of Athabasca oil sands development between the Muskeg and Steepbank Rivers. The dots indicate sites where researchers took snow samples. Credit: Environ. Sci. Technol. Now, in a comprehensive survey of the region, Environment Canada researchers show that Athabasca oil sands operations leave a footprint of several contaminants, including neurotoxic methylmercury, in local snow (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2014, DOI: 10.1021/es500986r). The mercury levels do not exceed those prescribed by Canadian guidelines for the protection of wildlife. However, spring snow melts could flush this mixture of pollutants into nearby rivers, potentially impacting those ecosystems, the researchers say. The new study is a smoking gun that implicates oil sands development as the source of mercury contamination in the surrounding area, says Charles T. Driscoll, an environmental engineer at Syracuse University who studies mercury pollution. Previous preliminary surveys of 30 sites near the Athabasca oil sands production region found elevated concentrations of more than a dozen pollutants, including mercury (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA 2009, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0912050106; 2010, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1008754107). But because airborne pollutants can be carried far from their sources, Environment Canada researcher Jane L. Kirk and her colleagues wanted to design a more comprehensive study to determine the spatial extent of contaminants deposited in the region. Pollutants released through oil sands development settle out of the air and are scrubbed out through precipitation, allowing them to accumulate in the snowpack in winter. So the team collected snow in the winters of 2011 and 2012 at about 90 sites over a 20,000 km2 area. Eighty of these sites were within 100 km of the oil sands development region; the remaining sites were about 200 km away and used to determine background levels of the pollutants. The researchers measured concentrations of total mercury and various metals in the melted snow. They also measured methylmercury, a neurotoxic form of mercury that is easily taken up by wildlife and can bioaccumulate in food webs. They calculated the amount of these pollutants that snowmelt would deliver to the surrounding area and interpolated these data to create maps of contaminant deposition. The maps for total mercury and methylmercury show a bull’s-eye pattern of increasing levels of contaminant loads centering on the area of oil sands development. Snowmelt in these regions would deliver up to 1,420 ng of total mercury and 19 ng of methylmercury over one square meter of land, which is 10 times greater than the loads calculated for the background sites. Still, both mercury and methylmercury concentrations in snow were below wildlife protection guideline levels set by the Canadian government. Syracuse’s Driscoll notes that the net wintertime mercury loading estimated for the oil sands region is only about 20% of that delivered annually by precipitation in rural areas of the northeast U.S. Still, he says, the elevated levels could threaten the relatively pristine ecosystems of the Athabasca region, where there are already government advisories to limit fish consumption because of the toxic metal. “Additional mercury will make an existing problem worse.”White Jewish people and anti blackness All these anti black white people hiding behind their Jewish ancestry to perpetuate anti blackness need to stop the bullshit. You denouncing the prolonged effect of European colonialism/imperialism on black people’s lives to promote your own plight is disgusting and I’m tired of people stepping on black people to prop themselves up. White Jews in modern day society are racialized as WHITE therefore if you are white/white passing you also participate in white privilege. Do you experience antisemitism??? Yes you do but that is not on par with institutionalized racism especially anti blackness. There are black Jewish people (for those that don’t know) that have their own unique experiences when faced with both anti blackness(often times perpetuated by WHITE Jews) and anti antisemitism. People are in our inbox playing the number game talking about 6 million jews died in the holocaust, well that is very unfortunate it truly is but an estimated 10 million Africans lost their lives in the middle passage during the transalantic slave trade so we really gonna go there??? This doesn’t even include the long lasting the effect that chattel slavery, Jim Crow, war on drugs, black codes, vagrancy laws, etc. has had on the lives of black people. I empathize with white/ white passing Jewish people but not those that hide behind their ancestry to perpetuate anti blackness, then want to scream antisemitism when you call out their bullshit. Jewish or not you have a way of navigating through life that black folks (black Jews includes) don’t have and that needs to be recognized.Christopher Dorner – the former Los Angeles police officer and fugitive accused of killing several people, including one police officer and a sheriff's deputy … died this week in a cabin fire while on the run. A rambling manifesto Dorner issued had many gripes, but chief among them were that racism, abuse of power and corruption ran rampant in the Los Angeles Police Department and that he had been fired for reporting it. Now Dorner is being compared to movie heroes, has a song written about him and has a long list of fan pages on Facebook. But make no mistake: Christopher Dorner is no hero. – New York Times Dominant Social Theme: Dorner was a psychotic nut job, not a hero. Free-Market News: We are seeing a lot of pushback in the mainstream media to any mythologizing of Chris Dorner. This column by New York Times editorialist Charles Blow is along those lines. He points out that Dorner brutally took lives and intended to take more, and that his actions were not those of a hero but a murderer. No argument there. But was Blow asked to write this, or given the suggestion? This would fit in with our theory that Dorner's actions were unexpected and took the powers-that-be by surprise, even made them uneasy. Blow's editorial seems almost like a form of damage control. If so, it's significant. It is well known at this point that the New York Times provides a viewpoint that is in sync with larger US powers-that-be, specifically the US Intel community that acts as a proxy for the tiny power elite that actually runs the US and utilizes its armed forces to help create world government. Operation Mockingbird is still in effect, so far as we know. That operation, sponsored by the CIA, informed top publishers of their duty to country and requested their support in advancing what we call certain dominant social themes that would enhance the US's economic and military power in the world. Dorner's actions were apparently not part of any dominant or subdominant social theme. Articles by Blow and others in the mainstream press suggest that US officials were taken by surprise by Dorner's actions. What happened with Dorner was not, then, in any sense planned. Spasmodic "directed history" is doubtless as old as the human race. Leaders have surely sought to manipulate public opinion on a regular or irregular basis with planned sociopolitical and economic crises – on either a bigger or smaller stage depending on the size of the audience. But only the modern elites, from what we can tell, (at least in recently recorded human history) have taken directed history to new heights, seemingly orchestrating most major historical events, at least in the past several hundred years, to support a steady progression towards a more centralized world. Here at The Daily Bell, we regularly comment on these elite memes and how they work. We also note and analyze what may be various violent false flags that seem to be taking place with increasing frequency. Some recent incidents that are said to have had false flag indicators include the Aurora movie shooting and the more recent Sandy Hook school shooting. Of course, 9/11 is commonly held by conspiracy theorists to be the most famous of recent false flags, conveniently kicking off a "war on terror" and other governmental efforts that have resulted in fewer and fewer freedoms throughout the West. The alternative 'Net media often accuses the powers-that-be of orchestrating violence for purposes of passing legislation that removes guns and the like. Some of this seems to have a ring of truth, but nonetheless, we don't believe that Dorner was part of this process. It doesn't feel that way … And now we see columns like this one, directly asking people not to read anything special into Dorner's behavior. Usually by this time, the mainstream press would have linked Dorner's behavior to a necessity for gun control but Dorner doesn't fit that pattern. The idea of gun control in the US is that only officials are properly trained to wield guns. But Dorner WAS a police officer and his actions don't reinforce this particular meme. For this reason – and because of columns like Blow's warning people away from making any connections between Dorner and larger sociopolitical issues – we would tend to think that the Dorner episode took (Tavistock's) narrative spinners and the US government by surprise. Here's more from Blow's column: Through his own words, Dorner forfeits any aspiration to the title of hero. Some commentators have tried valiantly to thread an impossibly small needle in separating what Dorner did, which all people of good conscience despise, from the serious issues he raises … I agree that the issues of police brutality and corruption should now and always be part of the conversation, particularly when discussing police departments with a bad history when it comes to minority and other vulnerable communities. But I do not see a need to explain why people — particularly many on social media — are mythologizing Dorner. Rooting for a suspected killer who makes threats against even more innocent people and their families is just horrendous. It's not exciting; it's revolting … This is not a game or a movie. This is about real people who lead real lives and their real families who dug real graves. Let's give everyone involved time to mourn. Let's have the respect to not honor the person believed to be responsible for the mourning. Dorner would seem to be a candidate for an elite false flag. We note, for instance, that his behavior allowed for a drone to be used on domestic (US) soil to search for a US citizen. But columns like Blow's warn us off reading anything of larger significance into Dorner's actions. Instead, what we seem to have is a truly messy incident that played out in the US on national TV, alerting people once more to the corruption of one of the nation's largest police departments – and also to an inconvenient reality – those trained by the US government to handle weapons could be every bit as unstable as non-uniformed civilians. The significance of Dorner may lie not in any false-flag manipulation but in the stark reality that the ongoing economic depression, combined with increasing US authoritarianism, is going to give rise to further episodes of social instability. Some of these may be a good deal graver and more widespread than Dorner's single operation – which nonetheless occupied a good deal of LA law enforcement personnel and manpower over an extended period of time. After Thoughts Perhaps this explains the hundreds of millions of rounds of military grade ammunition that Homeland Security continues to buy. Did they already perform a similar analysis?With each swish of a tail, scientists now have a tool that could study the movements of fish throughout their entire lives. The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a self-charging tracking tag for fish behavioral studies. This new tag uses a flexible strip containing piezoelectric materials, which generate electricity through physical movement. The tags emit tiny beeps that are recorded by underwater receivers and are designed to track many different species of fish including long-living fish such as sturgeon and migratory species of concern such as eel and lamprey. It is described in the journal Scientific Reports. "Our self-powered acoustic tag can help us better understand how dams and ocean energy devices affect fish behaviour," said the paper's corresponding author, "Sturgeon are ancient fish and have been on this planet for millions of years. This tag can help us mitigate the impacts of human activities, and help these fish survive many more years." said the paper's corresponding author, PNNL chief scientist Zhiqun "Daniel" Deng. A tag's ability to power itself is the latest upgrade to the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System, which PNNL has continuously developed since 2001 to evaluate how fish move near hydroelectric dams and other water structures. Researchers gradually made the system's tag smaller and more energy efficient, but it could only beep as long as the tiny battery inside it produced power. The tag's previous version typically lasts about 100 days. Now, the new tag is designed to work as long as the fish carrying it swims. Piezoelectricity is a hot area of research, with the self-charging materials being used to harvest energy from everything from insects to human joints. Deng and his team believe their tag is the first device to be powered by live fish. PNNL's self-powered fish tag has three parts: a piezoelectric composite strip, a circuit board and a beeping transducer. The tag comes in two lengths to accommodate differently sized fish: 100 and 77 millimeters, making the total length of the tag about 11 to 14 grains of long rice placed head-to-head. The longer variety weighs about the same as a paperclip, or 1.05 grams, while the shorter one weighs 0.80 grams. Deng and his team initially tested the concept in the lab with a robotic fish tail. Next, the scientists tried it out in two live fish, a white sturgeon and a rainbow trout. They surgically inserted a tag just under skin near each fish's rear dorsal fins. The team watched the tagged fish swim in circular tanks equipped with underwater microphones, which picked up the tags' telltale beeps for the full two weeks the fish were observed. The tag did not appear to hinder either fish's swimming ability. PNNL will test the self-powered tag outside of the lab for the first time next year. Tagged white sturgeon will be studied along the Columbia and Snake rivers in Washington state. The field research is being supported by DOE's Office of Technology Transitions in collaboration with industry partners. Future development could also include determining the tag's optimal placement inside different fish species, which sizes of fish can be implanted with the device, and determining how the tag operates under high pressures. The self-powered tag's initial development was supported with internal PNNL funding and DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. This week's paper describes a self-powered tag that charges a capacitor as the fish moves, and can only beep if the fish is moving. But Deng and his team have also developed another version with a small battery, which enables such a tag to beep more regularly and even if a fish is resting. Source and top image: Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryChristopher Schwarz built this lovely and delicate Creole Table for our February 2007 issue (an issue that also includes a nice Greene & Greene side table, Michael Dunbar’s discussion of traditional handscrews, an easy and accurate way to sharpen scrapers and more). You can read it free here, but I recommend downloading the PDF at the end for the cutlist and illustrations (and the images align better in the text than online). Note that the step photos below are “clickable” – that is, they will get larger if you click on them. Creole Table by Christopher Schwarz Until recently, Creole-style furniture was a bit obscure, known mostly to a handful of furniture collectors who specialized in pieces made in the Mississippi valley. But that’s changing. The original version of this 18th-century walnut table sold for $54,625 at a 2003 auction. And other Creole pieces, such as armoires, are commanding prices up to $140,000. So what is the Creole style? Essentially, Creole encompasses furniture made in the Mississippi valley by furniture makers who were usually French-Canadian. The pieces have lots of French touches, such as cabriole legs, but also have the unmistakable restraint of early American furniture that collectors seek. This table, for example, looks quite a bit like drawings of 18th-century French furniture from Denis Diderot’s “L’Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire Raisonné” (1751-1780) – but without the banding, inlay, carving and marquetry. I first saw this table in the magazine Early American Life and was completely enamored. Our project illustrator, John Hutchinson, took a photograph and produced the construction drawings. And 37 hours of shop-time later, this is the result. How the Carcase Works At its heart, the Creole table is a typical apron table, with only a few surprises in its construction: The four aprons are secured to the legs with mortise-and-tenon joints, and reinforced with triangular corner blocks. The dovetailed drawer slides in and out on a classic web frame. The top is attached to the base with screws driven up through the corner blocks. Hanging on those classic bones are a few shapely French curves. The sinuous legs and the scalloped aprons make the table appear difficult to build, but it’s not the curves that will trip you up. If you prepare your patterns with care, the curves will come easily; the real challenge is the overall fit of the parts – but isn’t that always true? Making Patterns When conquering any complex shape, such as the scalloped aprons, making a template for pattern-routing is a good idea. There are two patterns for the aprons: One for the side aprons and one for both the front and back. The pattern for the front and back aprons is a mirror image of the left and right sides of the apron. After marking, cutting and routing one end of the apron, you flip the pattern over to do the same to the other end of the apron. Make your patterns using the drawings or downloadable plans from our web site. Putting the Patterns to Work Begin construction by shaping the legs. This style of cabriole legs has good points and bad. Good: The shape is simple and easy to cut and smooth. Bad: The legs curve toward the inside of the table. This means that you will have to cut the mortises in the legs after you roughly shape things. I tried different ways to go about this and the following is the least awkward method. Begin by taking the stock for your legs and cutting one long edge so it parallels the grain of the board. Rip out your four leg pieces. Mark the shape of the cabriole on two faces of each leg. It helps to bundle the four legs as you make these marks, slashing your chance for a disastrous error. You could band saw out these leg shapes directly, but you would be in for a bit of fussing when you joined the aprons to the legs. That’s because the straight surfaces of the legs where the aprons attach are now buried inside your leg blanks. Band saw them out and you’ll have a difficult time truing up that surface for joinery. Don’t get me wrong, it’s do-able. I made two practice legs this way to try it. A block plane and a try square are all you need, but it’s a fussy job. So I made another pair of legs by cutting the straight sections with a table saw. This involves stop cuts: You rip the leg to a certain point and then turn the saw off. This works quite well. With the stop cuts complete, remove the rest of the waste with a hand saw or your band saw. Now cut your mortises on the legs because they are still easy to manage with their long straight edges and faces. I used a 1⁄4″ hollow-chisel mortising bit in a mortiser, which is appropriate for the 5⁄8″-thick aprons. The aprons’ tenons are 1⁄4″ thick, 3⁄4″ long and 3″ wide. So start making your mortises 1″ from the top of the leg. Set the fence so the apron will set back 1⁄16″ from the legs. More Nerve Than Skill Many woodworkers are spooked by cabriole legs. Cabrioles appear daunting because of the curves and the compound shape. Here’s the truth: Cutting cabriole legs is easy. Designing a nice-looking leg is hard. If your band saw blade is sharp and well-tensioned (we like a 1⁄4″ skip-tooth blade), the work is easy. Cut the pattern on one face of your leg. Tape the fall-off pieces back in place. Rotate the leg 90° and cut that pattern. Remove the tape and voilà – you’re halfway home. The second half of a cabriole leg – shaping the sawn surface into something sinuous – is easy with the right tool. Recently I was turned onto a simple and inexpensive tool that is ideal for the job. Glen Huey convinced me to try out the Shinto Saw-Rasp. It is, in essence, a bunch of hacksaw blades riveted together into a boat-shaped tool. One side is coarse and the other is fine. You can buy this tool with or without a handle. It is a nimble tool and is easy to master, much like a high-quality rasp. I removed the saw marks from the legs with the Shinto’s coarse side and then smoothed things up with the smooth side. After some work with a card scraper, the legs were ready to finish. I had planned on spending an entire day shaping these legs. The Shinto turned it into a two-hour job. Speaking of Japanese … Before you cut the tenons and the curves on the aprons, you need to decide what you are going to do about the drawer front. On the original, the drawer front appears to be cut directly from the apron, instead of using a different piece of wood for the drawer front. If you want to do this, too, you’re going to need a couple thin-bladed saws – I like Japanese saws for this. Here’s how I did it: First rip 3⁄4″ off the top of your front apron piece using your table saw. Once you cut the drawer front free on its remaining three sides, you’ll glue this 3⁄4″ strip back to the top of the apron. Though you could cut out the drawer front freehand, I recommend you clamp a block of wood to the apron as a guide. With the drawer front cut free you can then tweak the apron to tighten things up if you had problems with your rip cut. You can reduce the width a bit by running the top edge of the apron over your jointer. This is a good idea anyway as you’ll be gluing the strip back in place shortly and want a clean joint. Now true up all the surfaces that will be your drawer opening. Chisel out the junk in the corners. Smooth the end grain with a file. Now glue the 3⁄4″ strip back onto the front apron. Fussy but Worth It Joining the aprons to the legs requires concentration. This joint is highly visible, so gaps are particularly ugly. Begin by marking the shape of the aprons on all four pieces. This will keep your parts straight as you proceed. Now cut your tenons on your aprons. I use a stack dado set in my table saw for this operation. I guide the work past the blades using a fence on my miter gauge (or the fence on a sliding table). A stop on the fence keeps my cut positioned. This technique is quick – one blade setup cuts both the cheeks and the shoulders of the tenon. And it is safe. Once you have cut the face shoulders and face cheeks, you can cut the edge shoulders on a band saw. And Heading Into the Curve The scalloped shapes on the aprons are a cinch if your templates are made well. The only wrinkle to the process is leaving a little bit of material behind on the aprons to make them robust enough to survive assembly. The weak spots on the aprons are where they curve dramatically to meet the legs. By leaving an extra 1-1⁄4″ of the apron behind you create a place where this weak spot can be clamped without snapping it off. Mark out your strategy for cutting the apron, then cut the scallop shapes. With the rough shapes cut out, I then clamp the pattern to the workpiece and use a router with a bearing-guided pattern bit to smooth out the arcs on the aprons. A laminate trimmer has all the guts you need. However, the tight transition points must be cleaned up by hand. Cleaning up the corners is easy if you’ve cut out your aprons carefully on your band saw. A few quick cuts with a sharp chisel will bring the tight corners into line. Fit for a Fit Now settle in and fit each joint. Your best friends during this process are a small square, a sharp eye and an old joiner’s trick. The square can show you where things are amiss. And your sharp eye? Every time you try the joint, scrutinize the area between the leg and apron. If you can’t close this joint with hand pressure, find out what is preventing it from closing. Don’t count on the clamps to fix it. In the end, your best bet is to slightly undercut the tenon shoulders on all the inside surfaces. This “cheat” was handed down to us by 17th-century joiners, who would undercut a shoulder for a tight fit. This approach doesn’t weaken the joint much. Most of a tenon’s strength is in its length, according to studies of the joint by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratories. I undercut my interior shoulder with just a pass or two of a shoulder plane. Before you assemble the table’s base, prepare all the exterior surfaces for finishing. Glue up your base and reinforce it in two ways. One: Add corner blocks that tie together the aprons. My corner blocks are in the shape of triangles and cut from pieces that are 3⁄4″ x 3-3⁄8″ x 3-3⁄8″. I notched the corner blocks around the legs and then glued and screwed them to the aprons. The second reinforcement is at the point where the aprons meet the legs. I was worried that the weak short grain here would pop off as I sawed or chiseled it. So I glued a 1⁄4″-thick backing block behind each curve. The grain of these runs 90° to that of the apron, so they glued well to both the leg and the apron. And because they are so small, wood movement won’t (realistically) ever be a problem. Making the Cut (& Guts) As with all things in woodworking, if you do enough preparation work, then actual execution is smooth and quick. Such was the case as I cut the ends of aprons to their final shape with a coping saw. Once you make the saw cut, clean up your work with a chisel, rasp and sandpaper. The inside guts of the table are conventional. The drawer rides on a web frame that is attached to the front and back aprons with glue, screws and two cleats. I made the web frame using mortise-and-tenon joints. After I glued up the web frame’s joints and allowed them to dry, I glued the frame between the front and back aprons. Then I glued and screwed cleats underneath the web frame to strengthen the assembly. You also should install what is sometimes called a “drawer kick.” The kick is a single stick of wood between the front and back aprons that is above the drawer. It keeps the drawer from drooping when it is pulled out of the case. I attached the kick to the table base with glue and pocket screws. My Style of Drawers When most woodworking magazines describe how to build a drawer for a project, it’s usually something like: Build the drawers using the techniques you prefer. While that sounds like the author ran out of steam, I think it’s actually a fair statement. I’ve seen a lot of drawers made by a lot of craftsmen. Each one is a little surprise when I pull it out and a reflection of that woodworker’s personality. Here is how I go about it and why. Drawers have a hard life. So if I want a drawer to last 200 years instead of 20, I prefer the dovetail joint for the corners. I build most of my drawers using 1⁄2″-thick poplar for the sides, back and bottom. I use 1⁄2″-thick wood for the front that matches the species of the carcase. I join all the corners with through-dovetail joints and then glue a piece of 1⁄4″-thick veneer (resawn from the piece cut from the apron) on the drawer front and trim it to the size of the drawer opening. This strategy allows me to stretch my supply of well-figured wood for drawer fronts. The other detail is how I fit the bottom into the drawer. I plow a 1⁄4″ x 1⁄4″ groove in the sides and front to hold the bottom. The groove is located 1⁄4″ up from the bottom edge of the sides and front. I make the back of the drawer 1⁄2″ narrower than the sides and front, which allows me to slip the bottom in place. Here are a couple other details about the bottom: I cut the bottom so the grain runs from left to right in the drawer, so the seasonal expansion and contraction occurs at the rear of the drawer. I also cut a 1⁄4″ x 3⁄8″-wide rabbet on three sides of the bottom that allows the bottom to slide in the grooves cut in the sides and front. The bottom is secured to the back with a single nail. Be sure to cut the bottom so there’s a little expansion room – I make the bottom 1⁄4″ narrower overall. Once I assemble the drawer with dovetails, I glue the drawer front on and trim it to fit the assembled drawer. Then I fit the drawer in the carcase so there is an even gap (about 1⁄32″) all the way around the drawer front. Finally, I clamp the drawer in the table’s base and then glue the drawer runners to the web frame so they are snug against the drawer. Assembling the Top Tabletops are a bit of a blend of art and science. A bit of effort can result in a top that looks right and is easy to plane or scrape to get it ready for finishing. So choose your boards wisely. I eased all the edges of the top with a small roundover bit in a trim router. Then I screwed the table’s base to the top. I made the clearance holes at the rear corner blocks oval-shaped to allow the top to expand a bit. Finishing & Hardware The original table looks redder than I expect natural walnut to.
second anniversary, but love for these characters is still strong and Disney is continuing to offer fans new ways to see them, including the soon-to-open Epcot attraction, a recently announced TV special and the highly anticipated sequel. Unlike the previous Mattel fashion dolls, Hasbro used the same computer models from the film to create these faces. Elsa, Anna and Kristoff are now available in a few different styles, but more are on the way. Right now, dolls are available in fashions based on the original film and Frozen Fever. Coming soon are Anna and Elsa with Magical Story Capes. Each doll’s cape features blank space and comes with a paint brush. After filling the brush with cold water, kids can “paint” the white space to reveal other characters. Elsa’s cape features Anna and Olaf, while Anna’s cape features Elsa and Kristoff. 1 of 2 My favorite part of Hasbro’s collection is a line of miniature figures called Little Kingdom. These figures come in a variety of options, including stand-alone characters and full play sets. When you look at the collection as a whole, it’s impossible to not be delighted by the color schemes chosen and our tour guide revealed that the colors were inspired by the work of Mary Blaire. Many of the Frozen Little Kingdom characters are already available and while the focus is mostly on Anna and Elsa, other characters are included. In this photo you can see Sven, Kristoff, Olaf and even Marshmallow. The dresses feature squishy, removable plastic gowns and many of the figures come with extra fashions so kids can change them or share clothes between figures. But hands down, the absolute COOLEST toy that I saw in all of 2016’s Toy Fair has to be the Elsa unraveling castle toy that fits into the Little Kingdom collection. The entire castle collapses to about 3 inches high. With the push of a button, it lights up and plays magical sounds as it unravels towards the sky. The Elsa figure that’s included has both her coronation gown and ice crystal dress, so kids can completely reenact the “Let it Go” sequence. Expect this piece to be available next Fall in time for Christmas. Hasbro also has a few upcoming board games based on Frozen. Families will have a blast with Don’t Break the Ice featuring Olaf, Anna and Elsa. And a new twist on Jenga finds color ice cubes stacked to create Elsa’s castle. Players will take turns removing pieces and whoever makes the palace crumble loses. There are a few Frozen Play-Doh play sets debuting in 2016. Kids can use glittery blue Play-Doh to create Elsa’s cape. This play set also includes fun snowflake stamps throughout that can be used to decorate Elsa’s ice palace. Kids can also literally build a snowman with Olaf’s summer set. His base, head and arms are included, along with a fun summer beach scene from the snowman’s dream sequence. 1 of 2 Continue to the next page for Disney Princess, Descendants, Elena of Avalor and Moana.Lawyer Uday U Lalit Senior lawyer Uday U Lalit, who represented Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah in two high profile criminal cases, is likely to be elevated as a Supreme Court judge after the government controversially rejected Gopal Subramanium last month.A Supreme Court panel led by the Chief Justice of India has recommended Mr Lalit's name, along with three others, for the top court. The list will go to the Law Ministry, the PM and finally, President Pranab Mukherjee.Mr Lalit represented Amit Shah - who was named BJP president this week - in cases involving the fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati in Gujarat. Mr Shah faces charges of murder and conspiracy in both cases.The same cases were linked to the Modi government's rejection of former advocate general Gopal Subramanium, whose name was dropped from the list of four candidates recommended by the Supreme Court collegium.Mr Subramanium had accused the government of launching a "dirt-digging exercise" against him for displaying "independence and integrity" when he assisted the court in the Sohrabuddin case. Sohrabuddin, a petty criminal, was shot dead by the Gujarat police in 2005, when Amit Shah was the state's home minister. The police falsely claimed he was a terrorist. Tulsiram Prajapati, a witness to the murder, was killed the next year.Earlier this month, Chief Justice of India RM Lodha went public with his criticism of the government's move, saying Mr Subramanium's name was dropped "without his knowledge and consent".The government cited a past Supreme Court ruling to say it had the right to seek reconsideration.Mr Lalit will be the sixth lawyer directly elevated to the top court as a judge.He has represented former army chief General VK Singh, now a BJP MP, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Congress leaders Amarinder Singh and SM Krishna.He is also the special public prosecutor in the 2G spectrum scam case involving the gifting of out-of-turn mobile network licenses by the previous government to companies who allegedly paid big kickbacks. The other judges recommended by the Collegium are Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Prafull Chandra Pant, Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre and Justice R. Banumathi, Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court.Franklin Barbecue owner Aaron Franklin won Best Chef: Southwest honors at the 25th annual James Beard Awards Monday night in Chicago. This was the first time Franklin had been nominated for the Beard Award, culinary-world equivalent of an Oscar. Franklin beat out a group that included Barley Swine’s Bryce Gilmore (who was nominated for the third time), Hugo Ortega (Hugo’s, Caracol) and Justin Yu (Oxheart) of Houston, and two out-of-state chefs. Franklin is the third Austin chef to ever win the award, following in the footsteps of Uchi’s Tyson Cole in 2011 and Paul Qui, then of Uchiko, in 2012. While he has dealt with accolades and awards, Franklin never considered a call could ever come from the James Beard Foundation. “I was totally surprised. It’s shocking enough to even get nominated for that, and to actually win, it’s like, ‘What? Really? Did someone make a mistake?’” Franklin took the stage looking quite dapper (and almost unrecognizable) in a tuxedo. After extending a “big fat thank you” to his wife, Stacy, the humble pit master declared that the win was “so much bigger than me and so much bigger than my restaurant in Austin, Texas.” Franklin then thanked the barbecue cooks who came before him and the ones to come and wrapped his brief and classy speech. The affable and unassuming pit master had a speech loosely prepared last night, and said the only thing that made him nervous heading into the event was the possibility that he’d actually have to speak in front of a large group of people. He jokes he almost didn’t want to win, just to spare him the awkwardness. “I’m ok talking to people around the barbecue pits, in my element, but that’s a different world,” Franklin said. “A little intimidating for sure.” Franklin said he got his point across, though he only remembered about 30 percent of what he prepared to say. “I was going to elaborate on some other stuff and thank people at the restaurant and thank Austin, Texas. I was gonna get a little bit more mushy than I did,” Franklin said. “The only point that I really wanted to make was that winning that award totally isn’t about me. It’s about barbecue as a whole.” What does Franklin think the win means for the world of barbecue? “I think it’s huge. It kind of justifies what we do on a lot of levels,” Franklin said. “To actually be recognized in the culinary world is pretty big. It’s always just been poor-man’s food and never really been recognized on that level, at least publically. I think it opens up a lot of doors for a lot of people, hopefully.” No strangers to early nights and earlier mornings, Franklin and his wife didn’t celebrate the victory late into the evening. “We had some dinner, went back to the hotel, and went to bed,” Franklin said. “I turn into a pumpkin at 9:15.” For those not well-versed in the lore of the man whom Bon Appetit not long ago named the smoker of the best barbecue in the country, Franklin opened his business as a trailer in the parking lot of Owl Tree Roasting in 2009. Lines soon followed, and eventually so did a brick-and-mortar restaurant on East 11th St. He got his start at a very young age, helping out around the barbecue restaurant his parents owned for a few years in Bryan, before heading to Austin, where he worked briefly for John Mueller at the Taylor native’s former place on Manor Road. After many hours tinkering with a small home smoker, Franklin converted a funky old camper into the trailer from which he served on the I-35 feeder road. He opened his restaurant, famed for its brisket and its lines, in 2011, and the rest is history, as people from around the world, including president Obama, have made the pilgrimage for Franklin’s barbecue. In addition to his Beard win, Franklin also recently released a book that landed on the New York Times bestseller list and will soon appear on his own TV show, “BBQ with Franklin,” on PBS affiliates starting May 21. With all of the national attention and the famously long lines, people always wonder if Franklin will ever expand his operation or open a second location. “Unless something happens to our building, I don’t think we’ll ever move,” Franklin said. “We’ll just keep it the way it is.” The reason he’s keeping things the way they are? Quality control. “I’d rather keep it small, keep it as manageable as we can, and just keep it good,” Franklin said, adding that the restaurant cooks 2,000 pounds of meat a day. “I don’t think we could comfortably make any more. We cook 24 hours a day. We just can’t squeeze any more out of it, and I don’t really want to.” The only change coming is a to-go window. Franklin is rebuilding his original trailer to serve as a to-go operation at the restaurant, which could mean shorter lines for hungry barbecue lovers. He’s about 75 percent finished with that project and hopes to have it implemented “hopefully sometime this summer.” A look at the cult of Franklin’s line … And a look back at the 2011 “Downfall” parody …The Church of England, which this week condemned the practices of some City traders, has been using aggressive tactics to maximise profits on its £5b investment portfolio, according to a thinktank. The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, branded financiers who cashed in on falling share prices as "bank robbers" and "asset strippers", and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, called for fresh scrutiny and regulation of the financial markets. But yesterday the religion and society thinktank Ekklesia claimed that in 2006 the Church Commissioners, who manage the Church of England's investments, set up a currency hedging programme, in effect short-selling sterling to guard against rises in other currencies. Ekklesia also criticised the church for its shareholdings in oil and mining companies. Jonathan Bartley, co-director of Ekklesia, said: "The archbishops should be extremely careful when attacking City bank robbers for short-selling and speculation. Amongst the billions of pounds that the church currently invests in property and shares are hundreds of millions invested in oil and mining companies." He said the church has substantial share holdings in banks and a stated aim of making a profit on its investments of 5% a year above the rate of inflation. Last night the church denied it was involved in short-selling, saying the think-tank's comments were "misleading". "The currency hedging programme, set up in 2007, is designed to protect the sterling value of the commissioners' foreign currency-denominated assets," a spokesman said. "It is designed for protective, not speculative purposes and was put into place because the commissioners' foreign currency positions have been growing in significance as part of a wider move to improve the diversification of their asset base." Bartley said the Church should invest more in institutions such as cooperatives, friendly societies and housing associations in return for a slightly lower profit.The sound of the rushing water, frogs & fish together, an awesome display tank; there are lots of reasons people build paludariums. I have been wanting to build a paludarium since I began frogging almost 4 years ago. Recently I have seen a lot of people talking about how dangerous paludarium’s are for poison dart frogs. It seems to me that a lot of people believe that dart frogs can’t swim, which is not true. Poison dart frogs in general are pretty decent swimmers. Most times if a dart frog drowns it is because it had a underlying medical issue and was already sick. Here are some ways to make a vivarium with water (paludarium) suitable for a poison dart frog: – start with a tank that is atleast 40 gallons to allow for adequate water & land area -make gentle sloping sides for easy out of the water like JDown’s Office Paludarium -don’t make caves or areas where the frogs may swim in and get stuck -add lilly pads, rocks or exposed logs as something to grab onto and sit on. Wet frogs can’t easily climb the glass so they need somewhere to catch their breath if the water section is big and/ or deep. -When in doubt keep the water shallow like John’s 40 gallon Paludarium Here are a couple examples of some paludariums that have served as inspiration for me to want to start my own paludarium: Tim’s 72 gallon paludarium below houses a couple frogs & some fish! This tank works due to the amount of land provided & the easy sloping sides for the frogs if they hop in. Revolutions 68 gallons and I can see many frogs frolicking in here, even in the water section! Frank Payne’s 125 gallon tank which was built into the wall. It is hard to see but there is lots of land space for the frogs. Stablefly’s tank has a large but shallow water area on one side, and lots of area for frogs to roam on the other side. There is also a log & sloping grade which allows for easy access back to land. Here are two examples of tanks that would not work well, due to the amount of water compared to land area. Chris’ Green Tree Python’s tank DillJone’s Anoles with firebellied toads tank As long as the tank is well set-up with the frogs in mind, you should be able to create a wonderful oasis that allows for both frogs & fish like the tank below: Kristin’s 80 gallon tank which have some galacts in there and according to the owner all are doing well. Sounds like the frogs mostly ignore the water section. Disclaimer: I would not recommend a paludarium to a beginner due to the extra pumps & headaches that it causes, however to an experienced frogger it could make a pretty cool display tank. Take a look at these other inspiring tanks collections: Large Builds 75+ gallons Under 75 gallon tanks Paludariums Subscribe by email for the latest updates or Join me on facebook and like “The Frog Lady” to get all the latest updates on your newsfeed. AdvertisementsMatthew Pennington And Robert Burns, The Associated Press BEIJING -- The United States warned Wednesday of rising tensions in the South China Sea after China appeared to have placed a surface-to-air missile system on a disputed island. Taiwan's defence ministry said that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on Woody Island in the Paracel chain, which is occupied by China but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said commercial satellite imagery appeared to indicate China has deployed a surface-to-air missile system. Another U.S. official gave a more direct confirmation of the deployment on Woody Island. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said it is unclear whether the deployment is intended for the long-term. The deployment follows China's building of new islands by piling sand atop reefs and then adding airstrips and military installations. The buildup is seen as part of Beijing's efforts to claim virtually the entire disputed sea and its resources, which has prompted some of its wary neighbours to draw closer to the U.S. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the media of hyping the issue and saying more attention should be paid to the "public goods and services" provided by China's development of its maritime claims. China's actions in the South China Sea have becoming a source of tension not just with other Asian governments that claim territory there, but with Washington. Secretary of State John Kerry said the signs of increasing militarization contradicted a public assurance from Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visited the White House last September. "When President Xi was here in Washington, he stood in the Rose Garden with President Obama and said China will not militarize the South China Sea. But there is every evidence every day that there has been an increase in militarization," Kerry said before meeting with Poland's foreign minister in Washington. "It's a serious concern," he said, adding that he expected the U.S. would have a "very serious conversation" with China on the issue in the next few days. U.S. network Fox News reported that China had moved two batteries of the HQ-9 surface-to-air missile system, along with radar targeting arrays on Woody island. HIS Jane's Intelligence Review agreed with that conclusion in its assessment of commercial satellite imagery of the island. The review's deputy editor Neil Ashdown said that depending on the version of the HQ-9 deployed, the system has a range of between 125 kilometres (78 miles) and 230 kilometres (143 miles), and would be the most advanced surface-to-air missile system currently deployed on land in the South China Sea. He described that as a significant military escalation. Reports of the deployment came shortly after President Barack Obama wrapped up a summit in California on Tuesday with Southeast Asian leaders, who called for the peaceful resolution of the region's maritime disputes through legal means. Obama said the leaders had discussed, "the need for tangible steps in the South China Sea to lower tensions, including a halt to further reclamation, new construction and militarization of disputed areas." That has been a frequent appeal from Washington in the past two years, but to little effect. U.S. officials say China has reclaimed 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) of land, mostly in the Spratly Island group and has recently conducted test flights to an island there with a newly built 10,000-foot (3,050-meter) airstrip. The Paracels lie further north. Although not one of the six governments with territorial claims in the South China Sea, the U.S. says it has a national interest in the region's stability and freedom of navigation and overflight in and above what are some of the world's busiest sea lanes. Republican Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday that China's actions demonstrated Beijing's desire to resort to coercion and President Xi's "cavalier disregard for his public commitments to the United States." He said the U.S. should consider "raising the costs for Beijing." Called Yongxingdao by China, Woody Island has an artificial harbour, an airport, roads, army posts and other buildings. Recent satellite imagery appears to show it is adding a helicopter base likely dedicated to anti-submarine warfare missions. China's move is likely to rattle Vietnam the most because of its proximity to the Paracels and because of a history of maritime tensions with China that spiked in 2014 with a standoff after China moved a massive oil rig there.By now, everyone has a favorite Romneyism from last night’s debate. (A Romneyism can be variously defined as an awkward or clueless phrase, a cryptic new policy made up on the fly, or an unaccountable revision of history.) Jim Young/Reuters “Binders full of women” was irresistible, as was his notion that two-parent families are a form of gun control. He announced, apparently spontaneously, that he now favors expanding Pell grants, which is curious given he previously opposed President Obama’s proposal to do exactly that. Mr. Romney deliberately confused the bankruptcy proceeding for General Motors with the federal bailout of the auto industry, and his spectacular pratfall on what President Obama said in the Rose Garden the day after the attack in Libya will be long remembered. But my favorite was a quieter moment on the subject of taxes, a vital issue given the centrality of economic issues to Mr. Romney’s campaign. Mr. Obama had just unleashed a scathing critique of his opponent’s innumerate tax plan, pointing out that its vast array of cuts can’t possibly be reconciled with a vow to reduce the deficit. “You can’t buy this sales pitch,” the president said. “Nobody who’s looked at it that’s serious actually believes it adds up.” Mr. Romney indignant response seemed to sum up his entire approach to politics. “Well, of course they add up,” he said, visibly angry. “I was — I was someone who ran businesses for 25 years and balanced the budget. I ran the Olympics and balanced the budget. I ran the — the state of Massachusetts as a governor, to the extent any governor does, and balanced the budget all four years.” In other words, how dare you question my math – I was a businessman. Notice that he never described how the plan’s math would work, just as he has evaded all such specificity throughout the campaign. He doesn’t believe he needs to supply details, because he was a businessman and thus everything he says about dollars is self-evidently true. (And he was a governor, but big deal – virtually all governors, unlike presidents, are required by law to balance their budgets.) Every independent expert who has examined the Romney tax plan has agreed with Mr. Obama. And on Monday, the Washington Post’s fact checker, Glenn Kessler, wrote an equally devastating critique of Mr. Romney’s promise to create 12 million jobs, pointing out how phony the research behind that claim really is. This imperial attitude toward details is an insult to voters, suggesting that they’re too ignorant to care about trivia like their tax deductions and should just leave such matters to him. But it is the core of his campaign – “just trust me on this” – and exposing it so clearly in last night’s debate left him a diminished candidate.Earlier this week, we were extremely concerned when Instagram proposed a set of changes to its terms of service and privacy policy that would have expanded the ways in which the service was permitted to use uploaded photos in advertising. In addition to concern about user photos being sold to the highest bidder, we were troubled to see the company modified language that previously protected the privacy of user photos. We’re happy to note that, after intense public pressure, Instagram has reverted to the prior policy with regard to advertising on the site and ownership rights of photos. Before seeking users’ agreement on new permissions, Instagram has promised that it will propose a specific program, so users can make a more informed choice. However, while we appreciate Instagram’s responsiveness to user concerns and its improvements, the new privacy policy is short on clear privacy protections. The newly revised terms have lost one of the clear statements from earlier versions of the privacy policy. Instragram used to say content marked private "will not be distributed outside the Instagram Services" – a strong, affirmative statement about how it would protect the privacy of content the user marked private. The Terms of Service Instagram is currently proposing merely say You can choose who can view certain of your Content and activities, including your photos, as described in the Privacy Policy. We examined the Privacy Policy itself, to see what promises the company made to safeguard your private photos. The proposed Privacy Policy says: Any information or content that you voluntarily disclose for posting to the Service, such as User Content, becomes available to the public, as controlled by any applicable privacy settings that you set." [Emphasis added] Thus neither directly promises that private photos will remain private. Instead, your privacy on Instagram is subject to future changes in the privacy settings options. As you may recall, Facebook has, on a few occasions, adjusted privacy settings in ways that meant your ability to keep some information private was no longer available. These sorts of privacy downgrades have been met with quite a bit of criticism from users. Hopefully, Instagram will learn from that experience and refrain from removing privacy settings. On its blog, Instagram has attempted to waylay criticisms of the reduced privacy policy, noting that “If you set your photos to private, Instagram only shares your photos with the people you’ve approved to follow you” and then clarifying that “The distribution of your content and photos is governed by our privacy policy, and always has been.” This falls far short of actually having language in the privacy policy that says “If you mark content as private, Instagram will not make it publicly available or distribute it to people you have not approved to follow you” — the type of strong, legally-binding language Instagram used to have. It’s clear that users want to be part of the conversation about what happens with their content and information, and the strong public reaction against Instagram's changes showed that users are not happy to give licenses without knowing how they will be implemented. Instagram did the right thing by responding to user concerns about the advertising and ownership rights questions. We are particularly pleased to hear the company is going to wait until it solidifies plans for advertising before they suggest changes to their policies in the future, thus ensuring users will know what they’re agreeing to rather than giving blanket consent before an advertising program is developed. But we’re disappointed that Instagram has removed the clear, protective language from about protecting photos marked "private." Replacing clearly-worded privacy protections leaves the door open for the company to change its privacy settings and reduce user control of content, without any modification to the privacy policy. The new terms are scheduled to take effect on January 19, 2012 — which means Instagram still has time to get this right.9 years ago Cindy McCain, the wife of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, has posed for a Web site promoting same-sex marriage. (CNN) - Cindy McCain, the wife of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, has posed for a Web site promoting same-sex marriage. McCain, who's married to Arizona Sen. John McCain, appears in a photograph on the site with a piece of silver duct tape over her mouth and the slogan "No H8" written on her cheek. The site's owners were stunned when Mrs. McCain came to them with the idea of posing for them, they said when posting her photo Wednesday. "We've often been surprised at some of the different individuals who have approached us showing their support. Few, though, have surprised us more than Cindy McCain," wrote Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley. "The McCains are one of the most well-known Republican families in recent history, and for Mrs. McCain to have reached out to us to offer her support truly means a lot," they wrote. "Cindy McCain wanted to participate in the campaign to show people that party doesn't matter - marriage equality isn't a Republican issue any more than it is a Democratic issue," they argued, saying it was "about human rights." The McCains' daughter Meghan, a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage, also appears on the site. "I couldn't be more proud of my mother for posing for the NOH8 campaign. I think more Republicans need to start taking a stand for equality," Meghan McCain wrote on her Twitter page. Meghan McCain appears holding an elephant - the symbol of the Republican party - with tape over its tusks. Running for president, John McCain said he believed marriage should be between one man and one woman. He reiterated that view through a spokeswoman Thursday. "Senator McCain respects the views of members of his family. The senator chaired the effort to successfully pass Arizona Proposition 102, the Marriage Protection Amendment, and his opposition to gay marriage remains the same," Brooke Buchanan said. The No H8 campaign arose in response to California's back-and-forth on same-sex marriage - first approved by the courts, then overturned by voters in a statewide referendum called Proposition 8. The issue is back in court now. Bouska, a photographer, launched the site with Parshley "as a silent protest," they wrote. It showcases pictures of Californians who oppose Proposition 8, they wrote when it launched nearly a year ago. It expanded to include celebrities and other supporters of same-sex marriage, all appearing with duct tape over their mouths and "No H8" painted on their cheeks.Updated Microsoft's Azure cloud service has run out of occasionally runs out of US-based IPv4 addresses. Redmond 'fessed up to the issue in a blog post in which it says users have been asking it why, when they use Azure-hosted VMs, they find themselves redirected to websites localised for other nations. The post offers a screen shot of Yahoo! Brazil, in Portuguese, to illustrate the situation. Redmond's answer is was that it can't get its hands on any more of the USA's IPv4 addresses, as they've all been handed out. “The result is that we will have to use IPv4 address space assigned to a non-US region to address services which may be in a US region,” the post continues. The post emphasises that just because Microsoft gives your VM a Brazilian or other foreign address, that doesn't mean you lose the legal protections that come with having your server on US soil. Or don't come, if one E. Snowden, late of Moscow, is correct. Azure users are concerned enough about this that Microsoft says it is “... currently working with a few major IP geo-location database companies to update the location of these IPs which should help alleviate the issues this may be causing.” The result, presumably, will be that Microsoft-owned non-US IP addresses will no longer point to localised web sites. Which is rather nice, but also raises questions about why Azure is relying on Ipv4 and how Redmond let itself run out of IPv4 addresses. The latter question looks easy to answer: back when Microsoft was buying IPv4 it probably could not foresee the need for quite as many addresses as cloud computing requires. We've asked Microsoft to offer an answer to the the first question. Updated to add Microsoft contacted El Reg regarding this story after it was published, and offered two nuggets of information. The first is that it has updated its post with the following: The below blog misstated the situation around Microsoft Azure’s IPv4 address space in US regions. Currently, Microsoft has IPv4 space in US regions. That said, inventory space is a dynamic situation. In the past some customers were assigned non-US IPv4 addresses as a result of limited inventory. The second nugget comes from the Azure FAQ that states, in part, that "foundational work to enable IPv6 in the Azure environment is well underway. However, we are unable to share a date when IPv6 support will be generally available at this time". ®+1 Share Pin 27 Shares Hat Tip: Patrick Kobler On the same day The DOJ announced it would charge Sheriff Joe Arpaio over immigration patrols, veteran US Navy SEAL and NRATV Commentator Dom Raso released video commentary on how the weak policies of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other enabler politicians have left our southern border unprotected, creating an opportunity for ISIS to work with the Mexican cartels to smuggle a nuclear device into America. “If we refuse to even utter the words ‘radical Islamic terror,’ then, through our own inaction, we are enabling the slaughter of innocent people,” Raso says. “Nowhere is this issue more apparent than at our southern border.” To highlight his point, Raso references an article in Dabiq, ISIS’ magazine, that details a scenario where ISIS uses its billions of dollars to acquire a nuke through corrupt Pakistani officials and pays the cartels to sneak it in through the southern border into America. Speaking about politicians, Raso pulls no punches when talking about how they have comprised the safety of the American people: “all these politicians care about is what their friends in the international community think of them, the same international community that has been utterly devastated by ISIS.”It is no longer news that Xiaomi will be launching its next generation Mi Mix 2 this year and that the device is already in the works with Phillipe Starck still providing the design. Details of the device have been very scarce in coming as Xiaomi has maintained a long silence about it, perhaps with the intention of springing a surprise. We already know, though, that the Mi Mix 2 will come with a high screen to body ratio and recently a photo shared by Lei Jun suggests that the device will adopt a similar 18:9 aspect ratio used on the Galaxy S8. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 renders have allegedly popped up online from China and one of the things that need to be noted is that there will likely be a variant sporting a Bright Silver body just like the Mi 6 did. The Mi Mix 2 is also said to come with an enhanced display with the screen-to-body ratio said to be as high as 95%. Apart from that, the renders also show the device as coming with well-rounded edges and a nearly bezel-less design. Bezels will only be present on the bottom edge with the other aspects completely bezel-less and curved on all the display edges. Read More: Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 Fueled with Snapdragon 835 & 6 GB RAM Gets Spotted on Geekbench We only get to see the front aspect of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 from the renders so, we still don’t know if there is a rear fingerprint sensor but there are speculations that Xiaomi may not feature an in-display fingerprint sensor if the device is released this year. The Mi Mix features a virtual navigation key and also will use a Cantilever piezoelectric ceramic technology which replaces the traditional earpiece due to the absence of bezels. Xiaomi is said to partner with AAC technologies who will develop a better, new generation technology known as AAC actuator which would be used for the ear piece sound output. The AAC actuator is said to achieve a better screen sound, especially at low frequency. It also works better with the 3GPP standard. The source of this leaked details also tips that the flagship model may be released around September, at the same period the iPhone 8 is coming out, obviously to grab some market shares from the Apple flagship due to its price tag which is expected to be less than iPhone 8’s. The price is rumoured to be up to 4999 Yuan (around $750) but this is just a speculation, nothing of such has been officially revealed. We expect more leaks to emerge as the month rolls by. (source)France manager Didier Deschamps is claiming that an unmanned drone spied on team practice ahead of Les Bleus’ World Cup opener against Honduras on Sunday. Deschamps told reporters that the apparent drone flew over the team’s practice base of Ribeirao Preto earlier this week. He said that FIFA is now investigating the issue. “Apparently, drones are used more and more,” he said. 'It's not up to me, FIFA handle this and have been carrying out an inquiry. We don't want any intrusion into our privacy but it's very hard to fight this these days.” Normally used for spying on enemies, eliminating terrorists, and causing international incidents, it was only a matter of time before this technology was used for more important pursuits like watching a soccer practice. No word on whether the drone was merely delivering a pizza.When Brew Talks finished the long trip from Los Angeles up to the Pacific Northwest stops, in Seattle and Portland, we found two established craft beer cultures, albeit cultures with very different takes on the role craft should play as a civic institution. In Seattle, which is the subject of today’s Brew Talks video (above), it became apparent that, despite the maturity of the craft industry, it has yet to become an outwardly-directed calling card for the city. “I would define Seattle as a city indifferent towards craft beer,” said Joel Vandenbrink, the founder of Two Beers Brewing, which hosted the event. “They don’t lean one way against and they don’t really do too much for craft beer.” Vandenbrink joined Ryan Hilliard, the co-founder of Hilliard’s Beer, and Kendall Jones, the founder of the Washington Beer Blog, in a discussion about the cultural and civic institutions that help promote a craft beer culture in Seattle. Jones passionately explained that Seattle is commonly viewed as a very progressive city, but that it’s regressive in many ways outsiders don’t consider. “This is the problem in Seattle – we are known for the Space Needle,” he said. “There are people in this town that resent the fact that we are known for the Seahawks or the Mariners. There are people who don’t want Seattle known for anything.” Perhaps an indicator of Jones’ sentiment is the recent attempt by state officials to raise excise tax rates on small brewers. “While the state of Washington was trying to quadruple our excise tax to the highest in the nation, our neighbors down south [in Oregon] passed a little bill that elected yeast as the state microbe,” said Hilliard. “Does that give you a perspective on the different states and how they recognize craft brewers? I think that sums it up right there.” That isn’t to say that Vandenbrink and other local craft brewers aren’t actively pursuing change. “I have some template letters that I give my regulars, that I have written or one of my guys has written and I mail those to legislators,” he said. “There are certainly laws that I want changed.” One of those laws Vandenbrink helped to change was his ability to pour other Washington-made craft beers over his own taproom bar. Now, he’s advocating for similar changes that would give him the ability to sell Washington-made cider products as well. But in order for Washington craft breweries to effect regulatory change, they’ll need more of an organized effort. “Breweries could do better to band together and talk to our legislators and do it from the top down,” said Hilliard. Editor’s Note: Additional video footage of the Brew Talks stop in Seattle, which includes a one-on-one interview with Mike Gorman, the VP of craft and import beer for Columbia Distributing, is below.A survey carried out earlier this year has found the first evidence of the'superbug' bacteria Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in sausages and minced pork obtained from supermarkets in the UK. However, researchers stress that this does not pose a significant immediate risk to the public. In February, a team of researchers funded primarily by the Medical Research Council (MRC) bought and analysed a total of 103 (52 pork and 51 chicken) pre
way to do it by any means necessary. Second, it presents a destabilizing challenge to both sides of the gun control debate, which have traditionally drawn their emotional power from people’s fear of murder. But if the reckoning our country has been engaged in since the Newtown tragedy is driven primarily by a desire to save lives, experts say, it’s time to recognize that in the majority of cases, the people doing the shooting are also the ones who are dying. * For Cathy Barber, a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health, suicide became a priority in 1999, while she was engaged in a dark, emotionally draining task related to a research project on violent death. The project centered on a massive database tracking the circumstances under which people are killed, and Barber was reading through thumbnail summaries of violent deaths—thousands of them—that had taken place around the country. Advertisement At the time, her work focused on homicide and domestic abuse. But as she looked at the stories she and her team had collected, she realized that when it came to gun deaths, she was reading mostly about people who had taken their own lives. “The stories were so filled with despair and misery, but the seeds of hope were in them, too,” Barber said. “I kept thinking, ‘So many of these seem preventable.’” Today Barber directs a suicide-prevention campaign at Harvard called Means Matter, intended to promote the notion that how people commit suicide is just as important as why—and that making it harder for suicidal people to get access to guns is a relatively simple way to save their lives. The figures are stark. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more people kill themselves with guns than with all other methods combined. One study found that in a group of adolescents in Pittsburgh who died by committing suicide, 72 percent lived in households with guns; among adolescents who attempted suicide but survived, that number was 37 percent. Another found that across the United States, people who committed suicide in a given year were 17 times as likely to have lived in homes with guns as people who did not. Another found that the 238,292 people in California who bought a gun in 1991 committed suicide at more than four times the rate of the general population. At a summit on gun violence held at Johns Hopkins this past week, Harvard professor Matthew Miller presented a comparison of people living in “high-gun states,” where there are firearms in approximately 50 percent of homes, with those living in “low-gun states,” where that number is around 15 percent. Looking at these two groups of people side by side, Miller showed that they had similar rates of depression and suicidal thoughts, as well as similar rates of suicide that did not involve firearms, like hanging and poisoning. But the number of people who died by shooting themselves was almost four times greater in the high-gun states. In total, there were almost twice as many suicides among people living in high-gun states as there were in low-gun states. Based on these and other similar studies, public health researchers have rallied around a striking conclusion: Merely having a gun in one’s home increases the likelihood that someone living there will commit suicide by a factor of two to ten, depending on age and how the gun is stored. Advertisement This is, on its face, a perplexing idea. It also has a few detractors, such as criminologist Gary Kleck of Florida State University, who has questioned the methods of public health researchers, and argued that they are not taking into account the possibility that gun-owners are more likely to commit suicide for reasons that have nothing to do with their access to guns. (“He’s just plain wrong about this,” said Miller in an e-mail. “In fact, we do know that gun owners and their families are not more suicidal, in general, than are non-gun-owners and their families.”) In the public-health community, researchers have widely come to regard it as a basic truth that access to a gun makes it more likely that someone who wants to commit suicide actually manages to do so. A big part of the reason is simply the lethality of guns: Studies show that between 85 and 90 percent of people who shoot themselves die as a result, while the percentage of people who die using other means is vastly lower. Alan Berman, executive director of the American Association of Suicidology, points out that guns, unlike other methods, leave people no time to change their minds. They also require less preparation and planning, provided they’re accessible. “To some people, it’s just totally counterintuitive, because it’s so obvious that if you want to kill yourself, you can always find something else to kill yourself with,” said Barber. “What they assume is that once you’re suicidal, you remain suicidal.” But a preponderance of evidence, including interviews with suicide survivors, indicates that most suicidal acts come during a surprisingly short period during which the person is suffering an acute crisis. “When you ask people who’ve made attempts and survived,” Miller said, “even attempts that are life threatening and would have proved lethal [without emergency medical care], what they say is, ‘It was an impulsive act, and I’m glad that I’m alive.’” The central insight for public health researchers is that a lot of lives could be saved simply by making sure that people don’t have access to an extremely lethal weapon during that high-risk period. One striking illustration of this principle can be seen in the experience of the Israeli Defense Forces, which saw a 40 percent drop in suicides after a new rule was introduced forbidding soldiers from taking their guns home with them over the weekend. Though some soldiers may have tried to kill themselves using some less lethal method instead, it appears that scores of lives were saved. * In the months since the shootings in Newtown and Aurora, Colo., the debate over how to reduce gun violence in the United States has centered on improving background checks and imposing restrictions against assault weapons. But public health researchers focused on suicide prevention tend to take a different tack. “I don’t work on gun control issues,” said Cathy Barber. “It’s fine with me that other people do....But a third or more of people in the United States have a gun at home, and they’re valuable to them, and it doesn’t seem useful to me to ostracize them for their decisions....It just seems more useful to say, ‘OK, that’s what we’re dealing with.’” One thing that reduces the likelihood that people will impulsively shoot themselves, public health researchers have found, is mandatory gun locks and proper gun storage, which increase the amount of time that passes after a person decides to commit suicide and actually has a loaded gun in hand. “Every minute you can delay them increases the chance that they might survive,” said David Litts, the executive secretary of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Another avenue that’s been identified is what’s known among public health researchers as the social norms approach. David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center and author of “Private Guns, Public Health,” sees a parallel in the successful antidrunk-driving campaigns of the 1980s and ’90s (“Friends don’t let friends drive drunk”). Lives could be saved, he believes, if it was considered socially acceptable, when a friend or family member is dealing with some serious stress in life—like job loss or divorce—to ask them to get rid of their guns temporarily. Working with a group called the New Hampshire Firearm Safety Coalition, researchers at Harvard have started trying to promote this kind of thinking by convincing owners of gun shops in New Hampshire to distribute materials asking customers to be attentive to signs of emotional distress among their fellow gun owners, and to consider taking their guns away when they’re having a particularly hard time. “It’s a caring message—it’s not an antigun message,” said Barber. “What I’m hoping is it lights a spark—what I’d love to see is five years from now...the 11th commandment of firearm safety is, ‘If a loved one is at risk for suicide, keep firearms away from them.’” Does such a campaign have a place in the current debate over how to stop gun violence? According to Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, a group that promotes stricter gun control laws, it should, but doesn’t—and that on more than one occasion he has heard people say that when it comes to tallying gun deaths, “suicides don’t count.” “It’s remarkable how many people discount suicide, as if there’s nothing that can be done about it,” said John Rosenthal, the Boston developer behind the group Stop Handgun Violence, which funds the antigun billboard on the Mass. Pike. He cited one study suggesting that the vast majority of firearm suicides among youth are committed with guns owned by a family member. “Talk about low-hanging fruit.” But for most people, the possibility that someone they love or they themselves will die by suicide feels much more remote, and less urgent, than the risk of getting shot by an armed robber or a mass murderer like Adam Lanza. As Garen Wintemute, a public health researcher specializing in firearm violence at University of California-Davis, said, “The debate is focused around the threats that people see to themselves, and that only makes sense.” Yet it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that, even though large-scale atrocities like Newtown are the ones that force us to confront gun violence as a nation, the opportunity to save lives may be greatest in the steady drip of private tragedies that take place every day—one by one, and out of the public eye. “The whole point is you’ve got innocent people getting killed either way,” said Berman. “These are people who could be helped.” Correction: Because of incorrect information provided to the Globe, an earlier version of a graphic with this story misidentified the relative rates of gun ownership in New Hampshire and Iowa. New Hampshire is not a low-gun state; Iowa is not a high-gun state. Leon Neyfakh is the staff writer for Ideas. E-mail lneyfakh@globe.comImage copyright AFP Image caption Last year saw reforms designed to make courts less corrupt and less embedded in local politics Dozens of Chinese lawyers have been detained or interrogated over recent days in what seems to be a co-ordinated roundup. The crackdown has targeted those who take on cases involving free speech, human rights and abuses of power, presenting many of them as motivated by greed and a reckless disregard for social order. A statement from the Ministry of Public Security said suspects included lawyers, social media celebrities and petitioners but that lawyers were the core. It accused a group led by the Beijing-based Fengrui Law Firm, of illegally hiring protesters and swaying court decisions in the name of "defending justice and public interests." It went on to accuse the group of organising more than 40 controversial incidents and severely disrupting public order. It gave an example in which it had allegedly presented a legitimate police shooting at a railway station as a murder conspiracy. 'Serious crimes' Since last Thursday at least six lawyers have been detained and more than 50 taken in for questioning by police in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Xi Jinping came to power vowing to tackle corruption and promote judicial fairness It is not clear how many are still in custody. Some of those questioned had signed a letter asking authorities to release Wang Yu, a human rights lawyer who vanished from her home last week and is now believed to be in detention. Ms Wang worked for the Fengrui law firm. Another Fengrui lawyer, Zhou Shifeng, disappeared the day after one of his clients was released last week. State media have confirmed that six people including Wang Yu and Zhou Shifeng are in criminal detention for "seriously violating the law". The People's Daily said Mr Zhou was suspected of serious crimes. It also attacked another employee of the firm, online activist Wu Gan, saying he had exploited his fame and exaggerated sensitive incidents for profit. Mr Wu has been in detention since May and earlier this month was charged with "inciting subversion". The People's Daily denounced what it called a "major criminal organisation" which "seriously disturbed social order". 'A mockery' Last year saw reforms designed to make courts less corrupt and less embedded in local politics. There were promises to exclude tainted evidence, torture and coercion. But at the same time, President Xi said the rule of law would be "a knife whose handle was in the hands of the party and the people". Any campaign to promote the rule of law which thinks lawyers are part of the problem rather the solution is in trouble. But this is the direction of travel in China. Groups that cannot be co-opted become pariahs. And lawyers who assert a set of values outside the narrowing space allotted to them by the state are no exception. There would be no constitutionalism, judicial independence or separation of powers. And clearly no lawyers or law firms who put their client's interests ahead of those of the party. "Such an unprecedented nationwide crackdown can only have been sanctioned from within the central government," said William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International. "This coordinated attack on lawyers makes a mockery of President Xi Jinping's claims to promote the rule of law." 'Growing alarm' Xi Jinping came to power nearly three years ago vowing to tackle corruption and promote judicial fairness. But now lawyers are in police sights, with the state news agency Xinhua saying "the detainees are suspected of illegally organizing paid protests, hyping public sentiment and fabricating rumours on the Internet to sway court decisions". The US State Department condemned the detentions saying: "Over the last few days we have noted with growing alarm reports that Chinese public security forces have systematically detained individuals who share the common attribute of peacefully defending the rights of others, including those who lawfully challenge official policies." It's not just lawyers. In the name of security, and the need to protect against hostile foreign forces, the overall climate for civil society is worsening, with churches, women's rights groups and labour activists all under attack. The internet faces ever closer supervision and communist party cells are being established in high profile private companies. Any discussion of universal or alternative values has become taboo, a measure of the Party's sense of its own fragility. For a party which fears its own overthrow, any group, any idea, any individual, could become, in the words of Chairman Mao, "the spark that lights the prairie fire". To protect the party against such sparks, and inoculate the public against contending narratives, President Xi has the "Chinese dream", a catchall slogan to embrace a mix of national pride, pursuit of wealth and adherence to a special form of modernity in which love of country can equal love of the Communist Party. Image copyright AFP Image caption Xi Jinping has introduced a slogan to embrace national pride and the pursuit of wealth It's the logic of the Chinese Dream that drove many aspects of last week's stock market intervention and which put graduating students at China's top university under orders to chant the slogan "Revive A shares, benefit the people!" No great surprise then that China's parliament should have just passed a new security law which conflates the Communist Party's monopoly on power with national security. But a recent Freedom House report claims that despite heightened repression, fear is diminishing. "Activities that the authorities have invested tremendous resources in suppressing have continued and even expanded." I find that hard to judge. I also find it hard to predict the effect of the detentions and interrogations we've witnessed in recent days. But there can be no doubt that the irony of all of this is not lost on the defence lawyers who are now sitting in cells hoping for a visit from their own defence lawyer. For many years they tried to advance a "rule of law" agenda within the system and could have been forgiven for hoping that when President Xi declared his own determination to pursue the rule of law their cause might prosper. Where do China's lawyers go from here? And who will be the defence lawyer when so many of them are behind bars?Above: Photo by Sofia Gatica Protesters in Argentina continue to block construction of what is planned to be the biggest Monsanto plant in Latin America. Monsanto has resorted to intimidation tactics to try and remove them. They have been camped at the construction site in Malvinas, Argentina for 56 days. As of today they have established five blockades, one at each entrance to the construction site. Monsanto recently mailed letters of intimidation to the protesters threatening them to lift the blockades or face 3 years in prison. The blockades were recently flooded by heavy rains and protesters lost almost everything they had built including most of their tents. The community rallied to restock and rebuild the camps. Despite floods and threats of imprisonment, they are still showing no signs of going home. We continue to follow news of the Monsanto Blockade in Argentina and we will keep you posted with any new updates. Please support their facebook page Malvinas Lucha por la Vida and share their story widely!The stock exchange Nasdaq has rejected an application for listing filed by MassRoots, a company that runs a marijuana social network, according to the company, which released a statement about the rejection. Nasdaq rejected the application in part because the company could be seen as aiding abetting violations of federal law, namely marijuana prohibition, according to MassRoots. Nasdaq doesn't comment on listing applications and says in its rules it "upholds federal law," according to CNN Money. For its part, MassRoots says it will appeal Nasdaq's decision to the exchange's listing appeals board. "With this decision, we believe that the Nasdaq has set a dangerous precedent that could prevent nearly every company in the regulated cannabis industry from listing on a national exchange," MassRoots CEO Isaac Dietrich insisted in the company's statement. "This will have ripple effects across the entire industry, making it more difficult for cannabis entrepreneurs to raise capital and slow the progression of cannabis legalization in the United States." Institutional investors began entering the marijuana market at the beginning of last year. MassRoots currently lists on the OTCQB market. The company says it has 900,000 people on its social network for marijuana users. Only individuals in states where at least medical marijuana has been legalized can register. In its application, MassRoots acknowledged there was "no guarantee" the Obama administration would maintain a policy of low-priority enforcement of marijuana laws in states where the substance has been legalized to some degree, and that "a new administration could introduce a less favorable policy or decide to enforce federal laws strongly."Alicia Hryb-Macri and family Nicola Yates - "David Tennant is the friendliest actor ever!" Stephanie M. McMonigle Stanley A Rynkiewicz April Marie Angel Hand - "By far the kindest, sweetest, and most lovely actor we've ever had the pleasure of meeting." Cathie Berrey-Greene - "Cathie Berrey-Green Thanks for doing a gansta pose with us. #bgstyle #bgproductions" Monica Clason Michelle Wilson Amanda Jeffreys Jenny Nino Anewalt "They were a complete dream come true!!! LOVED getting to meet them, I told David I was going to crop out Billie & my husband and he died laughing! Best day ever!!!" Danielle Woolsey "Fun time having my friend get billie to wear his hat! She was so kind" Jovan Weeks "This was the most exciting day! They were both so wonderful and oh Mr. Tennant... That smile!" Melissa Fary "It was so awesome to meet them! They were so nice!! The Doctor and Rose Tyler! Ahh!!" Denise Eadie Larkin Deanna Lewis David Tennant and Billie Piper were guests at the Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia at the weekend. The event took place at the Pennsylvania Convention Centre where they took part in a fun interactive Q&A panel, signed autographs and posed for photos with fans.Thanks to a number of fans on our Facebook fanpage for sending in their fabulous photos!We'll be posting as many as we can throughout today!Check out the first batch below:Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The pace of jobs growth picked up sharply in the US in the past three months. The United States added 257,000 jobs last month and the number of jobs created in November and December was revised sharply higher. January was the 11th consecutive month in which more than 200,000 jobs were created - the best run since 1994. The Labor Department said on Friday that an additional 147,000 jobs were added in both November and December. That brought the total to 414,000 and 329,000 respectively. An average of 336,000 jobs have been created a month for the past three months - the best three-month pace in 17 years and underlining the strength of the economic recovery in America. A year ago, the three-month average stood at just 197,000. The unemployment rate, which comes from a separate data set, edged higher to 5.7% as the number of people working or looking for a job rose slightly. The rapid rise in the pace of hiring helped average hourly wages to rise 12 cents to $24.75 in January - the biggest gain since September 2008. In the past year, hourly pay has increased by 2.2%. Analysis: Andrew Walker, Economics Correspondent Another pretty upbeat month for the US jobs market, with more than a quarter of a million new jobs being added. But it is still supported by extremely easy money. The Federal Reserve's main interest rate target has been practically zero for six years. It might start to raise it towards more normal levels this year, but it will be a gradual process even the Fed does make a start. And the US is still well below the percentage of the population in jobs that it managed before the financial crisis. For men aged 16 to 64 the figure now is 76.5% compared with 81% in mid-2008. US Federal Reserve remains 'patient' Image copyright Getty Images 'On fire' Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at Capital Economics, said the US labour market was now "on fire", adding that the data would increase pressure on the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates mid-year. There are now an additional 3.2 million Americans in the workforce than there were 12 months ago, helping to bolster the economy by increasing consumer spending. A more buoyant jobs market, along with the significant fall in petrol prices in recent months, helped push US consumer confidence to its highest level in a decade last month. Consumer comeback Russell Price, senior economist at Ameriprise, said: "It's certainly good news: 2015 is going to be the year of the American consumer. With job growth being strong, we're going to see a pickup in wages and salaries." Tom Porcelli, chief US economist at RBC Capital Markets, said: "By any measure this was an extremely good report [which] continues to add evidence that the consumer has the potential to continue to move along at this very constructive pace." US car sales rose by 14% in January compared with the same month in 2014, making it the best January for the industry in nine years, according to Autodata figures.It’s not often you see a team take a quarterback in the first round as the Buffalo Bills did in 2013, only to seemingly move on from that player 14 starts into his career. That’s what EJ Manuel says happened with him. He was named the starter right out the gates and after a rocky rookie campaign, he found himself on the bench in favor of Kyle Orton four games into his second season. “It was very surprising,” Manuel said of his benching. “You know, obviously being 2-2 and after losing to Houston, [former Bills Head] Coach [Doug] Marrone made the change and it was something I never dealt with as a competitor, as an athlete. So, it was definitely one of those things that I had to humble myself and understand that this could happen to anybody, you know what I mean?” “It was obviously a turbulent time in my life and in my career and it was only my second year. So, I’m just like wow. (laughter) Sometimes young guys continue to get a chance to grow and fight through those growing pains and I just wasn’t afforded that opportunity. I just kind of had to roll with it and just keep rolling.” For some perspective, let’s look at Manuel between his rookie season and his second season (as short as that second season was for him). As a rookie, Manuel ranked 37th in the league with 197.2 passing yards per game. His 77.7 passer rating was 7th worst among QB’s with at least 300 attempts. He missed 6 games due to injury and was replaced by Thad Lewis. The Bills were 4-6 under Manuel and finished 2-4 under Lewis and Jeff Tuel. Carr’s first ten games, the Raiders went 0-10. And his 76.6 passer rating that season was not only worse than Manuel’s, but it was fourth worst in the NFL among QB’s with at least 200 attempts. Manuel, in his 4 starts in 2014 upped his QB rating to 80.3, though his completions dropped slightly from 58.8% to 58%. That was enough to get him benched for veteran Kyle Orton who finished off the season going 7-5 as the starter with a 64.2 completion percentage and an 87.8 passer rating. Compare that to Carr’s second season in which he showed improvement across the board, completing 61.1% of his passes with a QB rating of 91.1. The Raiders also improved by four wins to 7-9. So, while Carr began his career lower, he saw a far more sizable jump his second season. There are different ways you can look at that. Which is why initially, the move to bench Manuel caused some friction between coaching and management in Buffalo. Marrone opted out of his contract after that season and Rex Ryan took over as head coach. Also out was his QB coach, Todd Downing, who joined Jack Del Rio’s staff in Oakland. Even with a new staff and a clean slate, Manuel never got his starting job back. Tyrod Taylor was brought in, won the starting job and has not relinquished it, putting up two seasons throwing for over 3000 yards each along with a combined 37 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions. Downing continued to remain in contact with Manuel the past couple years. The two’s relationship goes back to before Downing joining the Bills as QB coach in 2014. That bond was something Manuel said meant a great deal to him and was a major factor in his signing with the Raiders. “He meant a lot,” Manuel said of Downing. “We first worked together in the Senior Bowl. Just from those conversations when I was 21, obviously not knowing what to expect from the NFL and the opportunity that lay ahead of me, just having that trust and that kind of open mode of communication relationship from him back then.” “I was extremely happy when he signed on with us in Buffalo. I was really excited to work with him and learn from him and get some of his wisdom and knowledge. Obviously, that was cut short with the circumstances in Buffalo, but the fact that he was out here, he would still reach out and say, ‘How am I doing?’ It was never really more so about football. It was more so just about me as a person. That’s something that is very rare in this business.” “When he did call once free agency began and told me that [the Raiders] were interested, for me it was a no-brainer. That’s a situation you want. Especially as a quarterback and in my situation, trying to really change the perception of whatever I’ve gone through in Buffalo and all that kind of stuff. I know the player I can be and so does coach Downing. That’s what I’m excited about.” There is no doubt this marriage was a smart one for both parties. In Manuel, Downing gets someone who is familiar with him, and as a new offensive coordinator, that’s important. In Downing, Manuel gets someone who has believed in his abilities since even before he joined the league and will therefore give him a fair shot. Obviously Manuel isn’t here to be the starter or even compete for that job. That belongs to Derek Carr. Manuel understands that and is satisfied with his role in Oakland. “However I can help him (Carr), I’m willing to do, but of course I’m here to compete for the number two job,” said Manuel. “I just want to be an addition. I’m not an ego guy and all that kind of stuff. I’m not driven by that. Obviously, as a player you’re very prideful in yourself, but I’m about the team. I want the team to get better. I want to be here to help this franchise and team to be where they are in whatever role or capacity that is. That’s what I’m excited to do.” Manuel will compete with second year quarterback Connor Cook, who the team selected in the the top of the 4th round in last year’s draft. Cook made his first ever start in the team’s wild card playoff game against the Texans due to injuries to Carr and primary backup, Matt McGloin who is departing as a free agent. Carr, like Manuel, was a starter from day one. From there, the two’s careers went in different directions. Manuel is hoping he can prove he was worth the shot Carr was given in Oakland, only this time as a backup without the pressure of carrying a franchise.• France midfielder has been linked with move to Arsenal • ‘There are ongoing discussions but nothing is done’ The Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has admitted he wants to join a club playing in the Champions League next season, with Arsenal thought to be frontrunners to sign him. The 25-year-old Frenchman has enjoyed another successful season having remained at St Mary’s last summer despite interest from both Arsène Wenger’s side and Tottenham. However, with only two years left on his contract, Schneiderlin has acknowledged that his days on the south coast could now be numbered. “Yes, I think my decision is made,” he told the French radio station RMC. “I learned a lot last season. The goal is to stay in England. It is a championship that I like and where I have a lot of fun. If I leave Southampton, it is for a club that plays better than the Europa League. “There are ongoing discussions but nothing is done. But of course the Champions League is my goal. If I leave Southampton it will be for a club in the Champions League. “I have a two-year contract. If a club pays the right amount for me, it will be time to leave. “The amount? I have no idea but I will not leave for a small price. Southampton is known to be a good seller club, the price should be high enough.” Southampton are thought to want at least £25m for a player they signed from Strasbourg in 2008 but are unlikely to let him leave without a fight. Schneiderlin missed their final-day defeat to Manchester City with a knee ligament injury and he admitted that he was frustrated not to play his part. “My injury is getting better. I still have the left knee ligament that suffers a bit, but I can run,” he said. “I’ll enjoy the holiday to recover. I wanted to wear this jersey again, it’s an honour. So it’s annoying. But then I’ll be able to recover and have a good season next year.” Meanwhile, on-loan defender Toby Alderweireld hopes his future can be resolved quickly. The Belgian has enjoyed a successful loan at St Mary’s from Atlético Madrid. Southampton do have an option to buy for around £6.8m but it understood Atletico could revoke that by making a payment. If that occurred the Spanish club could either keep him or sell elsewhere, and both Manchester City and Tottenham have been linked with the 26-year-old. Alderweireld admits he does not know what lies ahead but, after moving from Ajax to Atlético in 2013 and then to Saints last year, wants it sorted out soon. He said: “I hope to know where my future is before pre-season starts because it’s two years in a row that I have done a pre-season with a club and then on 31 August I have left. “So I hope this time I can do a pre-season with the club that I will be playing with and have a good year. “The situation is frustrating and I don’t know what will happen. I would like to make a decision but the club has to decide first. “There are three options - stay with Atlético, stay with Southampton or go to another club. So we will see what happens. “It’s not up to me so I can’t say a lot about it but I hope the decision is quickly made.” Alderweireld feels he settled in well at Southampton and enjoyed playing in Ronald Koeman’s impressive team. Saints, despite being written off at the start of the campaign after losing several star names, finished seventh and could yet qualify for the Europa League. Alderweireld said: “I really enjoyed the Premier League. I’ve had a fantastic year at Southampton and I want to thank the fans and the club for giving me the opportunity. “The diversity is nice, the tempo, the atmosphere at games and the language is better for me than in Spain. “I’ve had a fantastic year, I can’t lie about that, so yes I’d like to stay in the Premier League. “I really want to go to a club that really wants me. Southampton gave me that opportunity and it paid off, I think.”Sweatin’ the Small Stuff, or, Beware Your Throwaway Jokes About Middle-Aged Women in Magic Ladies and gentlemen, we give you this break from mediocre fanfic to talk about everybody’s favorite topic: sexism in Magic. (OK, maybe just mine. I have weird hobbies. This surprises nobody.) As previously, I’m not talking about big, scary sexism—the stuff that’s easy to point at and go “Wow, that’s fucked up.” I’m not going to talk about the stream of gross comments and behavior Jackie Lee, for example, was exposed to when she Top 8ed GP Baltimore in 2012. I’m not even going to talk about the humiliation and anger women feel when male opponents they’ve defeated say “I can’t believe I lost to a girl.” These acts of sexism are egregious enough that most reasonable people can nod their heads and follow along with the outrage and feel virtuous because they’re not Those Assholes. I’m not even going to talk about basic lands festooned with scantily-clad, anatomically-improbable women giving you come-hither glances. (Pro tip: if you use them, they make a lot of women feel gross and contribute to what lawyers have coined a “hostile environment,” but hey, that might be your goal?) I’m going to talk about something that’s a lot more subtle, and therefore a lot more uncomfortable, because none of us wants to be That Asshole. But sometimes we are—myself definitely included. And it can feel shitty to be called out, and it can feel even shittier when you don’t even know what the hell this person is going on about, man, I was just trying to make a joke, can’t we just roll with it and call it a joke? No, no we can’t. Because humorless feminist here, obvs. It starts with what is overall a really, really great Star City Games article by Danny West, “Playing Commander in Style.” He goes through some of the most degenerate Legendary Creatures and rips on them and… really, you should read the whole thing. It’s freaking great. My favorite parts are his suggestions for how to make the degenerate Commanders more stylin’. (His Relentless Rats deck suggestion made me burst out with a surprised cackle.) Dude’s comic timing is a joy to behold, and if I could barter for it, Ursula-style, I would. And then I got to the part about Azami, Lady of Scrolls and I was all hahaha yeah so annoys very wait uh whut no no no don’t noooooooo Y U DO DIS. To quote West directly: I remember reading someone from WotC’s commentary on banning Mystical Tutor in Legacy years ago. They said it wasn’t just that it was powerful—though it certainly is—it’s that they didn’t want a format marquee card being a middle-aged woman pointing at a passage in a dated text book. (Emphasis mine.) OK, first of all, West is kind of misquoting WotC; what Tom LaPille actually said at the time was this: Upon the announcement of Mystical Tutor‘s banning, many players asked if unbanning Entomb was a mistake and why we didn’t just reban it. This is a fine question, but that isn’t quite what’s going on. In fact, we don’t think that unbanning Entomb was a mistake at all. We think it’s cool that Reanimator is a deck. What we don’t think is cool is to have an enigmatic-looking hooded woman holding a book and trying to look innocuous while she boosts the power of every spell-based combination deck that ever shows up in the format. (Emphasis again mine.) Notice the shift in interpretation: West is making a crack about the age of the woman depicted in Mystical Tutor and how her lack of stylishness somehow played a part in the card’s banning. LaPille’s joke focuses on the contrast between how mild-mannered Mystical Tutor Lady looks, vs. the explosive, game-ending combo shenanigans the card enables. At no point is LaPille trying to make any kind of serious statement about Mystical Tutor Lady’s appearance and how that appearance had any kind of bearing on the card’s banning. Soooo that’s kinda telling. But let’s take West’s statement at face value for a moment, shall we? (“Yes, let’s!” said nobody ever, but such is the tyranny I wield over this blog.) Let’s in fact pretend that WotC had actual, real-life reservations about a middle-aged lady becoming the Face of Legacy, and that’s one of the reasons they banned the card. I have a few points I want to make about “a format marquee card being a middle-aged woman” etc: Point the First: When I see Mystical Tutor Lady, I don’t think “frumpy middle-aged woman.” I honestly think she’s kinda foxy. Am I nuts here? Or is my love for thoughtful-looking women with gorgeous eyes and great cheekbones skewing my perception? I don’t think it is. Mystical Tutor Lady has a facial structure actresses and supermodels would kill to have. West was either engaging in a bit of hyperbole for yuks (and fell flat), or our beauty standards are way more screwed up than I gave credit for. Point the Second: Contrast Mystical Tutor Lady with the faces gracing the other three cards in the cycle. (Yeah, I know, bla bla bla Goblin Tutor bla bla
ael Crawford) gives her daughter a much needed pep talk, reminding her she was as much an architect of her success as was Kelly and encouraging her to believe in her ability to forge on without him. When Aaliyah is set to work on her sophomore album, her handlers urge her to record with any number of R&B producers currently on a hot streak. Instead, Aaliyah opts to work with Timbaland and Missy Elliott (Izaak Smith and Chattrisse Dolabaille), then a pair of unknown quantities from Norfolk, Virginia who were as terrified to work with a star on the rise as Aaliyah was by the prospect of finding out Kelly was the magician and she was merely the assistant. The three form an easy bond and churn out One In A Million, still considered the master stroke of Aaliyah’s too-brief career. Had Princess spent more time on Aaliyah’s rebuilding phase, it would make for a sympathetic film, at least by Lifetime standards, and it would have offered a new take on a familiar throughline. Music history is replete with ingenues who had to outrun a svengali’s shadow, and Aaliyah’s story is particularly triumphant now, given some women who claim they had dalliances with Kelly as teenagers have said the experience drove them to suicide. The limited scope would have also dialed down the sensationalism by trimming the sick-making “courtship.” Advertisement More than that, the One In A Million period offers the best example of Aaliyah doing what she did best. Some of her staunchest fans would concede she wasn’t known as a vocal powerhouse. Aaliyah was a well-rounded pop star, and she excelled at doing what pop stars do: conceptualizing an image, a sound and a presentation, finding the right talent to help realize the vision, then performing the hell out of it. But music biopics almost never focus on a definitive period in a performer’s life. And given that Aaliyah died in a plane crash at only 22, it’s unsurprising for director Bradley Walsh and writer Michael Elliott (working from Christopher John Farley’s biography) to choose to cover a much wider period, beginning with Aaliyah’s debut on Star Search at 10 and ending days before her death. What is surprising is the producers’ defiant approach to making the film. They soldiered ahead even as Aaliyah’s family objected loudly and withheld rights to her music, leading Zendaya Coleman, the first choice for the leading role, to back out of the project. Celebrity estates always fiercely protect their turf, but in fairness, Aaliyah’s family objected to the film out of concern the network known for such cinematic flotsam as Deadly Spa might not have the most delicate touch. Advertisement Shipp’s performance is inoffensive, but no more than that, and what little of Aaliyah’s music makes it to the final film does so in the form of tinny covers that do Aaliyah’s musical legacy no favors. The film spends entirely too much time on Aaliyah’s embryonic acting career, a consequence of working from a life story so regrettably short, there isn’t a need for merciless editing. So many choices in Princess boggle the mind, including the casting of Smith and Dolabaille to play Tim and Missy, which suggests the casting agent has only seen the influential producers in photographs viewed through a kaleidoscope smeared with Vaseline. It’s hard to defend Princess as anything more than a tabloid take on well-publicized statutory rape, not unlike Lifetime’s Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs, which is especially gross considering the subject matter and the staunch objection of Aaliyah’s family. The movie may be named after her, but its production seems more inspired by another one of its characters, one with a tenuous grasp on the importance of consent.I'm a big openSUSE user. No ifs, ands or buts about it. I love it so much that I even sit on the openSUSE board. But that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate the other, truly remarkable, Linux distributions. And one of my absolute favorites is elementary OS. What this group of people has accomplished over the last few years is nothing short of phenomenal. So I reached out to the Big Kahuna of elementary, Daniel Fore, to have chat about the project. Where it's going, how it got to where it's at and what motivates the project founder. It turned out to be a rather enlightening chat and I am including it below. Unedited. Bryan: How would you explain the elementary OS project and your role within it? Bear in mind that I have the attention span of a gnat. Daniel: elementary OS is a consumer-focused, open source, Linux-based operating system with a heavy emphasis on UX design. I am the founder of elementary (the company behind elementary OS). A great deal of my time is spent organizing our team, which is mostly made up of volunteers, but I also spend time coding for both web and desktop, triaging bug reports, providing visual and UX design, and of course interacting with our users. You say elementary is "mostly made up of volunteers"... how many people working on elementary would you classify as 'not-volunteer'? At the moment we have two full-time employees and one part-time employee. We also offer bug bounties through Bountysource. I'm scaling that up as quickly as our funding allows. I'd love to be able to pay more people to hack on open source software. That's pretty impressive. I can think of many Open Source projects that would love to be in a place to be able to pay people to work on it full time. How did you get to that point with elementary? Very slowly! We were, what I would consider, bootstrapping for nearly six years. We made our first two OS releases as a 100% volunteer organization. With our third release, codenamed Freya, we decided to embrace a pay-what-you-want model like Humble Indie Bundle and tie our monetization strategy directly to our downloads. We had explored other kinds of monetization like selling CDs and merchandise, but it wasn't until we went pay-what-you-want that we could afford to start hiring. What drove you to keep working on elementary? A lot of work, unpaid, for years. Most people would have given up and switched their focus to something that brought in money during those early years. What kept you going with the project? Well for me, money isn't the motivation. It's often the thing that stops me from doing the things I want to do. Working on elementary OS is my passion. I value my freedom to pursue my passion much higher than making a big paycheck. There were actually times where I turned down jobs because they would have restricted me from working on elementary OS haha. That's probably a little crazy, but I think it paid off because now I make my living by doing what I love. I don't want to be stuck in a miserable job working on something I don't truly care about. What is it about elementary OS, specifically, that makes it your passion? That makes this project so important to you that you have been willing to pass up those bigger paychecks? Elementary OS started off as a way to scratch an itch. I spend quite a lot of time on my computer and I wanted my operating system to be faster, smarter, easier to use, safer, more beautiful. I haven't run out of things that I think can be made better yet, so as long as there are ways we can do better I don't think I will lose my interest. For users, I want to make sure that people have access to a world-class operating system without having to pay expensive licensing fees, buy into expensive hardware, or be the target of advertising. But also, I see a bit of a higher purpose for the company itself. Not that long ago, I compared elementary to a life raft: I want to pull people out of the trap of working at jobs they don't like where their talents are under-utilized and give them the opportunity to work at a company with a culture that is built around personal freedom and doing things that are meaningful. So my personal vision of elementary, both the company and the OS, is as a way to make the world just a little bit nicer to live in for as many people as we can. That's a big vision. In achieving those goals, who do you see as elementary's biggest competitors? Is there anyone (any project, company, etc.) that is standing in the way of elementary? In consumers minds switching to elementary OS means leaving Windows or OS X. The only thing I can really say has been a hindrance to adoption is Microsoft Secureboot. It makes it confusing for people to install, especially when they get conflicting information on the Internet about whether or not they should disable it and how safe that is. We have made big strides recently in supporting more and different types of (U)EFI configurations, with and without Secureboot. Generally, I feel pretty good about what we're doing in terms of competitors because at the moment over 70% of people who download elementary OS are doing it from Windows or OS X. Over 70% of elementary OS downloads are from Windows/Mac? That's phenomenal. Any idea how that happened? Have you been actively promoting to non-Linux users? I think it has a lot to do with the way we present ourselves. On our website we actually started to use the tagline, "A fast and open replacement for Windows and OS X". We have pictures of our apps and show off features of the OS. All of our copy is very consumer oriented. We put a lot of effort into keeping our social media accounts active and responsive and engaging users directly. I think it makes our brand much more personable and takes away some of the "scary" that novice computer users sometimes associate with Linux. We don't run any sort of ads, so we rely on making good impressions on our users and also tech journalists ;) Well that approach seems to be working! Any indication of how many active users elementary OS has at this point? We don't do any sort of user tracking, so we don't currently have a way to measure the number of active users. Fair. Tracking user numbers is notoriously difficult for so many Linux distributions. Changing focus... let's talk about the future. Where do you see elementary (both the company and the OS) going over the next few years? In the near term, we're going to be putting a lot of focus on our developer story. We've had a lot of interest from developers in creating apps specifically for elementary OS, but the story for how they should distribute those apps isn't entirely clear. Right now we rely on the upstream repositories for Ubuntu, which means that users have trouble getting the latest version of apps in a timely manner. So this is a problem from both ends. We also want to extend the pay-what-you-want model to apps and give our developer community an easy way to raise funds for their development. I think focusing on providing a great developer experience and helping developers monetize will not only push elementary OS to the next level, but provide another solid revenue stream that we can use to grow the company. It's a big step because it positions us as a company that is not only providing a finished product, but as a company providing services which is an important experience as we look to compete in the cloud space. More and more, users expect apps to leverage the Internet not just for syncing data in folders a la Dropbox, but for transparent backups of both data and settings, streaming content, and interacting with other users. So there's a lot to do in terms of evolving both the OS as a platform and the company as a provider. Do I hear 'app store'? :) You sure do haha. We've been testing the client in our development builds of elementary OS and while the server isn't quite production ready yet, we've been making a lot of progress there as well. Very cool. Do you have a time frame that you're looking at for releasing the next version of elementary OS? Or are you going with the "we release when it's ready" approach? Haha, always 'when it's ready' but definitely this year :) I accept that answer. Anything else you'd like to add before we wrap up this bad mama jama? As always, everything is open source and we'd love if people wanted to get involved with making elementary OS. The best place to go for more info is https://elementary.io/get-involved. Even if you don't know how to code, we could always use folks to translate, write documentation, report any issues they find, and of course we highly appreciate any help with funding.19870 false false true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% V A – Affordable Housing Bond ote yes on A, No on K! Those ads, billboards and crazy propositions are back. Some want to help the poor, some want to help the rich. Others represent political infighting and really don’t want to help anyone. Despite some improvements this year (many have summaries now), the ballot measures will vex many ordinary voters. Residents will bewildered by the poorly scanned PDF documents that have complicated language and aren’t text searchable. Even the format, where the existing verbose ordinance is overlaid with the proposition’s amendments, makes finding and understanding the specific new rules arduous and overwhelming. We braved the deep convoluted waters of the ballot measures to bring our own critical eye and make sense of the madness. 19849 false true true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 auto false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% With median home prices entering stratospheric heights soaring past a million dollars and one bedroom rents breaking the $3,500 price barrier, common sense begs an appropriate question. How did San Francisco find itself as leader of the highest rents in the nation? The basic laws of supply and demand dictate that when demand outpaces supply, prices will rise. In the case of San Francisco, the demand is being fueled by tech companies migrating to the city’s SoMa district, a tsunami of foreign investment, and a national trend sending youth to the culturally diverse and opportunity-rich cities from the less vivacious suburbs. Compounding the situation, market rate supply has been restricted by historically low housing development, strict building height limits, density controls, sunlight ordinances, significant anti-development sentiment, and a city Below Market Rate (BMR) Program which takes units out of the market rate pool. The high rents threaten to upset the demographic balance of the city as immigrants and service workers flee to find affordable living elsewhere. Backers of Ballot Measure A aim to fix the problem by investing $310 million in the city’s affordable and public housing. The broad sweeping measure may allocate funds to preserve, build, and reclaim properties to be governed and controlled by the Below Market Rate Program, a system whereby the city rents or sells a property at a discounted rate to qualified residents that meet income requirements. Additionally, funds may be directed to rebuild public housing, help teachers buy their first homes, assist middle income residents with renting or owning homes, and focus funds specifically on the preservation of affordable homes in the Mission District. The $310 million will come from raising property taxes, adding an average of $80 a year for 25 years (if your home is valued at $1,000,000). The measure does not mention specifics on which properties will be built or preserved, how the funds will be proportioned to each of the proposals, and which income brackets the BMR units will target. Are we allocating 30% of the funds to public housing? If I make $100,000 a year, will I qualify for one of the BMRs under this measure? A more fundamental question is whether targeting affordability through expanding the BMR program is the best method to combat high rents and home prices. Complaints about long waits, a cumbersome application process, tight restrictions on resale values, decreased property tax revenue, and the general growth of government controlled housing program are significant concerns for a program that will do little to abate the irrepressible surge in market rate prices. The program may even contribute to market rate price increases if a significant amount of market rate units are converted to BMRs and empty properties are used solely for BMR housing construction. The many residents (including myself) currently making a shy too much to qualify for a BMR unit but too little to not feel the pressures of the city’s high rents will be increasingly burdened under such conditions. B – Paid Parental Leave for City Employees 19898 false false true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% C – Expenditure Lobbyists Our country’s future rests upon our children and the future success of our children significantly depends upon their solid upbringing and good parenting. Social programs and daycare centers can never match the affection, nurturing, and care that a loving mother and father can provide, which is crucial for the proper development of a child especially at early stages. Currently, in San Francisco if both parents are city workers, only one parent is offered three months of paid leave when they have a newborn child. Proposition B allows both parents to take paid leave and also permits them to retain their hours of sick leave that would have been otherwise exhausted under the current law. The city controller estimates the added benefits will cost the city between $570,000 and $1.1 million. Not a bad deal considering both parents can spend time with their children. However, why should only city workers enjoy such benefits when many privately employed parents are also struggling to raise their newborns. 19861 false true true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 auto false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% D – Mission Rock lobbyist is a person or group that attempts to influence decisions of government officials. Washington D.C. has them and they are in most major cities, including our own beloved San Francisco. A city Ethics Commission was setup in 1993 to regulate these guys and monitor their activities by recording who they are lobbying, what economic considerations (aka gifts) did they provide to city officials, and when did such activities take place. Well, it turns out, the lobbyists get lobbied as well and the backers of Proposition C wants them tracked by having them also register with the Ethics Commission. That’s all well and good but what’s going to make these lobbyists of lobbyists, also referred to as Expenditure Lobbyists, acquiesce to the new rule and identify themselves. Additionally, since the extra money garnered from the $500 registration fee should cover any additional work handling the extra lobbyists, specifics and transparency on why the city needs another $560,000 to add these new lobbyists is lacking. 19829 false false true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% Advocates of Proposition D need your help. They want to redevelop Mission Rock, an expansive 28 acre Mission Bay site just south of AT&T Park along the bay waterfront. Gone will be the existing massive parking lot, replaced with approximately nine buildings rising to various heights with the tallest breaching the sky at 240 feet. The midrise towers will house a maximum of 1,950 homes, a multitude of retail stores, and space for light manufacturing. There’s only one problem. The project, with buildings soaring to 240 feet, won’t quite fit inside the pesky 40 foot height limits that currently drape over the Mission Rock site. Last year San Francisco voters passed Proposition B, a measure requiring voter approval for any ambitiously tall buildings that want to exceed waterfront properties’ current height limits. Proposition D asks for your blessing to go beyond Mission Rock’s current height limits. To sweeten the deal, developers are more than doubling the minimum BMR units to 33%, laying out eight acres of parks, and redeveloping the waterfront and Pier 48. Car haters might not like the included 3,100 parking spaces but the site is currently a big parking lot anyway. The Muni T line may become over stressed by the additional thousands of people planned for the area, which gives another reason to push more of the Muni system underground using faster more efficient tunnels. Despite all the new redevelopment, the Mission Bay District lacks street life, energy, and attraction. The low slung bulky buildings reduce open space, limit people density, and have yet to lure significant amount of retail shops and restaurants. If the Mission Rock plans are fully realized, the new development would give a needed jolt to a new neighborhood still trying to find an identity. E – Requirements For Public Meetings 19895 false false true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% You’re a motorist and you feel increasingly unwelcomed on the streets of San Francisco as your lanes disappear to make way for dedicated bicycle and public transportation lanes. You’re a long time resident and see new tall residential towers bringing young rude techies into the city that beep their car horns and rarely seem as good natured as locals. You’re a latino resident of The Mission and you’re witnessing fellow brothers and sisters being evicted from their homes to make way for upscale condominiums. And you want to voice your opinions, attend city meetings that beget many of these changes, and strive to influence decisions of policy makers. So aren’t the city’s commissions, policy bodies, and other decision making groups currently open about their rulings? Proponents of Ballot Measure E don’t think so and they have a beef with the way things are currently getting decided in San Francisco. To better understand their issue let’s go back to 1999 where voters passed the Sunshine Ordinance to ensure the city must “[reach] its decisions in full view of the public”. Since most of city policy meetings were held during business hours, working residents had to take time off from work to attend these sessions. Yes, meetings were publicly held but attendance was not feasible for many people. At that time their was no other option to make things better. Fast forward to today’s “Internet of things” which makes possible remote work, virtual meetings, and video conferencing. Proposition E wants current technology to “open” the public meetings to everyone through live streaming video on the government websites. It also wants organizers to post their meeting’s itinerary three days in advance and translate voice testimonies from residents who don’t speak English. It’s a good start but the measure doesn’t go far enough. Missing from the proposition is the ability to watch these meetings offline since most of us can’t watch live streaming city meetings at work. Also, the city controller’s nearly $2 million estimate to make all this “fancy” technology work seems a bit stiff considering video equipment is inexpensive these days. F – Short-Term Residential Rentals 19846 false false true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% There is no doubt Airbnb is a disruptor in the lodging sector. The home sharing company unlocks a city’s housing potential by renting rooms or homes that would otherwise go vacant. Visitors receive a more personalized and economical service when compared to traditional hotels, and residents earn extra income that can supplement their existing rent expense. In San Francisco, where hotel prices are third highest in the country and home rents are the highest in all major US cities, Airbnb can provide monetary relief to budget minded tourists and economically struggling residents. A new way of unleashing the city’s limited housing supply should excite and encourage San Francisco’s officials, right? Not exactly. A recent city sponsor study showed that Airbnb rentals “take away already scarce housing from long-term rentals, may encourage tenant evictions..., violates local zoning..., and negatively affects the quality of life in residential areas.” Having passed earlier this year, a law is already on city books that limits Airbnb yearly usage to only 90 days for residents and criminalizes offenders with fines and incarceration. The current law was deemed to be not adequately enforceable, so officials have put more Orwellian rules in Proposition F that forces Airbnb to disclose their rental data, reduces the allowable rental days from 90 to 75, requires the city to notify nearby neighbors of newly registered Airbnb homes, encourages locals to report violators, and allows the city to sue Airbnb and hold them criminally liable. Placing aside the questionable constitutionality of requiring Airbnb to hand over renter’s information, the heavy handed law will more than likely force more residents to oblige by the new rules and limit the amount of Airbnb rental availability in a city with average hotel rates of $255. In addition, the proposition does not make clear how these rules will effectively increase the pool of homes available for long term renters and ignores more obvious solutions to the housing crisis such as raising height and density limits on new residential building constructions. Since the city’s own documents state that Airbnb rentals represent less than 1% of homes in San Francisco, a more pragmatic and less severe approach would be to better understand the effects of home sharing concept by allowing the burgeoning industry more time to mature. In many cases where new companies disrupt industries, such as the taxi service’s nemeses Uber and Lyft, an industrial shakeup can ultimately give consumers more choices and ways to earn additional income. G – Disclosures Regarding Renewable Energy 19833 false false true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% Voters are being dragged into the fight over CleanPowerSF, a city energy program intended to purge PG&E’s monopoly over San Francisco and offer local residents a 100% renewable energy alternative. The program incubating for decades, is finally set to launch this spring and automatically switches residents to a “green” energy plan powered by a mix of non-renewable and renewable resources. Wait, did I say non-renewable? Keeping the prices same as PG&E while also making the service completely renewable didn’t quite pan out. But how can the city still call their service “green”? PG&E and their unions, who never warmed up to the CleanPowerSF initiative, have the same question and put Proposition G on the ballot to force the city not to use “green”, “clean” or similar terms to describe CleanPowerSF services. After all, some of PG&E’s own service partially uses energy from renewable sources and they don’t call their service “green”. But it doesn’t stop there. The proposition also wants to send three mass mailings to city residents advertising the actual ratios of renewable vs nonrenewable energy used by CleanPowerSF. There is another clause stating that any “renewable, greenhouse gas-free” energy advertised by CleanPowerSF must abide by hard-to-read California Codes which the Sierra club claims will “block [the program] from including rooftop solar in [their] renewable energy package”. Is the city misleading customers by stating their service is green when most of it isn’t? Probably. But the bigger question is why are voters getting tangled in the politics between PG&E, unions and the city with propositions questioning the technical terms labeled on energy plans? The purpose of our paid elected officials is under question if they can’t work with local organizations, companies, and other groups to materialize solutions to such issues and enact legislation that avoids direct involvement from voters. H – Defining Clean, Green, and Renewable Energy 19825 false false true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% So city officials didn’t like Proposition G and they worked out their issues with PG&E and the unions, but due to some unstoppable government inertia the proposition could not be removed from the ballot. Hence the need for Proposition H, which represents a compromised solution that addresses some of the issues PG&E and the unions had with CleanPowerSF. Who needs Cirque du Soleil when we have our own circus playing out in city government? Proposition H uses softer language against the CleanPowerSF program, urging rather than mandating the program inform residents of its renewable vs nonrenewable ratios. “Green”, “clean” and other terminology used to describe an energy’s source is clarified via state law, but there is no specific clause disallowing the city program from using “green” to describe their partially renewable energy plan. Finally, the use of local, rather than out-of-state energy facilities, is encouraged when buying Renewable Energy Credits (RNC). Unfortunately, many voters will undoubtedly be vexed by the terms used in Proposition H and G, and neither of them belong on the ballot. I – Suspension of Market-Rate Development in the Mission District 19865 false false true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% Name the district where the streets are as colorful as the people. A place representing a cultural amalgamation echoed in its melange of businesses, restaurants, and festivals that cater to all, be it rich, poor, and everything in between. I’ll give you a hint. It has a strong Latino community and you’ve probably been there on more than one occasion for dinner. Yes, that’s correct. The Mission! So what’s wrong with this area that we need a Proposition stopping all construction? Accelerated by a strong local economy and surge of young professionals moving into the city, Latinos and their mom and pop stores are being kicked out in favor of million dollar condos and upscale restaurants. The new mandatory affordable BMR homes that do get added, go to a lottery of folks that usually have no connection to the Mission. From 2000 to 2013, the Mission’s Latino community shrunk by 8,000 and current trends give every indication the contraction will continue and may even accelerate. San Francisco is loosing their Latino rich neighborhood and these trends go against a city that prides itself on accommodating all people including the poor, immigrants, and disabled. How do we solve this problem? Thank God for our city politicians! They came up with a solution with Proposition I. The solution is putting a halt on all new construction in the Mission, until they come up with a solution. Never mind that the gentrification and loss of the Latino population has been gestating for more than a decade, they say they need 18 more months. There are other details in the 12 page proposition, but it amounts to a development halt. A no solution solution. An obvious solution, not remotely mentioned in the proposition, is to do something with the Mission’s vertically challenged zoning. A 40 foot building height limit currently suffocates much of the Mission and is making the current residents fight over a meager space between the street and the sky. Increase these heights and mandate the developers to retain all local residents and businesses that would have otherwise been displaced by the new buildings. If the developers get to build more market rate units with taller buildings, they will be more willing to oblige. The Mission streets may get a little shadier and homes perched on Bernal Heights may loose some of their downtown views, but it’s a small price to pay to keep our city a city for all. Doing nothing is not an answer, doing something is. J – Legacy Business Historic Preservation Fund 19854 false true true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 auto false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% Change is a fact of life. The young grow old and eventually get replaced with a new set of young. Businesses follow the same course and eventually close down to make way for new companies with new ideas and new ways to make money. For the last several years in San Francisco an influx of young professionals, new investment, and real estate transactions has accelerated the circle of (business) life and killed off many local companies including venerable city icons. Empress of China, Lombardi Sports, Marcus Books, and Esta Noche are all gone in the name of progress and change. Some (All Star Donuts) were forced to close by higher rents imposed by their landlords. Others (Lombardi Sports) sold their properties, lured by the millions buyers are willing to hand out. City officials think these historic businesses, many of which helped shape San Francisco’s life and culture, need to be saved. Proposition J was added to the ballot to incentivize these businesses to stay open through a grant package that annually awards “Legacy” businesses $500 (maximum of $50,000) for each full time employee. Landlords also receive some city cash, getting $4.50 a rentable square foot for 10 year lease pacts they make with legacy businesses. So what exactly is a legacy business? Well, that’s changing too. They can be younger, going from 30 to 20 years or older, and are nominated by the Board of Supervisors or Mayor for their “historic” value. A maximum of 300 legacy businesses can be nominated per year. The city controller thinks this proposition and the flood of new businesses that potentially could be “Legacy” will cost the city as much as $93 million after 25 years. No limit to the number of legacy businesses the city can have and possibility of business favoritism on part of the Board of Supervisors and Mayor give reason for many to be concerned. Should an upscale legacy business, such as Top of The Mark in ritzy Nob Hill, also get entitlements? Another more fundamental question is whether some of these businesses are deserving of city money, especially if the original owners have left. K – Surplus Public Lands 19876 false true true false true true false auto false ease-in-out 300 auto false 0 true true Previous (Left arrow key) Next (Right arrow key) %curr% of %total% Many city agencies, commissions, and departments are holding on to land they don’t regularly utilize or use for unrelated purposes. An ordinance is already in place to assemble a list of these “underutilized” or “surplus” properties and determine whether they can be used for housing for the homeless and those making 60% of local AMI. Proposition K seeks to modify the ordinance by relaxing the house income requirement to 120% AMI, increasing the Board of Supervisors oversight, laying out a more comprehensive land identification process, delaying the sale of these properties by 120 days, and requiring sites that sell to private developers to go 33% affordable. Basically the desire is to give priority to building 100% affordable residential complexes on these surplus lands to a larger pool of lower income people. It’s a noble idea but there is no mention on how the city intends to finance such developments, since private developers would be removed from the equation. The city would be better off selling to private developers and using the cash to construct new affordable units. 1400 Mission is a perfect example on how the luxurious Lumina complex paid for the 100% affordable 190 unit residential complex in SoMa.Booking.com Pygmy Nuthatches At Grand Canyon National Park After completing a guided Fossil Walk along the South Rim Trail at Grand Canyon National Park, Bob and I hiked further along the rim to Maricopa Point before turning and heading back towards Maswik Lodge. Our detour proved worthwhile when we discovered a small flock of Pygmy Nuthatches (Sitta pygmaea) inhabiting one of the many trees. (Photo Courtesy: Grand Canyon National Park) Sightings of Pygmy Nuthatches have been recorded at the Grand Canyon for decades. This picture of Ranger Naturalist Edwin McKee with a Pygmy Nuthatch sitting on his hand was taken in 1929 at Grand Canyon National Park. McKee is credited with creating many of the ranger talks and nature walks along the Rim, such as the Fossil Walk that we had just finished on the South Rim. His efforts helped to bring public awareness to the Grand Canyon, and because of Naturalists like McKee, we had the benefit of observing Pygmy Nuthatches on the same rim 84 years later. Never ones to stick to the beaten path, Bob and I cut through the wooded area bordered by West Rim Drive, Rowe Well Road and the railway tracks. That stretch is host to numerous Ponderosa Pines (Pinus ponderosa), a different species of pine tree from those seen at home in Ontario. We are familiar with Jack Pine, Red Pine and Eastern White Pine, which are themselves magnificent, stately trees, but I was really impressed by the Ponderosa Pines. Ponderosa Pines have been known to grow to a height of 268 feet, but what sets these trees apart from other pine species is the thick, cinnamon-red bark. On older trees, the bark separates into large, exfoliating plates that are said to give off a vanilla scent. Bob and I were first attracted to the majestic pine trees for a closeup look at the bark, and that is when we took note of numerous Pygmy Nuthatches skittering along the lower branches of one tree in particular. Not to be outmaneuvered by the Pygmy Nuthatches, a White-breasted Nuthatch was lurking nearby, in the crotch of another tree. The diminutive Pygmy Nuthatches are small even by nuthatch standards, but they are extremely energetic. They are typically found in long-needled pine forests, and most often associated with ponderosa pines. We watched the nuthatches clamber acrobatically up and down the tree trunks, even out to the very tips of the branches, as they foraged for seeds and insects. At such close range, Bob and I were able to distinguish the crisp brown cap on the large rounded head, the slate-grey back, whitish underparts and sharp, straight bill. The bill is indispensable when searching for ants, spiders, caterpillars, beetles and other such insects that make up the primary component of their diet during breeding season, as it was when we observed them. To uncover such tasty morsels, the nuthatches use the bill to pry up scales of bark, probe cracks, and glean from needle clusters and cones. Seeds make up the bulk of their winter diet. Pygmy Nuthatches weigh a mere one-third of an ounce, and to maintain their hyperactive energy level, they consume a meager 9 calories of food per day. Because they breed in large, extended family groups, they are often seen foraging together, in groups of 6 or more. Such a grouping of nuthatches is referred to as a “jar” of nuthatches. The endearing bird sounds that these nuthatches create had us hooked…short, squeaky cheeps and peeps as they chattered amongst themselves in their highly social group. Bob and I spent a good 45 minutes watching the group of nuthatches, and were quite thrilled to realize that they were a different species from those we see at home. Pyg
11:00 that's paid on net royalties paid so net 29:15:00 worth is paid is after products been 29:17:00 purchased at wholesale you - out returns 29:20:00 and discounts and that that price that 29:24:00 amount that you're left with is what 29:25:00 gets paid to the inventor's Wow yeah and 29:30:00 again any inventors that are out there 29:31:00 what genius talking about is exactly how 29:33:00 business is done license your product or 29:35:00 even go into retail and trying to sell 29:36:00 yourself there's percentages on returns 29:38:00 there's some times we have to pay for 29:40:00 advertising they're shipping to the 29:42:00 distribution center so when quirky takes 29:45:00 it on in license the product that's why 29:46:00 licensing is such a great deal for most 29:48:00 inventors what gene is talking about 29:50:00 that 3% is a normal percentage II and I 29:53:00 mean you know that and you know a lot of 29:56:00 inventors get this big head or they 29:57:00 think I'm gonna get 12% I'm gonna twin 29:59:00 it does not happen today your major 30:05:00 consumer products companies if they're 30:08:00 lucky at the end of the day are taking 30:10:00 home a 10% profit margin that's after 30:14:00 they've invested millions in development 30:17:00 in packaging in marketing in a sales 30:20:00 team they're hoping to take home maybe 30:24:00 10% you are getting 1.5 percent as an 30:28:00 inventor in the community without 30:30:00 a single bar so we think it's a very 30:33:00 fair and a great opportunity for 30:36:00 inventors to really make some honey and 30:39:00 like I said we don't we pay the 30:41:00 invention community out of our own 30:43:00 loyalty so when the inventors and the 30:45:00 community makes money Corky makes money 30:47:00 so that's how we measure success the 30:49:00 more money here purely incentivized to 30:53:00 make money for our inventors and where 30:55:00 we make them the more we make so it's 30:58:00 really a win-win and I think it is the 31:00:00 right way to measure success of our 31:02:00 business yeah one 1,000 percent that's 31:05:00 why I love this model so much I'm after 31:07:00 we know we after we talked prior to to 31:10:00 starting the shows I love the models so 31:11:00 much because an educated inventor will 31:14:00 realize just the resources that you're 31:16:00 gonna throw out an idea itself is worth 31:19:00 hundreds of thousands of dollars and 31:21:00 then being able to put that distribution 31:23:00 that company that licensee in front of 31:26:00 the invention I mean in most cases even 31:29:00 if you get your product to the point 31:30:00 where you can license it getting in 31:32:00 touch with the person who's going to 31:33:00 take it on is even a hard part so you're 31:36:00 doing it all yeah it's not easy to 31:39:00 navigate and find someone to connect and 31:43:00 picture product to these big brands in 31:47:00 these manufacturers so the fact that we 31:49:00 have existing relationships and 31:51:00 committed manufacturing partners and 31:53:00 brands who said we want to take 10 or 20 31:57:00 products to market a year off of the 32:00:00 quirky platform they're you know they're 32:03:00 already open and excited and looking for 32:06:00 products to bring to market off of our 32:08:00 platform the other thing that's new 32:11:00 really about the business model with 32:12:00 this relaunch is the scale that this 32:15:00 licensing model can bring us so we get 32:18:00 inventions in toys impacts in auto 32:21:00 in-home in Fitness in sports and so by 32:25:00 having a breath and a network of 32:28:00 manufacturing partners across all of 32:30:00 these different categories we're now 32:32:00 able to bring you know hundreds of 32:34:00 products to market 32:36:00 rather than you know just if we were 32:38:00 doing it on the limited scale that we 32:42:00 would be able to achieve in yeah and the 32:45:00 good part is is that the partners that 32:47:00 you're bringing on are more apt to want 32:50:00 to work with you and your team then a 32:52:00 single inventor now I'm not saying 32:54:00 there's anything wrong with that single 32:55:00 inventor that person but that you're 32:57:00 working with the team of professionals 32:59:00 like yourself that are used to doing 33:01:00 this you have all your paperwork you 33:02:00 know what it's going to take to license 33:04:00 that product the paperwork's all in 33:05:00 place these big companies would rather 33:07:00 do that and you can streamline 33:09:00 absolutely so we a good analogy is we 33:13:00 build a moat essentially around these 33:16:00 big brands business so they get all the 33:18:00 benefit of working with inventors 33:21:00 without all of the kind of hassle I mean 33:25:00 let's be honest I had one so I can we're 33:28:00 not the easiest people to work with 33:30:00 right more creative thinkers but there's 33:33:00 a whole legal aspect of it and if you're 33:35:00 trying to work with dozens of inventors 33:37:00 at a time it can be a legal nightmare 33:39:00 not to mention on the brand side they're 33:41:00 really good at kind of crushing and 33:43:00 sucking out everything that is creative 33:46:00 and exciting about inventors and I 33:50:00 learned this a lot of my previous 33:52:00 business and startups you know you got a 33:54:00 big brand get ahold of amun just going 33:56:00 through legal and procurement kind of 33:58:00 bankrupt an inventor not to mention just 34:00:00 squeeze all the fun and the inspiration 34:03:00 out of it until you're left that's kind 34:05:00 of you know just the values and soleus 34:08:00 been so beaten down and that's not what 34:11:00 we want so you want to make sure that we 34:13:00 can treat inventors with respect that we 34:16:00 can make them feel part of the process 34:18:00 and keep them updated and involved as 34:22:00 their product moves through the design 34:24:00 process and we let the no listen your 34:26:00 products now been selected by a 34:30:00 manufacturing partner and by quirky for 34:32:00 further development so now it's in this 34:34:00 phase where we're going to be testing 34:35:00 for its viability we're going to be 34:37:00 doing some sketches here's what all that 34:38:00 looks like great it looks like we can 34:41:00 manufacture this and 34:42:00 do it at a you know an efficient price 34:45:00 where we can actually make some profit 34:47:00 off of it now I'm just going to move 34:48:00 into the production phase here's what's 34:50:00 that that looks like here's a snapshot 34:51:00 of a factory so we're going to bring 34:53:00 them through this whole process but 34:56:00 protect them from having to deal with 34:57:00 the legal nightmare that is big 35:00:00 corporate entities know that's exactly 35:03:00 I'm I'm I'm glad and I and again I know 35:06:00 the inventors are they're listening and 35:08:00 they're just not sure if it's something 35:09:00 they want to do and I'm just so glad 35:11:00 that you're diving into the explanations 35:13:00 of why you're doing each step because it 35:16:00 is important that they feel comfortable 35:17:00 and you know my suggestion is to it's 35:19:00 you know to just jump in log on to you 35:21:00 know quirky dot-com you don't have to 35:23:00 put your invention up there you can surf 35:24:00 around and and check it out by the way 35:26:00 though the website looks great it's very 35:27:00 intuitive very easy to use I don't 35:30:00 really working on doing more to educate 35:34:00 the inventor community about when an 35:36:00 importance right for you how does it 35:38:00 work how does this royalty structure 35:40:00 actually work you know it can be a 35:41:00 little confusing and really just make 35:45:00 sure that we're clear and inventors feel 35:48:00 like they understand exactly what the 35:50:00 benefit when work is not right for that 35:53:00 man you know recommend some other 35:55:00 partners because you may not right be 35:58:00 right as I said in the beginning for all 35:59:00 your inventors so how can we really 36:01:00 rising tide floats all boats but be just 36:05:00 another option and a good player within 36:09:00 this ecosystem know 100% I think it's 36:12:00 great I'm getting a big hook to get to 36:15:00 wrap up we're gonna have several other 36:17:00 shows and I want to dive into some more 36:19:00 of this and I want to listen to know 36:20:00 that this is just an overview we're 36:22:00 talking about these things and and gene 36:24:00 is getting into you know some details 36:26:00 but I know we're gonna get deeper into 36:27:00 these details and make people feel 36:28:00 better and talk about the best way to do 36:30:00 it you know the partners and how things 36:32:00 and timelines and you know my big issue 36:35:00 is I could talk about this stuff all day 36:36:00 it's really super exciting I know you 36:38:00 have things to do too Gina so I 36:40:00 appreciate you being on the show today 36:41:00 and again we'll we'll get the next show 36:44:00 going and you know keep listening in any 36:46:00 questions that the listeners have out 36:48:00 there you know please log on to 36:51:00 inventors launch pad or Gina is there is 36:53:00 there somebody that they can contact 36:54:00 that they have some questions directly 36:55:00 or said they just go 36:56:00 the quirky website yeah listen I'm an 36:58:00 open book so you can only social media 37:02:00 gee Walden or you can email me directly 37:05:00 at perky calm perfect thank you so much 37:09:00 and we'll be talking to you soon thanks 37:12:00 so much bye19th June 2016 The world has become less peaceful in 2016 The world has become less peaceful this year – reinforcing an underlying, decade-long deterioration in world peacefulness, driven primarily by increased terrorism and higher levels of political instability. The tenth edition of the Global Peace Index, published this month, highlights a stark and growing inequality in global levels of peacefulness as the gap between the most and least peaceful countries continues to widen. The study, by international think-tank the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), finds that, while 81 countries improved, the deterioration in another 79 outweighed these gains, meaning that overall peace declined at a faster rate than in the previous year. Despite this, some of the most peaceful countries are now recording historically high levels of peace. The score for the Middle East and Africa (MENA) – the least peaceful region in the world last year – dropped further, as regional conflicts intensified, dragging down global peacefulness. So intense is the current concentration of violence and conflict in MENA that, when considered separately, the rest of the world's average peace levels improved. Three of the five biggest declines in peace occurred in the region including Yemen, Libya and Bahrain. Steve Killelea, Founder and Executive Chairman of the IEP, commented: "As internal conflicts in MENA become more entrenched, external parties are increasingly becoming more involved and the potential for indirect or 'war by proxy' between nation states is rising. This was already evident in Syria with the conflict between the Assad regime and multiple non-state actors, and is now spilling into countries such as Yemen. There is a broader proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and more recently both US and Russia have increased their level of involvement." The global deterioration of peace in 2015 was driven by increased terrorism and higher levels of political instability. While the majority of terrorist activity is highly concentrated in five countries – Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan – the breadth of terrorism is spreading, with just 23% of countries in the Index not experiencing a terrorist incident. Europe, although still the most peaceful region, saw its average score deteriorate in this year's report, following terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. Deaths from terrorism in Europe have more than doubled over the last five years. The number of refugees and displaced persons has risen dramatically over the last decade, doubling to approximately 60 million people between 2007 and 2016, nearly 1% of the world's population. There are now nine countries with over 10% of their population displaced in some form; 20% of Somalia and South Sudan's population respectively, and over 60% of Syria's. While the global economic impact of violence dropped by 2% compared to last year's report, it was still a staggering $13.6 trillion in 2015 – equivalent to 11 times the size of global foreign direct investment (FDI), or about 700 times the annual budget of NASA. This represents 13.3% of world GDP, or $1,876 per person. Over the last ten years, the cumulative total impact of violence was $137 trillion; greater than global GDP in 2015. Steve Killelea remarked, "The increasing internationalisation of internal conflicts has coincided with UN peacekeeping funds reaching record highs in 2016 – it was the largest improved indicator in this year's report, with more deployed peacekeepers and more countries being up-to-date with their UN peacekeeping dues. However, peacebuilding and peacekeeping spending remains proportionately small compared to the economic impact of violence, representing just 2% of global losses from armed conflict. Addressing the global disparity in peace and achieving an overall 10% decrease in the economic impact of violence would produce a peace dividend of $1.36 trillion. This is approximately equivalent to the size of world food exports." Of particular concern is Yemen. Its long-standing political crisis exploded into outright civil war in early 2015. This country has witnessed a major decline in the level of peace, as shown in the diagram below – driven by the rising casualty rate, a large increase in the number of refugees and internally displaced people, and higher levels of terrorist attacks by both al-Qaeda and ISIL. Adding to Yemen's troubles is an emerging water crisis that is likely to worsen from 2017-2025. The report also provides an audit of available data to measure Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (successor to the Millennium Development Goals of 2015). This new goal – formally agreed last year by UN member states – recognises the critical importance of peace, justice and strong institutions for advancing global development. It finds that, while there is some existing data to track progress and hold member states accountable to meeting their targets, serious investment will be needed to measure the goals. The report concludes with new research into resilience and what the IEP identifies as "Positive Peace" – the attitudes, institutions and structures which can best achieve and sustain global peace. Among those listed are: a well-functioning government with low levels of corruption, good relations with neighbouring countries, the free flow of information, an equitable distribution of resources, investment in education, gender equality and worker's rights. --- • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook Comments »Goldman Sachs estimates that almost one million foreign H-1B contract workers are now employed in college-level jobs throughout the United States, even though many media outlets routinely say the federal government approves only 85,000 H-1B visas per year. Goldman’s February estimate of the huge H-1B population also ignores multiple other visa programs which invite foreign graduates to work in the United States. These other temporary work visas are used to employ an additional 470,000 foreign college graduates in the United States, according to a study released on March 7 by the left-of-center Economic Policy Institute. The EPI study, titled “Temporary foreign workers by the numbers,” says U.S. companies employ roughly 470,000 foreign professionals via the little-known O, L, J, OPT, and TN visas. The EPI study estimates that the H-1B population at a much lower level of only 460,000 employees, partly because EPI says many H-1B workers quickly get permanent green cards, which converts them into legal residents, not contract workers. If Goldman’s estimate of almost one million H-1Bs is combined with the EPI’s estimate of various other skilled white-collar visa programs, then the government data shows that U.S. companies employ roughly 1.4 million lower-wage college-graduate temporary workers in the United States. The imported workers are not immigrants, citizens, legal residents or green card holders, but are supposed to return home after several years. Companies have used them to fill enough outsourced jobs to fully employ nearly all Americans who graduated from college with skilled degrees in 2015 and 2016. This population of white-collar temporary workers has pushed many established U.S. workers out of jobs, partly because none of the visa programs require that Americans be hired before foreigners. “I’m working at one of the Home Depot [hardware store] … there’s a lot of people in my position,” said Les, a former New York City technology worker for Disney, Pearson publishing, and other U.S. companies. He was pushed out of the business when companies outsourced their U.S. workplaces to Indian companies, many of which need U.S-based H-1B workers to link their U.S. clients to outsourcing offices in India. Les has a 13-year-old teenager to raise, and would return to the sector if he got a job offer, he said. “That’s what I know– it is not like I could go back to school to become a dentist or lawyer or a teacher,” he told Breitbart News. The two new reports also that U.S. companies also employ roughly 185,000 foreign blue-collar temporary workers, plus roughly 200,000 foreign white-collar temporary workers. The EPI report also says the population of agricultural contract-workers is roughly 75,000, or just seven percent of at least 930,000 university trained guest-workers resident in the United States. Campaign Promises The huge U.S.-based population of professional-grade foreign contract workers—ranging from 1.4 million up to 1.8 million—is a problem for President Donald Trump, who repeatedly promised to reform the H-1B program during his 2016 campaign. “I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program,” said a Trump statement in 2016. “No exceptions.” In his inauguration speech, Trump declared his national economic policy is: “Buy American, Hire American.” So far, Trump has not revamped the H-1B program, although his deputies have temporarily ended a fast-track H-1B approval process supported by business groups. That change was adopted amid intense lobbying by brand-name companies—including Google, Microsoft, Facebook—to preserve the annual inflow of cheap white-collar workers. On April 3, the Department of Labor will start distributing another 85,000 H-1B visas to companies, as required by law. Statements from White House officials suggest that a reform of the H-1B program will be linked to a larger plan to comprehensively reform the nation’s family-chain immigration system into Trump’s proposed merit-based immigration system. Business groups will likely oppose Trump’s merit-based immigration reform unless they can negotiate a promise for additional H-1B contract workers. In 2013, Democratic politicians supported this negotiated demand by business groups, because the business groups promised to pressure GOP politicians to create “a path to citizenship” for the resident population of at least 11 million illegal aliens. Trump would be reluctant to endorse any increase in white-collar contract workers because polls show that voters—especially his voters—want Americans to get jobs before companies can import more contract workers. For more than 20 years, blue-collar pay-packets have been slashed by the large population of 8 million working illegal immigrants, and by the legal immigration of roughly 800,000 non-college immigrants each year. University-trained Americans now face a growing economic threat from the inflow of university-grade contract workers. No matter their skills, American white-collar workers face a huge disadvantage because the guest-workers have a much greater incentive to work long hours at low wages. The distorting incentive is the federal government’s willingness to offer a deferred bonus of citizenship to foreign workers who stay in their temp jobs for six to 10 years. This government-provided, deferred compensation package is worth many millions of dollars to contract workers, partly because the citizenship benefit can be duplicated for their spouses, children, parents, siblings, and descendants. Those benefits of citizenship are vast — they include all of the rights enunciated in the U.S. Constitution, plus the right to live in a high-trust society largely free of petty corruption, clannishness or tribalism, of class, caste, racial or regional discrimination, plus full access to the efficient economy, the free education system, the massive federal welfare system and the national banking system, plus the physical security ensured by gun rights, law-abiding neighbors, efficient police and military services. But companies cannot offer American job-seekers this subsidy instead of wages because the Americans already are citizens. If they want to hire an American instead of a foreign contract worker, companies have to pay Americans their full, unsubsidized marketplace value. So the hidden federal subsidy of citizenship-for-foreigners skews hiring practices in favor of foreign workers, much to the disadvantage of the 800,000 young Americans who graduate with skilled degrees each year. Federal data shows that relatively few American graduates even get jobs in the high-skilled sectors which they studied — at great cost — in university. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in July that 2014 that: 74 percent of those who have a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering and math — commonly referred to as STEM — are not employed in STEM occupations … According to new statistics from the 2012 American Community Survey, engineering and computer, math and statistics majors had the largest share of graduates going into a STEM field with about half employed in a STEM occupation. Science majors had fewer of their graduates employed in STEM. Roughly 660,000 foreign H-1B workers are employed throughout the U.S. software business, says the Goldman report. Many are employed in writing software, but many foreigners are hired as cheap managers, business experts, financial analysts, and salesmen by American and foreign-owned companies. An additional 340,000 H-1B contract workers are employed throughout the nation as doctors, therapists and pharmacists, professors, engineers and financial planners, managers and designers, soccer coaches and economics teachers, government scientists and university lab technicians, architects, lawyers and even journalists, according to job descriptions found at MyVisaJobs.com. Amid this widespread use of white-collar contract workers, the salaries of young American professionals have stalled since the real-estate bubble imploded. In the last five years, they’ve grown by roughly one percent a year—after deducting inflation—according to a January 2017 report titled “National Compensation Forecast,” by the Economic Research Institute. During the same five-year period, slow-growing salaries, increased company profits, and sales have pushed the Dow Jones Index of stocks up by 60 percent. If the contract-worker programs were sharply reduced, Americans companies would be forced to compete for the limited pool of Americans by offering higher salaries. The resulting “tight labor market” for Americans graduates would push up average salaries, give underemployed graduates an escape from low-wage jobs (such as at Starbucks), boost recruitment of older professionals, spur productivity-boosting technology investment, and also greatly increase the opportunities for American teenagers, dropouts and the unemployed to study for college degrees. Even minor reforms of the H-1B program—such as minimum-salary rules—would boost salaries by 10 percent for the many U.S.-based employees of Indian-owned outsourcing companies, says the Goldman Sachs report. The H-1B Population The lack of public data about the number of resident H-1Bs is “absurd,” said Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies. “This is a basic piece of information that the public should know, and the problem is not even that the government has the numbers and isn’t releasing them—rather the government doesn’t know the number itself,” he said. The establishment media tend to ignore the issue of H-1B numbers or just to highlight the annual inflow of guest-workers instead of describing the full resident population. Calculating the total numbers is difficult. The guest-worker program is managed collectively by the departments of Labor, State, and Homeland Security. Each agency collects data on different aspects of the program, including the number of requests for work visas, the number of visas that are approved, and the arrival or departure of contract workers. Also, the regulatory details of the H-1B program are complex. The basic regulations say each H-1B visa lasts for three years—and can be automatically extended for another three years. In theory, that would limit the H-1B population to a maximum of six times the annual apparent cap of 85,000, or a total of 510,000. But, the program has many loopholes which are used by immigration lawyers to bring in an extra 20,000 extra H-1B workers per year, to lengthen the stay of many H-1Bs by several years and to get work permits for some spouses of H-1B workers. Goldman Sachs’ February study, titled “The H-1B Visa Debate: A Global FAQ for Investors,” tried to count these extra workers and extra years, saying: “We estimate that 900k to 1mn individuals are working under H-1B visas in the US today, based on the assumption that most existing visas are renewed for a second term, and that about two-thirds of qualified H-1B visa holders eventually apply for a green card (based on average wait times and green card quotas for countries affected) … figures would be slightly higher when including spouses of H-1B visa holders (which could be as many as 500k people based on prevailing marriage rates of roughly 50% across countries). That number is much larger that a 2011 estimate by the non-partisan Center for Immigration Studies, which estimated the population of H-1Bs to be roughly 650,000. Additional White-Collar Visa Programs Both the EPI and the Goldman studies ignore different parts of the massive white-collar contract labor force in the United States. The Goldman report understates the total number of foreign-born, white-collar contract workers in the United States by downplaying several additional visa programs that are similar to the H-1B program. In contrast, the EPI report shows that these additional visa programs keep an extra population of roughly 450,000 skilled white-collar workers in the United States. For example, the EPI study says the J visa delivers roughly 56,000 professionals, the Optional Practical Training program employs almost 140,000 graduates, the free-trade visas supply another 50,000 professionals, and the L visas allow 350,000 blue-collar or white-collar foreign company employees to work in the United States. The Goldman report also shows—but does not count—the annual inflow of white-collar workers via the L, B and O visa programs. The 2015 inflow of these contract workers is 180,000, said the report. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests these visa programs are used by a resident population of 200,000 white-collar, guest-workers residing in the United States. But the Goldman report also does not mention the J visas or the Optional Practical Training visas, which together deliver almost 200,000 foreign college graduates to work in the United States, according to EPI. The EPI study ignores the fact that President Barack Obama allowed the spouses of H-1B workers to get jobs. The Goldman report says that roughly 500,000 spouses of H-1B workers are now allowed to get jobs in the United States. The Goldman report does not say how many of the H-1B spouses are working in skilled white-collar jobs, but if that number is only one-fifth of the resident H-1B spouses, then the number of foreign white-collar contract workers would climb by up to 100,000 people. If Goldman’s estimate of almost one million H-1Bs, is combined with the EPI’s estimate of other skilled white-collar visa programs, the data shows that U.S. companies employ roughly 1.4 million white-collar, foreign contract workers in the United States. That’s enough jobs to fully employ nearly all Americans who graduated from college with skilled degrees in 2015 and 2016. Even if the EPIs lower estimate for the H-1B population is correct, then the extra visas programs show the number of university-trained contract workers in the United States up to roughly 940,000. Goldman’s estimate of almost one million H-1Bs is much higher than the EPI estimate because Goldman estimates many H-1Bs are waiting for green cards instead of returning home. Green Cards Roughly two-thirds of H-1B workers apply for green cards, says Goldman. The pipeline for green cards is very backed up because only a maximum of 140,000 green cards are awarded to foreign employees and their family members each year. This backed-up pipeline ensures that many H-1Bs stay in the United States longer than six years by getting one-year or three-year H-1B renewals as they wait to get green cards. In contrast, the EPI report reduces its estimate of the resident H-1B population by concluding that 140,000 H-1B visa workers quickly got permanent green cards in 2011, 2012 and 2013, so reducing the number of contract workers in the H-1B program. Both reports acknowledge that many contract workers get green cards and remain in the United States. But neither report counts the number of former contract workers who have won green cards, and who are free to compete against American graduates for jobs. That number is difficult to count because the federal government distributes 140,000 green cards to company employees each year, but those cards must be shared with family members, including spouses and children. The green card numbers add up. For example, if 40,000 skilled workers get Green Cards each year for the next decade, that delivers another 400,000 foreign-born skilled workers into the U.S. labor market to compete against Americans. If two-thirds of those 400,000 future green card workers are information-technology H-1Bs, they will be enough to grab 54 percent of the extra 488,500 new technology jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects will be added to the economy over the next decade. In 2016, Breitbart surveyed the data for three Midwestern states, and concluded up to 75,000 foreign college grads have gotten green cards since 1990. Like many other name-brand companies and universities, Goldman hires thousands of H-1B workers for jobs sought by young American business graduates and tries to get green cards for hundreds of its employees. The company numbers are shown by this chart found at MyVisasJobs.com, which relies on government data to track the H-1B marketplace. The annual inflow of skilled workers with green cards would be far higher if the 2013 “Gang of Eight immigration bill had passed. That bill allowed universities to get green cards for an unlimited number of foreign customers who paid for a Masters Degree at a U.S. university. Thea plan died in 2014 when GOP House Speaker John Boehner recognized the high level of public opposition to the amnesty and cheap-labor bill. Universities and Non-Profits The Goldman report does not mention the semi-secret supply of H-1B visas granted to non-profit universities and non-profit affiliates of major companies. Non-profits can hire as many H-1B workers as they wish each year, and now employ roughly 85,000 H-1B workers as professors, doctors, researchers, and designers. That 85,000 estimate is only for contract workers holding the renewable three-year H1-B visas, and it excludes H-1B workers who are in the process of getting green cards. The Goldman report says two-thirds of H-1B holders try for green cards, so pushing up the universities’ likely employment of H-1Bs up to roughly 130,000 foreign contract workers. That overall university population is likely included in Goldman’s estimate of almost one million resident H-1Bs. Other Contract Workers The EPI estimate says the resident population of blue-collar contract workers is roughly 95,000 H-2B workers plus roughly 90,000 unskilled J-1 “Summer Work Travel” workers, many of whom work blue-collar jobs at vacation resorts. The EPI data also suggests that 200,000 unskilled white-collar contract workers live in the United States. Follow Neil Munro on Twitter @NeilMunroDC or email the author at NMunro@Breitbart.comThis tv was replaced by the Vizio P Series 2017 Type : LED LED Resolution : 4k 4k Refresh Rate : 120 Hz (except 50") 120 Hz (except 50") The Vizio P Series 2016 has one of the best picture quality we have seen. It really shines in a dark room. It isn't OLED and it won't please everyone - especially because of its poor upscaling of low-quality content - but those looking for a TV for watching 4k movies will be more than satisfied. Great picture quality, especially for movies Great gaming TV, with low input lag and little motion blur Bright, even on full screens Sub-par upscaling of lower resolutions Loss of picture quality at an angle Test Results Design 8.0 Picture Quality 8.0 Motion 8.8 Inputs 8.7 Sound Quality 5.1 Smart Features 7.0 Check Price 8.0 Design Score components: Subjectively assigned Score distribution: Curved : No No The design of the Vizio P Series 2016 feels higher-end than the previous P Series. It is still bulky, though, and doesn't look as premium as the high-end models from other brands, like the Sony X930D or the Samsung KS9500. Stand The stand is very wide. We even had to extend our test table to be able to put the 65" model on top of it. Footprint of the 65" TV stand: 50" x 11" Back Wall Mount : VESA 400x400 VESA 400x400 In most cases, you shouldn't have a problem accessing the connections at the back of the TV when it is mounted to the wall. Borders Borders : 0.63" (1.6 cm) 0.63" (1.6 cm) The borders have a metallic finish. Thickness Max Thickness : 2.60" (6.6 cm) 2.60" (6.6 cm) The Vizio P Series is thicker than most TVs. The Vizio P Series has excellent picture quality, and is especially good in a dark room. Dark scenes will look great, with deep and very uniform blacks. It also supports HDR content, offering up a wider range of colors and a high peak brightness. It is average at dealing with reflections, but the whole screen can get quite bright to combat glare. The only downside is low resolution content, like DVDs and SD channels, looks a bit too soft and the picture quality deteriorates when viewed from the side. Motion handling is great on the Vizio P Series 2016. Fast moving objects appear with very little motion blur. Movies played from any source display smoothly. It is able to interpolate content up to the native refresh rate of 120Hz. 8.7 Inputs Score components: 86% Input Lag
anything unless it comes from a bottle nipple. That leaves us with pediasure and all of its 4 flavors. We continue to try different things to encourage him to try and eat but our latest attempt included a popcorn seed sized drop of scrambled egg on the tip of his tongue and that made him vomit immediately! Both of our children are slowly making progress but for us any progress is good. We know that we could greatly enhance their progression if we had more means for this to be accomplished. Due to my current job with the military I make enough money to provide for the basics for my family but not even close enough to buy them the things they need to give them an even shot at having a semi-normal and self sufficient life. I want terribly to be able to look back 50 years from now and KNOW that my wife and I did everything on earth to fight for our little ones and to even out the odds for them as they fight day to day to be "normal" and happy people. I would give them my own legs if it meant they would be able to run, I would give them my arms if it meant they would be able to climb a tree but unfortunately, I can't. If you're reading this it is my hope that you feel for a second that you know my two little heroes. I have tried to provide a description of them and their conditions so you know who it is you are supporting. If you are local and choose to donate even a dollar, I am more than happy to meet you face to face with my little girl and my little boy so I can look you in the eyes and thank you from the bottom of my heart. My wife and I are humbled by those who find it possible to donate to our children's future, their hopes and their goals. With money donated we will buy walking devices for Riley that are specifically for the needs of her muscles and her leg structure. Not only will this help her walk but it will also help her develop muscles for standing, sitting and crawling as well. We will buy Braxten devices that will help him build his core muscles and allow him to learn how to balance with the ultimate goal of him running outside unassisted. Funding will also allow us to get both of them extra specialized therapy for their fine motor skills. Currently they struggle to pick up or manipulate an object using their thumb and pointer finger. This makes things like eating, playing with objects and being even slightly independent nearly impossible. Both children are struggling with balance and we just don't have the right equipment or time with professionals to address this as much as they need it. Funding would allow our two special kids to move into the fast lane (developmentally speaking) and use every ounce of their brain while they are still young and trying hard to learn. We do get some assistance through therapists at school but with the way our public school system is set up, it is simply not possible for our kids to get the amount of treatment they need at the quantity they need. We have applied for different resources but unfortunately our income places us in the "working poor" class. We make too much to qualify for most government assistance programs but not enough to afford our little ones extra needs without the assistance, a frustrating position to be in. If you can donate we are so extremely grateful and in debt to you. As I said above it you donate and live in the area I would love to meet you and thank you for your generous and selfless donation. Please know that no donation is too small. If you can give fifty cents, that is fifty cents more towards giving our kids the life, the chance and the fun all children deserve. If you cannot afford to donate right now, don't feel guilty. Hopefully you have enjoyed learning about some of our children's medical conditions and walk away from your screen having learned something. And next time you see a disabled child in the grocery store, remember my children's story. Remember how uniquely powerful they are and give them a big smile, stare them in the eyes and say firmly "you are such a pretty/handsome little girl/boy." From a stranger, that sort of connection with either of my heroes is more of a donation than anything in your wallet and again we are humbled by your kindness. Thank you to all who have spent the time to read this, to all who have chosen to donate, and to those who wish they could donate but simply cannot right now. God Bless! Shane, Dawny, Riley & Braxten prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /Government backs down on plan to shut Twitter and Facebook in crises The government has climbed down on plans to ban suspected rioters from using social networking websites in times of civil unrest. The home secretary, Theresa May, told social networks at a meeting on Thursday that the government had no intention of "restricting internet services". Research in Motion (RIM, the maker of BlackBerry), Facebook and Twitter were summoned to the meeting with May after David Cameron signalled a clampdown on the sites following the recent riots in England. The social networks were poised to face down the government on its plans, which they warned could usher in a new form of online censorship in the UK. However, government ministers sought to back away from the prime minister's comments and instead focus on how law enforcement could better use Twitter and Facebook in emergencies. A Home Office spokeswoman described the meeting as constructive. May chaired the meeting with the Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne, and members of the Association of Chief Police Officers. The Home Office said in a statement: "The discussions looked at how law enforcement and the networks can build on the existing relationships and co-operation to prevent the networks being used for criminal behaviour. The government did not seek any additional powers to close down social media networks." The possibility of banning suspected rioters from social networks was first raised by Cameron a fortnight ago when he vowed to do whatever it took to prevent a repeat of the riots and looting. Hours before the meeting human rights groups sent an open letter to government ministers warning that powers restricting the internet could be "susceptible to abuse" and undermine free speech. May is understood to have opened the meeting by immediately ruling out restrictive measures and indicating that it was a discussion about improving law enforcement online. According to sources at the meeting, police acknowledged that they "needed to do more" with regard to learning how to use social media. The Metropolitan police are understood to have said they were "slightly behind" other forces when it came to Twitter and Facebook. Surprisingly, RIM was not forced to explain how its BlackBerry Messenger service differed from other social networks, despite the system reportedly having played a pivotal role for the rioters. A spokeswoman for Facebook said the discussion was constructive, building on work her firm already did to ensure Facebook was "one of the safest places on the internet". She said: "We welcome the fact this was a dialogue on working together to keep people safe rather than about imposing restrictions on internet services." A Twitter spokeswoman said: "Governments and law enforcement agencies around the world use Twitter to engage in open, public, communications … we've heard from many that Twitter is an effective way to distribute updates and dispel rumours in times of crisis or emergency." In a statement RIM said: "RIM continues to maintain an open, positive, dialogue with the UK authorities and continues to operate [within] UK regulations." The Home Office meeting followed a study of riot-related tweets, compiled by the Guardian, that cast doubt on the rationale behind Cameron's proposal to bar suspect rioters from Twitter and Facebook.Las Vegas had already seen a 4 percent drop in visitors in 2008 from the year before and a decline of 6 percent in the number of conventions and events held here in that same period. The number of visitors was down 11 percent in December from a year before. Another conference cancellation came from the Automotive Market Research Council, which was supposed to meet at the Planet Hollywood resort in March. “We thought it would be a harder sell for our members to get approval” to go to a Las Vegas event right now, said Darren Green, vice president of the group. Mr. Green said the event had been called off as a cost-cutting measure. Anxiety over the matter escalated last week after President Obama told an audience in Elkhart, Ind., that companies “can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer’s dime.” The remark was taken by many here as an attack. Photo “The mayor heard the words ‘Las Vegas’ — he didn’t hear any other city — and people are telling me that they’re not coming to Las Vegas because the president doesn’t want them to,” said Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, who at first demanded a White House apology but later in the week said he just wanted a clarification. “There’s an impression out there,” Mr. Goodman said, “that somehow if you come to Las Vegas, it’s going to reflect on your business culture, and that’s a bunch of hooey.” The White House has not commented directly on the matter. But the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said on the Senate floor Wednesday that Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, had told him that “the president’s criticism was aimed at the potential use of taxpayer funds for junkets and in no way reflects his thoughts about any one particular city.” Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Mr. Goodman and local meeting planners insist that they have heard from companies who said Mr. Obama’s remarks scared them away, but Ms. Jones, the Harrah’s executive, said no company had made that connection while talking to her. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The cancellation that has particularly rankled Las Vegas was the one by Goldman Sachs, which received $10 billion in bailout money. The company issued a statement saying the decision was “based on our best efforts to operate according to the requirements of the new landscape of our industry,” but a $600,000 cancellation fee charged by the hotel has led some to question that explanation. “I think it was a public relations move,” Ms. Jones said. “Why would you pay a cancellation fee and go to a city that’s more expensive to get there and where the cost of food is more expensive because you don’t have as many options? “There’s no way that that ended up less money, and if the issue is really a responsible use of taxpayer dollars, doesn’t that mean you look for the best value which is the lowest price?” With Las Vegas on the defense, competing destinations sense an opportunity. Mark Theis, executive vice president of the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau, said he planned to point out to meeting planners that “people aren’t going to raise their eyebrows” about a company holding an event in his city. “Now more than ever, it’s going to be in our favor that glitz and what’s new this week in Vegas isn’t going to resonate to the show managers at a time when everyone’s being scrutinized,” Mr. Theis said. “When you take out the casinos and all the recycled chefs, what else do you really have there? Splash has a limited shelf life.” Ms. Jones zinged back: “They can be licking their chops, but the minute we tell our story, they can’t compete. Ever. Counting Las Vegas down and out, given the entrepreneurial spirit at work here, is just foolish.”By Kore Nordmann, first published at Tue, 03 May 2016 10:00:00 +0200 Download our free e-book "Crafting Quality Software" with a selection of the finest blog posts as PDF or EPub. You can also buy a printed version of the book on Amazon or on epubli. Never Use null When doing code reviews together with our customers we see a pattern regularly which I consider problematic in multiple regards – the usage of null as a valid property or return value. We can do better than this. Let's go into common use cases first and then discuss how we can improve the code to make it more resilient against errors and make it simpler to use. Most issues highlighted are especially problematic when others are using your source code. As long as you are the only user (which hopefully is not the case) those patterns might be fine. What it is Used For One common use case is setter injection for optional dependencies, like: class SomeLoggingService { private $logger = null; public function setLogger(Logger $logger) { $this->logger = $logger; } } The logger will be set in most cases but somebody will forget this when using your service. Now a second developer enters the scene and writes a new method in this class using the property $logger. The property is always set in the use cases they test during development, thus they forget to check for null – obviously this will be problematic in other circumstances. You rely on methods called in a certain order which is really hard to document. An internal getLogger() method constructing a default null logger might solve this problem, but it still might not be used because the second developer wasn't aware of this method and just used the property. In PHP versions < 7 a call to $this->logger->notice(…) will result in a Fatal Error which is particularly bad since the application can't handle this kind of errors in a sane way. In PHP 7 those errors are finally catchable but still nothing you'd expect in this situation. What is even worse is debugging this kind of initialization. This is often even used together with aggregated objects which are required by the aggregating class. (You should not use setter injection for mandatory aggregates, but it is still used this way.) Let's consider the following code now: class SomeService { public function someMethod() { $this->mandatoryAggregate->someOtherMethod(/* … */); } } When calling someMethod() and the property $mandatoryAggregate is not initialized we get a fatal error, as mentioned. Even if we get a backtrace through XDebug or change the code to throw an exception and get a backtrace it is still really hard to understand why this property is not initialized since the construction of SomeService usually happens outside of the current callstack but inside the Dependency Injection Container or during application initialization. The debugging developer is now left with finding all occurrences where SomeService is constructed, check if the $mandatoryAggregate is properly initialized and fix it, if not. The solution All mandatory aggregates must always be initialized during construction. If you want a slim constructor consider a pattern like the following: class SomeService { public function __construct(Aggregate $aggregate, Logger $logger = null) { $this->aggregate = $aggregate; $this->logger = $logger?: new Logger\NullLogger(); } } The parameter $aggregate now is really mandatory, while the logger is optional – but it will still always be initialized. The Logger\NullLogger now can be logger which just throws all log messages away. This way there is no need to care about checking the logger every time you want to use it. Use a so called null object if you need a default instance which does nothing. Other examples for this could be a null-mailer (not sending mails) or a null-cache (does not cache). Those null objects are usually really trivial to implement. Even it costs time to implement those you'll safe a lot time in the long run because you will not run in Fatal Errors and have to debug them. null as Return Value A similar situation is the usage of null as a return value for methods which are documented to return something else. It is still commonly used in error conditions instead of throwing an exception. It is, again, a lot harder to debug if this occurs in a software you use but you are not entirely familiar with. The null return might pass through multiple call layers until it reaches your code which makes debugging that kind of code a journey through layers of foreign and undiscovered code – sometimes this can be fun but almost never what you want to do when in a hurry: class BrokenInnerClass { public function innerMethod() { // … if ($error) { return null; } // … } } class DispatchingClass { public function dispatchingMethod() { return $this->brokenInnerClass->innerMethod(); } } class MyUsingClass { public function myBeautifulMethod() { $value = $this->dispatchingClass->dispatchingMethod(); $value->getSomeProperty(); // Fatal Error } } Usually there are even more levels of indirection, of course. We live in the age of frameworks after all. The solution If a value could not be found do not return null but throw an exception – there are even built in exceptions for such cases like the OutOfBoundsException, for example. In the callstack I can see immediately where something fails. In the optimal case the exception message even adds meaning and gives some hints of what I have to fix. Summary Using null can be valid inside of value objects and sometimes you just want to show nothing is there. In most cases null should be either replaced by throwing an exception or providing a null object which fulfills the API but does nothing. Those null objects are trivial and fast to develop. The return on investment will be huge due to saved debugging hours. Download our free e-book "Crafting Quality Software" with a selection of the finest blog posts as PDF or EPub. You can also buy a printed version of the book on Amazon or on epubli. Get Technical Insights With Our Newsletter Stay up to date with regular new technological insights by subscribing to our newsletter. We will send you articles to improve your developments skills. URL CommentsThe report comes as aid agencies accuse the EU of "wilfully letting people drown in the Mediterranean" by imposing a new code of conduct on rescue missions to curb the flow of refugees from North Africa to Italy's coast. These actions expose refugees and other migrants to suffering and death, and must end, Oxfam has said. "These testimonies paint a horrifying picture of desperate people who have risked their lives to escape war, persecution and poverty only to be confronted with unimaginable cruelty in Libya," said Penny Lawrence, deputy chief executive at Oxfam GB. "The UK, along with other EU member states, has actively supported efforts to limit arrivals in Europe, trapping refugees and other migrants in a living hell." A teenager told how he was kept in a cell which was full of dead bodies, before managing to escape The UN's new envoy to Libya on Monday endorsed Italy's efforts to stop the flow of refugees heading to Europe, which aims to strengthen the Libyan coastguard to ensure boatloads of refugees are intercepted before reaching international waters. "Outsourcing the policing of our borders to Libya isn't the solution; EU member states, including the UK, should provide safe routes for people to come to Europe, including expanding opportunities for refugee families to reunite, and provide access to fair and transparent processes for claiming asylum," Lawrence said. Oxfam, which partnered with MEDU (Doctors for Human Rights) and Borderline Sicilia to compile the report, analysed 258 testimonies and interviews from 31 women and 127 men. Some revealed how gangs imprisoned them in underground cells, before calling their families to demand a ransom for their release. A teenager from Senegal told how he was kept in a cell which was full of dead bodies, before managing to escape. Others spoke of being regularly beaten and starved for months on end. Three quarters – 74 percent – of those interviewed witnessed murder or torture and almost all of the women had been sexually assaulted. Men also spoke of rape. 74% of those interviewed witnessed murder or torture and almost all of the women had been sexually assaulted The report found 84 percent suffered inhuman or degrading treatment, extreme violence or torture in Libya, 80 percent said they had been regularly denied food and water, while 70 percent said they had been tied up. Refugees are also sold as cheap labour in Libya's shocking slave trade. Oxfam concluded its report by urging the EU and its member states to refrain from signing agreements that try to stop people in danger from leaving Libya by sea. Once asylum seekers have arrived in Europe, more EU member states should offer to process their applications, so that Italy is not shouldering the responsibility alone, Oxfam said. Finally, the EU and its member states should create more safe routes for migrants so they are not forced to risk their lives in Libya and by crossing the Mediterranean. Seasonal labour visas and humanitarian visas that protect refugees from persecution are examples of potential solutions.Creative scheduling places legal education within reach of modern working professionals. "Seton Hall Law has always been committed to making legal education accessible. I am proud to be a part of our newest program to make a JD degree available to those who would otherwise not be able to attend law school." Edward Hartnett Richard J. Hughes Professor of Law Students may earn their JD degrees in Seton Hall Law School's part-time weekend format. Taught by the same talented professors who teach in our full-time division, students in the part-time weekend program combine an immersive educational experience in the traditional classroom with engaging out-of-class technology-assisted interactions with teachers and peers. In brief, this flexible program preserves the rigor of the Socratic method while empowering students to self-direct a portion of their learning experience where and when it fits into their lives. How it works You’ll attend classes on alternating weekends. During your first two years, you can anticipate being on campus 8:30-5:00 on Saturday and 9:00 to 2:15 on Sunday. Class work takes place over eight weekends each semester with one additional weekend for final exams. When not on campus, you’ll engage in self-directed activities and participate remotely in discussions with your professors and classmates using Seton Hall’s learning platform. After the first two years, course scheduling becomes even more flexible. You can continue the alternating weekend format, incorporate some weekday or evening classes, and take up to 15 credits entirely online.Security Principles and Practices: How to Approach Security By David Mytton, CEO & Founder of Server Density. Published on the 22nd October, 2015. October is Security Month here at Server Density. To mark the occasion we’ve partnered with our friends at Detectify to create a short series of security dispatches for you. In our previous three articles we looked at some essential security checks for your web applications, APIs and servers. But once the obvious vulnerabilities are considered, what happens next? How can we stay proactive and, most importantly, how do we become security conscious? What follows is a set of underlying security principles and practices you should look into. Minimise your Attack Surface An attack surface is the sum of the different points (attack vectors) from where an unauthorized user can inject or steal data from a given environment. Eliminating possible attack vectors is the first place to start when securing your systems. This means closing down every possible interface you’re not using. Let’s take web apps for example. Ports 80 and 443 should be the only ones open to the outside world. SSH port 22 (preferably changed to something else) should be accessible to a restricted subset of permitted IPs and only developers / administrators should have access. The obvious idea is to limit the scope for outside attackers to creep in. Here’s is an example scenario: You run a website which has the following two restrictions: i) Only developers have admin access, and ii) SSH access is only available through a VPN connection. For a break-in to happen, an intruder would therefore need to compromise the credentials of your developer, and they would also need access to your VPN and SSH keys. The attack would have to be highly coordinated. What’s more, any potential intrusion might not yield that much (internal systems may employ “defense in depth” and “least privilege” practices). It’s unlikely an attacker would spend the time and resources to jump through all those hoops (for uncertain gain), purely because there are easier targets out there. Most attacks are opportunistic. Which is why layers of security are important. Breaching one layer just gets you down to the next one rather than compromising the whole system. The rule of thumb is, attackers go after the easiest targets first. Your systems should, therefore, be as locked down as as possible. This includes servers, workstations, phones, portables, et cetera. As the attack surface diminishes, so does the likelihood of hacking attempts. If you don’t know what to look out for, third party services can help you determine how breachable your systems are. For example: Detectify can evaluate your web applications Nessus can scope your network-layer security Penetration testers (pentesters) can assess your end-to-end security profile You then need to put the effort in and plug the issues that come up. Internal Practices and Company Culture The strongest of perimeters can’t protect against internal human error. Take “errors of commision,” for example. An employee quits their job, goes to a competitor and leaks intel. How do you anticipate and prevent that? Then there is a long list of “errors of omission”. People have businesses to run, busy lives to lead, important things to do. Staying secure is not always top-of-mind and we let things slide. For example, are employees reminded to encrypt their laptops and portables? When was the last time you monitored your server activity? What systems do you have in place to negate the need to “remember”? Who handles security in your team? Who is accountable? Humans are the weakest link when it comes to safe systems. Your internal systems (and practices) need to account for that. Security needs to be a fundamental part of how you work and collaborate on projects. “Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow” Linus Law Your internal practices should facilitate as many “eyes on the code” as possible. This can be done with peer reviews and code buddy schemes. To complement your team efforts, there are some compelling platforms for bug bounty and bug reporting you can tap into. [NB: Crowd skillsets are not—strictly speaking—an internal constituent of company culture. Admitting we don’t know it all and asking for help, however, is.] What Motivates Hackers? Some of them are out to prove a point. Others are criminal gangs looking for financial gains such as extortion and credit card theft. Then there is industrial espionage, botnets and a whole host of ugly stuff. The threat landscape is highly diverse. Ultimately all it takes is a single misstep for an attacker to get the keys to the kingdom. It therefore pays to think like a hacker. Why would someone want to hack your server? What data lives there? What is the easiest way in? What could the attacker do once inside? “The Enemy Knows the System” According to Kerckhoffs’s principle every secret creates a potential failure point. If you’re relying on “security through obscurity” to stay safe, then your systems are as safe as your secrets (see human factor above). A secure authentication policy, for example, does not depend on secrecy. Even if a password was compromised (how easy is it to impart a 20 character randomised password?) an attacker would still need a separate token to gain access (MFA). Further Reading If there is one underlying theme in our security dispatches so far, is this: Security is an incredibly fast moving field, with plenty of complexity and trade-offs involved. Getting up to speed and staying on top of the latest security trends and threats is a key requirement in maintaining secure systems and infrastructure. Reddit’s /r/netsec is great starting point. Hacker News tend to highlight the most evil vulnerabilities. There’s a bunch of very skilled security researchers on Twitter. Some indicative profiles are @SophosLabs, @TheHackersNews and @mikko. Some blogs we like are:OTTAWA — A letter from Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef to the special committee studying electoral reform implies she’s been hearing as much support for the status quo as for a new system — a position bound to raise the ire of committee members advocating for proportional representation. The special committee recently undertook a cross-country tour where they found a high percentage of participants were in favour of a more-proportional system. Meanwhile, Monsef and her parliamentary secretary Mark Holland held almost 80 meetings, according to the letter obtained by the National Post. A couple of weeks ago, the committee unanimously decided, upon a motion from the NDP’s Nathan Cullen, that the minister should be asked to share summaries from those meetings. She had already submitted a report on town halls in her own riding, as had other MPs, including the prime minister. The letter, dated Nov. 16, is Monsef’s response to that request. Instead of individual summaries of events, Monsef offers three bullet points covering “three overall themes” that stood out to her during meetings. The first: though there is enthusiasm for some kind of reform, Monsef doesn’t think Canadians have expressed a consensus on a particular system. “Canadians who attended our meetings have passionately championed various systems. While I heard the most passion from proportional representation and first past the post advocates, I have not yet heard a consensus around one particular system over another.” Committee members, meanwhile, had reported that a high percentage of participants at their events were in favour of proportional representation, and comparatively fewer were in favour of the status quo. The prime minister’s own town hall report says a majority in his riding, at least, seemed to favour proportional representation. No random polling is included in any of these assessments — they’re based on people who took it upon themselves to show up to an event themed around electoral reform. The second theme Monsef saw was a consensus “around the democratic values we share,” Monsef writes: “the accountability of local representation, a system that encourages greater voter participation and engagement, and safeguarding the integrity of our voting system.” The third theme Monsef writes about is Canadians are “clear” they want a more “inclusive and accessible” system that supports “groups that are traditionally underrepresented in our democratic system, including women, young people, indigenous people, visible minorities and Canadians with disabilities.” I made a commitment to Canadians to share what I heard when this process is complete, and I will keep that commitment In the letter, Monsef also confirms a new “digital tool” will be used to “engage” with as many Canadians as possible. “This project has been planned for some time, and I am looking forward to sharing more with you and all Canadians soon,” she writes. A senior government source explained an online questionnaire will be launched and advertised via mail-outs sent to every Canadian household. But results will depend on people voluntarily filling out a form about their thoughts on the voting process. The government is not doing any random polling, so it’s unclear how they will gauge the opinion of the general public, not all of whom will be eager to log in for a survey on electoral systems. Monsef concludes in her letter that since her own work is underway, “I am not in a position to distribute more detailed information with the committee at this time. I made a commitment to Canadians to share what I heard when this process is complete, and I will keep that commitment.” The committee is in the final stages of their own process, however, meeting late Thursday night to try finalizing a report that will be tabled in the House of Commons by Dec. 1. As part of a last-minute effort to gain consensus among parties (at least, among opposition parties) the NDP said Wednesday they’d be willing to consider adding a referendum to the report’s recommendations — the key item that Conservatives were asking for, and something the Green Party leader, Elizabeth May, also said she’d consider. Those parties together make up half the committee and could challenge the Liberal members, should they decide not to support the report. Monsef writes she looks forward to seeing the committee report. “I respect your independence as a committee and I respect the collaborative way you have continued to work together.” Her director of communications, John O’Leary, said in an email Monsef “will consider that report as the government determines next steps,” though she is “also going to consider what she heard at national town halls” and the advice of MPs based on their own events. The Liberals had promised during last year’s campaign the election that gave them a majority would be the last one under first-past-the-post. Opposition parties have expressed concern that the Liberals may not want to keep that promise after all, with the prime minister, for his part, making comments about how it seemed public desire for reform was less now that people were generally more satisfied with the government. • Email: mdsmith@postmedia.com \| Twitter: amariedaniellesRaspberry Pi, a credit card-sized computer carrying a dirt cheap price tag has become insanely popular in the last couple of years. But what if we told you that there is a similar computer that sports miniature form factor and costs even less? Meet CHIP, a $9 single-board computer that is capable of running light Linux-based distros. As for the specifications, CHIP packs in a 1GHz processor coupled with 512MB RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. The board comes with optional ports for VGA and HDMI, and supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options. The variant with VGA port costs $19 while the HDMI capable CHIP will set you back by $24 bucks. But what can you possibly run on this tiny computer? The company assures that most of the lightweight Linux distributions will work with CHIP, and let users browse the Web using Chromium, do their office work on LibreOffice, and supposedly run media files on VLC. Exciting huh? That explains why in only three days since the company put its product on the crowdsourcing platform Kickstarter, CHIP has managed to get the trust of over 2,500 backers committing to contribute more than $390,000 for the original $50,000 goal.Originally Posted by MMO-Champion Morchok Stomp Crush Armor Resonating Crystal Furious The Earth Consumes You! Earth's Vengeance - Shards of Earth's Vengeance erupt from the ground, inflicting 15000 Physical damage to nearby players within 2 yards and leaving behind obstacles. - Shards of Earth's Vengeance erupt from the ground, inflicting 15000 Physical damage to nearby players within 2 yards and leaving behind obstacles. Black Blood of the Earth - Morchok causes the Black Blood the Earth to erupt outwards from him, inflicting 5000 Nature damage and increasing Nature damage taken by 100% every sec. while a player stands within the blood. This effect stacks up to 20 times. Even Morchok The most powerful elemental still under Deathwing's sway, Morchok-once a passive guardian-is now convinced that his only respite will come with Azeroth's demise. Morchok rages against the foundation of Wyrmrest Temple, Azeroth's last beacon of hope in the Hour of Twilight.Morchok performs a massive stomp, splitting 750000 damage between all players within 30 yards. The two closest targets take a double share of the damage. In Heroic Difficulty Stomp also increases the Physical damage taken by affected players by 50% for 20 sec.Morchok strikes his current target, inflicting 120% normal melee damage and reducing the target's armor by 10% for 20 sec. This effect stacks up to 10 times.Morchok conjures an explosive crystal onto the battlefield that explodes after 12 sec. for massive Shadow damage. The explosion splits the damage between the three closest enemies, and the total damage inflicted increases depending on the distance of each player from the crystal. In 25 Player raids, the damage splits between the five closest enemies.At 20% remaining health, Morchok becomes furious and increases his attack speed by 50% and his damage inflicted by 20%.Morchok uses the power of the earth to draw all players to him, inflicting 50% of their total health as Physical damage. While the power of the earth draws the players to him, Morchok also summons Earth's Vengeance.Upon reaching 90% health, Morchok tears himself in half, creating his twin, Even Morchok. His twin will do the same spells Morchok performs, a few seconds later.What They Aren’t Telling You About Blockchain Alexander Bremin Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jun 6, 2017 All the talk is about the amazing rise of blockchain technology and all the new features and use cases. There even is talk about the efficiencies it will provide to governments and banks. But there is something unfolding in front of our eyes that often is forgotten to be mentioned. Not many have identified what it is. However it is very profound, I’d argue that it’s even more profound than the inception of the Internet. Looking at how the Internet impacted our world, what industries it changed and how politics had to adapt to it, you can get an idea of what change blockchain will cause. The Internet is mainly used for direct information sharing and entertainment. A great encyclopaedia and a place for people to connect. New industries have been created and others have been crushed. For example publishing companies who didn’t adapt and stuck to print only, quickly saw themselves losing to the competition. The Internet disrupted by being a really efficient communication layer, the blockchain is really efficient at providing a layer of trust. A unifying settlement layer, where transactions, agreements and contracts are secured. The internet completely changed the landscape for companies who provided traditional ways of communication and information, and so will blockchain for companies who provide trust services. Such as Notary services, banks, exchanges, online payment providers, casinos and many more. Blockchain is decentralised, meaning there is no central point of control and no government can change the consensus rules of the network. Communications within a network can easily be encrypted and make it about as difficult for governments to prohibit its traffic on the Internet as the use of torrent file sharing applications. Once you build a currency on top of these properties, you get something truly unprecedented. It will be extremely difficult for Central banks to devalue and governments to interfere with your freedom to own, spend and use your blockchain token or currency. This means everyone suddenly has access to a Swiss bank account that can be accessed from around the world, on every phone and every computer. No one is able to look into your account, freeze your account or seize your funds. What is even more important is the efficiency at which blockchain delivers these services and tools. This efficiency is also the main reason for the current adoption momentum. Fundamental free market principles predict that the most efficient service, using the least amount of resources and providing the most value to the user will gain a major portion of a market. Blockchain is so incredible efficient due to the elimination of overhead infrastructure, such as the ones companies have offering the same service. You have no wages, rent or bills to pay. The social and political impact is going be huge once a critical mass is reached. Currencies backed by banks and governments won’t be able to compete with the efficiency and confidentiality of blockchain-based digital currencies and fiat currencies
465.2143 x11.The measure, which lawmakers plan to file in the House and Senate, would ban discrimination in seven categories — including housing, education, and public accommodations. Getty Images / Afp Democrats in Congress plan to introduce broad legislation this week to protect LGBT people from discrimination — including in housing, workplaces, schools, and public accommodations. In effect, the Equality Act would extend the same raft of rights to LGBT Americans that are currently afforded to other protected groups, including people of color, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other existing federal laws. The bill marks the first major attempt by Democrats to advance LGBT rights in both chambers of Republican-led Congress since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality in June. The measure has been long in the works and attempts to get traction where a more narrowly tailored LGBT workplace nondiscrimination bill — known as ENDA — had faltered for years. Conversely, the measure's introduction coincides with a committee vote on a Republican-backed bill to protect people and organizations who disagree with same-sex couples marrying. BuzzFeed News obtained a fact sheet distributed by senators that details how each section of the bill would amend federal law to include LGBT protections. Rep. David Cicilline outlined goals for the LGBT-rights bill on Monday in a “dear colleagues” letter that requested co-sponsors. The Rhode Island congressman said he intends to introduce the measure later this week while Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon files a companion bill in the Senate. “In most states, a same-sex couple can get married on Saturday, post pictures on Facebook on Sunday, and then risk being fired from their job or kicked out of their apartment on Monday,” said Cicilline's letter. “A majority of states in our country do not have laws that protect LGBT individuals against discrimination.” "We need a uniform federal standard that protects all LGBT Americans from discrimination," he said. At a noon press conference on Thursday, lawmakers will announce details of the bill in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Room of the U.S. Capitol, staff in Sen. Merkley's office told BuzzFeed News. Provisions of the bill to ban discrimination in places of public accommodations may draw the most scrutiny, and elevate local debates over faith. Religious freedom bills in Indiana and Arkansas became national lightning rods this spring, raising disagreement about whether business owners selling cakes or flowers to same-sex couples who are marrying compromise the moral rights of Christians. But Allison Steinberg, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union, which advocates for LGBT rights and religious liberties, argues this should be an open and shut issue. “Open for business means open for all,” Steinberg told BuzzFeed News. “A public serving business owner can’t turn someone away because of their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, nor should they be allowed to deny someone service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.” Sixty-nine percent of American voters want a federal law that prohibits discriminating against someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity, a poll in April found. Despite Democrats finding the wind at their backs in terms of public opinion, it is unclear if their nondiscrimination bill will have sufficient backing from Democrats to constitute a full court press in the Republican-led chambers, or if, rather, the bill amounts to a liberal building block for LGBT rights over the next few years. Four times this year, a majority of the GOP-controlled senate has voted for LGBT rights legislation, but no bill has received the 60 votes needed to overcome a threatened filibuster. Still, those majorities may reflect a warming trend for LGBT legislation. Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that sexual orientation-based discrimination was protected under existing civil rights law, echoing an earlier decision based on gender identity-based discrimination. The decision applies to the federal government and guides, but does not control, courts facing similar disputes. Taking a step further, the LGBT rights bill would “provide explicit, consistent protections for sexual orientation and gender identity,” Cicilline’s letter said. The Advocate outlined areas of law that would be affected by the act — most notably by amending portions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. On Tuesday, BuzzFeed News obtained fact sheet distributed by Sens. Markley, Tammy Baldwin, and Cory Booker that details how each section of the bill would amend federal law to include LGBT protections. That fact sheet is posted in full below. It shows the Equality Act would amend numerous statutes that already protect classes of people — such as civil rights laws banning discrimination based on a person's national origin, religion, or race — to offer the same protections to people based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. Transgender students could use single-sex facilities in public schools — such as restrooms — in accordance with their gender identity.Samphire Hoe Country Park is a country park situated 2 miles (3 km) west of Dover in Kent in southeast England. The park was created by using 4.9 million cubic metres of chalk marl from the Channel Tunnel excavations and is found at the bottom of a section of the White Cliffs of Dover.[1] The site is owned by Eurotunnel Ltd., and managed by the White Cliffs Countryside Project.[2] It is accessible by the public via a single-track tunnel controlled by traffic lights, which crosses over the South Eastern Main Line running in a tunnel underneath. Visitor facilities are provided, including car parking, toilets and a tea kiosk. Origin of the name [ edit ] Samphire Hoe is named after the wild plant rock samphire that was once collected from the Dover cliffs; its fleshy green leaves were picked in May and pickled in barrels of brine and sent to London, where it was served as a dish to accompany meat. A 'hoe' is a piece of land which sticks out into the sea.[3] The name was coined by Mrs Gillian Janaway, a retired primary school teacher from Dover, by way of a public competition.[4] History of the area [ edit ] Samphire Hoe. In the background are the tall twin portals to the Shakespeare Tunnel, in the middle is the road access tunnel to the Hoe, from the A20 above the cliff, and on the right is one of the Channel Tunnel equipment sheds. The cliffs above the current park were blown up with gunpowder in 1843 to aid the creation of the Dover to Folkestone railway. In 1880 an attempt was made from the site to create a tunnel that would pass under the English Channel but it failed shortly afterwards. In 1895 a coal mine was sunk there but this closed in 1921 after being very unsuccessful.[5] These activities were served by Shakespeare Cliff Halt railway station at the western end of the Shakespeare Cliff tunnel; the remains of the platforms can be seen from the road to the car park. A community of fisherfolk and others once lived at the foot of Shakespeare Cliff.[6] In the 1980s the site was deemed the most suitable of 60 proposed to dump chalk from Channel Tunnel excavations, and work began on it in 1988. As the 30 hectares that make up the park were totally reclaimed from the sea, the first job to be completed was the building of walls in the sea to create an artificial lagoon. It was completed in 1994 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II and President François Mitterrand. It opened to the public in 1997. Tourism [ edit ] The park now attracts around 110,000 visitors per year. Walking, cycling, angling on the sea wall and bird watching are some of the activities available. The park is open between 7am and dusk; admittance is free and car parking is £2.[7] It is very wheelchair friendly and an education room is available for school use. The site has a walking trail and serves as a wildlife area. Samphire Hoe has been managed by the White Cliffs Countryside Project, in partnership with the owner, Eurotunnel.[8] Walking trail [ edit ] Samphire Hoe has a walking path which makes a full circuit of 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).[9] The level of the path has mild slopes with an average gradient of 1:15, though a little steeper in places, and with cross slopes of up to 1:25. The nature trail within the Hoe is tarmac with fine gravel, but the seawall path is made of smooth concrete.[9] The area has been used for jogging and fun runs on special occasions. Ecology [ edit ] The ecology of Samphire Hoe includes wildflowers and birds.[10] It is now a chalk meadow-land with a number of nationally rare plant species including the early spider orchid.[10] In July each year, the rock sea lavender blooms, along with rock samphire.[9] Peregrine falcons have been seen flying along the cliffs.[9] Some stonechats and meadow pipits gather on the meadow, while rock pipits move along the base of the cliffs. House martins make mud nests under the overhangs of the chalk cliffs.[9]Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The masterminds behind a double suicide bombing on the Moscow Metro will be "destroyed", Russian leaders have said. The attacks, in the morning rush hour, killed at least 38 people and injured more than 60, officials say. No group has said it carried out the attacks, but security services have blamed rebels from the North Caucasus - which includes Chechnya and Ingushetia. President Dmitry Medvedev laid a wreath at the scene of one of the attacks, labelling the plotters "beasts". He said: "We will find and destroy them all." US President Barack Obama called President Medvedev to "personally convey" his condolences, adding that the US was ready to co-operate with Russia to help bring to justice those responsible for the blasts. MOSCOW METRO ATTACKS March 2010: Two suicide bombers blow themselves up at Lubyanka station and Park Kultury station, killing 35 people August 2004: Suicide bomber blows herself up outside Rizhskaya station, killing 10 February 2004: Suicide bombing on Zamoskvoretskaya line, linking main airports, kills 40 August 2000: Bomb in pedestrian tunnel leading to Tverskaya station kills 13 February 2000: Blast injures 20 inside Belorusskaya station January 1998: Three injured by blast at Tretyakovskaya station June 1996: Bomb on the Serpukhovskaya line kills four Russia unprepared for carnage In pictures: Aftermath of attacks Profile: Moscow Metro A Chechen link to bombs? Foreign ministers from the G8 group of leading industrial nations also condemned the attacks at the start of talks on global security in Canada. Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said G8 members would "continue to collaborate to thwart and constrain terrorists". Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had also earlier vowed to hunt down those responsible, saying: "Terrorists will be destroyed." He described the attacks, believed to have been carried out by female bombers, as "heinous". The Moscow city government declared Tuesday would be a day of mourning. Past suicide bombings in Moscow have been carried out by - or blamed on - Islamist rebels fighting for independence from Russia in Chechnya. A Chechen rebel leader recently promised to bring the war to Russia's cities, months after Mr Medvedev declared an end to Moscow's "anti-terrorism operations" in the mainly Muslim republic. More than 100,000 people have been killed in 15 years of conflict in Chechnya, and low-level insurgencies continue there and in the neighbouring republics of Ingushetia and Dagestan. 'City is a mess' The first explosion tore through a carriage of a train at central Lubyanka station at 0756 (0356 GMT) as it stood waiting for commuters to board. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The station lies beneath the headquarters of the Federal Security Service (FSB). "I was moving up on the escalator when I heard a loud bang, a blast," an eyewitness named Alexei told Rossiya 24 TV channel. "People started running, panicking, falling on each other." The second explosion, six stops away at Park Kultury, came at 0838 (0438 GMT). It hit the back of the train as people were getting on board. "I smelled burning plastic and heard cries of 'let the wounded through,'" Alevtina Rogatova, a 23-year-old student who was on the train at Park Kultury, told the Associated Press news agency. The security services said the bomb that went off at Lubyanka station had an equivalent force of up to 4kg of TNT, while the bomb at Park Kultury was equivalent to 1.5-2kg of TNT. The devices - believed to have been made with the powerful explosive hexogen, also known as RDX - were filled with chipped iron rods and screws for shrapnel. 'Terrorist' claims The city's Metro is one of the busiest underground railways in the world, carrying about 5.5 million passengers a day. The system was partially disrupted following the attacks, but damage to the stations was minimal and both had reportedly reopened by the evening rush hour. FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov said its investigators believed the attacks had been carried out by "terrorist groups related to the North Caucasus". "Fragments of the bodies of two female suicide bombers were found earlier at the scene of the incident and examinations show that these individuals came from the North Caucasus region," he said. The co-ordinated attacks were the deadliest in Moscow since February 2004, when 40 people were killed by a bomb on a packed metro train as it approached the Paveletskaya station. Six months later, a suicide bomber blew herself up outside another station, killing 10 people. Both attacks were blamed on rebels from Chechnya. Are you in Moscow? Did you witness what happened? You can send pictures and video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can click here to upload. Click here to see terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionBy Mark Vernon Silence is golden, but it's under threat in a world where as business booms and prosperity looms, noise is growing. A composer recently described how orchestras find it impossible to play a piece of her music. The problem is not that she has written too many notes. Neither is it that she requires unusual musical instruments. Rather, it is that in the piece she has written 25 seconds of silence. The pause is intended to build tension. But when they see it, she said, conductors baulk. They fear that musicians wouldn't know what to make of it, and worse, that audiences wouldn't be able to take it. Over such a long period of time, a concert hall would be plunged into near panic. When the last episode of the Sopranos was broadcast this year, finishing with a sudden cut to black and silence, many baffled viewers assumed there was a fault with the signal. Lewis Hamilton is moving to Switzerland for a quieter life We live in a society with a growing aversion to the emptiness that comes not just with silence but, more generally, with a fear of not knowing what to say. Consider what might mark someone out as your best friend. For some, it is the person who they don't see for some time and yet, when they do, it is like they have never been apart. Perhaps more commonly today, in the era of mass mobile communication, a best friend is someone with whom you are in constant contact, texting or messaging as automatically as breathing. But there was a time when it was said that a true friend is someone with whom you can sit in complete silence, without a hint of embarrassment or need to fill the space. Silence as sin Then there are politicians. For them, to be caught off guard in front of the cameras could result in nothing less than the curtailing of a career. Alastair Campbell famously filled the political day with the "grid". He argued that 24-hour news loathes a vacuum and that if he did not fill it, an editor or producer would. That is undoubtedly true. But as Douglas Hurd has observed, on some subjects silence might not only be a good policy, it might be more honest. "Silence is regarded as a sort of sin now, and it has to be filled with a lot of gossip and sound bites," he has written. Some people are ready to defend their right to quiet Not knowing what to say can be social death, as well as political. Everyone can remember a time when they got into a tangle over something, and then - horror of horrors - they then said the wrong thing; they were in a hole and could not stop digging. It can be amusing to watch. Probably the most famous episode of the classic comedy Fawlty Towers was built around Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, trying not to talk about the war. "Don't mention the war!", he endlessly repeated and mentioned nothing but, because he could not just shut-up. Research suggests that there is a connection between the wealth of a society and the levels of noise within it. A project at Sheffield Hallam University tracked the levels of noise in UK for a number of years. It is rising - in Sheffield city centre, for example, by 3 decibels in 10 years. Firework hell A report from the Noise Association this month says that sound levels on the Piccadilly Line of London's underground can exceed that of a jet taking off at Heathrow Airport. And complaints about noise from domestic premises rose almost fivefold in the twenty years up 2005 in England and Wales, according to the UK government. Then there is Bonfire Night and fireworks. "All the surveys show that people are concerned about noise," Val Weedon, National Coordinator for the UK Noise Association says. "The fireworks issue is an example of that. Thousands of people contact their MPs about it getting out of control." Planes are loud but so is public transport Now, for all that we can hate it, it might be that we use noise and chatter to protect ourselves. There are people who can't stop talking and would panic if they did. And then there are iPods and Walkmans that create a bubble of noise to keep the outside world out. Some users might even be listening to Simon and Garfunkel singing their song, Sound of Silence: "People talking without speaking, People hearing without listening." But does this matter? I think it does. I know a monk. He spends the majority of his day not talking. The aim is that he lives in quietude punctuated by periods of noise - when in chapel or talking with his brethren. A more usual way of life is exactly the opposite, for most people live in noise and occasionally seek out silence. Speech is shallow For a monk, not talking has an intrinsic value, since it is then that he is able to listen, notably to the "still, small voice of God". To put it in secular terms, silence is necessary in order to perceive and understand things. As Thomas Carlyle wrote: "Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better. Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as time." That, then, might be the most profound worry about rising noise levels in our society: it stops us from thinking. Or to put it differently, the next time you don't know what to say, don't be alarmed. Try saying nothing. Mark Vernon is the author of What Not To Say: Finding the Right Words at Difficult Moments. After meditating for many years I am still constantly amazed by the richness of silence. If one takes the time to be in silence noticing sensations, sounds, thoughts and feelings we will see that silence is the condition or quality of being. Being human. We seem to have largely lost our ability to be and feel the need to do and see silence as moments filled with nothing opposed to being filled with an abundance of what it is to be human. After all we are human beings and not human doings... Mike Visagie, Manchester There seems to be an aversion to silence. All anyone need do is notice how many people seem unable to relax in their back garden without throwing open the patio doors to let their hi-fi blast out, or those who are unable to clean their car without having its stereo switched on. Dave, Cheshire There should be a petition to stop the introduction of 'ibus' on london buses. Every time the bus stops a loud speaker will announce the number of the bus, it's detination and the current stop. All irrelevant information, continuosly repeated to completely ruin your journey. Paul Dimitriou, london Windchimes. Why do I have to put up with my neighbours windchimes day and night? I have to listen to them clanging away even when my neighbours aren't home. I long to hear nothing. Paula Taylor, Los Angeles (expat) I love silence and it's definitely more difficult to find. I don't own an MP3 player or anything like that because when I'm on the bus I prefer to think and ponder. I'm amazed at the inanity of the chatter on mobile phones on public transport. It's usually, "I'm almost at Princes St." or "I'm passing a KFC right now". I doubt that many people have epiphanies on the bus, so why does the prospect of a little time for introspection and self-reflection scare so many people? Bring back daydreaming! Ben, Edinburgh I yearn for silence - to have that peace and quiet - a space in my head to turn off the thoughts. If only that were possible - to bring the thoughts to a standstill - to allow total silence in my head. Even in sleep the dreams can be constant - the subconscious thoughts. I love the analogy of not seeing a good friend for a while and then carrying on just where you last left off. I have several friends like that; life's busyness gets in the way, but when you do chance or plan to meet up, you can just pick up the connection and carry on. Meditiation and prayer that allows us to hear what messages we need to hear, instead of always asking and thinking and analysing is what is needed in today's busy world. Liz Harris, Tunbridge Wells, UK I think that Douglas Adams got it scarily correct when a race of people talked incessently in order to stop their brains working, I think we use all the noise as an excuse to turn our brains off. Turn on, tune in drop out - maybe we should turn off drop in and start thinking again. Kay, Bampton, Oxon It amazes me how anti-social people are on public transport by playing ipods way too loud. Tip for ipod users: think about your fellow passengers! Buy some decent headphones, and keep it at a reasonable level. Yes, you may be relaxing after a day at work on your way home, but so am I when I'm trying to read a book, with your tinny beat infringing on my journey. Dan Maguire, Leeds Noise is a huge part of modern life and it causes a lot of stress. People have lost touch with nature and peace, it would do everyone a lot of good if they spent at least half an hour a day sitting still, eyes closed doing NOTHING! In other words, meditating and clearing their minds of all the things that clutter up their heads. A bit of peace and quiet goes a long way to restore health and harmony in ones life! Give it a go! Angie Grainger, London I'd like to sit in silence on the bus and read my book. But I am forced to listen to a walkman in order to drown out the noise of other people talking on the phone, or worse still listening to music through the loudspeakers of their phone. Noise begets noise. It also begets violence. If I could get away with it, I'd cheerfully kill the person next to me who forces the banal details of his life upon me in a one-sided telephone conversation. I'd probably be racking up 20 or 30 murders a day though... Lawrence Napper, London I agree that silence is golden and that the world has become far too noisy. I thought there were laws about fireworks. Why can't the excessively noisy ones be let off earlier in the evening and not saved until the end at midight! Also, I work in an solicitors' office with four other women, two radios and four computers. The most wonderful parts of the day are early morning before the others arrive - silence! and if I'm lucky when they all go out to lunch and leave me alone to turn off the radio and enjoy the SILENCE.....! I thought I was alone in wishing there was more of it. At work I want to suggest a rota where we could choose a radio station for a day (as none of us agree which one to listen to). On my day we would turn the radio off! Pauline Jones, Abbey Wood London UK I agree with the bit about fireworks. This year they have been louder, gone on for longer and have quite literally shook my windows at times! It's called bonfire NIGHT - so it should be for one night - not four or five. Fireworks should also only be sold to organised displays not individuals who run amock around the streets! Sharon, Teddington The week before last I was in Tenerife and, whilst Hiking up Mount Teide appreciated the ability to stand still and hear absolutely nothing (If you don't count my heart pounding like mad because of the exertion at altitude) It really does make you realise what a noisy environment we live in. Bob Armour, Crawley, West Sussex Name Your e-mail address Town/city and country Your commentThe chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is threatening to hold the Justice Department and FBI in contempt of Congress for withholding details about why a top FBI investigator was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the presidential campaign. “I have instructed House Intelligence Committee staff to begin drawing up a contempt of Congress resolution for DOJ Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray,” California Rep. Devin Nunes, the Republican chair of the committee, said in a statement on Saturday night. Nunes set a Monday deadline for the DOJ and FBI to comply with the committee’s list of demands, which includes requests for interviews with Rosenstein, Wray, and deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe as well as documents related to the anti-Trump dossier written by former British spy Christopher Steele. Committee Republicans have tried in vain for months to force the DOJ and FBI to provide details of the Russia investigation, including how much it relied on the uncorroborated dossier to form the basis of its probe. But the final straw for Nunes appears to be the bombshell revelation that FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok was kicked off of Mueller’s team over the summer after it was discovered that he exchanged anti-Trump text messages with his mistress, an FBI lawyer named Lisa Page who also worked on Mueller’s team. (RELATED: FBI Investigator Who Oversaw Trump, Clinton Investigations Sent Anti-Trump Text Messages) The New York Times and Washington Post reported on Saturday that the Department of Justice’s inspector general discovered the text messages as part of an investigation into how the FBI handled the Clinton email investigation. Strzok was removed from the Mueller team in August, though Mueller’s office, the FBI, and the DOJ have left the circumstances of his ouster a mystery for nearly four months. Strzok now works in the FBI’s human resources department. Nunes pulled no punches in his statement, accusing the FBI and DOJ of “hiding” information about Strzok’s “documented political bias.” “In light of today’s press reports, we now know why Strzok was dismissed, why the FBI and DOJ refused to provide us this explanation, and at least one reason why they previously refused to make Deputy [FBI] Director [Andrew] McCabe available to the Committee for an interview,” said Nunes. WATCH US INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS DISCUSS TRUMP-RUSSIA CONNECTIONS:Get 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 Manuel Pellegrini has reiterated his desire to bring trophies to Manchester City - and improvements to the club's Champions League record. The Chilean, while addressing the media for the first time, said that the 2011-12 champions will have to be at their very best this season if they are to win the league. He also confirmed that the signings of Fernandinho and Jesus Navas were his and that the club are in the market for at least one more striker. Manchester City fans were also promised attacking football by Pellegrini, who will follow the offensive style of play he's deployed at his previous clubs. (Image: Action Images) On the hunt for trophies, he said: "I know the last two years were not very good in the Champions League and I will try to improve that. That's not the only thing, though, and I will try to get another Premier League title. "When Manchester City won the league it was one of the most important things for the club and we will try to repeat it. "But we don't have priority for one competition and we will try to do our best in all of them." The Premier League will be a first port of call after finishing second to their rivals Manchester United last season. But Pellegrini insists there is plenty of competition. "I'm sure Moyes will do very well and Mourinho already knows everything about the Premier League," the Chilean added. "I think it will be a very competitive Premier League and five or six teams will try to win it. (Image: Action Images) "I think here in the Premier League we have Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, and maybe another one. These teams are always trying to win the Premier League. "It's not easier than other years and we will try to win it." Pellegrini also spoke about the end of Carlos Tevez's time at the club and his search for a replacement. "I spoke with Carlos a few weeks ago and I felt that he didn't want to stay here. He was very clear. It was the best choice for Carlos and for the club. "We have two strikers at the moment and we need another but I won't name names at the moment. We need two players in every position and we will try to do our best to get them. "In the next week we will see the different situations of all the players. We will see what happens with all of them. "I think we have a very good squad and some really very good players so we can try to reach important targets." Pellegrini also revealed he first had chance to take charge at City six years ago, when he was at Villarreal and then-owner Thaksin Shinawatra opted for Sven-Goran Eriksson. And that was not the 59-year-old's only brush with the Barclays Premier League - with Liverpool also apparently interested three years ago. In 2010, after Rafael Benitez left Anfield, Pellegrini was available following his dismissal by Real Madrid but Malaga proved his next destination. The Chilean, speaking as he was formally unveiled as City's new boss, said: "I had twice chances to arrive here before. "One was to Manchester City but with the other owners, not these owners. Liverpool, I was very near, after Real Madrid, to arrive at Liverpool. "But for different things, it was not the moment. Now it is the right moment with the right club." Fernandinho joined Pellegrini in today's press conference and says he had no hesitation about moving to the Etihad. At £30million, City paid over the odds to sign the 28-year-old Brazil midfielder from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk this summer. Given his age, they are unlikely to recoup much of their outlay on the player, but he is determined to show he was worth the big investment. “I want to repay the club for what they have done for me by playing well on the pitch and winning as many trophies as possible,” said Fernandinho. Officially named Fernando Luiz Roza, he was City’s top target, a factor in his decision to sign. He said: “That was very important for me. I think the main challenge for me is a different style, compared with my last team. “Also, the amount of games during the season will be more than I am used to.” Fernandinho, who hopes his move will help secure his place in Brazil’s squad for next year’s home-based World Cup, said City were now seen as a major club worldwide. “In Ukraine, as well as in Brazil, City are now considered one of the best teams in the world,” he added. “After I signed, people back home in Brazil congratulated me for signing for one of the top teams in the world. “My first aim is to play well for my club, City. And if I do that, I’m sure that will come to the attention of the national manager.” * FORMER England goalkeeper Richard Wright has signed a new one-year contract with Manchester City. Wright, 35, joined City as a free agent last summer and served as back-up to Joe Hart and Costel Pantilimon without making a first-team appearance.The announcement is a little bittersweet. SNES support has been one of the most requested additions to the virtual console library since the launch of the 3DS, but the general consensus was that the handheld console simply wasn't powerful enough to emulate the 16-bit hardware. It's the same reason Nintendo hasn't released GameBoy Advance games for the 3DS, apart from the few titles it gave to 3DS Ambassadors back in 2011 -- and even those didn't work that well, forcing the handheld to reboot into a mode that disables most of its features. The New Nintendo 3DS upgraded processor, however, apparently gives the device enough oomph to do the job. Having the games on the New Nintendo 3DS is better than nothing, but it's still a bummer for folks who haven't upgraded to the new hardware. If you have bought in to Nintendo's upgraded handheld, however, the new VC games seem pretty nice. Virtual Console SNES games will include a "perfect pixel" mode to retain the original hardware's aspect ratio, and Nintendo is promising a solid line-up of classics for the next few weeks -- including Donkey Kong Country (and Donkey Kong Country 2), Super Mario Kart, Earthbound, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Super Metroid. Not bad! Unfortunately Nintendo hasn't said how much each title will cost or if it will offer discounts to users who already purchased the games on their Wii U. Here's hoping. Update: That price? $7.99 a pop, sadly without any discount for folks who already purchased the title on the Nintendo Wii U. Bummer.The former director of a Pueblo center where residents with severe disabilities were abused is now in charge of adult services at one of Colorado’s 20 community boards that manage benefit money for the disabled, a move that has angered numerous parents. “They move the lemons around,” said Maureen Welch, the mother of a boy with Down syndrome and an activist for statewide reform in the disability system. Valita Speedie oversaw the Pueblo Regional Center for several years, including 2014-15, when a female resident performed a sexual act on a staff member for a soda and when several male residents had words such as “kill” and “die” scratched into their skin, most likely with a fingernail, according to a recently released federal report. Speedie, who resigned last year during an investigation, now is vice president of adult programs at Strive, the community-centered board that serves people with disabilities in the Grand Junction area. Officials at the Colorado Department of Human Services, which oversees the Pueblo center, would not comment about the circumstances of Speedie’s exit, calling it a personnel matter. The state is not in charge of hiring at community-centered boards, which are privately run enterprises in Colorado that determine who is eligible for disability benefits, link people with services and then bill the state Medicaid department for reimbursement. Services include case management for people placed in one of three state regional centers — in Pueblo, Wheat Ridge and Grand Junction. When Speedie resigned from the Pueblo center last year, she blasted state human services officials for “strip-searching” the 62 residents as part of their abuse investigation. “You don’t come down and strip-search 62 people and then walk away with nothing,” she said in May 2015, calling the searches unannounced and invasive. “You don’t put people out. This is like a Third World country where you can be put out and people say it’s an ongoing investigation.” A state health department review later determined the strip searches violated the residents’ rights. Complaints from parents and guardians about the “body audits” led to a federal investigation of the center. The report of that investigation, given to state officials in August by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said numerous abuse allegations were founded and that the Pueblo center should have an independent monitor, among other reforms. State human services officials said the body searches revealed 10 cases of abuse. Speedie did not respond to a request for comment, but both the executive director of Strive and the agency’s vice president for development called Speedie a high-quality employee who has improved services during her 16-month tenure at Strive. “I felt that she had a high level of integrity and experience in this field, and that she would be a good member of our team over here in Grand Junction,” said Strive CEO Sharon Jacksi. Jacksi defended Speedie regarding the abuses in Pueblo. “At any point in directing a 24-7 program, you will have some incidences that are not good and are very bad,” Jacksi said of the troubles at the Pueblo center. “It’s what you do to correct those that is important.” Jacksi said it was her understanding that Speedie moved to get rid of the employees found to have abused residents at the Pueblo center. She noted that allegations of abuse remain a concern at the Pueblo center, saying the state must review the whole system for regional centers that house individuals with severe intellectual disabilities. Jacksi added that she and Speedie have known each other for years and both worked for the state system for people with development disabilities. During part of the time when Speedie ran the Pueblo Regional Center, Jacksi was director of intellectual and developmental disabilities at the state human services department. “She has become a very valuable member of the structure here,” Jacksi said. Jacksi said she left that state director position to move closer to her home in Grand Junction. The
34, the accused mastermind of the kidnapping scheme, has been in custody since he was arrested last October, not long after the crime occurred, police and prosecutors said in a joint statement. Each of the four is charged with kidnapping, aggravated mayhem, torture and burglary, with a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury. All are being held without bail and face a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. The victim was not identified, but was described as the owner of a lucrative dispensary for marijuana, which is legal in California for medical purposes. He survived the kidnapping and mutilation ordeal but was hospitalized for an extensive period of time. Police said the suspects who abducted him fled with his severed penis so that it could never be reattached. Details of the case, in which the FBI assisted, were outlined in a statement issued by the Newport Beach Police Department and Orange County District Attorney’s Office. According to their account, the kidnapping plot was hatched after the victim had taken several marijuana growers who were suppliers for his pot dispensary, including Handley, on an expensive weekend trip to Las Vegas. Handley is later suspected of telling his co-defendants that the victim was extremely wealthy, and they set about devising plans to abduct and rob him. They went on to carry out weeks of video surveillance of the victim and followed him as he took numerous trips by car to discuss a possible investment deal, incorrectly surmising he was making those desert trips to bury large amounts of cash there, authorities said. The plot came to a head on October 2, 2012, when the three male suspects allegedly slipped into the victim’s home, kidnapped him and the girlfriend of a roommate who happened to be there, then drove them both to the desert. They also are accused of stealing cash from the victim’s home. According to police, the three suspects repeatedly tortured the dispensary owner during his ordeal by burning him with a blowtorch, before finally cutting off his penis. They then poured bleach over the victim in an effort to destroy any DNA evidence before dumping both captives on the side of a road and fled. Naomi Kevorkian was not present during the kidnapping but was charged because she participated in the plan to abduct and torture the victim, according to the statement. The woman abducted with the dispensary owner was unharmed and managed to flag down a police car after running for a mile in the dark. The Kevorkians are expected to be arraigned on Tuesday. Nayeri faces extradition proceedings in Prague. Handley is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on November 15.With the cherished Midsummer holiday just around the corner, Swedes across the country are busy planning how they'll spend this most traditional of holidays. Among the most important parts of a traditional Midsummer celebration is the decoration and erection of a flower-adorned maypole, around which joyous Swedes, young and old, dance and sing merry tunes like "Små grodorna" ('Little frogs') in a rapturous celebration of the summer's warmth and sunshine. But this year, a growing chorus of voices rising up against Sweden's traditional Midsummer celebrations, implore Swedes to break with tradition and dance around a vagina instead. “In the future I want coming generations to say on their trips abroad that ‘In Sweden we celebrate midsummer by dancing around a vagina',” says Alexander Alvina Chamberland, co-founder of the group Midsommarfitta ('Midsummer Cunt'). Chamberland, a self-proclaimed 'femme genderqueer' who launched the group on Facebook in 2008, believes the traditional Midsummer maypole is a sexist phallic symbol that should be replaced by something of a more feminine flavour. Rather than erecting a maypole, he and other members in the group want Swedes to spend time fashioning'mayholes' by digging a hole in the ground or arranging tree branches in the shape of a vagina. “It could be all different sizes, laid on the ground, or erected into the sky. It could be built from flowers, fabric, leafs, stones or glass," says Chamberland, who believes Sweden's current Midsummer tradition is too "heteronormative". “It's not just the pole," he explains. "The tradition of girls picking seven different flowers to put under their pillow to dream about their future man is also very heteronormative and patriarchal." As a femme genderqueer who feels neither like a man nor woman, but nevertheless chooses to act in a feminine manner, Chamberland says the goal of the Midsommarfitta initiative is to bring down the phallic symbols everywhere in society but also to get people to look at other holidays with a critical eye. “Everything is politics,” says Alexander. “Just look at Santa Claus. He's working while Mrs Claus sits at home. And he has little slaves that make everything for him." However, some experts dispute Chamberland's assertion that the Midsummer maypole is in fact a phallic symbol. “The short answer is that the maypole is not really a phallic symbol. A person's interpretation of the maypole is of course very individual but generally you could say that the pole symbolises party, summer and time off work,“ says Katarina Ek-Nilson, of Sweden's Institute for Language and folklore (Institutet för språk och folkminnen). “The maypole is in fact a German custom that came to Sweden around the 16th century, so it's not an ancient tradition." Ek-Nilson adds that the shape of maypoles can vary, with some also being shaped like a cross. "There are also indications that they used to look more like smaller poles or sceptres,” she explains. Others suggest that the pole indeed represents a penis but that the earth symbolises the woman being fertilised by the pole, meaning that both sexes are actually being represented in the traditional symbol. But such explanations fail to convince Chamberland, who has just finished his master degree in gender studies, that Midsummer celebrations don't need changing. “That still reflects the different gender roles and the view that there are only two genders and that sex should only be vaginal and between a man and a woman when in fact there are lots of different ways to have sex,” he argues. Stina Svensson, a spokesperson for the feminist political party Feminist Initiative (Feministiskt Initiativ - FI), welcomes Chamberland's efforts. “I think it seems like a creative new way to celebrate Midsummer and I think it's good when people celebrate the way they want to instead of how they should,” she says. Chamberland hopes to utilise the Midsommarfitta Facebook group, which now boasts more than 3,000 members, to help spread awareness about how to create a Midsummer vagina by encouraging people to share pictures of their ‘mayholes' with one another ahead of this year's holiday. So far, the response has been encouraging. “I'm very surprised over the positive feedback and that so many people like this fun and political way of celebrating,” says Chamberland. Although thousands have embraced the 'Midsummer Cunt' movement, the group has received its share of criticism, especially from anti-feminists. But Chamberland shrugs off the negative reactions, arguing that detractors are simply taking the group too seriously. “Feminists are often accused of not having any humour and then when we do, people complain that we're ridiculous. I'd like to say though that most people have been positive,” he says. Either way, Chamberland plans on spending his Midsummer holiday in Berlin this year. And while he won't be dancing around a vagina, he plans keep a close eye on the group's Facebook page to monitor the expected flood of Midsummer'mayholes' he expects to turn up.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad posted a poll : Ayatollah Khameini posted a note : "It's Good!" Iran created the event Protest. Ayatollah Khameini is investigating irregularities. Ayatollah Khameini posted a note : "It's Good!" John McCain changed his profile picture. Lindsey Graham changed his profile picture. Barack Obama changed his profile picture. Mir-Hossein Mousavi Down with Ahmadinejad! Mir-Hossein Mousavi Recount recount recount! Mir-Hossein Mousavi Congratulations Mahmoud! May a thousand suns rise on you. Twitter is closed for system maintenance. The group Washington Press Corps posted a note : URGENT. Please send tips! Twitter is back up. The group Washington Press Corps posted a note : nm John Ensign changed his relationship status to It's Complicated. Mitt Romney likes this. likes this. The group Republican Policy Committee posted a note : Job Opening David Rohde challenged the group Taliban to a game of Scrabulous. David Rohde left the Waziristan network. Barack Obama posted a note : Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. RNC posted a video : Yes We Cancer. Creigh Deeds sent Terry McAuliffe a video : Arlington Rap. CNBC posted a video : Barack Obama swats a fly. CNN posted an : BREAKING: Fly in critical condition after presidential swatting. Check back for updates. Politico posted an article : "Obama's Fly Swat: Winners and Losers." Slate posted an article : "Explainer: What's the proper way to swat a fly?" Edward Kennedy posted a note : Health care reform bill. The New York Times posted a note : 72 percent of Americans support public option. Mark Sanford is absolutely LOVING the Appalachian Trail. Mark Sanford Ah, the great outdoors! Just you and the sky. Can't wait to eat some gorp and fire up the ol' propane stove. Mark Sanford Oh goodness. Mark Sanford posted a video : Press conference. John Ensign likes this. likes this. Mitt Romney likes this. likes this. The group Republican Governors Association posted a note : Job Opening Mark Sanford added Buenos Aires, Argentina, to the Places I've Been application. Jenny Sanford added Not at Your F****** Press Conference, Mark to the Places I've Been application. Tom Davis joined the group The Tom Davises of the World. Mitt Romney posted the photo album My Very Happy Father's Day The Huffington Post posted a note on Barack Obama's Wall. "Under which conditions would you accept the election of Ahmadinejad?" McClatchy posted a note on Barack Obama's Wall. "Do you still smoke? Under what conditions do you smoke? Alone? With others? What do you smoke? Why?" David Souter created the group Strip Searching 13-Year-Olds is Unconstitutional. 8 people have joined. Clarence Thomas created the group Strip Searching 13-Year-Olds is A-OK. Michael Jackson signed off.From outlawing diesel in trucks and larger vehicles, to offering free public transit, Paris, France has tried almost everything to combat its horrific smog problem. Paris to ban all vehicles pre-1997, here's why Find Your Forecast Search for a location Leeanna McLean Digital Reporter Thursday, June 2, 2016, 2:20 PM - From outlawing diesel in trucks and larger vehicles, to offering free public transit, Paris, France has tried almost everything to combat its horrific smog problem. As of July 1, all vehicles registered before 1997 and motorcycles made before 2000 will be banned from streets during weekdays in the city's latest attempt to cut down on air pollution. The move is part of a much larger plan to make Paris a diesel-free city by 2020. RELATED: High demand in China for Canadian bottled air “The fine particles [from diesel fumes are responsible for around 42,000 deaths a year in France], emitted mostly by public buses and coaches, are a major health concern,” Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo told French newspaper Le Monde last year. “It is true that older diesel vehicles are more polluting than modern ones. But the filters in even the latest models can’t get rid of the most dangerous fine particles.” Officials will track the status of cars by using colour-coded chips, which will organize them into six categories based on model year and environmental ranking. Electric and hydrogen vehicles will be identified as "first class," according to Le Monde. Eventually, the aim is to ensure no car over 10 years old will drive on the city's streets. While pre-1997 cars only account for around 10 per cent of all vehicles in Paris, they generate as much as half of all the city's emissions, Gizmodo reports. Similar to a ban in Mexico City, some residents in Paris are outraged as the ban will hit those who can't afford more modern vehicles. The smog-busting restrictions announced by mayor Hidalgo last year set off an angry backlash from bikers. Hundreds of motorcyclists rode through the streets in protest. Air pollution leads to about 600,000 premature deaths each year in Europe, with Paris being one of the most heavily polluted cities in Europe, according to World Health Organization. SOURCE: Le Monde \| Gizmodo Watch more: Man vacuums smog on streets, what he made will surprise youA recent study from Rutgers University School of Public Health found sindoor, the red cosmetic powder used in Hindu ceremonies, contains elevated levels of lead. Photo by muxuproo/PixaBay Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Researchers at Rutgers University report that 83 percent of samples of sindoor, the red cosmetic powder used in Hindu ceremonies, contain unsafe lead levels. "There is no safe level of lead," Derek Shendell, associate professor of Environmental and Occupational Health in the School of Public Health, said in a news release. "That's why we believe sindoor powder shouldn't be sold or brought into the United States unless it is lead free." The study, published in the October edition of the American Journal of Public Health, was conducted by researchers from the School of Public Health at Rutgers who tested 118 samples of sindoor, the red colored powder used by Hindu women to place a bindi, or red dot, on their foreheads. Sindoor is also used by married women in their hair and by men and children for religious purposes. It found that 83 percent of samples of sindoor collected from New Jersey and 78 percent collected from India had at least 1.0 microgram of lead per gram of cosmetic powder. Nearly 19 percent of the samples collected from New Jersey and 43 percent collected from India exceeded the 20 microgram of lead per gram of cosmetic powder standard from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Other cosmetic products from India have been banned for use in the United States by the FDA for containing high lead levels. The FDA previously issued a general warning about sindoor after testing by the Illinois Department of Health 10 years ago discovered a high lead level in one brand. Elevated lead levels are associated with lower IQ, behavioral problems and growth delays in young children who are exposed hand to mouth contact. RELATED Some Mexican ceramics serve up lead poisoning "We screen kids who live in houses built prior to 1978 with lead-based paint," Halperin said. "We should be screening children from the south Asian community to make sure they do not have elevated levels of lead in their blood, before we discover more dead brain cells." Researchers urge that at a minimum there needs to be monitoring of sindoor lead levels and a public awareness campaign of the potential hazards of using the product.NVD Data Feeds NOTICE It is assumed that users of the data feeds provided on this page have a moderate level of understanding of the XML and/or JSON standard and XML or JSON related technologies as defined by www.w3.org. Currently, the NVD provides no other specific tools or services for processing vulnerability data. The entire NVD database can be downloaded from this web page for public use. All NIST publications are available in the public domain according to Title 17 of the United States Code, however acknowledgement of the NVD when using our information is always appreciated. The main vulnerability feeds provide CVE® data organized by the first four digits of a CVE® identifier except for the 2002 feeds which include vulnerabilities prior to and including "CVE-2002-". Each feed is updated only if the content of that feed has changed. For example the 2004 feeds will be updated only if there is an addition or modification to any vulnerability with a starting CVE® identifier of "CVE-2004-". In addition, the "recent" feeds are a list of recently published vulnerabilities and the "modified" feeds are a list of recently published and modified vulnerabilities where "recently" and "modified" are defined as the previous eight days. These feeds are updated approximately every two hours. If you are locally mirroring the NVD data, the data feeds should be used to stay synchronized. After performing a one-time import of the complete data set using the compressed XML/JSON vulnerability feeds, the "modified" feeds should be used to keep up-to-date. The META file should be used to determine if a given feed has been updated since your last import. This helps prevent unnecessary downloads of the.zip or.gz files and should result in a reasonable use of less than 200 requests per day. In addition, each of the data feeds is described by an associated plain text file with the same name as the.xml file with a.meta extension. These files are updated approximately every two hours to reflect changes within their respective feed file. For example, if the name of the file is nvdcve-2.0-Modified.xml then the.meta file name will be nvdcve-2.0-Modified.meta. The.meta file contains information about the specific feed including the last modified date and time, the size of the file uncompressed, and a SHA256 value of the uncompressed file: lastModifiedDate:2015-09-10T08:40:09-04:00 size:1273382 zipSize:91619 gzSize:91477 sha256:ac782e2db403e2b09ad5dd676501e8755fda3f2bef347b7503491700c6c5eaff JSON Feeds NVD is now offering a vulnerability data feed using the JSON format. This data feed includes both previously offered and new NVD data points. Changes made throughout the BETA phase are visible by viewing the changelog. XML Vulnerability Feeds The original feed format offered by NVD. Please make sure to read the "How to keep up-to-date with the NVD data" section at the top of the page for guidance on using the feeds. RSS Vulnerability Feeds NVD provides two RSS 1.0 data feeds. The first feed, nvd-rss.xml (zip or gz), provides information on all vulnerabilities within the previous eight days. The second feed, nvd-rss-analyzed.xml (zip or gz), provides only vulnerabilities which have been analyzed within the previous eight days. The advantage of the second feed is that we are able to provide vulnerable product names in the title. The advantage of the former is that you learn about new vulnerabilities as soon as possible. NVD provides a service whereby software development organizations can submit "Official Vendor Comments" on the set of CVE vulnerabilities that apply to their products. Organizations can submit comments by contacting NVD staff at nvd@nist.gov. More information is provided on the vendor comment page. All of the vendors comments can be downloaded from the following XML feed which is updated every 2 hours: Feed Updated Download Size (MB) Vendor Comments 2/27/2019 12:45:08 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.06 ZIP 0.06 NVD/CVE Translated XML Feed (version 1.0) NVD provides an XML feed for translations of CVE vulnerabilities into other languages. Currently, INCIBE (Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute) is translating vulnerabilities into Spanish. INCIBE is solely responsible for the Spanish translation content. NVD/CVE Translation XML Schema File: nvdcvetrans.xsd Feed Updated Download Size (MB) CVE-Modified 2/27/2019 12:40:01 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.03 ZIP 0.03 CVE-2019 2/27/2019 12:35:08 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.09 ZIP 0.09 CVE-2018 2/27/2019 12:36:32 AM -05:00 META GZ 1.11 ZIP 1.11 CVE-2017 2/27/2019 12:37:56 AM -05:00 META GZ 1.02 ZIP 1.02 CVE-2016 2/27/2019 12:38:54 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.67 ZIP 0.67 CVE-2015 2/27/2019 12:39:41 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.58 ZIP 0.58 CVE-2014 2/27/2019 12:40:31 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.61 ZIP 0.61 CVE-2013 2/27/2019 12:41:08 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.49 ZIP 0.49 CVE-2012 2/27/2019 12:41:40 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.44 ZIP 0.44 CVE-2011 2/27/2019 12:42:08 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.38 ZIP 0.38 CVE-2010 2/27/2019 12:42:39 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.43 ZIP 0.43 CVE-2009 2/27/2019 12:43:09 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.46 ZIP 0.46 CVE-2008 2/27/2019 12:43:52 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.63 ZIP 0.63 CVE-2007 2/27/2019 12:44:33 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.62 ZIP 0.62 CVE-2006 2/27/2019 12:45:01 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.39 ZIP 0.39 CVE-2005 2/27/2019 12:45:04 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.03 ZIP 0.03 CVE-2004 2/27/2019 12:45:10 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.06 ZIP 0.06 CVE-2003 2/27/2019 12:45:16 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.07 ZIP 0.07 CVE-2002 2/27/2019 12:45:23 AM -05:00 META GZ 0.07 ZIP 0.07 National Checklist Program (NCP) Checklists Note: As of April 2017, the checklist schema was revised to make the SHA-1 element optional in accordance with Note: As of July 2017, tier has been made optional to support changes in the current draft of As of April 2017, the checklist schema was revised to make the SHA-1 element optional in accordance with NISTSP-131Ar1 As of July 2017, tier has been made optional to support changes in the current draft of 800-70 Rev 4 NCP/Checklist XML 0.1 Information: ncp-checklist-feed_0.2.xsd NCP/Checklist XML 0.1 Data Files: checklist-0.1-feed.xml (zip or gz) checklist-0.1-feed-modified.xml (zip or gz) checklist-0.1-feed.xml includes all checklists contained within the NCP repository checklist-0.1-feed-modified.xml includes all recently modified checklists within the NCP repositoryAccording to NBC News, here are the names Trump is considering for the top positions in his White House, should he win tomorrow: Trump team considering —AG Giuliani —Sec of State Newt —Defense Sec Flynn —WH CoS Reincehttps://t.co/Be6fRgrx6s by @KatyTurNBC @BenjySarlin — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) November 7, 2016 So the only name that surprises me is Reince Priebus. As RNC Chairman he wasn’t part of the campaign so his consideration in this makes me wonder if he was promised consideration for a top Trump spot early on. After all, he did try very hard to whip people in line to support Trump, even telling former presidential candidates if they didn’t support Trump they’d be punished in future races. But as far as Newt, Rudy, and Flynn, that’s kinda what I expected considering their strong support of The Donald from day one.By some standards, the gathering of about 15 mourners scattered in the pews of the chapel inside a Harlem funeral home might seem a sparse turnout. But those who were at the Owens Funeral Home knew that even holding this funeral — for a longtime homeless panhandler on the Upper West Side of Manhattan named Eric Glenn Smith — seemed like a small miracle. Mr. Smith lived on the street for more than 25 years, sleeping in subway stations and on church steps. Those around him were largely unable to help him in life, so when he died, they gained a measure of solace by providing him some dignity in death. They raised money for a proper burial, so he would not wind up in New York City’s potter’s field. At an elegant service on Tuesday, Mr. Smith lay in a gray coffin bedecked with flowers. A gleaming hearse waited outside to convey him to his final resting place in a New Jersey cemetery, where a headstone would mark his passing.Check out the updated book: “100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography.” Dear streettogs, I am excited to announce my new free “open-source” e-book: “Learn From the Masters of Street Photography.” This book is a compilation of all the lessons I’ve distilled from my “Learn From the Masters Series” on the blog, in a convenient PDF for you to read, learn from, edit, remix, and share. This project is very close to my heart, because I think it is my greatest work to date. I have poured my entire heart, blood, and soul into this work (along with drinking close to 100 espressos in total). I truly hope that this book helps stimulate some new ideas, helps push you outside of your creative zone, and for you to embrace these timeless lessons from the masters of photography. As a side-note, I actually turned down a lucrative book offer on the book. The publisher gave me a very good deal and was very accommodating, but unfortunately weren’t comfortable with me releasing a free and open-source PDF of the book (one of my non-negotiables). After all, the money I could have earned looked very attractive, but the purpose of my life is to create open, empowering, and free education and information for you. Anything that prevents me from doing so is against my morales and principles. So enjoy this labor of my love :) Free Download You can download the book for free via the links below. If you enjoy the book, share it with a friend and spread the love: You can download the original.pages manuscript (to edit, remix, and translate as you please): Here are all the quotes (in a convenient text file to keep with you): Pay What You Want In total this book took me about 3 years to put together. 2 years spent writing all the “Learn From the Masters” articles, 3-6 months re-reading all the articles, distilling the information into the 82 lessons, and another 2 months designing and putting together the book. To keep this information free and open, I am sticking to this “pay what you want” model; which helps me continue to pay my rent, pay for my caffeine addiction, and provide this information for you. You can also make a donation of your own price via Paypal. Support Eric Kim Roll of film + develop $9.95 USD Romantic dinner $19.95 USD Nice photobook $49.95 USD How to use the book The book is pretty massive (275 pages), so if you happen to find a place that can print it cheaply, feel free to print it out, and bind it together with a bigass stapler. I recommend downloading the book to your phone, iPad, or digital device, and use it like a handbook of inspiration. Feel free to skip around, and digest one lesson for the day before you go out and shoot, or whenever you’re feeling uninspired. Each section also has an assignment and an example of how I applied the lessons to my own photography. Don’t take any of these “lessons” in this book as a “rule.” They are just guidelines, tips, and pieces of advice to help us find our own voice and vision in photography. Introduction “What has interested me in taking photographs is the maximum — the maximum that exists in a situation and the maximum I can produce from it.” – Josef Koudelka I love photography with all of my heart and soul. For the last 9 years, I have tried to seek my own personal voice, style, and path in photography. This journey has led me through life in so many incredible ways. I have learned so many valuable lessons in photography (and life) which has transformed me as a human being. My particular interest has been in street photography; capturing moments of everyday life in public settings. I have always been drawn to my fellow human beings, and street photography has helped me become a more empathetic human being. However ultimately, photography is photography. I used to feel that I should only shoot “street photography”, but I have discovered in my path that it doesn’t matter what you shoot. What matters is how shooting makes you feel. What matters is whether photography pushes you outside of your comfort zone, and whether you are able to achieve your personal “maximum” in your life. I feel the purpose of my life is to produce knowledge, and to distill information and lessons I’ve learned about photography to the masses. I am certainly not a “master” myself; just a humble student dedicated to a life-long pursuit of learning. Everything I share in this book is a distillation of the lessons I’ve learned from the masters of photography. Don’t take everything in this book as “truth”. Rather, see the masters of photography as your personal guides. Take these lessons with a pinch of salt; pick and choose which lessons resonate with you, and throw away the rest. Ultimately to find your own personal vision and style in photography, you just need to know yourself as a human being. “Know thyself” is the distillation of wisdom known to the ancient Greeks. So I hope that this book helps you discover who you are as a photographer, and this concept of “street photography” can be used as a vessel or a boat to help you along your life’s journey. But once the boat has served its purpose; burn it and continue along your own path. I also share some of my personal lessons in this book– how the lessons from the masters of photography have helped influence my vision and personal journey. So let us enjoy this path together my dear friend. Disregard what others may think of your photography; seek inner-happiness, and fulfill the maximum you can out of your work and life. Love, Eric (at Free Speech Movement Cafe, UC Berkeley, 10:23am, Tues, October 6, 2015) Table of Contents Lesson #1: Get closer Lesson #2: Shoot from the gut Lesson #3: Don’t shoot from the hip Lesson #4: Don’t crop Lesson #5: Emotionally detach yourself from your photographs Lesson #6: Provoke your subjects Lesson #7: Don’t be a slave to your camera Lesson #8: Embrace “beginner’s mind” Lesson #9: Limitations are freedom Lesson #10: Shoot with a “Stream-of-Consciousness” Lesson #11: Embrace failure Lesson #12: Add “something more” in the frame Lesson #13: Master your body language Lesson #14: Kill your master Lesson #15: Follow your curiosity Lesson #16: Leave your photos open to interpretation Lesson #17: Separate yourself from your photos (kill your ego) Lesson #18: Photograph what you love Lesson #19: Every photograph you take is a self-portrait Lesson #20: Don’t repeat yourself Lesson #21: Ask for permission Lesson #22: Don’t hesitate Lesson #23: Don’t become pigeonholed by definitions Lesson #24: Don’t stop your projects too soon Lesson #25: It’s okay to shoot shitty photos Lesson #26: Chase the light Lesson #27: Channel your emotions into your photos Lesson #28: All photos are accurate, none of them is truth Lesson #29: Disturb your viewer Lesson #30: Disregard technical settings; focus on the idea Lesson #31: Enjoy the process Lesson #32: Single photos can’t tell stories Lesson #33: Don’t focus on marketing your work Lesson #34: Subtract from the frame Lesson #35: Make yourself vulnerable Lesson #36: Don’t go “pro” Lesson #37: Stay hungry, stay foolish Lesson #38: Don’t take easy photos Lesson #39: Print your photos Lesson #40: Don’t get suckered by “the exotic” Lesson #41: Why are you pushing the button? Lesson #42: Create specific photographs Lesson #44: Arrange yourself, not others Lesson #45: Don’t just take photos of people Lesson #46: Focus on content over form Lesson #47: Learn how to see Lesson #48: Every photo you take is a self-portrait Lesson #49: Don’t shoot your preconceived notions Lesson #50: Time is your ultimate resource Lesson #51: There is nothing wrong with staging photos Lesson #52: Don’t have a project Lesson #53: Improve a little bit everyday Lesson #54: Make something extraordinary from the ordinary Lesson #55: Don’t see your photos as art Lesson #56: Constantly question yourself Lesson #57: Feel emotions in color Lesson #58: Always have a camera with you Lesson #59: Make books Lesson #60: Create relationships in your frame Lesson #61: Pave your own path Lesson #62: Stick with one camera for a long time Lesson #63: Learn where to stand Lesson #64: Expect to be disappointed Lesson #65: On digital vs film Lesson #66: Kill your babies Lesson #67: Milk the cow, a lot Lesson #68: Don’t shoot for others Lesson #69: Photograph your own backyard Lesson #70: Make images that stand on their own Lesson #71: Your photo either works or it doesn’t Lesson #72: Abstract reality Lesson #73: Capture your own personal “decisive moments” Lesson #74: Rules will set you free Lesson #75: Experiment Lesson #76: Disregard fame Lesson #77: Think long-term Lesson #78: Create a relationship with your subjects Lesson #79: Don’t bore your viewer Lesson #80: Embrace your job Lesson #81: Don’t become married to your beliefs Lesson #82: You’re only as good as your last photo Assignments Below is a list of all the assignments in the book: Assignment: The “.7 Meter Challenge” Assignment: “Marinate” your shots Assignment: Have your subjects see you Assignment: Focus on the edges Assignment: Create context in your frame Assignment: “Can you do that again?” Assignment: Document your own life Assignment: Shoot what it feels like Assignment: Don’t be afraid to click Assignment: Fill the frame Assignment: Eye contact Assignment: Contradict a “rule” Assignment: Curiosity notebook Assignment: Make an “open” photo Assignment #2: Make a “closed” photo Assignment: They’re not your photos Assignment: What do you love? Assignment: Role-play Assignment: Repetition and Variety Assignment: The 10 “yes”, 10 “no” challenge Assignment: when in doubt, click Assignment: Try shooting another genre Assignment: One square block Assignment: Take 10,000 shitty photos Assignment: Study the light Assignment: Shoot how you feel Assignment: Haters are gonna hate Assignment: Try out “P” mode Assignment: Make yourself miserable Assignment: Tell a story Assignment: Don’t publish any photos for 6 months Assignment: Subtract until there isn’t anything left to subtract Assignment: What does it feel like to be on the other side? Assignment: Give away your photos Assignment: Shoot without film or a memory card Assignment: Shoot what you’re afraid of Assignment: Print your photos Assignment: Shoot your own backyard Assignment: Why do you take photos? Assignment: Shoot only one color Assignment: Trace over your photos Assignment: Shoot head-on Assignment: Shoot intimate objects Assignment: The human condition Assignment: Imagine if you were to become blind tomorrow Assignment: Self-portrait Assignment: Reset Assignment: What if you died tomorrow? Assignment: Direct your subject Assignment: Find a common theme or pattern in your work Assignment: Take 1 photograph everyday Assignment: Make something ugly into something beautiful Assignment: Make fun of yourself Assignment: Always question yourself Assignment: Photograph a color and mood Assignment: Always have your camera with you Assignment: Make a “zine” Assignment: Juxtapose two unrelated things in a single frame Assignment: Creatively Isolate yourself Assignment: One camera, one lens Assignment: Always take a step forward Assignment: Learn from your mistakes Assignment: Experiment with film Assignment: Kill your babies Assignment: The 1,000 photo challenge Assignment: “Personal documentary” Assignment: Shoot driveways Assignment: Show your photos to kids Assignment: When in doubt, ditch. Assignment: What is going on? Assignment: Shoot meaningful moments in your daily life Assignment: Create a rule for yourself Assignment: Try out different lenses Assignment: Create a secret social media profile Assignment: Think of a 10-year project Assignment: Talk with a stranger for at least 10 minutes Assignment: Shock and awe Assignment: Count your blessings Assignment: Find a counter-example to your beliefs Assignment: Only show your best 5 photos Assignment: What 1 photo do you want to be remembered for after you die? Screenshots from the Book Below is a sneak-peak of some of the pages of the book: Other Free E-books by Eric Kim Below is a list of all of the other free e-books available for you. You can download all the PDF’s on Google Drive. Make your own book Dear friend, the last thing
a better build of JavaScriptCore soon. shell@flounder:/data/local/tmp $./cycript WARNING: linker: libJavaScriptCore.so has text relocations. This is wasting memory and prevents security hardening. Please fix. cy# android.os.Looper.prepare() cy# var activity = new android.app.Activity #"android.app.Activity@13538a68" Note that there are currently other limitations in the Java bridge. I am super-excited to get this working better, and want the result to be every bit as amazing as Cycript for Objective-C, but I also decided that it was already useful enough to start getting feedback, so I made the executive decision to release this now. Come on IRC and tell me your experiences! Object Queries How to find an instance of an object by filtering the set of all objects. The Axiom of Choice One of the more common questions people first picking up Cycript ask is "how do I find an instance of a class so I can send a message to it?". This question seems reasonable: you want to learn how a class of objects work, and to do so you need an instance to play with... you know there are tons of them there, and you just want one of them. However, objects don't really work that way: there is no list anywhere that is kept of all instances of a particular class. To do this, you'd have to hook the class's allocation and initialization routines before any instances are created, and then keep track of them as they are created to some data structure you could later query. Because of this, the response has always been "that isn't possible". This is true: there is no way to solve this problem in the general case, as that information simply does not exist in the runtime of most languages, including Objective-C. But, it turns out that you can come pretty close often enough to make this work for purposes of debugging. choose(Class) The way you can go about this is by using a function that has been added to Cycript called "choose". This function takes an Objective-C class as an argument, and attempts to scavenge the heap looking for regions of memory that are the right size and shape as the class (or any subclasses of that class) you have specified. cy# choose(SBIconModel) [#"<SBIconModel: 0x1590c8430>"] Sometimes this will crash, but often it will work. The result is an array, because there might be multiple instances that are found. In some cases, this array might be very large. If you are trying to find the view for an icon in SpringBoard, for example, you might get back hundreds of objects. Luckily, JavaScript is a programming language. cy# var views = choose(SBIconView) [#"<SBIconView: 0x159460fa0; frame = (27 92; 60 74); opaque = NO; gestureRecognizers = <NSArray: 0x159518ae0>; layer = <CALayer: 0x159461220>>",#"<SBIconView: 0x159468e50; frame = (114 356; 60 74); opaque = NO; gestureRecognizers = <NSArray: 0x15946d2f0>; layer = <CALayer: 0x1592c9a70>>",... cy# for (var view of views) if ([[[view icon] application] displayName] == "Photos") photos = view; photos; #"<SBIconView: 0x15fc75e90; frame = (201 4; 60 74); opaque = NO; gestureRecognizers = <NSArray: 0x15fbfacc0>; layer = <CALayer: 0x15fc76110>>" If you want to get back multiple results, you can create an array, and then push all of the matching results. This, however, can get really irritating to do every time you want to add a filter. Luckily, JavaScript 1.7 has a feature called array comprehensions that can be used like a miniature query language to filter arrays of objects. Additionally, Cycript has adopted the?. syntax (as seen in various languages, including Swift) to provide functionality at the JavaScript level similar to how Objective-C allows any message (with a compatible return type) to be sent to the nil object, and the result will be nil. Calls and member access using?. on null/undefined passes the null/undefined back. cy# [for (view of views) if (view.icon?.application()?.displayName() == "Photos") view] [#"<SBIconView: 0x15fc75e90; frame = (201 4; 60 74); opaque = NO; gestureRecognizers = <NSArray: 0x15fbfacc0>; layer = <CALayer: 0x15fc76110>>"] Process Injection Most usage of Cycript is actually working inside of other processes. # cycript -p While playing around in the local console can be a great learning experience for Objective-C itself, or even the usage of specific libraries, most of the real-world usage of Cycript involves learning about how existing applications are built, and that is usually best done (or even "only possible") by manipulating the process "from the inside". To inject into another process, you can use cycript's -p flag. You can either pass the process id of another process you would like to target, or you can pass the name of a running program. If you pass a name, Cycript runs ps and attempts to find that process's identifier. Cycript might fail at this, but almost all of the time this works great. You are then presented with an instance of the Cycript console where all commands will be sent to the remote process, executed in a JavaScript instance running inside of that process that has access to Cycript's bridge support, with any results sent back to your local console. This VM instance is shared between multiple consoles. iPhone:~# cycript -p SpringBoard cy# UIApp #"<SpringBoard: 0x10ea05f60>" Limitations Cycript performs this injection by throwing its library into the other process by remote thread injection. This isn't always possible. In particular, your user needs permissions to modify the other process. This often simply requires you to be root. If you attempt to use Cycript to inject into a process you can't access, you will get an error calling task_for_pid. iPhone:~$ cycript -p SpringBoard *** _krncall(task_for_pid(self, pid, &task)):../Mach/Inject.cpp(65):InjectLibrary [return=0x5] iPhone:~$ sudo cycript -p SpringBoard cy# If Cycript successfully gets into the other process, there is no guarantee that it will succeed in loading its library. This is actually a fairly common occurence on very recent versions of Mac OS X due to the sandbox. In these cases, Cycript will try to get you an error message, and you can consult /var/log/system.log for more information. MacBook:~$ sudo./cycript -p Calculator dlopen(/Users/saurik/Cycript.lib/libcycript-any.dylib, 5): no suitable image found. Did find: /Users/saurik/Cycript.lib/libcycript-any.dylib: open() failed with errno=1 MacBook:~$ tail -n 100 /var/log/system.log \| grep Calculator Jan 21 09:12:34 Jays-MacBook-Air.local sandboxd[22293] ([22284]): Calculator(22284) deny file-read-data /Users/saurik/cycript/Cycript.lib/libcycript-any.dylib To deal with the sandbox issues opening libraries, it is normally sufficient to simply install Cycript to /usr. To do this, place Cycript's dylib files into /usr/lib and Cycript's Cycript.lib/cycript binary as /usr/bin/cycript. You might also want to copy the Cycript modules directory (cycript0.9) to /usr/lib. Even from /usr, however, Cycript doesn't always work. MacBook:~$ sudo cp -a Cycript.lib/.dylib /usr/lib MacBook:~$ sudo cp -a Cycript.lib/cycript-apl /usr/bin/cycript MacBook:~$ sudo cycript -p Calculator ^C MacBook:~$ tail -n 100 /var/log/system.log \| grep Calculator Jan 21 09:14:40 Jays-MacBook-Air.local sandboxd[22293] ([22284]): Calculator(22284) deny network-outbound /private/tmp/.s.cy.27221 In this case, the Calculator application is not allowed to connect back using the Unix domain socket allocated by the Cycript console. There are probably other ways of going about this, but I haven't had a chance to look into this much yet. You should not, however, run into any problems on either iOS or injecting into the iOS Simulator on Mac OS X. iOS Static Library You can embed Cycript into your app for debugging on un-jailbroken devices. I talked about this at 360\|iDev. Developers can watch the end of that talk to learn how to do this. (I also intend to add the documentation here, but I'm punting this for now.) Cydia Substrate Substrate is a more reasonable way of modifying runtime behavior than swizzling. Substrate is a separate framework I provide, as mentioned at the beginning of this manual. In many ways, it has nothing to do with Cycript, and yet users tend to rapidly switch back/forth between them. In the latest release of Cycript, I've provided a module that helps you use more of Substrate's power from Cycript. Learning to use Substrate itself is an entirely separate experience, and has its own website full of documentation. All I will be documenting here are the couple bits of Substrate I have exposed via the Cyript module. (In the future, this support might be documented by Substrate, not Cycript; the module might even come with Substrate.) MS.hookMessage When "swizzling" message implementations, there are interesting corner-cases that have to be dealt with if you mess with objects that did not already have the message in question (and only inherited it from a superclass). Substrate solves these problems, as well as making certain the class does not get "initialized". This calls through to MSHookMessageEx. cy# @import com.saurik.substrate.MS cy# var oldm = {}; cy# MS.hookMessage(NSObject, @selector(description), function() { return oldm->call(this) + " (of doom)"; }, oldm) cy# [new NSObject init] #"<NSObject: 0x100203d10> (of doom)" MS.hookFunction Substrate also allows you to modify the behavior of C functions. As Substrate already can get most of the type signature information available from the function itself being hooked, you only need to pass the replacement function. You capture the original value as a simulation of a function pointer. This calls through to MSHookFunction. cy# @import com.saurik.substrate.MS cy# extern "C" void fopen(char , char ); cy# var oldf = {} cy# var log = [] cy# MS.hookFunction(fopen, function(path, mode) { var file = (oldf)(path, mode); log.push([path.toString(), mode.toString(), file]); return file; }, oldf) cy# fopen("/etc/passwd", "r"); (typedef void)(0x7fff774ff2a0) cy# log [["/etc/passwd","r",(typedef void)(0x7fff774ff2a0)]]What data analytics pipelines should have Francesco Gadaleta Blocked Unblock Follow Following Oct 4, 2015 Big data analytics not only means crunching algorithms over high dimensional data for weeks. It also means preparing the data to get processes with more or less standard tools. A common pipeline that every data scientist should follow is reported below. Order of operations matters, even though for some special cases some can be anticipated or postponed. Here are five steps that a good analytic pipeline should include. Below this list, an infographic shows the steps of a good analytic pipeline and the amount of time/resources that should be spent for each one. Data analytics pipeline and amount of time/resources that should be spent in each step. Step 0: formulate the problem This is probably the most difficult step. A problem should be formulated before collecting data, in order to collect the right type and amount. In case of verifying hypotheses, data have already been collected. Formulating a realistic and clear hypothesis is the equivalent of a well-posed problem. Many managers, investigators, or wannabe bosses fail miserably at this stage, thinking about some magic in big data that will eventually clarify things later. Usually this attitude leads to wasting time for the boss and for the data scientist. Step 1: data wrangling (also referred to as carpentry or cleaning) Data are ready to be processed only in very rare cases. Usually, when a problem has been formulated, data get collected in a raw, unstructured form. For instance, images, which many consider well structured (number of pixels are known beforehand), can also be interpreted as totally unstructured for those who are interested in selecting visual features. The same applies to audio data, data that have been integrated from heterogenous sources, or parsing free-form text for text mining or sentiment analysis. Cleaning and normalization usually take place in this first stage of the pipeline. Step 2: visualization If an image is worth a thousand words, this is also true for data visualization. Visualization is very often one of the first formal steps of any analytic pipeline. The goal is to find efficient graphical representations that will summarize the data at the best and emphasize their characteristics. High dimensional data are challenging to visualize and affected by the limitations of screens and image resolution. One stratagem that Google mastered a while ago is a hierarchical form of visualization, typical of Google Maps. Step 3: dimensionality reduction Not all the dimensions of a dataset are fundamental to represent the hidden geometry of data. Some dimensions are usually not necessary, redundant or just highly correlated to others, and can be removed at least for the sake of visualization. Reducing the dimensionality of the data is a fundamental step that reduces storage space, makes data more controllable, sometimes more interpretable to humans, and definitely easier to visualize. Moreover, any machine learning algorithm might have better performance on a reduced dataset. The only limitation of dimensionality reduction is the lossy nature of the compression. Sometimes important aspect of data can be loss during this step. While sparsity and regularization procedures can deal with number of parameters higher than number of observations, they should be used with care. Step 4a: feature engineering Determining which features are going to be considered during the analysis is essential. This step is usually referred to as feature engineering and consists in selecting features that might contain information or create new features from existing ones in order to capture non-linearity or higher order interactions within the data. As a matter of fact, a well engineered dataset analysed by a very simple linear regression model can reveal much more insights than a raw dataset analysed with a fancy complex model. Step 4b: automatic feature engineering Not everyone really need to include this step in their analytic pipeline. But many are considering it as a fundamental asset. Automatic feature engineering is closer and closer to the concept of deep learning neural networks. Deep learning allows the creation of features in hierarchical fashion. This representation can explain more and more complex aspects of data. In fact, deep learning found its main application in artificial vision and natural language processing, due to the hierarchy of concept representation. Pixels are grouped to represent lines and points that in turn represent shapes, that represent objects that represent a scenario, that can finally be understood and described. Similarly, characters form words that form phrases that represent concepts that can analysed, and understood by machines. Step 5: state of the art machine learning This is the step in which off-the-shelf algorithms can be applied, according to the problem to solve. For instance, unsupervised clustering for labelling data, decision trees for training a classifier, distribution fitting to estimate the structure of the dataset at hand. This step is problem specific, but after the previous operations, any algorithm should perform better here. Happy analytics!Four Sword Art Online games to add Alice Synthesis Thirty and Eugeo "Alicization Arc" characters join the fray. Sword Art Online “Alicization Arc” characters Alice Synthesis Thirty and Eugeo will join four Sword Art Online games, Bandai Namco announced at Dengeki Game Festival 2017. Alice Synthesis Thirty will be voiced by Ai Kayano, and Eugeo will be voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki. The four games include: Accel World VS. Sword Art Online (PS4, PS Vita) Alice and Eugeo will make their appearance in the paid downloadable content, “Castaway from a Different World,” alongside Oberon, a new dungeon, and new quests. Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (PS4, PS Vita) Alice and Eugeo will make their appearance in the third paid downloadable content, “Chapter 3: The One Who Resists God.” Sword Art Online: Code Register (iOS, Android) Alice and Eugeo will join the game in late March. Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag (iOS, Android) Alice and Eugeo are available as scoutable characters in the “Alicization” chapter starting today. Watch a trailer for Alice and Eugeo below. In related news, Bandai Namco shared more information on the upcoming downloadable content for Accel World VS. Sword Online and Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization: Accel World VS. Sword Online (PS4, PS Vita) Accel World VS. Sword Online will add a new character named “Persona Vabel,” voiced by Kanae Itou, as paid downloadable content in Japan this summer. She is included with the Season Pass. Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (PS4, PS Vita) Here is the artwork for the upcoming Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization downloadable contents that are part of the Season Pass—“Chapter 1: Explorer of Illusory Mists,” “Chapter 2: Tuner of Causality,” and “Chapter 3: The One Who Resists God.” Here’s an overview of “Chapter 1: Explorer of Illusory Mists”: Kirito and company discover a new stage in Aincrad. It is a harsh area burning with magma and heat waves. When fighting against new monsters, a mysterious, hood-wearing, face-covered character suddenly appears. Bu is he a friend, or is he a foe? The content will also have a new element called “Heroine Quests,” which are special quests where Kirito and one of the heroines go out. If you clear a Heroine Quest, you’ll acquire a new high rank skill. Watch a trailer for Persona Vabel below. Accel World VS. Sword Art Online will launch for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita on March 16 in Japan, and this summer in North America and Europe. Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is available now worldwide for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.Wilfried Zaha is in contention to finally make his first competitive appearance for David Moyes since moving to Manchester United, with the manager admitting the winger may be loaned out in January having failed to break into the first team. Zaha, who has only featured in the Community Shield since his £15m move from Crystal Palace in the summer, is in line to face Norwich in Capital One Cup tie. "I just don't think we have had the right opportunity to get him on as much as we would have liked," Moyes said. "We don't want to put him in too quickly. We want to make it the right time. I've said I would look at it in January as I wanted to have him here for six months to see how we work. I told him we would try to get him minutes but the competition in the wide areas we have with Nani, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj and even Shinji Kagawa playing off the side means we are as strong there as anywhere. "It's not that Wilf has done anything wrong, it's just that we have big competition and we have to try to make sure he gets some playing time. Unfortunately, we haven't done that with Wilf and if it's still the case in January, we would look at it. But he is very much in my plans and in my thoughts all the time." Moyes has called on referees to protect Januzaj as he continues to make a major impact. The teenager, who is in line to start along with Saturday's match-winner Javier Hernández against Norwich, helped inspire the 3-2 win over Stoke and the manager believes his slender build belies a ferocious competitive instinct. "If ever there was a boy who can take it," Moyes said, "it will be him. You just hope the referees give him the correct protection, and I'm sure they will, but he won't be moaning about it – he's a great lad and he'll bounce up and get on with it. You can kick him as hard as you like and it won't affect him."Polygamy ― the practice of taking more than one partner ― has a surprisingly female-friendly history in China: According to Stanford professor Matthew Sommer, there’s record of women in rural China taking two (and sometimes more) husbands in every province during the 18th and 19th centuries. The reason? Economic security. Wives faced with looming poverty and few hands to work the farm fields would often bring in a second husband in exchange for his help and support, Sommer writes in his 2015 book Polyandry and Wife-Selling in Qing Dynasty China. There were second husbands to go around, because just like today in China, the population was out of balance, with more men than women in the country. These days, bachelors who fail to contribute to their family tree are referred to as “bare branches.” Back then, they simply joined another tree. The other man ― sometimes referred to as the the “sworn brother” of the primary husband― would become part of the family and share the wife’s bed. “For couples who found themselves in these circumstances, the only other viable alternative might be to break up the family by selling off children and even the wife,” Sommer told HuffPost. Taking on a second husband was a way to keep the family together ― and the unions were not only acknowledged but oftentimes celebrated within local communities. It was not uncommon for couples to seal the marriages with unofficial contracts recognized by the local rural community. The Qing courts never recognized such relationships. Sommer brought the prevalence of these relationships to light after analyzing more than 1,200 legal cases from local and central court archives in China. “Polyandry was very widespread and almost certainly more common than polygyny, [where a man has more than one wife] ― or [taking a mistress in] concubinage ― which were legalized and practiced as a status symbol by the Qing elite, who were a small minority of the population,” he told HuffPost.Published by Steve Litchfield at 7:23 UTC, February 19th 2013 The trendy thing to talk about in the smartphone world is'market share', of course. Thinking about the industry as 'business', its' all about current sales, how many units were shipped in the last few months, how much profit was made, and so on. Flip this on its head, looking at smartphone platforms from the user's point of view though, and a slightly different picture emerges. What I consider below is the 'active installed base' of each platform, i.e. the numbers of compatible handsets being used on a daily basis around the world. The concept of an 'installed base' of smartphones is something I've looked at before, but the idea reared its head when I looked a few days agi at the near simultaneous launch of the hit game Tennis in the Face on iOS, Android... and Symbian. In other words, its all very well thinking about current'market share', i.e. the numbers of smartphones selling at the moment, but what of all of those that have sold in the last two, or three, years? These devices will still be in use and available for purchasing applications and accessories, their users will still be looking for software reviews, tips and tutorials, and so on. So, when we talk about smartphone platforms, it's important to factor in the active installed base rather than just what's trendy this month, this quarter. The big question, of course, is how far do you go back in a platform's history before you find a majority of devices sitting unused and unloved in a drawer? Let's take a generous definition first, considering all devices less than three years old as making up part of the active installed base. It's true that some of these phones may well have already been replaced and might be unused, but equally well, there will be devices older than three years which are still in use, balancing out the former factor. Using data compiled from Gartner, IDC and Canalys, and with the chart lines smoothed slightly, I've done the calculations. Here then are the trends in active installed base for the five major smartphone platforms: The rise and rise of Android (red) is nothing but dramatic, of course. Symbian (blue) was the incumbent in the smartphone world, but the number of active Android-powered devices matched the number of Symbian handsets in active use early in 2012 and Android is now utterly dominant. iOS phones (green, i.e. the iPhone range from Apple) saw their active installed base also match Symbian's late in 2012, though the rate of growth isn't as dramatic as Android's. We hear a lot about 'ecosystems', of course, effectively meaning the same as 'platform', though with more of a leaning to business and application sales rather than technical compatibility. What the above chart demonstrates is that, perhaps surprisingly in the light of recent tech trends, Symbian is still in third place in terms of mobile platforms, and by quite a margin. Blackberry, in fourth, is within sight, but that platform has been dying in terms of sales at similar speed to Symbian and it's not clear yet whether the new re-launch, with Blackberry OS 10 will be a success. Meanwhile, Windows Phone, by far the newest mobile OS, is left with a comparatively tiny active installed base of users, showing how far that platform has to go before you start seeing Windows Phones on every bus or train. One criticism which you might level at me is that three years is perhaps too conservative in terms of allowing devices to be considered as still 'active'. After all, a phone which isn't on contract anymore (e.g. after a typical 24 month agreement is up) is likely to be passed on or handed down to another family member, who may not be as active in terms of interacting with the ecosystem as the original owner. I'm sure we all have tales of passing on a smartphone to a wife or child or parent and then seeing it basically serving as a glorified feature phone. With this in mind, let's do the same calculations, but based around a two year integration period instead. In other words, every device over two years old is automatically excluded, at each point. This is definitely on the aggressive side, since I'd wager a lot of phones do get used seriously outside this period, but the numbers are still worth looking at: In fact, aside from Symbian's installed base dipping a little more sharply (without the big sales numbers from 2009/2010 to bolster things), the chart remains very similar, proving that the exact definition of 'active' doesn't make that much difference when looking at each platform's installed base. Symbian, even with this aggressive definition, is still clearly in third place, ahead of the also declining Blackberry. In fifth place then, is Nokia's chosen 'new' platform. The numbers/curve for Windows Phone are, of course, identical, since the platform is still relatively new, though the upside of this is that the installed base number is, by definition, only going to be rising for a while. The question then is how long might it be before Windows Phone becomes the fabled 'third ecosystem' by my active installed base metrics? The numbers in my spreadsheets imply that this could happen by the end of 2013, since the fall in the active installed base for Symbian is statistically very predictable. For this to happen though, it does need Windows Phone sales to reach something in the region of ten to fifteeen million smartphones per quarter - this is quite achievable, given the platform's current acceleration. The switch into third place also requires Blackberry 10 not to be a big hit, though as an impartial observer of that scene, I have to note that this is effectively a whole new, incompatible platform and perhaps we should be viewing that in the same way as Windows Phone (succeeding Windows Mobile, etc.) and starting to count its numbers from scratch? In the meantime, raise a glass to the venerable Symbian OS, now in its 15th year and still, by some way, no matter what other tech commentators might write, the third most used smartphone OS on the planet.Great Wall of China (Shutterstock photo) In May 2017, Alibaba1 and Tencent2 exceeded $300 billion in market capitalization for the first time, placing these two Chinese tech companies in an elite group that, as of June 2017, only counts nine other companies globally among its members3. While this growth is exciting, it also begs the question: having reached such an enormous size, how much room is left for Alibaba and Tencent to grow? One way to evaluate this question is to study the growth patterns of similar internet technology companies that have already hit the $300 billion mark. For example, Google first joined the group in May 2013 while Amazon and Facebook* did the same in November 20154. These companies may provide insight into how Alibaba and Tencent might perform going forward. According to data from Bloomberg, hitting this valuation did not interrupt the growth of Google, Amazon or Facebook. Figure 2 explains this by showing the paths to $300 billion in market cap for internet technology companies. The graph shows the months leading up to each company reaching $300 billion (represented by negative numbers) and those directly afterward (represented by positive numbers). After reaching $300 billion in market cap, Google, Amazon, and Facebook continued to grow steadily. Google even went on to increase its market cap to $534 billion over the next three years, and by June 30, 2017, it more than doubled to $635.3 billion5. Additionally, Figure 3 shows how each company’s sales continued to grow after achieving $300 billion in market cap, ranging from 33% sales growth by Amazon to 76% sales growth by Google. Share prices have similarly continued to rise as the value of Google, Amazon, and Facebook’s stock prices increased by 102.8%, 51.0%, and 38.8% respectively6 from when they first reached $300 billion to June 30, 2017. We believe that if China’s internet giants continue to follow a similar model as that of their US predecessors, there is potential for future growth. When taking China’s market and demographics into account, we believe that future could look even brighter. China’s E-Commerce market size surpassed the US in 2014 and, by 2016, had reached a total market size of $749 billion7. As measured by the CSI Overseas China Internet Index, the sector has rallied more than 40% year to date8. Also, Alibaba and Tencent have the advantage of operating in a Chinese internet environment that is still developing. Today, only about half of China’s 1.3 billion citizens9 have access to the internet as opposed to 88.5% of the US population10. This means that, as China continues to develop and modernize, China’s internet penetration may also continue to grow and represent a significant market opportunity. Surveying the globe for the next internet technology company with the right characteristics to join the $300B club, we believe that there could be a number of viable candidates in the China internet sector. For example, NetEase11 is a Chinese internet conglomerate that is lesser-known in the United States but is the second largest video game company in China12 (second only to Tencent) and was the seventh largest video game company in the world by revenue in 201613. While its market cap of $39.5 billion14 is about 9 times smaller than that of Alibaba and Tencent, NetEase’s net revenue rose 68% year over year in 201615, and it reached $5.7 billion in total sales in May 201716, only about 4 times less than the two Chinese tech leaders17. We also cannot forget to mention China’s well-established search engine and online services provider, Baidu18, which some refer to as the “Google of China.” Baidu is currently China’s most popular search engine and is the fourth most visited site in the world19. It has begun positioning itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI), having amassed a 1,700-person research team and spent about $3 billion on R&D over the past two and a half years20. It boasts an even bigger market cap than NetEase at $62.2 billion21 and had an annual revenue of $10.2 billion in 201622. Maybe more of a long-shot contender for joining the $300B club is Momo Inc.23, a rising Chinese internet company which operates a popular social networking and live-streaming app. We include Momo on the list of contenders because of its rapid growth. Although it went public less than three years ago24, it already reached a market cap of $7.3 billion as of June 201725 and has 85.2 million monthly active users as of March 201726. So far, Momo has seen net revenues increase by 421% year over year27. The KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) is an exchange traded fund offering strategic exposure to these trends and opportunities within China’s internet sector. KWEB holds Alibaba, Tencent, NetEase, Baidu, Momo, and 28 other Chinese internet stocks. We believe this basket approach to the China internet sector can take advantage of the growth potential of smaller companies like Momo while also minimizing volatility through holding larger companies like Alibaba and Tencent. This approach aims to provide maximum potential for growth while attempting to limit volatility. Figure 4 highlights how, over the past year, KWEB has delivered strong returns with less volatility than any single one of its holdings. Reaching $300 billion in market capitalization is a huge achievement for any company. As firms like Google, Amazon, and Facebook have demonstrated, hitting this milestone does not mean that there is no more room for growth for Alibaba and Tencent. With that said, small-to-mid cap internet companies in China often provide strong potential for growth–but with corresponding volatility. We believe KWEB strikes an appropriate balance between large and small-to-mid cap companies while allowing investors to potentially benefit from the growth of the China internet sector as a whole. View KWEB standard performance and performance as of most recent month end View KWEB holdings as of most recent day end This article is intended for educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice. All opinions or views expressed in this article are current only as of the date of this article and are subject to change without notice. *Theses companies represent 0% of KraneShares net assets as of 6/30/2017 Alibaba % of KWEB net assets as of 06/30/2017: 9.88%. Tencent % of KWEB net assets as of 06/30/2017: 11.04%. Data from Bloomberg as of 6/30/2017. Retrieved 7/3/2017. Data from Bloomberg as of 6/30/2017. Retrieved 7/3/2017. Data from Bloomberg as of 6/30/2017. Retrieved 7/3/2017. Data from Bloomberg as of 6/30/2017. Retrieved 7/3/2017. National Bureau of Statistics in China, “Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods in December 2016” 1/22/2017. Note: Figures converted from Chinese Renminbi to USD. Data from Bloomberg as of 6/30/2017. Retrieved 7/3/2017. CSI Overseas China Internet Index: Represents the Chinese internet companies listed in overseas markets (New York and Hong Kong), in order to measure the performance of the Chinese internet companies listed outside mainland China. Data from the World Bank. Retrieved 6/28/2017. Internetlivestats.com as of 12/31/2016. Retrieved 6/28/2017. NetEase % of KWEB net assets as of 06/30/2017: 4%. Newzoo Research, Top Video Game Companies. Retrieved 7/3/2017. Newzoo Research, Top Video Game Companies. Retrieved 7/3/2017. Bloomberg. Retrieved 6/30/2017. Netease News Release, Fiscal Year 2016 Unaudited Financials Forbes 2017 Global 2000 World’s Largest Public Companies. Retrieved 6/30/2017. Forbes 2017 Global 2000 World’s Largest Public Companies. Retrieved 6/30/2017. Baidu % of KWEB net assets as of 06/30/2017: 7.76%. Alexa.com, Top 500 sites on the web. Retrieved 6/30/2017. Yue Wang, “Inside Baidu’s Billion Dollar Push To Become An AI Global Leader”, Forbes, 5/08/2017. Bloomberg. Retrieved 7/3/2017. Forbes 2017 Global 2000 World’s Largest Public Companies. Retrieved 6/30/2017. Momo, Inc. % of KWEB net assets as of 06/30/2017: KWEB: 3.9%. Momo Press Release, Pricing of Initial Public Offering Data from Bloomberg as of 6/30/2017. Retrieved 7/3/2017. Momo Unaudited Financial Results, First Quarter 2017. Momo Unaudited Financial Results, First Quarter 2017. The KraneShares ETFs are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Company (SIDCO), 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456, which is not affiliated with Krane Funds Advisors, LLC, the Investment Adviser for the Fund. Additional information about SIDCO is available on FINRA’s BrokerCheck. This article was originally published on KraneShares.com.TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - November 29,
State (ISIS) exploit to strike. Instead of looking out for genuinely suspicious people, U.S. agencies are busy fighting among themselves and denying travelers of their lawful rights. If the Trump administration is genuinely worried about people coming to the U.S. being a terrorism risk, why is Saudi Arabia — where most of the 9/11 hijackers came from —excluded from the travel ban list? Perhaps because Trump has business interests there? 2. Clog the System: Because U.S. government agencies did not vet Trump’s ‘extreme vetting’ order, these agencies and the legal system are clogged with legal actions and lawyers for the federal government that Trump heads cannot defend or legally justify the details of the executive order before a judge. Predictably, there have been a slew of court rulings nullifying various aspects of the Trump administration’s travel ban that targets only certain Muslim-majority countries. The American system of government is a system of checks and balances between three co-equal branches of government but the system does not work when one branch (in this case, the executive) does not even consult with itself before issuing decisions that are supposed to be legally binding. Clogging or jamming this system deliberately by issuing decrees of dubious legality is an act of sabotage. 3. State of Fear: Unlawful detentions create fear of state authorities and the more people distrust law enforcement, the less likely they are to report criminal or other potentially criminal behavior. This is especially true of Muslims and Arabs who understandably feel targeted by this executive order. No wonder ISIS is thrilled with the ban. 4. Disrupt Alliances: Not only were U.S. government agencies blindsided, so were U.S. allies. Iraqi lawmakers have already approved a U.S. travel ban in response which could be bad news for the thousands of Americans — soldiers, contractors, and aid workers — that are helping the Iraqi government defend itself from ISIS. British Prime Minister Theresa May returned home from her recent visit with a President Trump to a political firestorm sparked by the ban and she has already threatened to end intelligence-sharing with the U.S. if Trump brought back torture. Fanning the flames of anti-Americanism abroad while sabotaging functional government at home is a double whammy for public safety. If American allies stop sharing intelligence with U.S. agencies because they deem the Trump administration too crazy, irresponsible, or unstable to be trusted with sensitive information, the likelihood that Americans get killed in the kind of jihadist massacres that rocked France and Belgium goes up since their spy agencies did not properly share what they know with one another beforehand. As Trump’s own Secretary of Defense James Mattis once deadpanned: “Nations with allies thrive; nations without allies don’t.” 5. Stir the Pot: Trump’s top policy advisors are leading members of what’s become known as the Alt-Right — namely, Steve Bannon (who used to run Breitbart) and Steve Miller (a Capitol Hill legislative aide). The Alt-Right has one talent: stirring the pot of public opinion, polarizing it and dividing it up the better to steamroll opposition. The response of the Democratic Party — now in opposition for the first time since the Bush administration — to the incredibly unpopular Alt-Right presidency’s onslaught has been meandering, discombobulated, and incoherent to put it politely. Outcry over the travel ban has flooded traditional and social media and that has allowed the Alt-Right coup d’état at the NSC to proceed unimpeded. As bad as Trump’s travel ban is from the standpoint of national security and public safety, demoting the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence off of the NSC’s Principals Committee and elevating Bannon on it is worse. It means every major national security and defense policy decision the Trump administration makes will have the fingerprints of an Alt-Right fanatic and Bannon is the one who reportedly overruled the Secretary of Homeland Security’s determination to exclude green card holders in the travel ban. But unlike the travel ban, there is no inter-agency, judicial, or legislative check to stop or hinder Bannon’s inclusion on the NSC. The NSC is where life-and-death war-and-peace decisions that affect millions of people around the globe get made — the 2003 Iraq war, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Viet-Nam war, the Iran nuclear deal. Now, Pepe the Frog has a seat at that table. So if you think the travel ban is bad, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. AdvertisementsSen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ben Carson walked into a closet in South Carolina on Thursday night. That’s not a joke. The two Republican candidates for president convened for a mano-a-mano meeting in an actual closet in an attempt to smooth over Carson’s allegations of “dirty tricks” on the night of the Iowa caucuses, according to a report from The Daily Beast, But the meeting called by Cruz apparently didn’t go well, and ended with Carson concluding the two men would just have to “agree to disagree.” The men spoke for nearly a half hour, according to an unnamed Republican operative who saw the meeting, which ran over into Carson’s allotted speaking time at the Conservative Review convention. An unnamed source close to Carson’s campaign told The Daily Beast that Carson had agreed to a 5-minute, off-the-record meeting before the convention. The Carson campaign also blamed Cruz’s camp for leaking confirmation of the meeting to the media, and Carson spokesman Jason Osborne suggested the leak was a calculated attempt to repair Cruz’s image. “We weren’t going to comment to the press on it, but it seems pretty clear that the other party involved had a different agenda,” Osborne told the Beast. “How else could we perceive that to be?” Another unnamed GOP operative said the Cruz campaign apparently wanted to hold the meeting on “neutral ground,” so they selected a convention center storage closet. Journalists were reportedly calling the Carson campaign even while the meeting was still underway. A member of Carson’s Secret Service detail guarding the door told an operative simply: “Yeah they’re in that closet,” according to the report. Carson has repeatedly blamed his disappointing fourth place finish in Iowa on Cruz for using “dirty tricks” on the trail. On the night of the caucuses, the Cruz campaign sent out communications to supporters that said Carson was leaving the presidential race, and Cruz backers should rally Carson voters to instead cast their vote for the Texas senator. Cruz responded by blaming CNN, which had reported the “breaking news” that Carson was traveling home to Florida for “fresh clothes” after Iowa, rather than traveling directly to New Hampshire as is typical.Chairman Mao Zedong (left) and Vice Chairman Lin Biao acknowledge the waving of “little red books” by a crowd in China. Photo by Keystone/Getty Images In case you missed it, Oct. 7–13 was designated Naturopathic Medicine Week, according to a Senate resolution sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski and passed by the Senate with unanimous consent. Among the reasons the Senate cited: Naturopathic physicians can help address the shortage of primary care providers in the United States. The profession of naturopathic medicine is dedicated to providing health care to underserved populations. Naturopathic medicine provides consumers in the United States with more choice in health care. Mikulski and the rest of the Senate may be surprised to learn that they were repeating 60-year-old justifications of Chinese medicine put forward by Chairman Mao. Unlike Mikulski, however, Mao was under no illusion that Chinese medicine—a key component of naturopathic education—actually worked. In The Private Life of Chairman Mao, Li Zhisui, one of Mao’s personal physicians, recounts a conversation they had on the subject. Trained as an M.D. in Western medicine, Li admitted to being baffled by ancient Chinese medical books, especially their theories relating to the five elements. It turns out his employer also found them implausible. Sen. Barbara Mikulski on June 8, 2011, in Washington. Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images “Even though I believe we should promote Chinese medicine,” Mao told him, “I personally do not believe in it. I don’t take Chinese medicine.” Mao’s support of Chinese medicine was inspired by political necessity. In a 1950 speech (unwittingly echoed by the Senate’s concerns about “providing health care to underserved populations”), he said: Our nation’s health work teams are large. They have to concern themselves with over 500 million people [including the] young, old, and ill. … At present, doctors of Western medicine are few, and thus the broad masses of the people, and in particular the peasants, rely on Chinese medicine to treat illness. Therefore, we must strive for the complete unification of Chinese medicine. (Translations from Kim Taylor’s Chinese Medicine in Early Communist China, 1945-1963: A Medicine of Revolution.) For Mao, as for the Senate, health care policy also reflected national ideology. While the Senate resolution praised naturopathic medicine as providing “consumers” with “more choice” (does it get more American than that?), Mao emphasized “complete unification,” a grand dialectical Marxist synthesis of Chinese medicine and Western medicine. “This One Medicine,” exulted the president of the Chinese Medical Association in 1952, “will possess a basis in modern natural sciences, will have absorbed the ancient and the new, the Chinese and the foreign, all medical achievements—and will be China’s New Medicine!” The target audience of this propagandized medical reform wasn’t just domestic. Thanks to Westerners’ starry-eyed romanticization of the mysterious Orient, Chinese medicine stood to improve international relations. A 1955 report from the Chinese Medical Association proudly declared: Our ancient medicine is … the subject of interest of the medical world in capitalist countries. Soviet experts once especially invited Professor Li Tao to lecture on the history of Chinese medicine, but a delegation of French medical representatives [also] invited the two old Chinese medical practitioners Shi Jinmo and Yuan Hechai to a discussion. These are all evidence of the emphasis which foreign nations place on Chinese medicine. But exporting Chinese medicine presented a formidable task, not least because there was no such thing as “Chinese medicine.” For thousands of years, healing practices in China had been highly idiosyncratic. Attempts at institutionalizing medical education were largely unsuccessful, and most practitioners drew at will on a mixture of demonology, astrology, yin-yang five phases theory, classic texts, folk wisdom, and personal experience. Mao knew such medicine would be unappealing to empirically minded Westerners. He knew this because it was also unappealing to empirically minded Chinese people. In 1923, Lu Xun, China’s most famous man of letters, reflected critically on his father’s visits to a Chinese doctor, visits that bankrupted the family and failed to produce results. “I still remember the doctor’s discussion and prescription,” Lu wrote, “and if I compare them with my knowledge now, I slowly realize that Chinese doctors are no more than a type of swindler, either intentional or unintentional, and I sympathize with deceived sick people and their families.” A Chinese pharmacy in Vancouver, Canada. Photo by einstraus/Flickr via Creative Commons There are those who would blame Lu’s skepticism on the Western-style medical education he received in Japan. Rightfully wary of ethnocentrism, some scholars have suggested that negative judgments about Chinese medicine result from the misapplication of “Western” criticisms to “Eastern” thought. In the words of anthropologist Judith Farquhar: “The standards of argument by which we judge our own most rigorous explanations cannot be applied to Chinese medicine.” But this produces an absurd picture of China as a mysterious place where logic doesn’t—and shouldn’t—apply. In truth, skepticism, empiricism, and logic are not uniquely Western, and we should feel free to apply them to Chinese medicine. After all, that’s what Wang Qingren did during the Qing Dynasty when he wrote Correcting the Errors of Medical Literature. Wang’s work on the book began in 1797, when an epidemic broke out in his town and killed hundreds of children. The children were buried in shallow graves in a public cemetery, allowing stray dogs to dig them up and devour them, a custom thought to protect the next child in the family from premature death. On daily walks past the graveyard, Wang systematically studied the anatomy of the children’s corpses, discovering significant differences between what he saw and the content of Chinese classics. And nearly 2,000 years ago, the philosopher Wang Chong mounted a devastating (and hilarious) critique of yin-yang five phases theory: “The horse is connected with wu (fire), the rat with zi (water). If water really conquers fire, [it would be much more convincing if] rats normally attacked horses and drove them away. Then the cock is connected with ya (metal) and the hare with mao (wood). If metal really conquers wood, why do cocks not devour hares?” (The translation of Wang Chong and the account of Wang Qingren come from Paul Unschuld’s Medicine in China: A History of Ideas.) Mao understood he needed to deal with criticisms like those of Lu Xun, Wang Qingren, and Wang Chong in order for Chinese medicine to be taken seriously, both domestically and internationally. His solution was a two-pronged approach. First, inconsistent texts and idiosyncratic practices had to be standardized. Textbooks were written that portrayed Chinese medicine as a theoretical and practical whole, and they were taught in newly founded academies of so-called “traditional Chinese medicine,” a term that first appeared in English, not Chinese. Needless to say, the academies were anything but traditional, striving valiantly to “scientify” the teachings of classics that often contradicted one another and themselves. Terms such as “holism” (zhengtiguan) and “preventative care” (yufangxing) were used to provide the new system with appealing foundational principles, principles that are now standard fare in arguments about the benefits of alternative medicine. Mao would have been pleased to see how the Senate resolution paid homage to these innovations: Naturopathic medicine provides noninvasive, holistic treatments. Naturopathic medicine focuses on patient-centered care, the prevention of chronic illnesses, and early intervention in the treatment of chronic illnesses. Naturopathic physicians attend four-year, graduate-level programs that are accredited by agencies approved by the Department of Education. The second part of Mao’s project was to provide Westerners with sensational evidence of Chinese medicine’s efficacy, particularly of acupuncture analgesia. The watershed moment was in 1971, when New York Times editor James Reston wrote an article entitled “Now, Let Me Tell You About My Appendectomy in Peking.” In it, he recounted how Wu Weiran of the Anti-Imperialist Hospital had administered “a standard injection of Xylocain and Bensocain” before removing his appendix. Later, while Reston recovered, acupuncture was used to relieve pain from post-operative gas. Eager to believe in mystical Eastern miracle workers, credulous Westerners misreported the story, claiming that acupuncture had been used as an anesthetic during Reston’s appendectomy, a falsehood that still has currency. Fascination with acupuncture exploded, allowing the Chinese Communist Party to put together a media blitz touting its extraordinary powers, complete with what appear to have been intentionally faked surgeries. This deception was particularly impressive, given that acupuncture’s utility as a surgical analgesic should have been dubious for any historian of anesthesia or Chinese medicine. Hua Tuo, a legendary physician of the Han Dynasty, was famous for being the first person to perform surgery on an anesthetized patient. Yet despite expertise as an acupuncturist, Hua chose to anesthetize his patient (thankfully!) with what was likely a mixture of cannabis and wine. Similarly, the first modern recorded incidence of surgery using general anesthesia was a partial mastectomy performed by Japanese surgeon Hanaoka Seishu in 1804, who, while familiar with acupuncture, nevertheless followed in Hua’s footsteps and pursued pharmacological approaches to surgical pain relief. Pages from Shi Si Jing Fa Hui, translated as Routes of the Fourteen Meridians and Their Functions, a classic used in the practice of acupuncture published by Hua Shou in the 14th century. Images courtesy of the National Library of Medicine No matter. The CCP’s propaganda served its purpose, effectively preying on the human desire for magical solutions to intractable problems. Even prominent scholars such as Joseph Needham were taken in by preposterous demonstrations of open-heart surgery performed with nothing but acupuncture as anesthesia—and, even more implausibly, without any form of artificial respiration. If Chinese medicine could perform one miracle, the public reasoned, surely many more would come: the cure for cancer, perhaps, or relief from “every type of chronic illness and digestive disorder, neurasthenia, swelling of the lower limbs and nervous pain of the fibula,” efficacy ascribed to a single acupuncture point by Ma Jixing in his 1954 book Advanced Teaching Materials for Chinese Medicine. Ping Zhang, a licensed acupuncturist, applies acupuncture needles to patient Barbara Leivent in Port Washington, N.Y., in 2004. Photo by Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Mao’s vision still reigns supreme, and the present state of misinformation about Chinese medicine is staggering, even in what appear to be trustworthy sources. Cancer.gov, for instance, states that “the oldest medical book known, written in China 4,000 years ago, describes the use of acupuncture to treat medical problems.” In fact, the oldest excavated Chinese medical text is no more than 2,300 years old and makes no mention of acupuncture at all—though it does include numerous exorcistic cures, a common element in ancient Chinese medicine that the popularizers of traditional Chinese medicine did well to forget. (Unfortunately, they did not forget about extracting bile from live bears, a practice easily justified by postulating the presence of qi, or life force, in living animals.) None of this conclusively discredits Chinese medicine, just as L. Ron Hubbard’s previous career as a science fiction author doesn’t conclusively discredit Scientology. Some aspects of Chinese medicine are undeniably effective (a prominent American authority on Chinese medicine now heads up Harvard’s program in placebo studies), and some elements of Scientology are probably sound advice. Rather, what we learn from Mao is why some people who would scoff at Christian faith healing are still willing to defend the metaphysical basis of Chinese medicine. Both traditions assume the existence of undetectable causal phenomena—qi, in the case of Chinese medicine, and God’s power in the case of Christian Scientists. But mainstream secular philosophers speculate endlessly about whether “qi energy” will someday enjoy the status of once hypothetical entities such as genes and the Higgs boson, a possibility they are less likely to entertain about divine healing. The reason so many people take Chinese medicine seriously, at least in part, is that it was reinvented by one of the most powerful propaganda machines of all time and then consciously marketed to a West disillusioned by its own spiritual traditions. The timing couldn’t have been better. Postmodernism was sweeping the academy, its valuable insights quickly degrading into naïve relativism. Thomas Kuhn had just published his theory of paradigm shifts and scientific revolutions, a brilliant (and controversial) analysis perennially abused by climate-change deniers and creation-scientists, who take him to have said that there’s no way to distinguish kooks from Galileo. Alan Watts was introducing hippies to mind-blowing Eastern philosophy; Joseph Campbell was preaching the power of myth. Sick of Christianity and guilty about past imperialist sins, the West was ready to be healed by Mao’s sanitized version of Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine diagram Photo by Tom Mooring/Flickr via Creative Commons Ultimately, however, the existence of qi, acupuncture meridians, and the Triple Energizer is no more inherently plausible than that of demons, the four humors, or the healing power of God. It’s just that Mao swindled us, taking advantage of a principle identified by G.K. Chesterton in 1925: I am convinced that if we could tell the supernatural story of Christ word for word as of a Chinese hero, call him the Son of Heaven instead of the Son of God, and trace his rayed nimbus in the gold thread of Chinese embroideries or the gold lacquer of Chinese pottery, instead of in the gold leaf of our own old Catholic paintings, there would be a unanimous testimony to the spiritual purity of the story. There is indeed a shortage of primary care providers in America, along with an appallingly large underserved population. But as Mao realized, solving such problems is a daunting task. In America it would require increased funding for medical care, unpopular regulation of the medical industry, and substantive lifestyle changes. It’s easier to believe in miracles, panaceas, and natural healing powers. Nowadays one of the most popular alternative solutions, enshrined in the Senate resolution, is a gift from Chairman Mao.The GOP candidate visited Laredo, Tex., maintaining his hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration with a border crossing as a background. The GOP candidate visited Laredo, Tex., maintaining his hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration with a border crossing as a background. The GOP candidate visited Laredo, Tex., maintaining his hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration with a border crossing as a background. The Trump International Golf Club in Puerto Rico boasts lush tropical grandeur, breathtaking ocean views and a PGA-caliber course offering players an “incomparable touch of Trump.” But in recent years the resort has struggled, taking on tens of millions of dollars in debt. Last week, it filed for bankruptcy. The failure threatens to cost the island’s taxpayers, as the project was financed with millions in government-backed bonds. Its 90 or so employees face an uncertain future. Yet for Donald Trump, the deal was a total winner. He put no money down but took a cut of the annual revenue — mostly for allowing the resort to bear his name. “We made many millions of dollars on it but never invested a dime,” said Trump’s son Eric, an executive in the Trump Organization. 1 of 12 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Cutting ties with Trump: Who has dumped him and why View Photos The Republican presidential hopeful has faced an avalanche of criticism over his characterization of illegal immigrants as rapists and drug dealers. Caption The GOP presidential hopeful has faced an avalanche of criticism over his characterization of illegal immigrants. Randal Pinkett, Tara Dowdell and Kwame Jackso Former "Apprentice" contestants Randal Pinkett, right, Tara Dowdell, center, and Kwame Jackson speak at a news conference in New York. The contestants claim that a great deal of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's conversation has been divisive and extremely dangerous for America. Pinkett, a business consultant who won the show’s fourth season, said he is grateful for the opportunities that have come his way as a result of “The Apprentice” but added, “because our allegiance to our country supersedes our relationship with Donald, we see today as an act of patriotism, not disloyalty.” Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. As he seeks the Republican presidential nomination, Trump is promoting his success as a real estate mogul to argue that he has the proven skills to fix the nation’s problems. He brags that he made his money “the old-fashioned way,” building iconic properties such as Trump Tower in Manhattan and, soon, a luxury hotel in the Old Post Office Pavilion blocks from the White House. In vowing to put a “great wall” on the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump says, “Nobody builds walls better than me.” But as the Puerto Rico example illustrates, Trump has become increasingly reliant on a different business model — one in which he makes money by harnessing his celebrity brand rather than risking capital in real estate investments. [Donald Trump’s 92-page financial disclosure] Dozens of properties around the world bear his name or will after they are built, with some — a golf course in Dubai, a posh resort in Hawaii, gleaming condominium buildings in Panama and Istanbul — giving Trump cachet and big profits if they succeed but allowing him to avoid liability if they fail. A brand backlash? It is unclear whether Trump’s presidential campaign, characterized by bombastic attacks on Mexican immigrants and Sen. John McCain’s war record, will help or hurt his brand. It has cost him a number of business deals, with Macy’s, NBC and the Professional Golfers’ Association cutting ties. But Trump has only become more of a media sensation, and he has rocketed to the top of the crowded Republican field. The campaign “has had an immensely positive impact” on the brand, Eric Trump said. Recalling his visit this week to a Trump golf course in Charlotte, he added, “I walked into the grill room and got a standing ovation.” [Trump’s tough talk turbocharged his bid. Now it may short-circuit it.] In this video, 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka boast about the quality of the Trump brand in relation to a resort project on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula that failed in 2008. (Filed as an exhibit in California litigation) Felipe Yaryura, chairman of a development company that has paid Trump to use his name on a planned condominium project in Uruguay — with a spa, two indoor swimming pools, a cigar bar, a tennis court and a rooftop helipad — said he is not concerned about the current controversies. “People love the Trump brand, which they know from visiting New York City and Miami,” Yaryura said. “It gives them a warranty that this will be a high-quality project.” Trump has described his name-branding strategy has hugely important to his overall profits. A one-page financial summary he issued when he launched his campaign last month valued his “real estate licensing deal, brand and branded developments” at more than $3.3 billion, which would make it the largest single source of Trump’s claimed $8.7 billion total net worth as of 2014. [Donald Trump’s financial disclosure lists hundreds of positions and deals] It is not possible to corroborate the number. In his official candidate financial disclosure form filed with the Federal Election Commission and released this week, Trump said the value of many of his licensing deals was “not readily ascertainable.” He told the FEC he earned income last year from 24 licensing agreements that extended beyond real estate to include home furnishings, menswear and energy drinks. Trump’s representatives declined to explain how they calculated the number in the one-page summary, but they said that such licensing deals make up an increasingly large part of his portfolio. Trump’s business model has relied on his ability to protect his brand identity — work that has required a ferocious legal strategy to go after critics and mimics with threatening letters, arbitration and litigation. Since 2004, he has pursued 12 cases at the World Intellectual Property Organization, which enforces trademark protection for Web-site names. He lost just once, in 2007, when the arbitrator ruled that trumpfurniture.com did not violate any of his 700 trademarks, since none of his businesses at the time sold furniture. Victories have included wins against a New Jersey pub whose owner had registered the Web site trumpwine.com and a British company that had registered trumpcard.com. In a 2007 lawsuit against two California men who had launched a Web site called Trump’s Best Coffee, Trump’s lawyers laid out the full meaning of the brand: He is a “world famous real estate developer,” they wrote, “famous for his endeavors not just in real estate but in sports, gambling, entertainment and recreation.” His name, they argued, had “developed significant goodwill and trademark significance.” As Trump has moved aggressively into selling his name to real estate projects over the past decade, that goodwill has translated into numerous lucrative deals — even when investors lost money. At times, he has been sued by property owners who argued that they had been misled about the true extent of Trump’s involvement. In 2013, he paid out an undisclosed settlement, widely reported at the time, to more than 100 investors who had lost deposits made to secure luxury condos in a Trump-branded development on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula that was never built. A licensing agreement between Trump and the developer obtained by The Washington Post shows that Trump was required to invest no money, but he was paid $250,000 up front plus additional fees that rose to $1 million for various construction and sales milestones. He was eligible for even more, calculated according to a complicated formula tied to the success of the project. But the agreement also allowed Trump to get out of the deal if the developer went bankrupt or if a large portion of the project was “damaged or destroyed by fire, act of terrorism or other casualty” and was not rebuilt. The agreement required that Trump or his children make visits to publicize the project, though their travel costs were to be shouldered by the developer. Trump and his daughter Ivanka were featured throughout marketing material boasting of their detailed involvement in the project. A video prepared for potential condo buyers featured Donald Trump declaring that Baja would be the new Cabo and bragging that people invest in “what I build.” Alan Garten, general counsel at the Trump Organization, said that the true nature of Trump’s involvement in his licensing deals is always clear. In the Baja case, Garten said, the details of the license deal were spelled out in contracts signed by condo owners. “His role in the project was specifically disclosed, not just once but in numerous places on numerous pages,” Garten said. Garten said that most of Trump’s branded projects have been successful and blamed failures on the 2008 economic downturn. The Trump Organization’s Web site now carries disclaimers on projects that are not owned or developed by the company. Of the 38 buildings featured on the site as part of the company’s real estate portfolio, 16 carry the disclaimer. What’s in a name? The Puerto Rico project that declared bankruptcy last week opened in 2004. Its construction was financed in part by $26.4 million in bonds issued by the Puerto Rican government and sold to, among others, the retirement fund of island teachers. In 2007, as its debt began to mount, the small local partnership that owned the property approached Trump about attaching his name — and hopefully turning things around. “We valued the name of Trump,” said Jorge Diaz, an owner of the property, describing Trump-affiliated golf courses as “the best in the world.” Trump’s involvement brought a burst of optimism for some Puerto Rico officials who saw reviving the course as a way to bring some money into a distressed local economy. Among the immediate benefits: Trump’s involvement helped the course win the right to host a tournament stop on the PGA tour. “Puerto Rico is a fantastic place and deserves the best, which is what we will deliver,” Trump said at a 2008 news conference on the island. “Every detail will be important to me.” Eric Trump, appearing at the same news conference, said that the Trumps would be “very actively involved in this development at all levels” and that they had “a very substantial equity contribution” in the project. But public records filed as part of the bankruptcy show that the Trumps had no equity in the property. Instead, records show that Trump and the local owners had a deal providing Trump with 12.5 percent of annual profits and 4 percent of annual operating revenue in exchange for the Trump Organization serving as manager of the golf facilities. That meant that even if the golf course lost money, a portion of revenue would still flow to Trump. Asked in an interview this week to explain why he said the Trumps held equity when they did not, Eric Trump said the initial plan was to invest. “There was a time when we intended to buy up units there,” he said. “But deals can change over time, and over nine years they can change substantially.” Ultimately the club lost money, declaring bankruptcy last week amid an ongoing economic crisis in Puerto Rico. In court filings, the club listed assets of $9.2 million and debt of as much as $78 million. If the prospect of a Trump-named property entering bankruptcy threatened to cast a cloud over Trump’s portrayal of his business record just as his presidential campaign was taking off, his business was quick to disavow any blame. “We merely licensed our name for a fee and have nothing to do with the ownership, development or entity,” Eric Trump said in a statement released shortly after the bankruptcy. Garten, the Trump lawyer, said the Trump Organization closely monitored the project for quality control and managed the golf course. “That is certainly a high level of involvement,” Garten said. But, he added, “that does not make us the developer.” Garten blamed the project’s bankruptcy on the troubled Puerto Rico economy and said Trump continues to hold the developer in high regard. Diaz, the course partner, said the club and Trump have an “excellent relationship.” Bond documents show that Trump has the right to revoke the use of the Trump trademark if the project goes downhill. That includes if it files for bankruptcy, if it becomes insolvent or if one of the principals is convicted of a felony. Either side can pull out if the other becomes “an object of public scorn or ridicule.” So far, Trump’s performance on the campaign trail has not deterred his Puerto Rican associates. In fact, they hope he can be a savior again — and buy the property outright. Alice Crites and Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report.NEW DELHI: Wrapped in the tricolour, Bal Thackeray's final journey has begun. A sea of grieving people converged since early Sunday in Bandra here as preparations were underway for the funeral of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who passed away Saturday afternoon.The procession was to start at 7 am, but was delayed as roads around Matoshree were filled with thousands of supporters. Bal Thackeray's body was finally brought out of his house a little after 9 am. His son, Uddhav, broke down just before the body was loaded onto the truck.The flower bedecked truck on which a glass box carrying Thackeray's body will wend its way from Bandra east to Dadar west via the Mahim Causeway - one of the connecting links between south Mumbai and suburbs over the Mahim Creek.Along the procession route alone, nearly 20,000 policemen, 15 companies of State Reserve Police Force and three contingents of the Rapid Action Force have been deployed. The Police Commissioner said he had cancelled his daughter's wedding reception party on Sunday since he would be busy.Several Bollywood stars, important politicians and industrialists are expected to travel across the city today; they visited Thackeray in great numbers over Wednesday and Thursday this week signalling that despite his divisive politics, Mr Thackeray commanded the attention of virtually every camp in the city.After allowing several thousands of Shiv Sainiks from all over the state to pay their last respects, the body will be taken to Shivaji Park and kept for a public 'darshan' for over 200,000 people who are expected to turn up.Mumbai police have made elaborate security arrangements by deploying 20,000 policemen, 15 companies of State Reserve Police and three companies of Rapid Action Force to deal with any situation.Mumbai, which resembled a ghost city since Saturday evening, has remained calm and peaceful as news of Thackeray's death began to sink in.All major roads and public places were deserted barring the odd security vehicles, some Shiv Sena activists moving around or a few delayed office-goers scampering home.Top VVIPs from all over India are expected to arrive for Thackeray's funeral, slated at 6 pm Sunday evening at Shivaji Park. ( Inputs from agencies)Getty Images The Broncos are interested in signing quarterback Brian Hoyer, but they’re not in a hurry to get it done. That’s the word from General Manager John Elway, who said after meeting with Hoyer that they could get a deal done, but they don’t have anything lined up yet. “We had a good visit but he’s got another trip lined up. It’s a possibility. He’s a good football player. We wanted to have him in, meet him and get to know him a little bit. But nothing to report there,” Elway said. Elway said Hoyer, if signed, could compete with Mark Sanchez for the starting job. “He brings competition,” He said. “We’re going to have someone compete with Mark and he’s one of the possibilities. He had a real good year in Houston last year, so he’s a guy who’s a real possibility with us.” At the same time, Elway sounded like he’d be satisfied with heading into training camp with Sanchez as the Broncos’ starter. “We’re happy with Mark,” Elway said. “Mark’s excited about being here. We’re excited about having him.” At the moment, the only other quarterback on the roster behind Sanchez is Trevor Siemian, last year’s seventh-round pick. The Broncos will surely add at least one more quarterback before minicamps begin. But for now, Elway is biding his time, and not in a rush to sign Hoyer or anyone else.A bunch of this wasn't quite right with the law. (Photo provided by CWA) Carolina Figueroa works at a T-Mobile call center in Albuquerque, N.M., in the bilingual retention section, trying to talk Spanish-speaking customers out of canceling their accounts. She likes her job, and the pay is decent — $18.50 an hour after eight years working there, plus health coverage, which covers the bills for her and her young daughter. There’s only one problem: the employee handbook, which covers some 40,000 employees across the country. As long as she’s worked there, workers at the call center have been discouraged from discussing wages and working conditions, through provisions that bar things like disclosure of employee information, making disparaging statements about the company and pursuing wage complaints through anyone other than human resources. Employees can be disciplined or fired for violating any of the rules. “Right now we’re silent — not understanding that we could if we were altogether, we could make things different,” said Figueroa, 28, back in December. “What if someone worked longer and is paid less than me? We’re not allowed to talk about that.” That’s particularly problematic for organizing a union, which the Communications Workers of America have been trying to do for several years now at T-Mobile’s call centers and retail stores. Over and over again, the union has filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board about workers being fired or disciplined for actions related to the union drive. Usually, they’ve settled with no admission of guilt, and actual provisions in the handbook never went before a judge. [Read: T-Mobile's John Legere made one of the worst and most memorable CEO apologies of the year] Last year, however, the NLRB’s general counsel consolidated complaints from four cities into one, putting 12 provisions of the handbook on trial. And on Wednesday, an administrative law judge issued her decision: In 10 of those provisions, T-Mobile’s employee handbook violates federal protections on workers’ right to organize. "A theme throughout the policies in place here, from this very sophisticated company, is that they have not wanted
in January 2014 when Markides will begin making a documentary film about the effort to turn the Famagusta region into a thriving eco-city. It kicks off on 16 January with an architectural design studio overlooking the ghost city, where local and international experts will begin planning a sustainable future. There is one big snag, however - those barbed wire fences and patrolling soldiers. While Cyprus remains divided, Varosha is likely to remain off-limits. Central to any settlement is the idea of "territorial adjustment" in which property taken from Greek Cypriots would be reinstated in full - this will also mean re-housing many Turkish Cypriots. Nearly all of the property in the fenced-off area of Varosha belongs to Greek Cypriots - and it is uninhabited. Greek Cypriots argue that it would be a good confidence-building measure for the town to be returned before peace talks resume (on hold since March 2012.) "It is a delicate issue", says Fiona Mullen, an economist and part of the Famagusta Ecocity Project. "While it is true that it would make a very big difference to how Greek Cypriots view Turkey, the Turks and Turkish Cypriots have always worried that if they gave back Varosha, the Greek Cypriots might just "pocket" it, and not give anything in return." So the longstanding position of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots is that Varosha forms part of a comprehensive settlement - past proposals have included re-opening ports and airports in the north. Image copyright Famagusta Ecocity Project Image caption "I've left my soul inside, open up" Bogac is hopeful, despite the challenges. "The problem in Cyprus is not the politics," she says. "The problem is we are waiting for others to come and start something in our own country - but if we start such a movement for the first time I think we can get ready for any economic or financial situation. We have to do something for this city." Markides shares Bogac's optimism. "To really take a place that is a symbol of war and neglect and hatred and abandonment, and turn it into a model that the rest of the world could use - to me it's a success story even if we only bring awareness, a plan for other communities." Vasia Markides & Ceren Bogac spoke to Outlook on the BBC World Service. Listen again on iPlayer or get the Outlook podcast. Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on FacebookThe Massachusetts House has approved a bill calling for nearly $18 million in annual pay raises for legislators, statewide elected officials and judges. The Democratic-controlled House voted 115-44 on Wednesday to send the bill to the Senate, where debate is expected on Thursday. Nine Democrats joined all 35 Republicans in voting against the measure, but the margin would still be sufficient to override any potential veto by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. The House earlier rejected a GOP bid to hold further public hearings on the bill. The proposal increases annual stipends paid to legislative leaders and committee chairs, some by more than 40 percent. It would raise Baker’s salary $151,800 to $185,000, with an additional $65,000 housing allowance. The governor has said he is “quite content” with his current salary. (Copyright (c) 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)Police arrested 84 people, including 27 on criminal charges, and used tear gas to disperse demonstrators at a night-time protest in downtown Montreal organized by a local anti-capitalist group called CLAC. Hundreds of people gathered at at least three different locations around the city, well before the protests officially got underway at 7 p.m. ET. The group called on protesters to cause the "maximum disruption possible" to businesses downtown. However, the majority of the crowd were people carrying anti-austerity messages with no intention of vandalism or violence. By 7:10 p.m., police had already declared the demonstrations illegal and began ordering protesters to disperse. As demonstrators moved up McGill College Avenue from de Maisonneuve Boulevard, police began launching rounds of tear gas. Children gassed by police Families and bystanders were among those gassed early in the demonstration. One woman said she brought her family to the protest thinking it would be peaceful. Within an hour of the May Day protest beginning, Montreal police started firing tear gas cannisters into the crowd. (CBC) "Suddenly, there was tear gas all around us," the woman, who did not give her name, said, as one of her children cried in the background. "We have a baby with us." Montreal police Sgt. Laurent Gingras said it's regrettable that families were caught in the fray, but he said police warned people to leave the area before firing rounds of tear gas. Montreal police confirmed there were arrests, but did not have a final tally. Police kettled protesters Gingras said one of the challenges police face was splinter groups that appeared across the city, making it difficult to disperse protesters. Bystander Sarah Campbell was walking home from eating dinner near Sherbrooke Street and Hutchison Street when she saw police approach one of the splinter groups, comprised of around 15 protesters. She said as many as 11 police cars appeared. Police kettled them, spraying one with pepper spray, and punching another in the face. "It was surreal, almost. I really felt not scared, but upset. Well no, I was scared," she said. Police car damaged One officer suffered facial cuts and was taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, said Gingras. "Police cruisers and cars belonging to ordinary people were damaged," he said. One protester was seen smashing the windows of a cruiser with his fists. Several people were sent to hospital, including two police officers – one for facial injuries and a second for back injuries, after police said that officer was beaten with a stick. 84 arrested, including 27 on criminal charges In all, 84 people were arrested by the time the demonstration wrapped up at around 11 p.m. Fifty-seven were intercepted under a municipal bylaw that forbids protesting once police declare the gathering illegal. Twenty-seven face criminal charges, including 10 arrests for assault of a police officer, assault with a weapon and disarming a police officer. Earlier May Day protests peaceful The protest was in stark contrast to those held earlier in the day when thousands took to the streets of Montreal and elsewhere in the province in peaceful demonstrations. Those protests focused primarily on big banks and the Quebec Liberal government's cost-cutting measures. Alexa Conradi, president of the Quebec Federation of Women, said the Couillard government hasn't taken into account any of the proposals presented by social groups. "Instead, what it's doing is causing cuts to education...in public services, in health care and in the regions." she said. "A lot of these services are absolutely essential to maintaining a degree of equality in our society." Conradi added that various groups decided to protest throughout the province because of what she called the government's refusal to listen to them. The Montreal demonstrations brought together a variety of groups that included unionists, students and social groups.Cooperman's record is not without blemishes. In 2008, Omega lost 35.2 percent net of fees. It was by far the largest loss in the firm's history and worse than most hedge funds during the peak year of the financial crisis (the AR U.S. Equity Index fell 13.98 percent). "So it was really 2008 that was a rough patch for us, and it was very simple. We misjudged the significance of Lehman," Cooperman said in a 2011 interview. "2008 was transformative for me because, at the time, I allowed my people to hold onto their positions when I should've started kicking them out well before we got into the hole." (Lehman Brothers, one of the nation's largest investment banks, filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, precipitating the financial crisis that drove the U.S. economy into a deep recession.) To Omega's credit, it did not "gate" investors as others did, meaning it allowed them to take out their money as usual. The fund rocketed back with a 52.6 percent gain in 2009; Cooperman said on CNBC that he saw some signs of optimism days after the stock market's nadir in early March. He noticed early that stock prices were often not falling even when their earnings were poor, a sign of a bottom. Omega continued its value strategy in early 2009, buying cheap stocks and betting that the market would rise, or at least not "double dip" again into a depression. "There's a sustainability to the economic expansion when it comes about," Cooperman said on CNBC in August 2009. "We're bottoming around now." Omega lost money in four other calendar years. In 1994, it fell 24.1 percent in part because of bad bond, stock and macroeconomic bets. In 1998, it was down 5.2 percent despite a roaring stock market, thanks mostly to emerging market loses precipitated by Russia's debt default. In 2002, Omega declined 12.7 percent, although less than S&P 500 Index. And in 2011, it fell 1.4 percent mostly on bad equity positions, a year many hedge funds struggled given stock market swings around a potential U.S. debt default. Cooperman's self-described worst investment was when an Omega executive, Clayton Lewis, was aware of a 1998 scheme to bribe officials in Azerbaijan to buy a government oil company from which Omega could profit. Omega signed a nonprosecution agreement with the Justice Department in 2007 and paid $500,000 to resolve the matter. Lewis pleaded guilty, cooperated with investigators and was sentenced to time served—six days. Cooperman said Clayton lied to him and Omega sued to recover some of the losses. The parties agreed on a private settlement in 2010, and Omega has largely avoided emerging markets since. "I had a rogue employee. It happens," Cooperman said. "But it was the worst chapter in my life."Reinhard Gehlen (3 April 1902 – 8 June 1979) was a German general and intelligence officer who was chief of the Wehrmacht Foreign Armies East (FHO) military-intelligence unit during World War II (1942–45); spymaster of the CIA-affiliated anti–Communist Gehlen Organisation for the United States (1946–56); and the first president of the Federal Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst, BND) of West Germany (1956–68) during the Cold War. Gehlen was regarded as "one of the most legendary Cold War spymasters."[1] Gehlen became a professional soldier in 1920 during the Weimar Republic. In 1942, he became chief of FHO, the German Army's military intelligence unit on the Eastern Front (1941–45). He achieved the rank of major general before being sacked by Adolf Hitler because of the FHO’s pessimistically accurate intelligence reports about Red Army superiority. In late 1945, at the start of the Cold War, the U.S. military (G-2 Intelligence) recruited him to establish the Gehlen Organisation, an espionage network against the Soviet Union, which employed former military officers of the Wehrmacht and former members of the Schutzstaffel (SS) and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). Gehlen was the first president of the Federal Intelligence Service of West Germany from 1956 to 1968. While this was a civilian office, he was also a lieutenant-general in the Reserve forces of the Bundeswehr, the highest-ranking reserve-officer in the military of West Germany.[2] Early life [ edit ] Gehlen was born to a Roman Catholic family; his father was a book-seller in Erfurt. In 1920, he joined the Reichswehr. Education [ edit ] In 1935, Gehlen graduated from German Staff College. Career [ edit ] After college, Gehlen was promoted to captain and assigned to the German General Staff.[3] Gehlen served on the General Staff until 1936, and was promoted to major in 1939; at the time of the German attack on Poland (1 September 1939) he was a staff officer in an infantry division.[3] In 1940, he became liaison officer to Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch, Army Commander-in-Chief; and later was transferred to the staff of General Franz Halder, the Chief of the German General Staff. In July 1941, he received a promotion to lieutenant-colonel and was sent to the Eastern Front, where he was assigned as senior intelligence-officer to the Fremde Heere Ost (FHO) section of the Staff. Head of FHO [ edit ] The anti–Communist espionage networks of the Gehlen Organization remained in place after Red Army conquest and consolidation of Soviet hegemony in the east of Europe. In spring of 1942, Gehlen assumed command of the FHO from Colonel Eberhard Kinzel.[4] Before the Wehrmacht disasters in the Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943), a year into the German war against Soviet Union, Gehlen understood that the FHO required fundamental re-organisation, and secured a staff of army linguists and geographers, anthropologists, lawyers, and junior military officers who would improve the FHO as a military-intelligence organisation despite the Nazi ideology of Slavic inferiority.[5] Hitler assassination plot [ edit ] In summer 1944, Colonel Henning von Tresckow, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, and General Adolf Heusinger asked Gehlen to participate in their plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.[6] As head of the FHO, Gehlen allowed the military conspirators to make their plans under his protection; moreover, he was present at their meetings at Berchtesgaden; yet, after the bomb plot failed on 20 July, he escaped falling victim to Hitler's revenge.[7] Dismissal [ edit ] Gehlen's cadre of FHO intelligence-officers produced faithful, true, and accurate field-intelligence about the Red Army that contradicted rear-echelon perceptions of the Eastern battle front, which Hitler dismissed as defeatism, philosophically harmful to the Nazi cause against "Judeo-Bolshevism" in Russia. In April 1945, despite his professionalism and the accurate military intelligence, Hitler dismissed Gehlen, soon after his promotion to major general.[8] Preparation for Post-War [ edit ] The FHO collection of both military and political intelligence from captured Red Army soldiers assured Gehlen's post–WWII survival as a Western anti–Communist spymaster, with networks of spies and secret agents in the countries of Soviet-occupied Europe. During the German war against the Soviet Union in 1941–45, Gehlen's FHO collected much tactical military-intelligence about the Red Army, and much strategic, political intelligence about the Soviet Union. Understanding that the Soviet Union would defeat and occupy the Third Reich, Gehlen ordered the FHO intelligence files copied to microfilm; the FHO files proper were stored in water-tight drums and buried in various locations in the Austrian Alps.[9] They amounted to fifty cases of German intelligence about the Soviet Union which were at Gehlen's disposal for sale to Western intelligence services.[10] Meanwhile, as of 1946, when the Soviet consolidated their hegemony and sphere of influence in central, eastern, and south-eastern Europe as agreed at the Potsdam Conference of 1945 and demarcated with what became known as the Iron Curtain, the Western Allies of World War II, the U.S., Britain, France, had no sources of covert information within the countries where the occupying Red Army had vanquished the Wehrmacht. After the Second World War [ edit ] On 22 May 1945, Gehlen surrendered to the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) of the U.S. Army in Bavaria and was taken to Camp King, near Oberursel, and there interrogated by Captain John R. Boker. The American Army recognised his potential value as a spymaster with great knowledge of Soviet forces and anti-communist intelligence contacts in the USSR. In exchange for his liberty and the liberty of his command (prisoners of the U.S. Army), Gehlen offered the Counter Intelligence Corps access to the FHO’s intelligence archives, and to his anti-communist espionage network in the Soviet Union, known later as the Gehlen Organization.[3] Boker removed his name and those of his Wehrmacht command from the official lists of German prisoners of war, and transferred seven FHO senior officers to join Gehlen.[citation needed] Reinhard Gehlen as a Wehrmacht Major General in 1945 The FHO archives were unearthed and secretly taken to Camp King, ostensibly without the knowledge of the camp commander.[citation needed] By the end of summer 1945, Boker had the support of Brigadier General Edwin Sibert, the G2 (senior intelligence officer) of the U.S. Twelfth Army Group,[11] who arranged the secret transport of Gehlen, his officers and the FHO intelligence archives, authorized by his superiors in the chain of command, General Walter Bedell Smith (chief of staff for General Eisenhower), who worked with William Donovan (former OSS chief) and Allen Dulles (OSS chief), who also was the OSS station-chief in Bern. On 20 September 1945, Gehlen and three associates were flown from the American Zone of Occupation in Germany to the U.S., to become spies for the U.S. Government.[citation needed] In July 1946, the U.S. officially released Gehlen and returned him to Occupied Germany.[12] On 6 December 1946, he began espionage operations against the Soviet Union, by establishing what was known to U.S. Intelligence as the Gehlen Organisation or "the Org", a secret intelligence service composed of former intelligence officers of the Wehrmacht and members of the SS and the SD, which was headquartered first at Oberursel, near Frankfurt, then at Pullach, near Munich.[3] The organisation's cover-name was the South German Industrial Development Organization. Gehlen initially selected 350 ex-intelligence officers of the Wehrmacht as staff; eventually, the organisation comprised some 4,000 anti-communist secret agents.[citation needed] Gehlen Organisation [ edit ] Since he started working for the U.S. Government, Gehlen had been subordinate to US Army G-2 (Intelligence). He resented this arrangement and in 1947, the year after his Organisation was established, Gehlen arranged for a transfer and became subordinate to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA kept close control of the Gehlen Organisation, because for many years during the Cold War of 1945–91, its agents were the CIA’s only eyes and ears on the ground in the countries of the Eastern Bloc.[citation needed] Between 1947 and 1955, agents of the Gehlen Organisation interviewed every German PoW who returned to West Germany from captivity in the Soviet Union. The network employed hundreds of former Wehrmacht and SS officers, and also had close contacts with the anti-Communist organisations of the East European émigré communities in Western Europe. They observed the operations of the railroad systems, airfields, and ports of the USSR, and their secret agents infiltrated the Baltic Soviet Republics and the Ukrainian SSR. Among their successes was Operation Bohemia, a major effort of anti-communist counter-espionage.[13] The security and efficacy of the Gehlen Organisation were compromised by East German moles within it, and by Communists and their sympathizers within the CIA and the SIS (MI6), especially Kim Philby, himself a Soviet secret agent. As the spies emerged from the shadows, Gehlen, personally, and the Gehlen Organisation, officially, were attacked by the governments of the Western powers and the Soviet Union. The British government was especially hostile towards Gehlen, and the politically liberal British press ensured full publication of the existence of the Gehlen Organisation, which compromised the operation.[14] BND (Federal Intelligence Service) [ edit ] The Gehlen Organisation in transition: CIA report on the negotiations to establish the BND (1952) of West Germany. Eleven years after the end of World War II, on 1 April 1956, the U.S. Government and the CIA formally transferred the Gehlen Organisation to the authority of what was by then the Federal Republic of Germany, under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1949–63).[3] By way of that transference of geopolitical sponsorship, the anti–Communist Gehlen Organisation became the nucleus of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND, Federal Intelligence Service).[3] As the spymaster of the Gehlen Organisation, Gehlen became president of the BND as an espionage service, until he was forced out of office in 1968. The end of Gehlen’s career as a spymaster resulted from a conflation of events in West Germany: the discovery of the professional secret agent Heinz Felfe (a former SS lieutenant and a Soviet agent) working at BND headquarters;[15] political estrangement from Adenauer, in 1963, which aggravated his professional problems; and the inefficiency of the BND consequent to Gehlen’s poor leadership and continual inattention to the business of espionage as national defence.[citation needed] Gehlen retired in 1968 as a civil servant of West Germany, classified as a Ministerialdirektor, a senior grade with a generous pension; eleven years later, in 1979, he died at the age of 77.[16] Honours [ edit ] References [ edit ] Bibliography and sources [ edit ] Literature [ edit ] John Douglas-Gray in his thriller The Novak Legacy ISBN 978-0-7552-1321-4 ISBN 978-0-7552-1321-4 WEB Griffin, in his post-World War II novel Top Secret ISBN 978-0-399-17123-9SAN JOSE — The third suspect wanted in connection with a homicide last month on Lundy Avenue was arrested, police said. San Jose resident Duane Aguero, 42, was arrested in San Jose on Aug. 27 and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of murder, according to San Jose police. However, where Aguero was arrested and when he was arrested was not released. He is being held without bail. Police are also not revealing a motive for the homicide that left 38-year-old San Jose resident Christopher Wrenn shot and left for dead Aug. 13 in a hallway of an office building on Lundy Avenue. Two other suspects in the homicide, 29-year-old Matthew Castillo and 40-year-old Richard Jacquez, were both shot and killed by police in separate officer-involved shootings last month. Anyone with information on the case can contact Detective Sergeant Rick Yu or Detective Wayne Smith of the San Jose Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 408-277-5283. Those wishing to remain anonymous can either call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 408-947-STOP (7867) or click the “Submit a Tip” link at www.sjpd.org. Check back for updates. Contact Katie Nelson at 408-920-5006 and follow her at Twitter.com/katienelson210.Though prolific producer Norman Lear called this the Golden Age of television, he also thinks what we’re seeing on the small screen these days is too politically correct. The creator of such boundary-pushing shows as All in the Family, The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time was on hand at the Television Critics Association’s press tour in Pasadena on Tuesday to promote his guest-spot on Ovation’s Rough Draft with Reza Aslan, a talk show that delves into the minds of some of the biggest writers on TV. For his part, Lear said the influx of programming on cable and streaming services has provided more opportunity for writers of all backgrounds to make their voices heard. RELATED: EW’s 25 Best TV Shows in 25 Years “I think the answer to it is in your face every day,” Lear said. “I don’t know how many signals I can turn to for great drama, great dramedy. This has to be the Golden Age. There is so very much good quality, so much excellence in drama. I live a life, probably we all do, where people are constantly saying, ‘You mean you haven’t seen…’ and they mention a show that’s been on for 10 years… It’s the Golden Age.” Among the shows Lear says falls into that Golden Age category? “Transparent is a giant show,” Lear told EW after the panel. “My wife and I just binged on — for us, four episodes is a binge — Homeland. We had done the same thing a week or so ago on Ray Donovan.” RELATED: The 25 Best TV Characters in the Past 25 Years However, Lear also believes that a lot of networks are taking a sensitive approach and the current programming falls on the side of being too PC. “I don’t think the narrow point of view serves the American people well,” Lear said on the panel. “I don’t think the bumper-sticker quality of news and discussion helps us understand, and I think the obligation of broadcasters — when that word existed and there were three networks, the news was not expected to make money. I think the American people don’t get what they earn by way of help and understanding in context what is going on in their world.” Rough Draft with Reza Aslan premieres Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Ovation.Yesterday we filed a class action complaint on behalf of the patients of a New York dentist, Stacy Makhnevich, over a form agreement that she imposes on all new patients to try to suppress any online comments on her work that she finds disagreeable. In the form, Makhnevich promises not to evade HIPAA’s patient privacy protection in return for patients’ commitment not to disparage her, not to post any comments about her publicly; if the patient writes anything about the dentist, the patient assigns the copyright in those comments to Makhnevich. Relying on the form, Makhnevich sent one of her patients invoices purporting to bill him a daily hundred-dollar fine for having posted comments about her on Internet review web sites. The copyright assignment aspect of the agreement is especially dastardly. It is intended to enable the dentist to send a DMCA takedown notice to the host of any web site where the criticism is posted. Because the DMCA protects site hosts from liability for copyright infringement, but only if they act expeditiously to remove infringing material once they receive notice of its presence on their servers, hosts generally respond like Pavlov’s dog to such notices. In theory, copyright could be asserted regardless of whether a comment is true or false, and regardless of whether it is an opinion that is constitutionally protected from libel claims; copyright can also be used as a basis for seeking awards of statutory damages even if there are no real damages. Our individual client, Robert Lee, had a bad experience, not with Makhnevich’s dental work, but with her billing and her failure to submit the documents he needed to get reimbursed by insurance. After his repeated efforts to get her office to do what they were supposed to do, he posted complaints on Yelp and on DoctorBase. Makhnevich threatened to sue him over the posts, and sent DMCA takedowns, but no doubt to her surprise, not only did the patient not remove his comments, but both Yelp and DoctorBase defied the threat of infringement liability, telling Makhnevich that they regarded her agreement with the patient as illegal. Undeterred, Makhnevich sent Lee invoices purporting to bill him $100 per day for the continued copyright infringement. Makhnevich also hired a lawyer who sent additional threats of litigation, but rather than continue to wait to be sued, Lee has now filed suit for a judgment declaring the agreement void, an injunction preventing Makhnevich from imposing the agreement on other patients, and a notice to all Makhnevich patients informing them that they are no longer restrained by the agreement.The complaint spells out the legal theories on which we will rely to void the agreement, but here I want to emphasize the policy reasons why we decided to take this case. The form agreement that Makhnevich imposes on her clients was developed by a North Carolina based company calling itself “Medical Justice,” which markets the form to doctors and dentists as a way to insulate themselves from fair criticism through artificial means instead of by providing superior medical care. “Medical Injustice” is a more apt name for this company’s products. After all, no medical professional objects to being praised, and inspection of Yelp’s page on Makhnevich reveals that she is the subject of a number of complimentary posts. There is no reason to believe that Makhnevich has asserted copyright to get them removed. Indeed, many of the comments read as if they were written at the behest of the dentist; some read as if they were sent to the dentist rather than being posted directly on Yelp. By suppressing one side of the story, medical professionals who use these agreements create a distorted picture that prevents consumers from making an informed decision about which provider they should use. Indeed, suppression of criticism is unfair to other doctors and dentists whose superior qualities make it unnecessary for them to use such contracts.The abusive invocation of copyright law as part of this strategy also drew us to represent Lee. Much of our Internet free speech practice has been directed at intellectual property law theories that get just a bit too big for their britches. This is such a case.The purpose of copyright law is to encourage creative expression by providing a temporary monopoly (sadly, less and less temporary) that enables those whose expression is marketable to reap financial rewards for their work. At the same time, copyright law avoids giving any monopoly on facts or ideas. Agreements like the one at stake in the Makhnevich case turn copyright law on its head by taking advantage of the fact that, as a practical matter, ideas and facts are articulated through copyrightable expression; hence anything that a patient writes about a doctor or dentist is likely to have sufficient originality to be copyrighted. The Medical Injustice agreements allow professionals who use them to suppress the underlying opinions and facts, not to reap financial rewards from the expression and not to encourage further creativity. This is a misuse of copyright law and in our view it needs to be stopped.Not to deflect responsibility from Makhnevich, whose behavior toward Lee has been reprehensible, but the real villain of this piece is the Medical Injustice company. We assume that Medical Injustice will step up to defend the contract that it has been marketing to its customers so that we can have a well-litigated determination of its validity.The excellent “Doctored Reviews” web site explains in detail why these efforts are bad public policy. More information is in the complaint about Medical Justice that the Center for Democracy and Technology filed yesterday with the Federal Trade Commission. UPDATE: Less than a day after we filed the lawsuit, Medical Justice started telling reporters that it is "retiring" the agreement over which Lee has sued Makhnevich, apparently in reaction to the litigation. The story was first broken by Timothy Lee on Arstechnica — poetic justice, perhaps, because it was Timothy Lee whom Robert Lee contacted after reading Timothy Lee's previous Arstechnica article about Philadelphia dentist Kenneth Cirka using the same contract; Timothy Lee suggested he contact me for help. (The two Lee's are not related). A later story reports that Medical Justice went further, saying "We probably should have retired the agreement earlier, but today’s the day we did it.” It is gratifying to have had this effect. It remains to ensure that Makhnevich and other dentists stop imposing the agreement on new patients, and notify all of their existing patients that they are revoking the obligations purportedly imposed by the agreements.This post will showcase 11th grade US History students’ podcasts on a person, place, or event from the Great War. Please use this form to vote on which podcast should be submitted to the NPR Student Podcast Challenge before March 31, 2019. This WWI Podcast assignment was adapted from an NWP article detailing how to conduct a First Person Research Paper by Cindy Heckenlaible (2008). First students listened to a 15 Minute History lecture to understand why the US joined WWI and then they used the resources provided to brainstorm topics. To see the directions for a previous assignment, look at Vietnam War Narrative. You may listen to three earlier student examples: The Orange Mist, Protest Becomes Tragedy, and The Last Moments of Elizabeth Hall. Decide to work with partners or work solo. Then use this spreadsheet to declare your narrator and story (topic). Each narrative must be at least three minutes for an individual assignment, add 1.5 minutes to your story for each additional person involved in the project. The five components of this project were worth 50 points each. 1) Produce an Annotated Bibliography in MLA format with at least six sources. If a historical detail is not included in your annotation, then you cannot use it in your narrative. 92% of students turned this in on time. Use the details from your annotated bibliography to write your script. Document the historical details in your story by underlining them and including a (parenthetical citation) immediately after. The theme of your story should be — What is a moment in history that all students should learn about? You may use sound effects and soundscapes, but NO MUSIC! Tools BBC Audio http://bbcsfx.acropolis.org.uk/ Soundscapes https://city.ambient-mixer.com/ Make sure you study the tips in this presentation as you plan your narrative and 2) use this format to submit your story in writing. 81% of students turned this in on time. 3) Create an Annotated Timeline that includes maps of where your story takes place. 37% of students used their time well enough to complete this on time. 4) Write a 5 question Quizizz to share after your story has been heard by the class. Emphasize the most important historical details in your questions and include facts that you would expect to see in a history book. 74% of students turned this in on time. 5) Submit your narrative recording to get all the points. 44% of students made this deadline. 65% of students were able to complete all components on time. Debrief/Reflection Describe how you managed your time and completed each component of this project? Which of the resources provided did you find most helpful? What does this piece reveal about you as a learner? What would you change if you had a chance to do this project over again? CA USH Standard: 11.4.5: Analyze the political, economic, and social ramifications of World War I on the home front. CCSS: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.ON MARCH 18th Adobe published its latest quarterly results, showing net income of $47m, down by 28% on a year earlier. It was the fifth quarter in a row in which the maker of professional graphics software, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, had reported a sharp drop in year-on-year earnings. At most listed firms that would trigger a stockmarket bloodbath. Yet Adobe’s share price has soared by 63% over the past 12 months (see chart). Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. It has defied gravity because investors are bullish about the dramatic shift that the firm is making from being a purveyor of pricey, shrink-wrapped software to one that charges users a monthly subscription fee to access its applications online via the computing “cloud”—vast warehouses of servers run by Adobe and other firms. Like the music industry (see article and article), Adobe is abandoning selling its wares on physical discs to rent them out online. Plenty of big software firms—and ones in other industries—are developing cloud strategies too. But few have been as bold in their approach as Adobe. “The transformation of its business model has been pretty drastic,” says Brent Thill of UBS, an investment bank. So has the transformation of its bottom line. Instead of forking out up to $2,600 for Creative Suite, its flagship design package, on a disc, customers can now use its Creative Cloud service, which offers the same applications (plus a few additional ones) online, with a 12-month subscription costing $50 a month, or a month-by-month fee of $75. This has caused Adobe’s profits to crater in the short term, but investors are betting that they will rebound over time, as the subscription model attracts many new customers who had balked at the prices of its packaged software. Their faith is all the more striking given that just a few years ago Adobe was in the doldrums. Sales of Creative Suite, which is popular among such folk as magazine designers, had stagnated, even as the volume of digital content being produced worldwide was exploding. Some pundits thought Adobe would be overtaken by a hot startup with sexier software. And their belief was reinforced by a public row that broke out in 2010 when Steve Jobs of Apple lambasted the quality of Adobe’s Flash multimedia software in a blog post that kicked off a slanging match between the two firms. Both sides eventually buried the hatchet. Shantanu Narayen, Adobe’s boss, says the spat is now “in the rear-view mirror” and that the firm is focused on making its foray into the cloud a success. This week Adobe revealed that more than 1.8m users had signed up for Creative Cloud, an increase of 405,000 over the previous quarter’s total. And it said that for the first time over half of its quarterly revenue of $1 billion came from “recurring” sources, such as software subscriptions and fees for maintenance contracts. Subscriptions tend to provide a more predictable source of revenue, which is why investors like them. Under its previous strategy, Adobe revamped its packaged software every 18 months or so, which meant it was vulnerable to a sharp drop in revenue if customers shunned an update. Now it can tweak its products far more frequently online, with users barely noticing, thereby greatly reducing the risk of a sudden slump in turnover. The cloud model offers other benefits. David Wadhwani, who oversees the company’s digital-media business, which includes Creative Cloud, says it makes it easier for Adobe to combine various applications to tailor its offering to particular types of customer. For instance, it has been selling a package aimed at photographers for $10 a month that combines Adobe’s software with an online
also available for Older Scala Versions): $ sudo sh -c '(echo "#!/usr/bin/env sh" && curl -L https://github.com/lihaoyi/Ammonite/releases/download/1.6.3/2.12-1.6.3) > /usr/local/bin/amm && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/amm' && amm Or to try out the latest features in our Unstable Release 1.6.3-5-c25dc3a: $ sudo sh -c '(echo "#!/usr/bin/env sh" && curl -L https://github.com/lihaoyi/Ammonite/releases/download/1.6.3/2.12-1.6.3-5-c25dc3a) > /usr/local/bin/amm && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/amm' && amm And read on to learn about how Scala scripts work. Script Files Ammonite defines a format that allows you to load external scripts into the REPL; this can be used to save common functionality so it can be used at a later date. In the simplest case, a script file is simply a sequence of Scala statements, e.g. // MyScript.sc // print banner println("Hello World!!") // common imports import sys.process._ import collection.mutable // common initialization code val x = 123 println("x is " + 123)... You can write any Scala code you want in an Ammonite script, including top-level statements and definitions (e.g. the println and val x = 123 above) that are not valid in "normal" Scala projects. You do not need to wrap these sorts of top-level statements or expressions in boilerplate object Foo{...} wrappers: this is all done automatically for you by Ammonite. After that, it's a matter of running the script From the REPL or From Bash, e.g. bash$ amm MyScript.sc Hello World!! x is 123... Script Imports No code stands alone; scripts depend on other scripts. Often they depend on third party libraries, as there's so much code out there already written it doesn't make sense to re-invent everything yourself. Ammonite Scripts allow you to import Other Scripts, just like any Bash or Python scripts do. Furthermore, they let you cleanly depend on third party libraries: since Ammonite runs on the JVM, this means Ivy Dependencies. Ammonite will ensure that the relevant dependencies are always downloaded and used, and you never need to worry about remembering to "install" things before running your scripts! Other Scripts Like other scripting languages, Ammonite Scripts allow you to break your script into multiple files, and import them from each other in order to use what is in each file. Unlike "Normal" Scala projects, there is no need to set up a src/main/scala folder, and create a build file, and all these other things: simply split your script into two files, and import one from the other using import $file: // Basic.sc val basicValue = 31337 // FileImport.sc import $file.Basic val fileImportVal = Basic.basicValue + 1 Here, we are defining a simple val in Basic.sc, and then importing it from FileImport.sc. And of course, we can use what we defined in FileImport.sc and import it in another file // IndirectFileImport.sc import $file.FileImport val indirectFileImportVal = FileImport.fileImportVal + 1 And so on, importing files as many or as deep as you want. You can use ^ segments at the start of your import $file to import things from outside the current script's enclosing folder, e.g. import $file.^.^.foo will import the script file../../foo.sc and make it available for you to use. $file imports inside Scala Scripts behave the same as $file imports within the Ammonite-REPL, and have the same characteristics: Ivy Dependencies You can easily make use of external Ivy artifacts right in your scripts, without needing to set up a separate build file. Simply use a import $ivy, just as you would in the Ammonite-REPL, and it will be available in the script for you to use, e.g. here we make use of the Scalatags library: import $ivy.`com.lihaoyi::scalatags:0.6.2`, scalatags.Text.all._ val rendered = div("Moo").render If you need more detailed control over what you are importing, e.g. with attributes, classifiers or exclusions, you can fall back to using the interp.load.ivy(deps: coursier.Dependency) function. @ import os._ @ interp.load.module($printedScriptPath/"loadIvyAdvanced.sc") @ serializer Note that to use this function, your script needs to be a multi-stage script as listed below, and the interp.load.ivy call needs to be in an earlier block Multi-stage Scripts By default, everything in a script is compiled and executed as a single block. While you can use Magic Imports to load other scripts or Ivy artifacts before your script runs, those can only load "hardcoded" scripts or artifacts, and cannot e.g. load different scripts depending on some runtime variables. If you want to load different scripts or ivy artifacts depending on runtime values, you can use the runtime-equivalent of magic imports: import $cp becomes interp.load.cp becomes import $file becomes interp.load.module becomes import $ivy becomes interp.load.ivy These are plain-old-Scala-functions that let you pass in a Path to a script to load, or load different Ivy artifacts depending on runtime values. Additionally, there is an overloaded version of interp.load.cp which takes a Seq[Path] of classpath entries. This variant is much more efficient for adding multiple classpath entries at once. Since these functions get run after* the current compilation block is compiled, you need to split your script into two compilation blocks, and can only use the results of the load ed code in subsequent blocks: // print banner println("Welcome to the XYZ custom REPL!!") val scalazVersion = "7.2.7" interp.load.ivy("org.scalaz" %% "scalaz-core" % scalazVersion) // This @ is necessary for Ammonite to process the `interp.load.ivy` // before continuing @ // common imports import scalaz._ import Scalaz._ // use Scalaz!... In general, this should not be necessary very often: usually you should be able to load what you want using Magic Imports. Nevertheless, sometimes you may find yourself needing to get "under the hood" and use these load ing functions directly. When that happens, using Multi-stage Scripts is the way to go. Script Arguments Often when calling a script from the external command-line (e.g. Bash), you need to pass arguments to configure its behavior. With Ammonite, this is done by defining a @main method, e.g. // Args.sc val x = 1 @main def main(i: Int, s: String, path: os.Path = os.pwd) = { s"Hello! ${s * i} ${path.last}." } When the script is run from the command line: $ amm Args.sc 3 Moo "Hello! MooMooMoo Ammonite." The top-level definitions execute first (e.g. setting x ), and then the @main method is called with the arguments you passed in. Note that the return-value of the script is pretty-printed by default, which quotes strings and may nicely format/indent lists or other data-structures. If you want to avoid this default pretty-printing behavior, annotate your @main method as returning : Unit and add your own println s: // Args.sc val x = 1 @main def main(i: Int, s: String, path: os.Path = os.pwd): Unit = { println(s"Hello! ${s * i} ${path.last}.") } $ amm Args2.sc 3 Moo Hello! MooMooMoo Ammonite You can also pass in named arguments using -- to demarcate them: $ amm Args.sc --i 3 --s Moo "Hello! MooMooMoo Ammonite." Default arguments behave as you would expect (i.e. they allow you to omit it when calling) and arguments are parsed using the scopt.Read typeclass, which provides parsers for primitives like Int, Double, String, as well as basic data-structures like Seq s (taken as a comma-separated list) and common types like Paths. If you pass in the wrong number of arguments, or if an argument fails to deserialize, the script will fail with an error message. The main method does not get automatically called when you load.module or load.exec a script from within the Ammonite REPL. It gets imported into scope like any other method or value defined in the script, and you can just call it normally. vararg* arguments work as you would expect as well, allowing one or more arguments to be passed from the command-line and aggregated into a Seq for your function to use. This also allows you to use a custom argument-parser (e.g. Eugene Yokota's excellent Scopt) library by defining your function as taking String* : @main def entrypoint(args: String) = {... } In which case Ammonite will take all arguments and forward them to your main method un-checked and un-validated, from which point you can deal with the raw Seq[String] however you wish. Note that vararg arguments cannot be passed by-name, e.g. via --args foo Ammonite Arguments in Scripts Ammonite passing any arguments that come before the script file to Ammonite itself, while arguments that come after the script file are given to the script: $ amm --predef-code 'println("welcome!")' Args.sc 3 Moo welcome! "Hello! MooMooMoo Ammonite." Here, "Ammonite Arguments" go on the left of the Args.sc, while Script Arguments go on the right of the Args.sc. The script arguments on the right can also be empty if you don't want to pass any arguments to the script. If you want to define a script with a Shebang line that runs Ammonite with particular arguments, you can use #!/bin/bash exec amm --predef 'println("welcome!")' "$0" "$@"!# And which will pass in the --predef flag to Ammonite while running the script via./Args.sc. If you want to then pass in different sets of arguments, you can run the script using amm e.g. amm --predef 'println("Hello!")' Args.sc 3 Moo as before. (Note that while a single-line #!/usr/bin/env amm --predef '...' shebang may work on some systems such as OS-X, it is not portable and would not work on Linux) Multiple Main Methods If you have only a single @main method, any arguments that you pass to the script get used as arguments to that @main. But if you have multiple @main methods, the first argument to the script is used to select which @main method to call. e.g. given: // MultiMain.sc val x = 1 @main def mainA() = { println("Hello! " + x) } @main def functionB(i: Int, s: String, path: os.Path = os.pwd) = { println(s"Hello! ${s * i} ${path.relativeTo(os.pwd)}.") } You can call it via amm MultiMain.sc mainA Or amm MultiMain.sc functionB 2 "Hello" Script Usage Docs You can document your scripts with the @doc annotation. By default, a script such as // MultiMain.sc val x = 1 @main def mainA() = { println("Hello! " + x) } @main def functionB(i: Int, s: String, path: os.Path = os.pwd) = { println(s"Hello! ${s * i} ${path.relativeTo(os.pwd)}.") } Will result in a usage message: Need to specify a subcommand to call when running MultiMain.sc Available subcommands: mainA functionB --i Int --s String --path os.Path (default ${os.pwd}) You can add docs via // MultiMainDoc.sc val x = 1 @main def mainA() = { println("Hello! " + x) } @doc("This explains what the function does") @main def functionB(i: Int @doc( "how many times to repeat the string to make " + "it very very long, more than it originally was" ), s: String @doc("the string to repeat"), path: os.Path = os.pwd) = { println(s"Hello! ${s * i} ${path.relativeTo(os.pwd)}.") } Which will be shown as part of the usage message Need to specify a subcommand to call when running MultiMainDoc.sc Available subcommands: mainA functionB This explains what the function does --i Int: how many times to repeat the string to make it very very long, more than it originally was --s String: the string to repeat --path os.Path (default ${os.pwd}) Bundled Libraries While Ammonite allows you to load any Java or Scala library for use via the import $ivy syntax, it also comes bundled with some basic libraries, e.g. Scalaj-HTTP for making HTTP calls, or the uPickle library with its JSON Api for dealing with the common JSON format. For example, here's a tiny script that offers two main methods, one to shorten a github link using Scalaj-HTTP and the git.io API, and one that pulls out a list of release-names from a given github project using Scalaj-HTTP, uPickle's JSON package, and the Github API: #!/usr/bin/env amm // HttpApi.sc import scalaj.http._ @main def addPost(title: String, body: String) = { ujson.read( Http("http://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts").postForm(Seq("title" -> title, "body" -> body, "userId" -> "1")).asString.body ).obj.get("id").map(_.num.toInt).getOrElse(0) } @main def comments(postId: Int) = { val json = ujson.read( Http(s"http://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/comments?postId=$postId").asString.body ) val names = for{ item <- json.arr name <- item.obj.get("name") } yield name.str names.mkString(",") } You can run amm on the script to see what it can do > amm HttpApi.sc Need to specify a main method to call when running HttpApi.sc Available main methods: def shorten(longUrl: String) def listReleases(project: String) And you can run the two functions (after using chmod +x to make the file executable) via >./HttpApi.sc shorten https://www.github.com https://git.io/vDN6Ig Or >./HttpApi.sc listReleases lihaoyi/Ammonite 0.7.0,Snaphot Commit Uploads,0.6.2,0.6.1,0.6.0,0.5.9,0.5.8, 0.5.7,0.5.6,0.5.5,0.5.4,0.5.3,0.5.2,0.5.1,0.5.0,0.4.9,0.4.8, 0.4.7,0.4.6,0.4.5,0.4.4,0.4.3,0.4.2,0.4.0 Script Builtins Apart from bundling some third-party libraries for convenience, Ammonite also provides some builtins you can use from scripts to inspect and manipulate the interpreter itself. Note that this is a much smaller set of functionality than the set of Builtins available to the REPL: it won't have things like the repl.prompt, repl.history, and other things that only really make sense in the interactive REPL. trait InterpAPI { /** * When running a script in `--watch` mode, re-run the main script if this * file changes. By default, this happens for all script files, but you can * call this to watch arbitrary files your script may depend on / def watch(p: os.Path): Unit /* * The colors that will be used to render the Ammonite REPL in the terminal, * or for rendering miscellaneous info messages when running scripts. / val colors: Ref[Colors] /* * Tools related to loading external scripts and code into the REPL / def load: InterpLoad /* * resolvers to use when loading jars / def repositories: Ref[List[coursier.Repository]] /* * Functions that will be chained and called on coursier * Resolutions right before they are run / val resolutionHooks: mutable.Buffer[coursier.Resolution => coursier.Resolution] /* * Exit the Ammonite REPL. You can also use Ctrl-D to exit / def exit = throw AmmoniteExit(()) /* * Exit the Ammonite REPL. You can also use Ctrl-D to exit / def exit(value: Any) = throw AmmoniteExit(value) /* * Functions that will be chained and called on the * exitValue before the repl exits / val beforeExitHooks: mutable.Buffer[Any => Any] /* * Configures the current compiler, or if the compiler hasn't been initialized * yet, registers the configuration callback and applies it to the compiler * when it ends up being initialized later / def configureCompiler(c: scala.tools.nsc.Global => Unit): Unit /* * Pre-configures the next compiler. Useful for tuning options that are * used during parsing such as -Yrangepos / def preConfigureCompiler(c: scala.tools.nsc.Settings => Unit): Unit } trait LoadJar { /* * Load a `.jar` file or directory into your JVM classpath / def cp(jar: os.Path): Unit /* * Load a `.jar` from a URL into your JVM classpath / def cp(jar: java.net.URL): Unit /* * Load one or more `.jar` files or directories into your JVM classpath / def cp(jars: Seq[os.Path]): Unit /* * Load a library from its maven/ivy coordinates / def ivy(coordinates: coursier.Dependency): Unit } trait InterpLoad extends LoadJar{ def module(path: os.Path): Unit def plugin: LoadJar } Script Predef If you want code to be loaded before you run any script, you can place it in ~/.ammonite/predefScript.sc. This is distinct from the REPL pre-defined code which lives in ~/.ammonite/predef.sc. If you want code that is pre-initialized in both the REPL and in scripts, you can place it in ~/.ammonite/predefShared.sc. Running Scripts There are two way main ways to run Ammonite scripts: From the REPL and From Bash. From Bash Apart from loading scripts within the Ammonite-REPL, You can also run scripts using the Ammonite executable from an external shell (e.g. bash): $ sudo sh -c '(echo "#!/usr/bin/env sh" && curl -L https://github.com/lihaoyi/Ammonite/releases/download/1.6.3/2.12-1.6.3) > /usr/local/bin/amm && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/amm' && amm $ amm path/to/script.sc All types, values and imports defined in scripts are available to commands entered in REPL after loading the script. You can also make an Ammonite script self-executable by using a shebang #!. This is an example script named hello. There is no need to add the.sc extension. The amm command needs to be in the PATH : #!/usr/bin/env amm println("hello world") make it executable and run it from an external shell (e.g. bash): $ chmod +x /path/to/script $ /path/to/script Ammonite also supports the JAVA_OPTS environment variable for passing arguments to the JVM that it runs inside, e.g. you can pass in a custom memory limit via bash$ JAVA_OPTS="-Xmx1024m" amm path/to/script.sc To let it use only up to 1024 megabytes of memory Watch and Reload Ammonite provides the -w / --watch flag, which tells it to not exit when a script completes, but instead watch the files that were run, and re-run them when any of them change. You can use this flag via $ amm -w foo.sc Within your scripts, you can also flag other files you want Ammonite to watch, via the interp.watch(p: Path) function. This is useful if you are iterating on a script together with some external data files the script depends on, and you want to Script Debug REPL When a script is not working as intended, it is useful to be able to poke around in a REPL after the script has run, in order to see what values are stored in which variables or what methods are available via autocomplete. To do so, you can run the script using the --predef / -p flag. $ amm --predef foo.sc This will run the script as normal, but on completion open up a REPL which has all the values defined in that script imported and ready to use. You can then poke around within the REPL as you wish. Using --predef / -p to run a script and then open an interactive REPL can be combined with the --watch / -w flag: $ amm --watch --predef foo.sc This will open up a REPL after the script runs, and when you exit the REPL it will watch the script file and the files that the script depends on, re-running the script and REPL if any of them change. --predef / -p can be used to include a script file as a predef before running any script or REPL, which is useful for a range of things apart from serving as a debug REPL on any script. From the REPL You can load any script into the Ammonite REPL using the import $file syntax, for example here we import the above MyScript.sc file to access its x value: @ x // doesn't work yet Compilation Failed cmd0.sc:1: not found: value x val res0 = x // doesn't work yet ^ @ import $file.MyScript Welcome to the XYZ custom REPL!! @ MyScript.x // You can refer to definitions from that module res1: Int = 123 @ import MyScript._ @ x // works res2: Int = 123 You can also import the module, and any associated definitions you want, in the same import: @ x // doesn't work yet Compilation Failed cmd0.sc:1: not found: value x val res0 = x // doesn't work yet ^ @ import $file.MyScript, MyScript._ Welcome to the XYZ custom REPL!! @ x res1: Int = 123 Note that by default, scripts imported via $file are encapsulated, so any imports inside that MyScript performs are not available outside of MyScript.sc : @ import $file.MyScript, MyScript._ Welcome to the XYZ custom REPL!! import $file.$ @ mutable.Buffer(x) cmd1.sc:1: not found: value mutable val res1 = mutable.Buffer(x) ^ Compilation Failed As you can see, even though collection.mutable was imported inside MyScript.sc, you cannot use them outside after importing it. If you want to make everything (both imports and definitions) available by default after importing, you can use an $exec import instead of $file : @ import $exec.MyScript Welcome to the XYZ custom REPL!! import $exec.$ @ mutable.Buffer(x) res1: mutable.Buffer[Int] = ArrayBuffer(123) As you can see, now mutable is available, and so is x even though we did not directly import it. While $file imports are useful for defining re-usable modules with common functions and definitions, $exec imports are useful as aliases for common setup to get your REPL environment just the way you want it. Of course, any files you import via import $file or import $exec can themselves import other Scala scripts in the same way, and the same rules apply. Execution Model Ammonite's Scala Scripts run as normal Scala code, though with some simple source-to-source transformations applied first to turn the script syntax (which allows top-level expressions, def s, val s, etc.) into valid Scala syntax (which doesn't). What happens is roughly: A script file is read off disk If the script file has been compiled/executed before, the previously compiled bytecode and metadata is loaded from the ~/.ammonite/cache. If not, the script is parsed but not yet compiled. . If not, the script is parsed but compiled. Multi-stage Scripts are split into multiple individual scripts, to be handled separately/sequentially. Any Magic Imports are resolved: any Ivy dependencies are downloaded, or any imported scripts are themselves run. Any imported scripts are themselves handled in the same way, as are any scripts they import, etc. import, etc. If the script has already been previously compiled and cached, the cached bytecode that was read off of disk earlier is executed. Otherwise, the source code for this script is then wrapped in a package / object wrapper, corresponding to the path to the script from the current script's enclosing folder. For example, a script at path foo/bar/baz/Qux.sc will be wrapped in: package foo.bar.baz object Qux{ // script code } / wrapper, corresponding to the path to the script from the current script's enclosing folder. For example, a script at path will be wrapped in: The script is then compiled and executed. In general, due to Scala's slow compiler, Scala Scripts rely heavily on caching to achieve reasonable performance. While the first run of a modified script has a few-seconds overhead due to the Scala compiler, subsequent runs of the same script should be fast-ish, with only a few 100ms overhead for spinning up a JVM. Although this is much slower than other scripting languages like Bash (which starts up in ~4ms) or Python (~30ms), in practice it is acceptable for many use cases. You probably do not want to find. \| xargs amm Foo.sc on large numbers of files, where the 100ms overhead will add up, but for individual scripts it should be fine. Furthermore, Ammonite makes it really easy to include that sort of recursive/iterative logic inside a single script: you can use ls! or ls.rec! from Ammonite-Ops to traverse the filesystem and work on multiple files all within the same process, which avoids duplicating the startup overhead on all the files you are manipulating. SBT Integration If you have an existing SBT project and you'd like to access those classes from an ammonite script, you can achieve this by running your script through SBT itself. This requires adding ammonite to your SBT project and creating a "bridge" class to pass arguments from SBT into an ammonite Main class. Add the ammonite 1.6.3 dependency to build.sbt : libraryDependencies += "com.lihaoyi" % "ammonite" % "1.6.3" % "test" cross CrossVersion.full In your test directory, create a class like: package ammonite.integration object AmmoniteBridge { def main(args: Array[String]): Unit = { ammonite.Main.main(args) } } Run your script using sbt "test:run /path/to/script.sc arg1 arg2 arg3". If you have already started an SBT repl, then you can run the above without the quotes: test:run /path/to/script.sc arg1 arg2 arg3 Running a script from your SBT project can be achieved with ammonite.Main.main(Array("--predef-code", """println("welcome!")""", "file.sc")) Ammonite-Ops A Rock-solid Filesystem Library for Scala Ammonite-Ops is a library to make common filesystem operations in Scala as concise and easy-to-use as from the Bash shell, while being robust enough to use in large applications without getting messy. It lives in the same repo as the Ammonite REPL, but can easily be used stand-alone in a normal SBT/maven project. To get started with Ammonite-Ops, add this to your build.sbt : libraryDependencies += "com.lihaoyi" %% "ammonite-ops" % "1.6.3" And you're all set! Here's an example of some common operations you can do with Ammonite-Ops import ammonite.ops._ // Pick the directory you want to work with, // relative to the process working dir val wd = pwd/'ops/'target/"scala-2.11"/"test-classes"/'example2 // Delete a file or folder, if it exists rm! wd // Make a folder named "folder" mkdir! wd/'folder // Copy a file or folder to a particular path cp(wd/'folder, wd/'folder1) // Copy a file or folder into another folder at a particular path // There's also `cp.over` which copies it to a path and stomps over // anything that was there before. cp.into(wd/'folder, wd/'folder1) // List the current directory val listed = ls! wd // Write to a file without pain! Necessary // enclosing directories are created automatically write(wd/'dir2/"file1.scala", "package example class Foo{} ", createFolders = true) write(wd/'dir2/"file2.scala", "package example class Bar{} ", createFolders = true) // Rename all.scala files inside the folder d into.java files ls! wd/'dir2 \| mv{case r"$x.scala" => s"$x.java"} // List files in a folder val renamed = ls! wd/'dir2 // Line-count of all.java files recursively in wd val lineCount = ls.rec! wd \|? (_.ext == "java") \| read.lines \| (_.size) sum // Find and concatenate all.java files directly in the working directory mkdir(wd / 'target) ls! wd/'dir2 \|? (_.ext == "java") \| read \|> (write(wd/'target/"bundled.java", _)) These examples make heavy use of Ammonite-Ops' Paths, Operations and Extensions to achieve their minimal, concise syntax As you can see, Ammonite-Ops replaces the common mess of boilerplate: def removeAll(path: String) = { def getRecursively(f: java.io.File): Seq[java.io.File] = { f.listFiles.filter(_.isDirectory).flatMap(getRecursively) ++ f.listFiles } getRecursively(new java.io.File(path)).foreach{f => println(f) if (!f.delete()) throw new RuntimeException("Failed to delete " + f.getAbsolutePath) } new java.io.File(path).delete } removeAll("target/folder/thing") With a single, sleek expression: That handles the common case for you: recursively deleting folders, not-failing if the file doesn't exist, etc. Note: Ammonite-Ops supports Windows experimentally, even if Ammonite-REPL does not. That means you can use these convenient filesystem operations and commands in your Scala programs that run on Windows. Try it out and let me know if there are problems. Paths Ammonite uses strongly-typed data-structures to represent filesystem paths. The two basic versions are: Path : an absolute path, starting from the root : an absolute path, starting from the root RelPath : a relative path, not rooted anywhere Generally, almost all commands take absolute Path s. These have a number of useful operations that can be performed on them. Absolute paths can be created in a few ways: // Get the process' Current Working Directory. As a convention // the directory that "this" code cares about (which may differ // from the pwd) is called `wd` val wd = pwd // A path nested inside `wd` wd/'folder/'file // A path starting from the root root/'folder/'file // A path with spaces or other special characters wd/"My Folder"/"My File.txt" // Up one level from the wd wd/up // Up two levels from the wd wd/up/up Note that there are no in-built operations to change the pwd. In general you should not need to: simply defining a new path, e.g. val target = pwd/'target Should be sufficient for most needs. Above, we made use of the pwd built-in path. There are a number of Path s built into Ammonite: pwd : The current working directory of the process. This can't be changed in Java, so if you need another path to work with the convention is to define a wd variable. : The current working directory of the process. This can't be changed in Java, so if you need another path to work with the convention is to define a variable. root : The root of the filesystem. : The root of the filesystem. home : The home directory of the current user. : The home directory of the current user. tmp() / tmp.dir() : Creates a temporary file/folder and returns the path. RelPaths RelPath s represent relative paths. These are basically the same data structure as Path s, except that they can represent a number of up s before the relative path is applied. They can be created in the following ways: // The path "folder/file" val rel1 = 'folder/'file val rel2 = 'folder/'file // The path "file"; will get converted to a RelPath by an implicit val rel3 = 'file // The relative difference between two paths val target = pwd/'target/'file assert((target relativeTo pwd) == 'target/'file) // `up`s get resolved automatically val minus = pwd relativeTo target val ups = up/up assert(minus == ups) In general, very few APIs take relative paths. Their main purpose is to be combined with absolute paths in order to create new absolute paths. e.g. val target = pwd/'target/'file val rel = target relativeTo pwd val newBase = root/'code/'server assert(newBase/rel == root/'code/'server/'target/'file) up is a relative path that comes in-built: val target = root/'target/'file assert(target/up == root/'target) Note that all paths, both relative and absolute, are always expressed in a canonical manner: assert((root/'folder/'file/up).toString == "/folder") // not "/folder/file/.." assert(('folder/'file/up).toString == "folder") // not "folder/file/.." So you don't need to worry about canonicalizing your paths before comparing them for equality or otherwise manipulating them. Path Operations Ammonite's paths are transparent data-structures, and you can always access the segments and ups directly. Nevertheless, Ammonite defines a number of useful operations that handle the common cases of dealing with these paths. In this definition, ThisType represents the same type as the current path; e.g. a Path's / returns a Path while a RelPath's / returns a RelPath. Similarly, you can only compare or subtract paths of the same type. Apart from RelPath s themselves, a number of other data structures are convertible into RelPath s when spliced into a path using / : String s s Symbols s s Array[T] s where T is convertible into a RelPath s where is convertible into a Seq[T] s where T is convertible into a RelPath Constructing Paths Apart from built-ins like pwd or root or home, you can also construct Ammonite's Path s from String s, java.io.File s or java.nio.file.Path s: val relStr = "hello/cow/world/.." val absStr = "/hello/world" assert( RelPath(relStr) == 'hello/'cow, // Path(...) also allows paths starting with ~, // which is expanded to become your home directory Path(absStr) == root/'hello/'world ) // You can also pass in java.io.File and java.nio.file.Path // objects instead of Strings when constructing paths val relIoFile = new java.io.File(relStr) val absNioFile = java.nio.file.Paths.get(absStr) assert( RelPath(relIoFile) == 'hello/'cow, Path(absNioFile) == root/'hello/'world, Path(relIoFile, root/'base) == root/'base/'hello/'cow ) Trying to construct invalid paths fails with exceptions: val relStr = "hello/.." intercept[java.lang.IllegalArgumentException]{ Path(relStr) } val absStr = "/hello" intercept[java.lang.IllegalArgumentException]{ RelPath(absStr) } val tooManyUpsStr = "/hello/../.." intercept[PathError.AbsolutePathOutsideRoot.type]{ Path(tooManyUpsStr) } As you can see, attempting to parse a relative path with Path or an absolute path with RelPath throws an exception. If you're uncertain about what kind of path you are getting, you could use BasePath to parse it: val relStr = "hello/cow/world/.." val absStr = "/hello/world" assert( FilePath(relStr) == 'hello/'cow, FilePath(absStr) == root/'hello/'world ) This converts it into a BasePath, which is either a Path or RelPath. It's then up to you to pattern-match on the types and decide what you want to do in each case. You can also pass in a second argument to Path(..., base). If the path being parsed is a relative path, this base will be used to coerce it into an absolute path: val relStr = "hello/cow/world/.." val absStr = "/hello/world" val basePath: FilePath = FilePath(relStr) assert( Path(relStr, root/'base) == root/'base/'hello/'cow, Path(absStr, root/'base) == root/'hello/'world, Path(basePath, root/'base) == root/'base/'hello/'cow, Path(".", pwd).last!= "" ) For example, if you wanted the common behavior of converting relative paths to absolute based on your current working directory, you can pass in pwd as the second argument to Path(...). Apart from passing in String s or java.io.File s or java.nio.file.Path s, you can also pass in BasePath s you parsed early as a convenient way of converting it to a absolute path, if it isn't already one. In general, Ammonite is very picky about the distinction between relative and absolute paths, and doesn't allow "automatic" conversion between them based on current-working-directory the same way many other filesystem APIs (Bash, Java, Python,...) do. Even in cases where it's uncertain, e.g. you're taking user input as a String, you have to either handle both possibilities with BasePath or explicitly choose to convert relative paths to absolute using some base
a certain point, however, it’s easy for all those tools to feel overwhelming. You don’t want to power up 15 apps just to get your day started. Here are some jack-of-all-trade apps that combine the information from all your tools into one. Price: Free Type: Web Taco pulls your to-do tasks from multiple apps and puts them into one friendly feed. It can be integrated with over 30 different apps — from Trello to GitHub to Basecamp. It keeps tasks from falling through the cracks and saves you from having to re-open and re-check several apps to stay on track. Price: Free Type: Web IFTTT is a platform that can integrate with hundreds of your favorite apps (357, to be exact). Instead of hosting the different app details on its own platform the way Taco does, it lets you push information from any one of your apps to another. It uses the “If this / then that” formula, so you can set up something like “if someone sends me an email attachment, then save the attachment to Dropbox.” Price: Free, $20/month (Starter), $50/month (Professional), $125/month (Professional Plus), $250/month (Teams) Type: Web Zapier helps you automate your workflows in a similar way to IFTTT, except it’s much more complex. Instead of a single if/then formula, Zapier lets you set up more complicated workflows with multiple triggers to set off any amount of actions. For example, whenever someone sends you an email, you can have it automatically saved to your Dropbox and then be alerted on both Slack and Trello. If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about the valuable art of how to keep a done list, download our free Ebook. Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in September of 2016, but has been revamped and updated to include 7 more of our favorite productivity tools from this past year.Australian car insurance company NRMA Insurance is using the Oculus Rift virtual reality (VR) headset to help promote road safety. Visitors to a new exhibit at Sydney’s CBD can strap on a headset and experience a realistic car crash as if they were a real life crash test dummy. Image courtesy of Computerworld Australia As Computerworld Australia reports, the display is part of the Crashed Car Showroom, which is running up until 27th March. Users sit in a real car that’s linked to a hydrualic system. After pulling the headset over their eyes, the car moves in sync with a 3D simulation in which the user can turn his head to look around. The simulation, which is developed using the Unity engine, ends in a crash. A PC rig running the simulation sits inside the back seat. While it’s not the first time the Oculus Rift has been used for simulation, its certainly one of the first uses of it being used to promoted safety. Other projects that use the device in unique ways include a robotic, remote-controlled police officer currently in development in the states. VRFocus will continue to track any and all applications of the Oculus Rift and report back with all the latest.These days, few 11-year-olds are allowed to walk to school by themselves. This 11-year-old is traveling the world…alone. View photos Rosalie at the Eiffel Tower (Photo: Rosalie Atkins) Rosalie Atkins lives in England, and penned a piece for the Daily Mail defending her parents’ decision to let her travel abroad without their supervision. This summer, Rosalie’s mother put her on a plane to spend a week in Paris with a host family. But not everyone thinks that sending a pre-teen on the road alone it a good idea. For Rosalie’s trip to Paris, Anne Atkins was told that her daughter was too young to travel alone on Eurostar, the railway service connecting London to Paris. Their age limit is 12. Instead, the family decided to fly Rosalie on British Airways Skyflyer Solo Program, a program they’ve used once before that provides a chaperone service for children who are traveling alone. “My mother took me to Heathrow, said goodbye and handed me over to a lady who took me to the plane, “ said Rosalie. “I was delivered to Jeanne and her father the other end.” View photos Rosalie Atkins (R) and her host family in Paris (Photo: Rosalie Atkins) Jeanne Scribe is Rosalie’s friend, and the duo spent a week exploring Paris with the Scribe family. They visited the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame, as well as several museums, markets, and parks. “If I had visited with my parents, we would have seen only the touristy parts of Paris,” said Rosalie. “But because I was staying with a French family I saw some far more unusual aspects.” In addition to seeing different countries, Rosalie also expressed the confidence she feels in traveling solo. “The experiences I’ve had mean I am quite confident when I have to talk to new people, which is a useful social skill.” The Atkins family has received a lot of feedback on their decision to let Rosalie travel alone—some of it good, some of it bad. But Rosalie is glad that her parents allow her to go on adventures that other kids could only dream of. "While a lot of children can only go places with their parents, I don’t have to rely on mine to do all the things I want to do," said Rosalie. “The way I see it, your parents aren’t going to travel with you forever. You have to learn some day, and in my opinion the sooner the better.”Intelligent lighting networks can save up to 90% of expenses with Light as a Service (LaaS) providers set to hit the market. With the smart office of the future always online, industry insiders are predicting that smart lighting systems could potentially save up to 90% of electricity costs. Worldwide, smart lighting installed in offices and industrial sites is projected to grow from 46 million units in 2015 to 2.54 billion units in 2020. Experts also foresee smart lighting in the global commercial space to be 600 million to one billion square feet by the end of 2015, doubling last year’s figures. To achieve the lowest electricity cost, lighting product managers at technology and service providers are urged to implement five key strategic phases of smart lighting: LED lighting, Sensors and controls, Connectivity, Analytics and Intelligence. Most installations stop at the Connectivity phase, leading to the loss of data and analytics that can deliver cost savings. Deployment of an Analytics base with the dashboard in the cloud, will allow building managers to potentially operate multiple lighting operations from a central point, giving clients tailored lighting programs to reduce expenses and energy wastage. Building owners can make their systems more Intelligent with automation, where the analytic system looks at the data and creates predictive models. Setting up LaaS will enable the lighting provider to maintain the system and keep it up to date, while minimising the cash outlay for the smart lighting system. Dean Freeman, research VP at Gartner, said: "Smart solid-state lighting in office buildings and industrial installations has the potential to reduce energy costs by 90 percent; however, achieving these costs takes more than just installing light-emitting diode (LED) lighting."A video that appears to show a San Francisco State University student taking her fellow student to task for having dreadlocks has gone viral, prompting an investigation by campus police. KRON 4 reports that despite claims made in the YouTube link, none of the individuals involved are employed by the school. The short video, shot March 28, shows an African American woman confronting a young white man over his dreadlocks, and features the following gem of an exchange: Dreadlocked Guy: "You're saying that I can't have a hairstyle because of your culture? Why?" Lady: "Yeah, because it's my culture. Do you know what dreadlocks mean?" As dreadlock man says something about them coming from Egypt and attempts to walk away, the woman appears to grab his arm. "Yo girl, stop touching me right now," he replies. The video ends with the woman smacking the camera. While we can not confirm that this whole drama was not staged for viral effect (a couple of more cynical SFist staffers think so), a statement from school officials which went out today reads as follows: We are aware of the video made of an incident which occurred on campus yesterday afternoon. University police were called to the scene of the incident when it occurred. The two individuals involved in the incident are not San Francisco State University employees. Further, no criminal charges have been pressed at this time to the University’s knowledge. San Francisco State University promotes the rights of the campus community to engage in free speech, but does not condone behavior that impedes the safety or well-being of others. We are taking the matter seriously and will promptly and thoroughly investigate this incident through applicable University channels, including our campus student conduct procedures. While we likely won't know exactly what went down until the investigation is complete, one thing is for sure: At 19, everyone is an idiot. Related: Hoverboards Get An 'F' At SF State, Are Now Banned From CampusThe real officials are back, and they made their presence felt in the Metrodome. Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith was ejected during the second quarter of Sunday's 30-7 win over the Tennessee Titans after he pushed a referee. Relive every game this season online and on-demand with enhanced viewing features, including the "All-22" coaches film. Relive every game this season online and on-demand with enhanced viewing features, including the "All-22" coaches film. Get NFL Game Rewind After Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield picked off Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's pass, Smith was seen shoving Tennessee wide receiver Nate Washington before an official stepped in to pull him away. As he was being tugged from the play, Smith threw the official off him. Spotted in the crowd: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who's certain to take interest in this one. Smith, a first-round draft pick, also was fined $21,000 during the preseason for a shoulder-to-helmet hit, and he'll undoubtedly see a steeper fine this week. His ejection left Minnesota thin in the secondary as the surprising Vikings came up with their fourth win of the season. UPDATE: Referee Jeff Triplette addressed reporters after the game and explained the ejection, according to Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune. "He grabbed the official when the official was trying to separate them and pushed the official to the side," Triplette said. "That's an automatic ejection." Scoggins asked Triplette if back judge Steve Freeman used excessive force when attempting to pull Smith aside. "(Freeman) was just trying to separate (Smith) from the huddle, and he can't be shoving him aside," Triplette said. Smith later apologized for pushing the referee. "I've lost my head before," Smith said, via Tom Pelissero of ESPN Twin Cities, "but I've never had an incident with an official. I completely apologize for that." Smith said he was unaware who he was shoving. "Right after I moved the ref, I realized it was a ref, and I realized that that was stupid and I should never do that, Smith said. "Stupid by me. I should never put the officials in a position like that. I should never touch them. I know that." Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.SACRAMENTO (AP) — Minimum-wage workers in California would see their first raises in six years under a bill that passed the state Assembly on Thursday. The measure from Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, would increase the state’s minimum hourly wage to $8.25 next year from the current $8. It would rise to $9.25 in 2016 and would be adjusted for inflation in following years. Democratic supporters say the minimum wage has not kept pace with the rising costs of food, gasoline and other necessities. Nevada, Oregon and Washington have set their minimum wages higher than California, Alejo said. “The last time the minimum wage was increased in California, gas was at $3.25 a gallon in this state,” he said. “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen gas prices at that level for a very long time.” Opponents argued that minimum-wage jobs are often held by teenagers or those who soon move on to higher-paid positions. In response, Alejo said his mother-in-law has earned the minimum wage at one of her jobs for 20 years. Business leaders oppose the bill, which they say would burden employers and force them to cut jobs. A study by the National Federation of Independent Business said more than 68,000 jobs could be lost during the next decade as a result. Different regions of the state face different economic challenges, making a higher wage reasonable in more expensive areas but harmful in areas with a lower cost of living, said Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills. The Assembly approved AB10 on a 42-24 vote, with Assemblyman Ken Cooley, D-Rancho Cordova, joining Republicans in opposition. It now heads to the Senate. (© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)There's enough combat variety here to support multiple playthroughs. The reborn Devil May Cry from Ninja Theory exemplifies what it is to really get down in the dirt and reimagine a hallowed franchise from the ground up, bringing back only the broadest character traits and relationships but leaving behind everything else about the old that gets in the way of creating a singular, cohesive new. Names like Dante, Vergil, and Mundus return, but the world they inhabit and the roles they play out are only passingly similar to what you knew of them before. Everything in this new game exists in service of making it a great game in its own right, not in stoking your nostalgia for the games you played over the last decade. As a character action game, it hits all the notes--fast, robust action, marvelous visual style, and a tremendous sense of attitude--you could want in this type of game. To be fair, on paper, everything about Devil May Cry sounds like the tritest video game pap: a bloody war between angels and devils, endless hordes of demonic enemies straight from your favorite '80s heavy metal album art, and all of it punctuated by Scandinavian "hellektro" outfit Combichrist's thudding soundtrack. And then there's Dante, remade in the image of a club-kid layabout who's so sneeringly self-satisfied he defies any attempt you might make to identify with him. I pretty much went into the game consciously expecting to hate all of this, or at least view it as the sort of eye-rolling embarrassment video games are usually so good at delivering. Then, oddly, I started feeling a guilty pleasure at how much I was actually enjoying the spectacle. Then later I gave up the guilt and just flung myself wholeheartedly into the cyclone of nonsense. I think it became easy to like Devil May Cry because it seems somewhat aware of itself; the game is so damn committed to having fun with its absurdity, you can't help having fun along with it. Dante may be a smirking wiseass, but his lines are witty enough and delivered with so much panache, you quickly grow to like him anyway. And he makes a great foil for his brother Vergil, who's more of an uppity, refined ideologue fighting the good fight against the demons. Dante talks a constant stream of shit to Vergil and just about anyone else who gets in his way, and there's something uncomfortable and a little dissonant about a 50-foot ancient grub-demon screeching "FUCK YOOOOOUUUUU!!!" right back at him. The best sort of dumb fun is the kind that knows how dumb it is, and I consistently got the sense from Devil May Cry knew that the entire time I was playing it. When acting is required, it's amazing how effective real actors can be. The game also knows when to rein it in, though. After the dramatic triumph of Ninja Theory's last game, Enslaved, it shouldn't surprise you that I'm back to devote another paragraph to the characters' performances in this game, which do so much to sell what, again, probably should have been a complete joke of a storyline. Where Enslaved had a lot of heart, Devil May Cry offers an equal amount of middle finger, but it still manages to lend an appreciable level of gravitas and some occasional poignance to its tale of saving the world from demons who have enslaved the human race with... soda. As before, the success at selling you on the plot simply comes down to all the subtle eye movements and shoulder shrugs and skilled line reads that add up to real, believable performances, the kind of thing you get when you go into a performance-capture facility and fill it with people who can, you know, act. That the characters here do so much to uplift Devil May Cry's ridiculous premise is a testament to both the capability of performance-capture technology and Ninja Theory's use of it. Lest we forget this is also a video game: Devil May Cry is in fact a greatly entertaining character action game, as fast-paced and diverse as I could have wanted. The game starts you off with Dante's familiar sword and dual pistols, but you quickly start to collect angel and demon weapons, which fill light and heavy attack categories respectively. Switching between melee weapons, and the three firearms you end up with, just takes a tap of the d-pad. You only have a single attack button which wields your sword by default, and you switch to the equipped angel or devil weapon instantly by holding the left or right trigger and hitting that same button. The game finds a lot of interesting ways to make you stay on your toes, with enemies that only fully coalesce when one type of weapon is equipped, or floors that will hurt you if you aren't holding the same-colored weapon. More importantly, if you're quick enough, it's possible to involve three, four, or five different weapons in a single combo, and the game is constantly running a tally on the side of the screen rating how stylishly you're fighting, all the way up to triple-S. The more style you rack up, the more new abilities and moves you can unlock (from a list of dozens), and since you lose a couple of letter grades every time you get hit, you're really incentivized to play as cleanly as possible. The combat isn't overwhelmingly hard on the default difficulty, though it isn't a cakewalk, but if you're really serious about this kind of game, play it on hard from the outset. There are another four difficulty levels waiting for you to unlock them after that. The game is built to be replayed repeatedly; you can jump back into any mission on any difficulty whenever, and there are plenty of places you just can't access without the right abilities the first time through. All of your completion totals get rated and slapped onto leaderboards if you want to keep up with how your friends are doing. In short, the between-mission trappings, the glue that holds the levels themselves together, feel thoroughly modern in this game. The inventive visual and level design just keeps on coming. Since all the action takes place in a demonic mirror world called Limbo, the designers get to go wild with the sorts of places you're fighting in, and the game is constantly turning your expectations (and the levels) upside down by placing you in skewed, exploded, or otherwise deconstructed versions of city streets, mansions, night clubs, and a few more unlikely environments I'll leave to you to discover. While this sort of level design has started to feel a little played out since games like American McGee's Alice made it popular ages ago, I was constantly surprised and delighted by the sheer, over-the-top inventiveness of the levels in this game. There's also a degree of grappling-hook-style traversal, and a few creative moments that emphasize the relationship between Limbo and the real world, that make the game feel like more than a constant stream of enemy encounters. And the game is absolutely awash in dazzling visual presentation. I won't go too deep into that, because it's better absorbed firsthand, but the broad and ever-changing color palette, the ways the level geometry explodes and deforms around you, the titles and overlays that pop up on the screen to enhance the action, all combine to make this game a great venue for its artists to display their talents. I brought no personal baggage to Ninja Theory's take on Devil May Cry, having played and enjoyed the original game way back when but then steering clear of the series after its poorly received second entry. Whether you're a longtime fan (with an open mind) or a total newcomer just looking for a solid character action game, it's hard to imagine anyone feeling overly dissatisfied with this new game. It's almost wholly successful at what it tries to do, and seems like the start of a promising new direction for what was otherwise a nearly forgotten franchise.A tiny country smaller than Dorset is about to win the global space race Lift off for Luxembourg Archant It is a tiny country, known for its opaque financial affairs and low tax rates but Luxembourg has become an unlikely contender in the space race Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. When it comes to European countries it hardly enjoys the highest of profiles. But Luxembourg does at least have a reputation for historic buildings and a thriving financial sector. Less renowned is its unlikely sounding position at the head of the global space race. That might be about to change though. In the coming days, the tiny country – a fraction smaller than Dorset – is set to take a big leap towards becoming the first European country to guarantee mineral ownership rights in space. Legislation enjoying cross-party support is due to go before parliament later this month which, if passed as expected, will see the Grand Duchy join the US in being able to claim a legal framework allowing companies to exploit the so-called ‘off-planet economy’. This, the next big leap in space, will involve the extraction of precious substances from asteroids and other ‘near-Earth objects’. It might all sound like science fiction, but the capabilities required for its realisation are now largely in place. Developments in artificial intelligence, avionics, robotics, 3-D printing and reusable space technologies all instil growing confidence that, one day soon, we will see machinery rocketed into space to intercept asteroids and extract precious minerals that are increasingly rare on earth. And Luxembourg has placed itself at the front of this revolutionary sector. It might seem, at first glance, a strange development for the country, but in many ways it is a logical progression. In relation to its size and population, Luxembourg has one of the world’s most advanced economies (with the second highest per capita income, after Qatar), a position it secured in part as a result of its long history of steelmaking, and other manufacturing activity. It was after the decline in these industries in the 1970s that saw the Grand Duchy develop its financial sector, helped by the headquartering there of the European Investment Bank. Now finance is by far the largest economic sector, accounting for a third of GDP. It is a sector that has undergone some criticism in recent years, as it come under greater scrutiny. This was seen, most notably in the “LuxLeaks” scandal, which saw 30,000 pages of documents, leaked by whistleblowers, expose favourable tax arrangements offered by Luxembourg to some of the world’s biggest companies – including Apple, Ikea, and Pepsi. Amid the PR and legal fallout, the country has been keen to prove that it is far more than a tax-favourable corporate letter box or a lucrative place to work. The recent emergence of the space sector – which covers both financial (and legal), as well as technical aspects, combining Luxembourg’s two strengths – should be seen against that backdrop. In fact, the country’s space industry itself stretches back many years, to 1985 and the creation of the Société Européenne des Satellites, a satellite telecommunications company that developed the Astra direct-to-home television service. This satellite expertise was enhanced by the country’s accession to the European Space Agency in 2005. It is only recently, though, that the sector has taken off. Deputy Prime Minister Étienne Schneider refers to the “continuous efforts to diversify and grow the economy,” and he can report progress: “perhaps the most important aspect of this [space] initiative is the excitement it is generating across the world.” The global space industry is undergoing its own evolution. To date, space travel has been limited to sending humans and materials into space before returning them to earth. Chris Lewicki is the CEO of Planetary Resources, one US company that has chosen to locate its European operations in Luxembourg. He points out that, while it takes tremendous energy to get above the earth’s gravity well, travel is “near-effortless” once beyond it, “so if fuel can be sourced from water in space, for space, then vast new horizons open up.” Planetary Resources has developed 3-D printing techniques that have already converted asteroid material (dug up on earth) into complicated manufactured structures, foreshadowing self-sustaining activities in space. Another US company that has chosen to locate its European operations in Luxembourg is Deep Space Industries, which is developing a test spacecraft, Prospector X. In time, it is hoped that the manufacture of this spacecraft will occur in Luxembourg, in a large, out-of-town facility. Luxembourg has experience in developing such large-scale, state-of-art production facilities, notably in its publicly-supported film sector. The cavernous ‘Filmland’ facility, located 12km outside Luxembourg city, houses 4,000 square metres of film production space. Ownership of private space companies is typically closely held, with investment limited to well-connected angel investors – mimicking the early-stage funding model that has proved so successful in Silicon Valley. Money is usually only sought from other investors when they bring clear strategic benefits, or from state actors – or both, in Luxembourg’s case. Through its Société Nationale de Crédit et d’Investissement fund, it is taking a stake in Planetary Resources and a seat on its board. The country’s space sector now numbers two dozen companies plus various public bodies, including the University of Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Space Cluster. The latter body facilitates cooperation between public and private actors. “Being a small country, we need to be creative and open-minded,” remarks Yves Elsen, chairman of the Luxembourg Space Cluster. “The space sector here is a unique ecosystem.” It’s not all plain sailing, though. The legislation about to go before parliament must work with the internationally-agreed, 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which decrees that nations cannot claim sovereignty over outer space, “including the Moon and other celestial bodies”. While the US navigated around this to provide for the legal ownership of asteroid resources in its 2015 Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, it is unclear how other big countries such as China will react in practice once resource appropriation begins – and whether this might turn into a source of international friction. Elsen stresses the need to work openly across borders. “Anyone with a good idea and a good project can come to Luxembourg and start in the search for space resources,” he says. There are fewer regulatory restrictions than in the US when it comes to employing foreign nationals in the industry. The latest space company to site its European operations in Luxembourg is Asian-based. Tokyo-headquartered ispace is a ‘lunar robotic exploration’ company seeking to discover, map and exploit space resources; to this end, it views the Moon as a strategic stepping stone. It is believed that the Moon holds billions of tons of frozen water at its poles, which could be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen in order to provide fuel. The establishment of fuel stations there could jump start a space transportation system. Of course, all of this requires capital. Could Luxembourg also use its financial know-how to open up the sector to a wider range of investors? “We cannot preclude this,” says Elsen. “Thanks to the legislation going before parliament, we are establishing regulatory systems for obtaining these space resources. We already have a regulatory framework for investing in high risk companies.” Perhaps the greatest challenge is that scant ‘proof of concept’ exists for space resource exploitation, so far. The European Space Agency’s Philae robotic lander touched down on a comet in 2014, but no mineral extraction or processing took place. Like the internet and other innovative sectors before, this one will surely take decades to mature. Indeed, nearly half-a-century has already elapsed since mankind first walked on the Moon. But as breakthroughs occur, Luxembourg is resolved to be there, and not because of financial arrangements or tax considerations – rather, due to its space expertise and productive capacity. “We make the vision of sustainable economic development in the space industry a reality by supporting advanced research activities and technological capabilities in Luxembourg,” says Deputy Prime Minister Étienne Schneider. It is an approach that other countries may soon come to envy. Daniel Pembrey is the author of The Candidate: A Luxembourg Thriller. Follow him on Twitter @DPembYour article (Hi-tech brain drain threatens British university research, 2 November) contains one particularly chilling revelation: that Google DeepMind now runs artificial intelligence courses at UCL and Oxford. Having met the DeepMind people in my role with the MIT Media Lab, I know that their definition of “intelligence” is so impoverished that it doesn’t extend beyond the abstract calculations that an algorithm can achieve, and completely fails to understand that human intelligence is embodied and distributed throughout our physical selves – and indeed between them, in the mirror neurons that fire in sympathy when we watch a dancer or help an injured friend. In short, it’s not just depressing, it’s bad science. Artificial intelligence of the kind Google promotes can play Go and even – at a pinch – recognise Bach or Picasso. It can never produce Bach or Picasso, still less understand the complexity of social forms and culture that made their lives possible. If we entrust the education of those who will determine the future relationship of people and machines to a company whose core belief is that all human experience can be replicated by algorithms, all we can hope is that global warming wipes us out before the machines do. Sheila Hayman Director’s fellow, MIT Media Lab • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/lettersLooking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. This week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced legislation along with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) that would protect elderly veterans from financial scams and sketchy financial advisers. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) funds an assisted living program for certain low-income veterans, and for years scammers and faux investment consultants have preyed on elderly vets enrolled in it. Warren and Rubio’s bill, introduced Tuesday, would require the VA to crack down on these shady dealers. “For thousands of our oldest veterans who need help with basic daily activities, the…program is a critical lifeline,” Warren said. “Unfortunately, scams are turning the program into something that can actually undermine the financial security of our older veterans and waste federal funds.” Swindlers calling themselves “veteran’s advisers” often charge vets fees to help them obtain assisted living benefits, even though the application is free, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). “Investment advisers” also profit off the assisted living program. These advisers will counsel veterans who have too many assets to qualify for the program to stow some of their money in a trust or account that cannot be accessed for years, so that it appears the vets are poor enough to qualify. The result is that vets cannot access their savings, and investment advisers earn a healthy commission for their “advice.” Warren and Rubio initially proposed the legislation in November as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The amendment did not make it into the final annual defense bill, prompting Warren and her Republican colleague to introduce a stand-alone bill. “This bipartisan proposal will help put an end to these financial scams and ensure that we honor our veterans’ commitment, sacrifice, and service to the nation,” Warren said.Bleeding Cool was fortunate enough to take part in a fairly wondrous experience last night at the Legendary booth at San Diego Comic Con in an exclusive sneak preview of two virtual reality experiences that are now available to fans through an interactive app. Legendary Entertainment announced during our press event that they had partnered with Google to give away to Comic-Con attendees 50,000 new and improved Google Cardboard viewers in Google’s biggest ever partnership of this kind. This platform enables viewers to transform their smartphone into what they describe as “a simple, easy to use mobile VR device”. And in this instance, using the lightweight and easy to use cardboard viewer, I was able to enter the world of the upcoming film Warcraft: Skies of Azeroth in which fans can experience a virtual ride on the back of a gryphon, and also Beware Crimson Peak which was ornate, detailed, and terrifying. In that virtual experience, the viewer encounters the haunting ghosts of Allerdale Hall, a sequence inspired by Guillermo Del Toro’s new film, Crimson Peak. Last year, Legendary launched a VR experience for Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot in which you can pilot a 250-storey mech and that is still available as well. So what was it like, trying out these experiences? Firstly, I was totally caught up in the extreme detail and impression of distance in the city building and aerial views of Warcraft: Skies of Azeroth. In fact, I replayed the experience because it took me awhile to realize that I had a great deal of physical guiding freedom in my view. If I turned my head, I saw new elements of the city zooming by beneath me, and not only that, the images mimicked the dilation of pupils in zooming into greater detail the longer I looked at a particular section of the imagery. I found the same feature was prominent in the Beware The Crimson Peak experience. I took what I had learned from viewing Azeroth and plunged right into studying my surroundings by looking more closely at near objects like wallpaper and statuary. As a fan of horror and gothic stories, the castle-like but artfully decorated interior really caught my interest. That is, until the denizens of the place commanded my attention. In short, I was totally wowed by this VR experience, and when the staff at the booth explained to me that the app is available widely to fans to have the same experience, whether using viewing goggles or without, I was pretty enthused. If there’s one thing that makes a great story you’re telling to your friends about something high-tech and cool that you’ve experienced, it’s being able to actually show them so they can take part too. Find the app here. Note: 50,000 free new and improved Google Cardboard viewers at its booth (#3920) on the show floor, at its Hall H presentation and at Petco Park in partnership with Legendary Digital Networks (Nerdist, Geek & Sundry, Smart Girls) About Hannah Means Shannon Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. Independent comics scholar and former English Professor. Writing books on magic in the works of Alan Moore and the early works of Neil Gaiman. (Last Updated ) Related Posts None foundMs. Choo, 59, is a strong ally of President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, who advocates a shift toward dialogue with the North and was elected after the impeachment this year of his conservative predecessor, Park Geun-hye, for corruption and abuse of power. Ms. Choo spoke in an interview through an interpreter on Friday at the Korea Society in New York, where she also visited the United Nations to promote the Winter Olympics and offer assurances that they would be safe and secure. Mr. Trump, who in some ways is as much of a polarizing figure in South Korea as he is in the United States, has stoked fears of a nuclear confrontation because of his insults and threats against North Korea. He has warned of unleashing “fire and fury” against the country and has referred its leader, Kim Jong-un, as “Little Rocket Man.” Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story The Interpreter Newsletter Understand the world with sharp insight and commentary on the major news stories of the week. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Recaptcha requires verification. I'm not a robot reCAPTCHA Privacy - Terms Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. You are already subscribed to this email. View all New York Times newsletters. See Sample Privacy Policy Opt out or contact us anytime But Mr. Trump largely avoided such invective during his brief visit to South Korea. In a Nov. 8 speech to the National Assembly, Mr. Trump said he preferred diplomacy over force, a sentiment that was widely welcomed. Ms. Choo said Mr. Trump seemed to have come away from his visit to South Korea with a new understanding of the complexities on the Korean Peninsula, which has been divided by war and animosity for nearly seven decades. “I think it was because he was able to come and see for himself,” she said. Ms. Choo also took note of how Mr. Trump appeared to have avoided publicly stoking a related dispute during the visit. Mr. Trump contends that South Korea does not pay a fair share of security costs with the United States, its most important ally, even as South Korea has reaped economic benefits by enjoying a large trade surplus in the American market. When he visited Camp Humphreys in South Korea, the biggest United States overseas military base, Ms. Choo said, it appeared to be a revelation to him when the American commander, Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, said the South Koreans had borne 92 percent of the construction costs. “Trump was very impressed,” she said. Asked how she assessed North Korea’s relatively restrained behavior in recent weeks, Ms. Choo said she regarded it as significant and “in a sense, a signal” that the North may be seeking a way for a diplomatic opening to de-escalate. “Of course this is my assumption and my hope,” she said.An Atlanta cop walks into the International House of Pancakes in Buckhead, and … well, you know how it ends, right? This is the one where the woman gets punched by the off-duty cop after video recording him arresting two other women while working as a security guard. New punch line: That lady is suing the officer and the IHOP. Ashley Leavell was decked out in her little black dress and heels on the early morning of April 23, 2011 when she said she saw Atlanta Police Officer Jose A. Vidal pushing two women into a booth at the eatery. Moments later, video that would eventually go viral on the web showed Leavell
nurses who were caring for her had made her comfortable for the night, turning her on to her side with a pillow to cuddle, the way she liked to sleep. My sisters Vicky and Jassy and I were with her. We held her hands, told her how much we loved her, and that it was safe and right for her to go. After a few minutes, her breathing stopped. It was a good death – the kind of death I think most people would choose if we could: free from pain and surrounded by love. She wasn't hooked up to tubes or monitors; she was even wearing her own pretty nightdress rather than a hospital gown. I suppose it's what you'd call a natural death. But in one way Mum's death was exceptional, shocking even. She had decided to die, about 10 days before, and for the previous six days had had no food and almost no water. She had chosen to die of thirst. The story of Mum's death begins in September 2008, when she sent an email to her daughters, telling us that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer. "Don't worry about me, darlings," she wrote – but it was clear that she herself was desperately worried: about loss of dignity, about the cost of her medical care, about whether Dad would be able to learn to make his favourite spaghetti bolognese if she was unable to cook for them both – all the details of death. In the event, after a frightening and rocky few weeks and major surgery, Mum recovered well, and by the beginning of this year we had all started to make plans to celebrate her 80th birthday in August. With Mum and Dad's five daughters living so far apart, times when we were all together are rare and precious. Then, at the end of February, came a letter from my eldest sister Emma in place of Mum's normal Sunday email. "Mum isn't feeling great," she wrote, "and she asked me to write so you wouldn't worry." But, of course, we instantly did begin to worry, and it was only a few days before the diagnosis we'd dreaded arrived. Mum's cancer had metastasised and spread to her brain and possibly also to her lungs. Her oncologist immediately set her on a course of radiotherapy and cortisone to shrink the tumours, telling us that it would take up to two weeks before we knew whether the treatment had been effective. Vicky, who has experience caring for the terminally ill, travelled to Johannesburg to help Mum and Dad, and they had long and honest talks about the decisions Mum faced. She wasn't quite ready, she said at first, to leave Dad, "this beautiful world", as she put it, and us. But over the next few days, Mum's condition began to deteriorate, and she became increasingly uncomfortable and frustrated. Mum was a very private person. She loved order; she hated mess and squalor, and illness is often messy and squalid. She told Vicky again and again that she didn't want to go through more treatment. She didn't want Dad to see cancer killing her. She wanted to die quickly and quietly. She didn't want any fuss. It was Emma who first told Mum about an article she'd read several years earlier in the Journal of the American Medical Association about voluntary refusal of food and drink as a means of bringing about death in the terminally ill. The author described it as a relatively painless way to die: a gradual slipping away into a coma, followed by death. Typically, a person will take between five and 10 days to die this way and, crucially, they have the option to change their mind and stop the process until almost the end. Mum just latched on to the idea, Emma remembers. She decided that she was going to stop taking the cortisone that was keeping the tumours in check, and stop eating and drinking as well. She wasn't going to let the disease take over. Like many people, I simply didn't know that choosing to stop eating and drinking is, as Jassy put it, "a Thing". But it is – it's a thing about which you can find pages and pages of information on the internet, once you have a reason to Google it. It's a thing that's been reported quite extensively in medical literature, known variously as VSED (Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking), VRFF (Voluntary Refusal of Food and Fluid), PRNH (Patient Refusal of Nutrition and Hydration), or self-dehydration. It's a thing doctors who have practised for a long time and seen many patients die at home describe as "taking to their bed" or "turning their face to the wall". It's a thing that was explored and argued by lawyers acting for the man known publicly as Martin, whose case was recently heard alongside Tony Nicklinson's. It's a thing, as I discovered when researching this article, that people seem afraid to talk about. ‘She wanted the kind of death most people would choose, if we could’ (from left): Jassy, Juliet, Sophie, Emma and Vicky with their parents. Photograph: Courtesy Sophie Mackenzie There is nothing illegal about refusing food and drink; in fact, feeding a competent person against their will constitutes assault. Nonetheless, Mum was afraid that something would happen to prevent her reaching her goal. She worried about falling and breaking a hip, ending up in hospital and being caught in a spiral of intervention that would prolong her life. She worried that intravenous nutrition and hydration would be given to "keep her comfortable" if she became unconscious. She had signed a living will expressing her preferences, but such advance directives are generally regarded as worthless unless the dying person has a supportive medical team who understand their wishes and are prepared to act upon them. South Africa's legal position on assisted dying is fundamentally the same as Britain's: if you help another person bring about their death, you could risk prosecution. As in the UK, there have been attempts to clarify the law on end-of-life decision-making processes, removing the grey areas that currently exist. Professor Willem Landman, CEO of the Ethics Institute of South Africa, is one of the leading figures campaigning for a change in the law. He explains that in 1998, President Nelson Mandela commissioned a report into the legal and ethical issues surrounding assisted dying, assisted suicide and euthanasia, but after being tabled in parliament in 2000, the report was ignored by the ministry of health. Landman believes this may be because the then minister of health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, regarded the issue as something of a middle-class problem. Perhaps it is. When birth and death are less medicalised and a more integral and familiar part of life, perhaps choice in such matters seems an unnecessary luxury. Perhaps mothers do die gently, cared for by their daughters, without worrying about indignity and fuss. But they don't die quickly, or without pain. Mum had always talked frankly to us about death. My sister Juliet remembers when she was a little girl and terrified of dying, Mum telling her, "Your body is like a suit of old clothes – by that time you will be tired of it and you won't want it any more." Mum hated clutter and hoarding; when a thing had outlived its usefulness, it was to be disposed of without sentiment, whether it was a favourite dress the moths had got to, a book that was falling apart at the spine or her own body. She made it clear to us that she would far rather be dead than be a burden on her husband and daughters. Now, with her hands becoming increasingly unsteady and fits of dizziness coming unexpectedly, she was finding the colostomy bag she'd had since her surgery in 2008 difficult and humiliating to deal with. She felt that her body was wearing out and, more frighteningly, her head felt heavy and fuzzy. Over the course of a long phone call, Vicky told me that Mum had made a decision. She was going to stop taking the medication that was checking the spread of her cancer, and stop eating and drinking, too. We had about a week to say goodbye, so Juliet and I flew to Johannesburg as soon as we could. It was the sort of family reunion Mum loved, and in many ways it was like all the other happy times we have spent together, filled with love and laughter. We planned meals together, cooked in Mum and Dad's tiny kitchen, ate and drank together, just as we've always done on family holidays, over Christmases and at other celebrations – only this time it was Mum's life we were celebrating, while she went through the process of dying. It was the most remarkable week of my life, and it has left me unafraid of death. I'd been afraid of seeing Mum since this latest illness. I was expecting to find her diminished, somehow less herself. But I was amazed by how well she seemed. Vicky had cropped her hair so that she wouldn't have to experience it falling out, and Mum, with the pride in her looks that beautiful women never lose, was obviously upset by her appearance. But to me she looked lovely. She shone with happiness at having all her daughters there with her and Dad. She was full of her usual curiosity and humour. She didn't look like someone who was ready to die, and this frightened me – what if somehow stopping eating and drinking didn't work, and Mum lingered on in pain? What if the process didn't take a matter of days but a matter of weeks? Part of me knew how much she would hate to be thwarted in her intent; part of me longed to keep her with us for longer, and hoped that, even now, some sort of miracle might happen. I even suggested to Mum that she should stay at home for a few days, just to see how she felt, but she was adamant: her decision had been made. The next day, she was going to move to the nursing home at the retirement community where she and Dad lived, and she was going to die there. Although Mum was unable to walk unsupported and her hands were very shaky, she was alert and lucid, chatting to us as she always had. Her appetite was small, but she was still enjoying food: pizza with olives and anchovies, strong cheddar cheese, the fruit cake Juliet had baked and been saving for Mum's 80th birthday. Juliet's cake was the last thing Mum ate, on Wednesday 28 March, when her brother visited to say goodbye, and she had a last chat with her sister in the UK. We were all in tears that morning, except for Mum, who stayed calm and cheerful. I didn't see Mum leave her home for the last time. Dad, Emma, Juliet and Vicky were with her, and Juliet cried afterwards when she told Jassy and me how Mum had gone around the little house where she and Dad had been so happy, saying goodbye to it and all her precious things, before being driven the few hundred yards to the nursing home. The staff there welcomed her and settled her into bed, and she curled up and went to sleep. It's fortunate that Mum was surrounded by people who supported her decision. Her GP believes that people at the end of their lives should have the right to be "conductors of their own orchestra", and made it plain that she would prescribe whatever pain relief Mum needed to mask the symptoms of her advancing cancer, and whatever sedation she required to alleviate distress. The management of the nursing home hold the same view. Her GP gave them written instructions explaining Mum's decision and outlining the care she would need. "She is a very brave lady," the email concluded. And, of course, Mum had five daughters who adored her and a husband who'd worshipped her for almost 60 years, and we were all unequivocally on her side. The five of us sisters rallied behind Mum and Dad; we were a team. As I write this, it's difficult to isolate my own feelings and experiences from those of my sisters – who said what, who made decisions, who cried. It's a gruesome analogy, but the five of us, Dad, Mum's GP and her carers were like a cheerleading squad urging her on towards the goal she had chosen. This isn't always the case. I was horrified to read a 2011 report in the New York Times which told the story of Armond and Dorothy Rudolph. The Rudolphs, both in their 90s and with failing health, made the decision to end their lives together by stopping eating and drinking while they were still mentally competent and able to live independently. The management of the assisted-living facility where they had their home responded by attempting to evict them. It was only after intervention by the couple's family, the local press and medical and legal experts that the attempt was stopped. Armond Rudolph died after 10 days without food and drink, and Dorothy a day later. We laughed a lot over the next few days. We teased Juliet about developing late-onset colour-blindness when she kept putting bottles of red wine in the fridge, while the white stayed warm on the kitchen counter. Jassy and I speculated macabrely about what would happen if the nurses forgot to take down the "Nil by Mouth" sign over Mum's bed after she died – we imagined some poor old dear being moved into her cubicle and waving plaintively as the tea trolley rattled unheedingly past. Emma and Juliet still haven't let me forget the nightmare 10-mile walk I dragged them on around the suburbs of Johannesburg, possibly the world's least pedestrian-friendly city. One night after dinner, Emma and Juliet went to visit Mum, and the three of them chatted and reminisced until eventually my sisters were asked to leave – their laughter was keeping the other old ladies awake. In the midst of Mum's death, our normal lives went on. I was writing a seemingly endless list of product descriptions of cheeses – I'd hoped that Mum would have enjoyed working with me on them; a writer herself, she would have embraced the challenge of describing the differences between stilton and roquefort. But she was too drowsy, although she loved being read to. We planned each day as it came: who would be spending time with Mum, and when; who would cook, and what, and for how many. Of course we talked about Mum and what was happening, sharing our fears about what the next few days would hold, and our happy memories of her. Often, it felt just as if she was there with us, as she always had been when the family was together. There were hard parts, too. By Friday, although Mum was still spending a lot of time asleep, her waking hours were difficult. She was dreaming, she told us, about drinking ice-cold Coke, and waking feeling desperately thirsty, as one does with a bad hangover. Chips of ice helped to relieve the dryness in her mouth, and she had sugar-free mints to suck as well as frequent glycerine mouth swabs, but the thirst remained. She also developed a pounding headache as her blood sugar level fell. Emma bought her some Coke, thinking that the occasional sip would make her more comfortable and do little or nothing to prolong her life. But Vicky, determined to support Mum completely in her decision, said, "It could set her back days!" and took it away, leaving the nurses crying in her wake. That day, Mum said to us, "I didn't realise it would be so hard." She wasn't the only one. Being a spectator at the death of someone you love is bitterly hard. We expect medical science to intervene to relieve suffering, and to a great extent it does. But the journey is a lonely one. Even surrounded by the people who loved her most, and professionals who gave her the very best palliative care, Mum fought her battle for death alone. How much more lonely, and how much more frightening, the process must be for people who aren't supported by their family, or aren't able to communicate their wishes, I can only imagine. Mum spent a lot of the next three days asleep, but when she was awake, we chatted to her and to each other, and Jassy read to her from her new novel, which is dedicated to Mum. She also enjoyed having her hands massaged with her favourite body lotion as her skin began to get dryer, and the scent greeted us when we came into the ward to see her. Dad was his usual self: strong, serene and often silent, surrounded by his five chattering daughters, but occasionally cracking us all up with his characteristic dry wit. He spent a lot of time at Mum's bedside, sitting with her while she slept. Mostly, it was a peaceful and happy time. On Sunday, Mum began to slip away. In the morning she was still alert, asking for ice to suck and chatting to us almost normally, but by the evening she was no longer able to speak easily. I'd had a bad cold for the previous few days, and when I heard the new rattle in Mum's breathing, I became convinced that she had caught it and my virus was going to be the thing that finally carried her off. I sat by her bed and cried my heart out – a mixture of guilt, grief and all the stress of the last few days just pouring out of me. I felt embarrassed by my tears in the face of Mum's courage – absurdly, I didn't want to worry her. She asked me several times, "Am I going to be all right?" I told her that she was, and that I loved her. There wasn't anything else to say. That was the last time she spoke. For most of the six days it took her to die, Mum was in no pain. The morphine patches she had been prescribed relieved any symptoms her advancing cancer might have caused, and the sedatives kept her calm and drowsy. However, it's not known whether such palliative care actually removes the dying person's experience of hunger and thirst, even once they have lost consciousness. A paper published in the Journal of Medical Ethics in 2011 concluded that "continuous deep sedation may blunt the wakefulness component of human consciousness without eradicating internal affective awareness of thirst and hunger". I hope that, for Mum, the dreams of ice-cold Coke and the sensation of thirst stopped once she fell asleep on that Sunday night. On Monday morning, Mum was moved from the main ward where she had spent the past five nights. The curtains around her bed had remained closed while she was there – Mum would have wanted the privacy, we knew, but still we speculated darkly about whether the staff had kept her hidden in case the other ladies got ideas and decided to emulate her. Her new bed was in a private room. She barely woke when she was lifted, and she was losing the ability to swallow. In the afternoon, the vicar came to say the last rites, with all five of us sisters and Dad there, perching on her bed and chairs around it. Mum seemed to be aware of the words of the service – perhaps owing to the vicar's maximum-decibel delivery, which we all laughed about afterwards – but she was sliding deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. That evening passed slowly, as time does when you're waiting for something important to happen. I carried on with my writing – the cheese product descriptions were complete and I'd moved on to fish, and it was comforting to escape into work. Emma and Juliet were spending the night at home with Emma's partner and his children. Dad did a crossword puzzle; Vicky made a batch of chicken soup, using Mum's recipe. Over dinner we talked about the practical things that would soon need to be done, and decided that Vicky would be the one to phone the undertaker, and that she would remove and take care of Mum's rings and watch. We asked Dad if he felt it was important for him to be there when Mum died, but he felt that he had already said a very temporary goodbye – he was, and remains, confident that they will be together always once he joins her. So Jassy, Vicky and I took the familiar route up to the nursing home to see how Mum was and decide what to do about spending the night with her. It was the last time we'd walk that way; within a few minutes of our arrival, she was dead. I went back to Jassy's house that night and wrote about Mum's death. My overwhelming feelings were relief and pride – my brave, beautiful mother had taken on the hardest challenge of her life, and won. I could go home to my partner, whom I missed desperately, my home in London and my little cat. My sisters and Dad felt the same, I think: tired, but triumphant, too. We'd achieved what we had set out to do, as sisters and as a family. Even if Dignitas had been a practical option for Mum, I don't believe she would have chosen it. Apart from anything else, she loathed travelling. (I suspect she would also have regarded the cost as a wanton extravagance.) But what if there had been another way for her to take? An injection administered by a doctor she trusted, or pills brought to her by Dad or one of us? I'm not sure. Perhaps she wouldn't have wanted anyone else to bear the responsibility of having ended her life. Also, I think part of her relished the challenge, the control and the independence of doing it the hard way. In the obituary that was read at Mum's funeral, Vicky remembered a saying that Mum was fond of quoting: "Old age is not for sissies." Mum was no sissy – as Emma put it later, Mum was a soldier. She embarked on her final journey with steely determination, astonishing courage and immense dignity. I feel honoured to have been a part of the process. I've seen that it is possible to choose and achieve a good death, on one's own terms. I used to be in favour of changing the law on end-of-life choices; now I am evangelical about the importance of autonomy in terminal illness and death. I'm so proud of what Mum did, and of how my father, my sisters and I helped her to achieve it. But that doesn't alter my passionate belief that people in Mum's position, or Tony Nicklinson's, or Martin's, should have more, better and easier choices.Often abandoned by their families and discriminated against in law, the odds are stacked against Tunisian women who have children out of wedlock Tunisia is often hailed as a progressive Arab country, where, according to US human rights watchdog Freedom House, “women enjoy more social freedoms and legal rights than in most other countries in the region”. A series of gender reforms under then president Habib Bourguiba between the 1950s and the 70s abolished polygamy, gave women the right to vote, divorce and have abortions, and elevated the status of women in Tunisian society. For all, it seems, apart from unmarried mothers. “They’re not seen as a human being like everyone else,” says Rebah ben Chaaben, a psychologist at Amal, the country’s only clinic solely dedicated to the legal, social and mental health issues affecting unmarried mothers, which is based in Tunis. By taking in about 50 mothers each year, the charity acts as a safe space for the women and their babies. Almost all of the women at Amal come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The majority have had no sex education; some have had no education at all. Most have found themselves pregnant after consensual sex with their boyfriends or fiances, and consequently been abandoned by them. Tunisian political party fights for women's rights with gender violence bill Read more On finding out she was pregnant, Mariam’s fiance left her. “Then he married another woman,” she says. Large splotches of breast milk stain her shirt; her daughter is only 20 days old and nursing constantly. They will stay at Amal for the next four months, the maximum amount of time women and their babies can stay here. Amal assists them in finding flats and jobs. “Everything [for these women] depends on the reaction of the family and the father,” says Semia Massoudi, the director of Amal. Premarital sex is forbidden in Islam; an unmarried mother is seen as bringing shame and dishonour. Families often pressure their daughters into giving up their babies. According to the French NGO Santé Sud, more than half abandon their children. “I didn’t tell anyone I was raped,” says Fatma. Born into a farming family in a village in the west of the country, Fatma was abused her whole life. On one hand, her middle finger was lobbed off at the knuckle by her brothers. After she was raped by a member of her extended family, Fatma’s mother sent her to a hospital in Tunis during her third trimester. Her mother was willing to let her back into the house if she abandoned the child; Fatma refused. Her attacker continues to live in her village. The social taboo is bolstered by the legal system. “There is a legal difference between a ‘legitimate’ and an ‘illegitimate’ child,” explains Monia ben Jemia, a jurist and the president of the Tunisian Association for Democratic Women (ATFD). That difference begins at the hospital, where an unmarried woman is immediately interrogated by police, who ask for the father’s name. Because of patriarchal tendencies in family law, ben Jemia says, “women don’t have any actual legal guardianship over their children outside of marriage”. A child born out of wedlock doesn’t have the same heritage rights as a child born to married parents, and there is no legal jurisprudence for unmarried maternal guardianship. Both Morocco and Algeria have eliminated the chef de famille laws that give men sole guardianship, a positive step that Tunisia still has not taken. Given the legal and social taboos, recognition from the father is paramount for many women, even those who were raped. Amal provides mediation services between the mothers and fathers, although ben Chaaben acknowledges this often isn’t fruitful. Instead, most women chose to use the 1998 “patronymic name law”, which allows women to conduct a DNA paternity test; the ATFD has worked with dozens of Amal women during this procedure. Many mothers are grateful for this option, as it will shield their children from the social shunning, and provides them child support. But it is arguably a flawed law, too, granting an absent and reluctant father legal powers that allow him to arbitrarily enter the child’s life. Furthermore, the law doesn’t help these women once they are back in society, where they face judgment and harassment while navigating the financial and psychological challenges of raising a child alone. Rural women in Tunisia: ‘We have been silent for too long’ \| Nay Elrahi Read more In this hostile landscape, Amal is a unique place. “We don’t judge the women here,” ben Chaaben says. Swaddled in fluffy blankets, half a dozen babies are nodding in and out of sleep in the entranceway. Ben Chaaben is positive the country is slowly moving in the right direction. “To change the role of these women in society,” she says with a smile, “we must be optimistic.” Some names have been changed.Ra symptoms and pathology worse in mice missing enzyme needed for serotonin synthesis, according to report in the American Journal of Pathology. For the first time, serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been directly implicated in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although 5-HT is predominantly known as a neurotransmitter within the central nervous system, new evidence points to additional important functions for serotonin in the periphery. A report in The American Journal of Pathology shows that experimentally-induced RA in serotonin-deficient mice is worse than disease reported in controls and that some effects of RA can be reduced by serotonin or its agonists (compounds that activate serotonin receptors). These findings may lay the groundwork for new treatment approaches for RA. “Our study highlights that 5-HT has a direct immunoregulatory role in arthritis. The development of treatments targeting 5-HT or 5-HT receptors could represent an exciting prospect to regulate the immune response in RA and open new perspectives to improve the therapeutic options for patients,” explained co-lead investigator Marie-Christine de Vernejoul of BIOSCAR, INSERM UMR_S1132 of the Hôpital Lariboisière, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 1132, Université Paris Diderot (Paris, France). The investigators used a mouse model of RA known as collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) that produces features similar to that of human RA. Disease manifestations include cartilage and bone destruction, as well as the activation of cells responsible for bone resorption, known as osteoclasts. They compared the effects of CIA in normal mice to those in mice genetically bred with a deficiency in tryptophan hydroxylase-1, a key enzyme needed for serotonin production in peripheral tissues. The investigators found that both the number and activity of osteoclasts were higher in 5-HT-deficient mice with arthritis. In addition, more bone resorption was detected both at the affected joints and at remote sites. The serotonin-deficient mice with arthritis also showed changes in certain cell-signaling molecules known as cytokines (higher IL-17, higher TNF-α, and lower IL-4) in their paws. Specifically, they displayed a shift in the balance between T cell subtypes, especially regulatory T cells and Th17 lymphocytes. “Altogether, our data show that 5-HT deficient mice are characterized by a relative, dampened expansion of Treg associated with an enhanced shift toward a Th17 phenotype, a situation previously described in patients with arthritis,” noted co-lead investigator Francine Côté of the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Hematological Disorders and Therapeutic Implications Institut Imagine INSERM U1163/CNRS ERL 8254, Hôpital Necker (Paris, France). Subsequent experiments using cell cultures showed that the balance between Th17/Treg cells could be normalized by the addition of 5-HT or 5-HT receptor agonists, revealing a direct regulatory role of serotonin in RA. These novel data suggest a new therapeutic target that could be important for this disabling disease. About this epilepsy research Funding: The study was funded by Arthritis Courtin’s Fundation, la Fondation pour la Recherche Medical, le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris Descartes. Source: Eileen Leahy – Elsevier Image Source: The image is credited to Ben Mills and is in the public domain. Original Research: Abstract for “Serotonin Is Involved in Autoimmune Arthritis through Th17 Immunity and Bone Resorption” by Yasmine Chabbi-Achengli, Tereza Coman, Corinne Collet, Jacques Callebert, Michelangelo Corcelli, Hilène Lin, Rachel Rignault, Michel Dy, Marie-Christine de Vernejoul, and Francine Côté in American Journal of Pathology. Published online March 8 2016 doi:10.1016/j.ajpath.2015.11.018 Abstract Serotonin Is Involved in Autoimmune Arthritis through Th17 Immunity and Bone Resorption Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that results in a disabling and painful condition as it progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints. Although the cause of the disease is still unknown, evidence argues that autoimmunity plays an important part. There are increasing but contradictory views regarding serotonin being associated with activation of immunoinflammatory pathways and the onset of autoimmune reactions. We studied serotonin’s involvement during collagen-induced arthritis in wild-type and Tph1−/− mice, which have markedly reduced peripheral serotonin levels. In wild-type mice, induction of arthritis triggered a robust increase in serotonin content in the paws combined with less inflammation. In Tph1−/− mice with arthritis, a marked increase in the clinical and pathologic arthritis scores was noticed. Specifically, in Tph1−/− mice with arthritis, a significant increase in osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption was observed with an increase in IL-17 levels in the paws and in Th17 lymphocytes in the draining lymph nodes, whereas T-regulatory cells were dampened. Ex vivo serotonin and agonists of the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2B receptors restored IL-17 secretion from splenocytes and Th17 cell differentiation in Tph1−/− mice. These findings indicate that serotonin plays a fundamental role in arthritis through the regulation of the Th17/T-regulatory cell balance and osteoclastogenesis. “Serotonin Is Involved in Autoimmune Arthritis through Th17 Immunity and Bone Resorption” by Yasmine Chabbi-Achengli, Tereza Coman, Corinne Collet, Jacques Callebert, Michelangelo Corcelli, Hilène Lin, Rachel Rignault, Michel Dy, Marie-Christine de Vernejoul, and Francine Côté in American Journal of Pathology. Published online March 8 2016 doi:10.1016/j.ajpath.2015.11.018 Feel free to share this Neuroscience News.The UK’s full participation in European Union security and intelligence co-operation will be critical to the fight against terrorism after Brexit, leading British security experts have said, as Theresa May announced wide-ranging new plans to counter extremism. The growing demands for the prime minister to face down anti-EU forces in the Tory party and make membership of bodies such as Europol, the EU’s criminal intelligence agency, a top priority, came amid fears that Brexit could leave the UK with inferior access to key European databases and deprive British police forces of vital tools in high-level, pan-European anti-terror probes. The calls – from senior figures including Sir Hugh Orde, former chief constable of the police service of Northern Ireland and former head of Europol Max-Peter Ratzel – were reinforced on Saturday night by Dominic Grieve, the Tory chair of the Commons intelligence and security committee. Grieve said full participation, even if it meant accepting EU rules and judicial oversight for the European Court of Justice (ECJ), could not be more crucial. He said he believed May was committed to remaining closely involved in EU security but believed that doing so would require compromise that would be hard for some in May’s party to accept. “Although our partnership with the US for intelligence sharing is extremely important, the fact is that the current terrorist threat is very much a European dimension issue. The Schengen database and knowing about who has moved where are all intimately dependent on European systems and we have got to try to remain in them,” he said. “I think it is going to be very difficult, and the government and Parliament will have to face up to the fact that it might turn out during the Brexit negotiation that some sort of mechanism for the European court is going to be necessary,” he added. After the Manchester attack, which killed 22 people and left dozens of others grievously injured, it was revealed that suicide bomber Salman Abedi had travelled back to England from Libya via Turkey and Dusseldorf four days before the attack. The bomb contained the same kind of explosives as those used in the Paris and Brussels attacks in 2015 and 2016, prompting speculation that Abedi was linked to terror cells on the European mainland. UK counter-terrorism officials investigating the Abedi network are working with Europol, with separate bilateral inquiries ongoing with German and Belgian intelligence agencies. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sir Hugh Orde says Britain must remain a member of EU bodies. Photograph: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images Orde told the Observer that UK membership of EU bodies such as Europol and Eurojust, which brokers judicial co-operation in criminal cases, not only allowed access to huge amounts of vital data, but also meant UK police could set up joint inquiries with German police or those from other national forces without delay. European arrest warrants were also essential, he said: “If we don’t have all this, it makes it a lot more difficult to do this crucial work. It it vital that we get to a situation as close to what we have as members of the EU as possible, though it is difficult to see how we do that.” As members of Europol and Eurojust, states are subject to EU rules on data transfers and procedures and ECJ jurisdiction in any disputes or appeals over use of tools such as arrest warrants. Ratzel, who led the pan-EU crime-fighting agency until 2009, warned that Britain must accept some of the rulings of the ECJ as part of any deal – something May has previously ruled out. “My expectation is that once you have an important role to play, you have to be under the European Court of Justice. Cherry picking cannot work. You have to obey the rules of the club. I am personally sure that the Europeans will never accept Britain having a role in Europol without being under the rule of the European Court of Justice.” As anti-terror policies of the rival parties were placed centre stage in the election campaign, May declared on Saturday night that more needed to be done. She added: “We need to be stronger and more resolute in standing up to these people.” Spelling out details of a new commission for countering extremism, announced in the Tory manifesto, she said government had to widen its role and approach. “There is clearly a role for government in tackling extremism where it involves behaviour that is or ought to be criminal. But there is also a role for government to help people and build up organisations in society to promote and defend Britain’s pluralistic values, and stand up to the extremists.” May’s initiative came as Labour also attempts to boost its security credentials by pledging to appoint 1,000 more intelligence staff. Jeremy Corbyn has already said he would appoint an extra 10,000 police, 3,000 firefighters and 3,000 prison officers. Suggesting that public spending cuts had put people in danger, Corbyn said that ensuring the safety of communities “demands properly resourced action across many fronts. “It means upholding and enforcing our individual rights, promoting community relations, supporting our emergency services, tackling and preventing crime and protecting us from danger, including threats of terror and violence,” he said. The Manchester bombing was the worst terror attack to hit Britain since the 7 July attacks in London in 2005. A street in Manchester’s Moss Side was evacuated by counter-terrorism officers and controlled explosives were used in a raid on a property in Cheetham Hill. Two men aged 20 and 22 were arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning at the Cheetham Hill address, police said. Neighbours identified Yahya and Mohamed Werfalli as two of the occupants of the raided house. They were said to be of Libyan descent and part of the same friendship groups as the Manchester bomber.Continuing from the previous post, I’ll now talk about submissions and what we’re looking for. There are three areas to keep in mind: Length, Content, and Technical Requirements. Length: The recommended page limit for comic submissions is 20 pages. We prefer for comics to be around 10 pages, as comics around 20 pages can be difficult to sequence in the
Paul police departments are barred under city ordinances from asking people about their immigration status. The transit police agency is separate from those police departments and is governed by a regional policymaking body. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, U.S. Department of Homeland Security officers have been on area light-rail trains in recent months as part of a team working with Metro Transit police to help ensure safety on public trains and buses. The newspaper reports that presence of Homeland Security officers has prompted unease among some passengers. But Metro Transit has said the officers do not engage in enforcement actions.I've been using Pass: The standard unix password manager to store and manage all of my passwords for quite a while now. It is essentially a shell script wrapper around many other standard nix tools, but it makes the task of password management a lot easier to do. It basically stores all of your passwords (and additional info, if you so choose) as flat text files encrypted with GPG. It has tasks for viewing, editing, and generating new passwords very easily. One of it's best features is that it can treat your password store as a git repository, so that historical passwords are saved, and it's easier to sync your whole password database between multiple machines. I've finally recently convinced my co-workers that we should use the pass system to share all of our work passwords. This would allow us to stop using the same password for everything, while simultaneously allowing us to easily keep each other comprised of the current password for each device. I quickly found myself in a dilemma though, because I wanted to keep my personal pass repository, as well as my work one, on the same machine. Pass defaults to using ~/.password-store for it's storage directory. When executing any of the pass commands, it uses that directory to look for your encrypted files, and do tab completion. I really wanted to keep both repositories available, so what could I do? Digging through man page, I discovered that I can set an environment variable to control the context of the password store directory. Helpful, yes, but kind of a pain to have to switch the environment variable back and forth in order to get the info from the correct repository. So I decided to set up some custom functions to allow me to query either password repository on a whim. tpass () { PASSWORD_STORE_DIR = /home/thegner/git_repos/passdb pass [email protected]" } #for working autocomplete: compdef \_ tpass tpass \_ tpass () { PASSWORD_STORE_DIR = /home/thegner/git_repos/passdb \_ pass }Researchers Are Attempting To Use Stem Cell Transplantation To Treat Brain Cancer Font : A- A+ Patients receiving cranial irradiation treatment for brain cancer may find the treatment life-saving. Despite this, they often suffer progressive and debilitating cognitive detriments, including spatial learning and memory deficits. The cognitive deficits are a contributing factor to the often significant adverse impacts on the surviving patients' quality of life after radiation therapy. Researchers Are Attempting To Use Stem Cell Transplantation To Treat Brain Cancer In an effort to improve post-irradiation cognitive impairment, scientists at the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues at Neuralstem, Inc. (Rockville, MD), have transplanted fetal stem cells into laboratory animals with radiation-induced cognitive impairments and found that this led to a number of cognitive improvements. The study appears as an early e-publication for the journal Cell Transplantation, and is now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/ct1048acharya. "Multiple mechanisms contribute to disrupted cognition following irradiation for patients with central nervous system malignancies. These include the depletion of radiosensitive populations of stem and progenitor cells in the hippocampus," said study co-author Dr. Charles L. Limoli of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California, Irvine. "Interventions to combat long-term brain damage resulting from toxic radiation and chemotherapies therapies have yet to be developed. However, stem cell replacement strategies may provide a much needed intervention." The researchers explored the potential beneficial impact of intra-hippocampal transplantation of fetal-derived human neural stem cells by transplanting the cells into laboratory rats a month after the animals were subjected to cranial irradiation with resulting cognitive deficits. The stem cells were FDA-approved human, fetal-derived neural stem cells provided by Neuralstem, Inc. "Engrafted stem cells underwent extensive neuronal differentiation, formed new synaptic contacts, released neurotrophic factors, and showed an advanced degree of structural integration into the motor circuitry," reported the research team.They found that the test animals showed improved hippocampal spatial memory and hippocampal-related "fear conditioning performance" when compared to a control group of irradiated animals that did not receive stem cell transplantation. The engrafted cells also migrated and differentiated into neural and glial subtypes in areas of the hippocampus. "The engrafted stem cells survived and differentiated throughout an area of the hippocampus and significantly ameliorated cognitive dysfunction as shown at a one-month follow-up on the irradiated animals," said Dr. Limoli. "While it is premature to presume efficacy in the absence of human data, our efforts to thwart cognitive dysfunction by cell replacement therapy with fetal stem cell transplantation may provide an experimental backdrop for a potential treatment for cranially irradiated patients who developed cognitive dysfunctions. Cognitive dysfunction is an unfortunate side effect of the therapeutic use of radiation therapy for brain cancer and the identification of ways to ameliorate the dysfunction, such as the application of stem cell transplantation, is a significant area of research" said Dr. Paul R. Sanberg, distinguished professor at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. "This study is an important step towards the development of a clinical therapy, though further research is still required." Source: Eurekalert In an effort to improve post-irradiation cognitive impairment, scientists at the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues at Neuralstem, Inc. (Rockville, MD), have transplanted fetal stem cells into laboratory animals with radiation-induced cognitive impairments and found that this led to a number of cognitive improvements. The study appears as an early e-publication for the journal, and is now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/ct1048acharya. "Multiple mechanisms contribute to disrupted cognition following irradiation for patients with central nervous system malignancies. These include the depletion of radiosensitive populations of stem and progenitor cells in the hippocampus," said study co-author Dr. Charles L. Limoli of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of California, Irvine. "Interventions to combat long-term brain damage resulting from toxic radiation and chemotherapies therapies have yet to be developed. However, stem cell replacement strategies may provide a much needed intervention."The researchers explored the potential beneficial impact of intra-hippocampal transplantation of fetal-derived human neural stem cells by transplanting the cells into laboratory rats a month after the animals were subjected to cranial irradiation with resulting cognitive deficits. The stem cells were FDA-approved human, fetal-derived neural stem cells provided by Neuralstem, Inc. "Engrafted stem cells underwent extensive neuronal differentiation, formed new synaptic contacts, released neurotrophic factors, and showed an advanced degree of structural integration into the motor circuitry," reported the research team.They found that the test animals showed improved hippocampal spatial memory and hippocampal-related "fear conditioning performance" when compared to a control group of irradiated animals that did not receive stem cell transplantation.The engrafted cells also migrated and differentiated into neural and glial subtypes in areas of the hippocampus. "The engrafted stem cells survived and differentiated throughout an area of the hippocampus and significantly ameliorated cognitive dysfunction as shown at a one-month follow-up on the irradiated animals," said Dr. Limoli. "While it is premature to presume efficacy in the absence of human data, our efforts to thwart cognitive dysfunction by cell replacement therapy with fetal stem cell transplantation may provide an experimental backdrop for a potential treatment for cranially irradiated patients who developed cognitive dysfunctions. Cognitive dysfunction is an unfortunate side effect of the therapeutic use of radiation therapy for brain cancer and the identification of ways to ameliorate the dysfunction, such as the application of stem cell transplantation, is a significant area of research" said Dr. Paul R. Sanberg, distinguished professor at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. "This study is an important step towards the development of a clinical therapy, though further research is still required."Source: Eurekalert Post a Comment Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. The editorial team reserves the right to review and moderate the comments posted on the site. Notify me when reply is posted I agree to the I agree to the terms and conditions Post Comment Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading. Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished.Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading. Advertisement More News on: by Rukmani Krishna on August 25, 2013 at 12:42 AM Research NewsThe right wing have been saying this to us for decades, however I never expected fellow democrats to throw us under the bus by enabling this retrograde state. If I don't support the HCR bill coming through the senate apparently I'm just being a stupid selfish woman and abortion is not a health issue anyway. First we have the Hyde amendment directly targeting poor women with its obvious racial slant. Passed by Congress in 1976, the Hyde Amendment excludes abortion from the comprehensive health care services provided to low-income people by the federal government through Medicaid. Congress has made some exceptions to the funding ban, which have varied over the years. At present, the federal Medicaid program mandates abortion funding in cases of rape or incest, as well as when a pregnant woman's life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury. http://www.aclu.org/... This was the first step in overturning Roe V Wade by fiscal means, if you have not got the money your rights are restricted. Now we still have Stupak-Pitts in the House version of the Bill. "Today’s vote in the House of Representatives in favor of the Pitts-Stupak amendment to deny women access to abortion in health care reform legislation is a direct attack on women's right to make private health care decisions," said Vania Leveille, ACLU Legislative Counsel. "By prohibiting individuals who receive federal subsidies from purchasing private insurance plans that provide abortion care, even when they contribute to the cost with their own funds, members of the House have grossly distorted the meaning of health care reform." http://www.aclu.org/... Its still hanging around on the street corner and has not gone away. An aide to Rep. Bart Stupak (D. Mich.) coordinated opposition this morning to a Senate compromise on the place of abortion in health care legislation this morning with the Republican Senate leadership, the Conference Catholic Bishops, and other anti-abortion groups, according to a chain of frantic emails obtained this morning by POLITICO. http://www.politico.com/... The Church is still lurking in their frocks swinging incense and threatening eternal damnation, plus they are seriously messing with the first amendment of our constitution. Now the Senate is proposing Under the new abortion provisions, states can opt out of allowing plans to cover abortion in the insurance exchanges the bill would set up. The exchanges are designed to serve individuals who lack coverage through their jobs, with most receiving federal subsidies to buy insurance. Enrollees in plans that cover abortion procedures would pay with separate checks -- one for abortion, one for any other health-care services. http://www.washingtonpost.com/... This again goes against the findings of SCOTUS in Roe v Wade, that individual States cannot restrict access. Again this is via the financial route. So now when this Bill is voted upon it will go into committee to reconcile both the House and Senate Bills to go back to the House for a vote. They may well have a deal in the Senate that costs more than the public Option version however the signals are coming from the House that this is not the end of the matter. No matter what the deal will in the end be; it is a retrograde step. My other objection is that it is possibly over-riding of our constitutional rights by being forced to buy insurance from for profit companies Under the bill, most Americans would be required to have insurance. The penalty for violating this requirement could be as high as 2 percent of a taxpayer’s household income. Penalties would total $15 billion over 10 years, up from $8 billion under Mr. Reid’s original proposal, the Congressional Budget Office said. In the next 10 years, the government would also collect $28 billion in penalties from employers who did not offer health benefits to employees. http://www.nytimes.com/... Summary The negotiations for lower drug costs were bartered away immediately by smooching up to big PhRMA. Medicare extension was denied. The Public option which would have made the buy in acceptable and fair was deleted. The Insurance companies being almost impossible to prosecute for rescission are doing the happy dance. That is one hell of a give away. Why the delays in implementation they serve no purpose. Forcing a buy in to for profit insurance may well turn out to be unconstitutional and threaten the whole Bill anyway. Expect plenty of legal action probably by PhRMA and the insurance companies, the inbuilt delays and complexity of the Bill are setting up the perfect storm. The return of the back street abortionist may well be on the cards; with all the absolute horror that entails. Now I am being told that it is OK if I and 159 million others have to pay a gender supplement to be covered. I am being told to shut up about my rights and my health by both sides of the aisle. If you really believe 30 million more will receive affordable health care and will not be subjected to discrimination via pre-existing conditions and rescission your are living in cloud cuckoo land. Therefore. I know there is nothing I can do to prevent this horrible compromise its a done deal and some good may yet still come out of this however: I cannot support this Bill nor those trying to flog me this dead horse. I will move on to the next fight, and the one after but the fight still continues for Medicare for all. No Avatar nor pictures today, its not a good day Love Alessandra. Update: Thanks for all the comments and thank you for reading my diary and my opinion. Good, bad, derisory. I always learn something from 99% of them and if I was right all the time and 100% of what I say was absolutely correct well: Obama wouldn't be the President, and I really wouldn't want that job in a million years. Let's see how Health Insurance reform goes, its on its way for better or worse back to the House. I still don't like it for the above reasons, I hope sincerely that I am proved 100% wrong. Have a great day Kossacks.Apart from what I'm wearing, this is all that I'm travelling with. As what was supposed to be a three day trip morphs into a ten day affair, I'm happy for the limitations & freedom that a smaller backpack affords. The fewer your possessions get, the more freedom, both physical & mental, is afforded to you. Minimalist travel is a fascinating ideology. In less-populated parts of the country, all you'd need is a tent & portable stove & you could theoretically travel forever. #backpackingindia #indiatravel #solotravel Apart from what I'm wearing, this is all that I'm travelling with. As what was supposed to be a three day trip morphs into a ten day affair, I'm happy for the limitations & freedom that a smaller backpack affords. The fewer your possessions get, the more freedom, both physical & mental, is afforded to you. Minimalist travel is a fascinating ideology. In less-populated parts of the country, all you'd need is a tent & portable stove & you could theoretically travel forever. #backpackingindia #indiatravel #solotravelHarry flies into the West End: J.K. Rowling to co-produce magical new stage play based on her best-selling books Author Rowling will collaborate with a playwright for the West End show Play to focus on Harry Potter's early years, before his arrival at Hogwarts Prominent producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender behind show Warner Bros understood to be involved in development of new production Just wizard: J.K. Rowling will co-produce a new play based on her Harry Potter tales, which is set to open in the West End within the next two years Truly it’s beyond wizard. I can exclusively reveal that a play based on J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter tales will open in the West End within two years. Rowling will not write the stage piece — however, she will co-produce and collaborate with a playwright. Rowling’s seven-volume Harry Potter series began with The Philosopher’s Stone, published in 1997. All told the books have sold well in excess of 450 million copies and been translated into 77 languages. Eight movies were made featuring Daniel Radcliffe as the boy wizard with the thunderbolt scar on his forehead, and Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his best pals at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But the play, to be steered by prominent London and New York producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, will mine (according to a statement sent to me, as a mudblood, by Owl Post yesterday) ‘the previously untold story of Harry Potter’s early years as an orphan and outcast’. Although the statement didn’t spell it out, I understand that Warner Bros, the studio behind the Potter pictures, will be involved in the development of the theatre show, just as it was with the Sam Mendes musical version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, which is running at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Harry Potter’s theatrical adaptation will seek to ‘offer a unique insight into the heart and mind of the now legendary young wizard. A seemingly ordinary boy, but one for whom destiny has plans...’ Rowling noted the numerous approaches she has received about putting Harry Potter on the stage, but the vision put forth by Sonia and Colin ‘was the only one that really made sense to me, and which had the sensitivity, intensity and intimacy I thought appropriate for bringing Harry’s story to the stage. After a year in gestation, it is very exciting to see this project moving onto the next phrase.’ Early years: A young Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. The new show will focus on the previously untold story of Harry Potter's early years as an orphan and outcast A theatre has yet to be negotiated, but with a show of this quality — almost a licence to print money if all involved get it right — hopefully the right spell will deliver a theatre exactly when the show’s ready to go in 2015. Friedman is one of the producers behind The Book Of Mormon and the current hit Mojo, which co-stars Potter alumnus Rupert Grint, while Callender produced, with Richard Price, the TV version of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s landmark adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby and landed Tom Hanks on Broadway this past season with Lucky Guy. Such classy operators ought to be able to assemble an A-list creative team, and a writer and director will soon be contracted to begin developing the play. The model has to be David Heyman, the movie producer behind Gravity, who acquired the rights to the Potter series and ensured that only the very best of British (and one or two from beyond our shores) were entrusted to make the movies.The official website of the government of Sweden proclaims this: A FEMINIST GOVERNMENT Sweden has the first feminist government in the world. This means that gender equality is central to the Government’s priorities – in decision-making and resource allocation. A feminist government ensures that a gender equality perspective is brought into policy-making on a broad front, both nationally and internationally. Women and men must have the same power to shape society and their own lives. There’s also a photo (I’m not sure which officials are included) with more than half of the people being women: And of course this is great. Sweden has been a pioneer in implementing the policy noted above, including a parental-leave policy that funds leave for both mothers and fathers—and you get financially penalized if the dad doesn’t take leave. So what happens when the feminist Swedish government sent its Prime Minister (Stefan Lofven) as well as its its trade minister (Ann Linde) and a delegation to Iran—a delegation that included 11 women? What happened you can see below: all the women not only wore hijabs, but also longish coats to cover their lust-inciting bodies. Nor did they shake hands with any of the men, for even that gesture is barred in Iran, though I’m not sure whether it’s illegal. Now as the Washington Post reports, By law, women are required to cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothes when they appear in public in Iran, a country governed by a conservative Islamic elite. Many choose to wear loose-fitting hijabs, like the one worn by Linde in the picture [below]. These rules require international visitors to dress modestly even if they are only in the country for a short time. Linde was heavily veiled when she signed a document next to Iran’s vice president for women and family affairs: Here’s Linde deferring to the custom that women not shake hands with men—in this case, Iranian President Rouhani: While it is the law that women, including foreigners, should be veiled in Iran, I doubt that they are required to wear long coats. The feminist government has received the expected pushback for complying with laws that are religiously based and stem from the idea that it’s a woman’s responsibility to cover her shameful body lest she incite the uncontrollable lust of men. As the Post reports: “By actually complying with the directives of the Islamic Republic, Western women legitimize the compulsory hijab law,” Alinejad [an Iranian women’s rights activist see below] wrote on Facebook. “This is a discriminatory law and it’s not an internal matter when the Islamic Republic forces all non-Iranian women to wear hijab as well.” Alinejad later shared to Facebook a recent image of Sweden’s deputy prime minister Isabella Lovin signing a document with an all-female staff behind her. That image recently went viral, as many viewed it as a criticism of President Trump’s abortion policies. “Trump’s words on women are worthy of condemnation; so are the discriminatory laws in Iran,” Alinejad wrote. Speaking to Expressen, Linde said she had not wanted to wear a headscarf. “But it is law in Iran that women must wear the veil. One can hardly come here and break the laws,” she explained. Other Swedish politicians were more critical. Jan Björklund, leader of the opposition Liberals party, told Aftonbladet newspaper that the headscarf is “a symbol of oppression for women in Iran” and that the Swedish government should have demanded that Linde and other female members of the delegation be exempted from wearing it. You remember that FIDE, the international chess federation, also has a statement that “rejects discriminatory treatment for national, political, racial, social or religious reasons or on account of gender”, but required women chess players of all nationalities to don the hijab for the world chess championships in Iran, which is underway right now. Many women refused to participate because of the hijab requirement, including American chess champion Nazi Paikidze. Wikipedia names others, some of whom may have different reasons: Hou Yifan, the reigning women’s world champion and top ranked female player, decided not to enter the tournament because of dissatisfaction with FIDE’s Women’s World Championship system. The 2015 Women’s World Champion, Mariya Muzychuk, and current US Women’s Champion Nazi Paikidze also elected not to attend, out of protest at the tournament’s location in Iran, where it is mandatory for women to wear the headscarf in public. Other notable absentees are women’s world number 4 Humpy Koneru and 7-time US Women’s Champion Irina Krush. Now the case of Sweden is less clear cut, as of course countries have to maintain relationships with each other. But I think it goes too far to force non-Muslims (or anybody) to adhere to religious dictates while they’re not in a house of worship. And of course wearing hijabs in Iran is not a choice: it’s compulsory, and has been so since 1979. In the end, it seems to me that the Swedes should either not have gone to Iran, told the Iranians that they had to have the meeting in Sweden or in a neutral country, or insisted on not wearing the hijab. As UN Watch notes: “If Sweden really cares about human rights, they should not be empowering a regime that brutalizes its own citizens while carrying out genocide in Syria; and if they care about women’s rights, then the female ministers never should have gone to misogynistic Iran in the first place,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. The government has now come under sharp criticism from centrist and left-wing Swedish lawmakers, who said the ministers should not have deferred to “gender apartheid.” Seth Frantzman at The Jerusalem Post is ever more exercised: Countries that respect human rights and equality shouldn’t send delegations to Iran in the first place. It’s one thing to cover one’s hair or remove shoes when entering a house of worship, to observe the local custom, but when a country has vicious discriminatory laws forcing women to dress a certain way, it’s time for governments to say “no.” No meetings, no respect, no stamp of approval to fascist treatment for women. If Iran can force foreign diplomatic delegations of women to wear large coats and cover up their hair, what if a government forced female diplomats to go topless? Would that be a red line? You may think it’s ridiculous – but why is it any more ridiculous to force women to disrobe then to force them to robe? If Iran can force women in a delegation not to present their hands to a male leader, lest he be “contaminated,” then why can’t Western countries force the Iranians to shake the hands of women and observe Western customs? It might offend them? You’d think, maybe, it is logical to show deference and respect for another culture if that culture and religion shows deference and respect for your way of life. But what happens when the Iranians visit Europe? Italy covered up nude statues so as not to offend the Ayatollah.... Beyond being honest in our language, we need to have a different policy when it comes to Iran and Saudi Arabia and regimes like them. We must demand that Rouhani’s delegations to the West consist of Iranian women dissidents, such as those imprisoned for attending volleyball games, or he won’t be allowed to come. Saudi Arabian diplomats must be forbidden to drive when they visit, and their male diplomats in our societies will have to ask permission from women who will be appointed their guardians before they travel. Here’s a video of Iranian women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad, founder of the My Stealthy Freedom page (where women take off their hijabs as a protest; see here as well), urging Western politicians not to obey these compulsory hijab laws. Alinejad refutes four arguments that Westerners use to justify wearing the hijab in Iran. Needless to say, Alinejad doesn’t live in Iran, where she’d be arrested (or worse): she’s living in exile in the UK. Note that when she got a visa to the US specifically to interview Barack Obama, he refused the interview. This is a brave and heartfelt plea, and at 8:20 Alinejad waxes particularly eloquent, calling European female politicians “hyocrites” for bowing to hijab laws. At least listen to the last minute, and if you like that video, watch this one on the My Stealthy Freedom campaign. So I quail at a feminist government obeying laws designed to oppress women. In the end, I don’t think the Swedes should have gone to Iran and obeyed their misogynistic laws. Similarly, if Israel required visiting male diplomats to wear yarmulkes during a diplomatic meeting, or stipulated that women couldn’t shake hands with men, I’d decry that, too. But I’m interested in readers’ views, particularly from women, so weigh in below.EPA, DOT drive toward better data-sharing In an effort to increase efficiency in regulating emissions from cars and trucks, the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency have created a data sharing system to streamline the way manufacturers and agencies report and receive greenhouse gas emissions data. Under current laws, automobile manufacturers are required to report fuel economy testing results – Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) data -- that eventually make their way to both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ). For years, the process entailed duplicate reporting for the vehicle manufacturers and separate data collection systems, which resulted in the agencies emailing each other PDFs. In fact, NHTSA was receiving data from the EPA via email and CD and conducting enforcement activities via spreadsheets, according to Dawn Timmons-Jones, senior project and investment manager at NHTSA. “We realized that the way that we were doing it was probably not the most efficient or effective,” said Sara Zaremski, EPA's director for the Data Analysis and Information Center at OTAQ. When the NHTSA began exploring ways to modernize its own emissions reporting for light-duty cars and trucks in late 2012, it sparked the idea for a consolidated system that could leverage EPA data to serve both agencies. Timmons-Jones reached out to the EPA, which manages the Central Data Exchange (CDX) used to standardize and centralize data reporting by regulated communities. “I was looking for an electronic exchange of data” that would be in line with the ideas we had for our new light duty system, she said. “It started from there." So NHTSA and EPA teamed up to create a consolidated, streamlined approach to compliance reporting in which greenhouse gas and CAFE data would be collected once, in one database. The NHTSA “brought us all together, and we kicked it off from there and created an integrated product,” said Zaremski. The agencies drafted an interagency agreement that effectively made EPA a service provider to NHTSA. “I’m giving [the EPA] funding to modify their system to meet our needs,” said NHTSA’s Timmons-Jones. Manufacturers now submit CAFE and greenhouse gas data through the EPA’s CDX. After undergoing compliance and certification checks, the data is automatically made available to NHTSA through the CDX, and is accessible by all the service’s consumers. NHTSA can pull the data from EPA’s CDX node on the Exchange Network, the secure online data exchange platform that it uses to share data with its participating consumers. Using the Exchange Network gave NHTSA already-certified, XML-formatted data in real time and reduced its need for custom code development. With the improved system, the NHTSA enforcement team now can track any plans, automatically issue enforcement actions and easily view all reporting -- abandoning the static PDFs and spreadsheets that previously were put on the website every six months or so. Now, reports can be published as frequently as needed. “The enforcement team no longer has to look at spreadsheets to see if certain car manufacturers didn’t make their fuel efficiency goal,” said Timmons-Jones. If they didn’t, the team can easily take the necessary actions to fine or penalize. And when manufacturers do meet the goal, they are rewarded with “CAFE credits.” The full system came online for NHTSA and the EPA in August 2014, after security requirements were addressed and the interagency agreements were finalized. So far, the feedback has been positive from both agency users and the manufacturers, minimizing the need for additional costs, training, infrastructure and time. “From the manufacturers, they welcome the fact that we listen to their feedback and are not forcing them to learn a new system,” Timmons-Jones said. Within the NHTSA, the new system has reduced man hours by at least 50 percent for rulemaking and enforcement. “This project has made the flow of information and the quality of information that's flowing much, much better,” said Zaremski. "It’s much more timely, and we’re all working from the same data." The collaboration has delivered other, less-tangible advantages as well. “Our technical teams work so well together,” she said. “We’re reaping the benefits of all those things we hear about with the government: collaboration, customer service, the effectiveness, the efficiency.” The NHTSA and EPA will continue joint operations when they next tackle the medium- and heavy-duty vehicle greenhouse gas standards and reporting. “The more that we’re able to work together and leverage each other's technology or expertise,” Zaremski said, "the better it'll be for all of us."Ajit Tripathi is a director of FinTech and digital at PwC, a startup mentor at Startupbootcamp and an avid blockchain enthusiast. In this CoinDesk 2016 in Review special feature, Tripathi issues his predictions for the blockchain industry in the year ahead. The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author at the time of publication and not of their employer. While these opinions may require significant computing power to change, they are certainly not immutable. 2016 might have been a good year for technology – but it was a difficult year for much else. The UK took a step back on free trade and immigration by voting to leave the EU (causing a fragile EU to teeter toward dissolution); the US elected a president whose transition saw daring squabbles with a country that owns over a trillion in its debt; each of the BRICs shot themselves in the foot (Brazil with corruption, India with demonetization, Russia with Crimea and China with non-performing loans); and the Middle East continued to burn like an oil well on fire. None of these disasters show signs of letting up in 2017. As the major currencies of the world start to tumble in 2017, the flight to quality will lead most investors back into the safety of gold. Some return-hungry ones will seek to exploit market inefficiencies and digital assets like bitcoin will draw a large enough segment of these investors, pushing bitcoin to double its current market cap. When we do the math, $15bn is the kind of money that the Chinese or Saudi sovereign wealth can punt in their sleep… and I am pretty sure some will… If you are an asset manager, yes, I am talking about flight to quality, clientele effect and search for yield, all rolled in one. Now, who’d have thought one day the term ‘flight to quality’ will be used in the context of the same asset that people associated with drug dealing on the dark web a year ago? But then, the times, they are a changin’, and changin’ faster then ever. It seems safe to say a bitcoin price of $2,000 or more is likely. But in this uncertain world, it’s hard to say what will happen in 2017. Here’s my take on the blockchain scenarios we’re likely to see. 1. Private blockchains will converge Paying for plumbing is an out-of-body experience where I live in London, and you’re blessed if the plumbing gets done at all. What does this have to do with blockchain? It turns out Brian Behlendorf is bang on the mark when he says that most blockchain startups have had to spend too much time and money on plumbing and would prefer to get on with building business solutions instead. This is exactly the path at least one reputed startup called Everledger has taken: use Hyperledger Fabric and spend their time tracking diamonds, bottles of wine and the like. This trickle of common sense is soon to become a flood. Lots and lots of other blockchain firms will start this migration from their own custom chain to everyone’s plumbing chains. Around the end of Q1 2017, I expect Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 will finally arrive and private blockchains will start a rapid march toward enterprise readiness. Then, around September 2017, R3’s Corda will be production ready and give the Fabric stiff competition in the financial sector. Soon afterwards, variants of ethereum like Quorum and Monax will start to mature and provide a highly resilient alternatives to Fabric and Corda. In the meantime, hard-boiled crypto companies like Blockstream and Blockchain will launch their enterprise-friendly platforms built on top of the bitcoin blockchain knowledge base and the Grand Ascot race of blockchains will begin. Other private permissioned blockchains will either be built for very specialized problems, such as Sawtooth Lake for IoT, or start to merge with one of the four major (bitcoin, ethereum, Hyperledger, Corda) ecosystems. Remember, we’ve have seen this before with Linux and Apache Web server coming to quietly dominate the Web without much fanfare. 2. At least one supply chain blockchain will go live It hasn’t taken savvy technologists long to recognize that the first killer apps for private blockchains are to be found in making supply chains more efficient. Let’s face it, a technology upgrade of securities settlements or OTC clearing comes with $1tn dollar prize, but the guys who spend the money may not necessarily be the guys who take the spoils. Further, the volume of regulatory change required to enable settlements and clearing on a decentralized ledger architecture makes this a prospect only for the brave and the really well-funded. Similarly, we have learned from the travails of Ripple that being the company that gets paid an altcoin for each cross-border payment would be awesome, but you need to convince banks or cash-rich platform businesses to let yours be that company. May the force be with Ripple. Elsewhere, insurers have tens of billions to gain from blockchain-led efficiencies in the London insurance market alone, but it’s not an industry that has ever been in a rush to drive such efficiencies, mainly because of a relatively profitable industry structure and significant coordination costs, at least until now. Unlike within-industry consortia like R3 (that need to solve for the dynamics of ‘coopetition’), supply chains are made of existing participants that have a natural
mega-rich private collectors in the market. In practice, SFMOMA will have the Fishers’ art on deposit for “a minimum” of 100 years. In an interview, Benezra explained the further conditions: the agreement states that the institution can blend Fisher Collection works in with their own permanent collection for subsequent hangs. But the museum is obliged to show it as it is here—as a monographic ode to Don and Doris’s collecting—once every decade. And so, the Fishers’ quite obvious biases—as well as, of course, the strengths of their collection—are going to inform the museum at least until 2116. That’s an awful long time in a town where “disruption” is nearly a religion. Will art history still think quite so much of, say, the chest-thumping neo-expressionism of Anselm Kiefer then? It looks dated to me now. In addition to wooing the very rich into giving their art, any civic-minded art museum today has the other little problem of catching up with an increasingly diverse population that is bringing new histories into play. “We are very aware that California in a few years will be largely Spanish-speaking state, and so that’s a very important part of our mission, to think about Mexico and Central America,” Benezra told me. “And, to use a political term, we want to pivot to Asia as well—so we have an interesting geographic opportunity that a museum in New York might not have.” Yet there’s only the barest hint of such concerns in these first shows, while the canonical, basically Euro-American narrative of the Fisher Collection stands as the undeniable gravitational center of it all. The new SFMOMA is a vast, vast endeavor—and it is a mark of how much it has to offer that I am about to pass over so much here: the reinstall of its permanent collection, with icons from Henri Matisse’s gorgeous Femme au chapeau (1905) to Marcel Duchamp’s classic toilet-as-art sculpture, Fountain (1917); the more sparky contemporary art and new media shows on the top floor; and—perhaps my favorite part of the new museum—its photography galleries, which are being billed as the largest dedicated museum space for photography in the US. In this outing, these spaces feature some of the sharpest curating, and some of the most moving and surprising art. I skip lightly over them because I want to say one final thing about general context. It would be churlish not to find something to like here. The museum’s opening will be greeted with particular euphoria as a piece of good news, because pretty much every other art story coming out of San Francisco is about artists being displaced, along with anyone who doesn’t make big bucks, priced out by San Francisco’s hyper-driven boom. If you want to be really grim about it, you can also think of this lavish, slick new SFMOMA as a very expensive tombstone for the local art scene. That, it seems to me, is the Curse of Modern Mega-Museums: Inequality means that the wealth that makes them possible tends to crowd out the art scene that they should really be servicing, taking away with one hand what it gives with the other. Just as the museums have grown ever bigger, that pattern has grown ever more intense as the divides in society grow starker. It follows all this flashy stuff like its shadow. In this case it’s not far off, literally. Right across the street from the new SFMOMA is the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Currently on view there is “Take This Hammer,” curated by the critic Christian Frock, surveying a variety of San Francisco artists and groups engaged in creative protest, often around exactly these issues. The Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, for instance, offers an animated map giving image to the sheer volume of transformation in the Bay Area, “a picture,” Rebecca Solnit says in an accompanying pamphlet, of “a city punched by money;” 3.9 Artist Collective’s stark billboard-style work bitterly decries the displacement of black residents from San Francisco. It’s a raw, woolly, sometimes inspiring and disturbing show, representing struggles that are important to think about if you don’t want to become entirely cynical about the future of art or the future of the city. My guess is Donald Fisher would have hated it. Follow artnet News on Facebook:Google announced on Tuesday that Chrome 43 is available for download. The latest release contains numerous improvements and fixes, including patches for a total of 37 security bugs. The most serious vulnerability fixed in Chrome 43 is a sandbox escape (CVE-2015-1252) reported by an anonymous researcher. Google awarded the expert $16,337 for responsibly disclosing this high severity flaw. A high severity cross-origin bypass in DOM (CVE-2015-1253), which Google rewarded with $7,500, was also credited to an anonymous researcher. Armin Razmdjou of Rawsec was awarded $3,000 for reporting a cross-origin bypass in Editing (CVE-2015-1254). Khalil Zhani got the same amount for a use-after-free vulnerability affecting WebAudio (CVE-2015-1255) and an additional $1,000 for a medium impact use-after-free in WebRTC. Atte Kettunen of OUSPG, who has often found security holes in web browsers, was awarded a total of $3,000 for a high severity use-after-free flaw in SVG (CVE-2015-1256) and a medium-severity issue in PDFium (CVE-2015-1259). The researcher known as “SkyLined” reported a serious use-after-free flaw in Speech through HP’s Zero Day Initiative, but his reward hasn’t been determined yet. The other medium and low severity issues fixed by Google with the release of Chrome 43 have been described as a container overflow in SVG, a negative-size parameter issue in Libvpx, a URL bar spoofing bug, an uninitialized value in Blink, insecure download of spellcheck dictionary, and a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in bookmarks. The list of people credited for reporting these security bugs includes miaubiz, cloudfuzzer, Juho Nurminen, Mike Ruddy, and K0r3Ph1L. Some issues have also been identified by Google’s own security team. The rewards paid out by Google for all the vulnerabilities fixed in Chrome 43 so far total more than $38,000, but it’s worth noting that not all reports have gone through the reward panel yet. Chrome 43 also introduces the "Upgrade Insecure Requests" content security policy (CSP). The CSP can be used to automatically upgrade HTTP requests to HTTPS before they are fetched by the browser. When a page containing references to HTTP URLs is accessed through HTTPS, mixed-content warnings might be displayed. The CSP helps avoid such warnings. “We encourage authors to transition their sites and applications away from insecure transport, and onto encrypted and authenticated connections, but mixed content checking causes headaches. This feature allows authors to ask the user agent to transparently upgrade HTTP resources to HTTPS to ease the migration burden,” explained Chromium developers.Russia has shut down four McDonald’s restaurants in Moscow for sanitary violations after a consumer watchdog filed a suit demanding certain burgers and milkshakes be banned on the grounds the fat, protein, carbohydrates and calories they contain “deviate widely from technical norms”. “Violations have been found that put the quality and safety of food products in doubt for the whole McDonald’s chain,” said Anna Popova, Russia’s head sanitary inspector. The Golden Arches are now in the Kremlin’s crosshairs as ties between Moscow and Washington have fallen to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. Restaurants are being forced to close amid claims the restaurant is misleading customers about what they are actually being served. Reuters reports that the national consumer watchdog claims McDonald’s is deceiving consumers about the energy value of its Cheeseburger Royales, Filet-o-Fish, Cheeseburgers and Chicken Burgers and about nutritional value of its milkshakes and ice creams. Its also said in a statement that Caesar wrap sandwiches and a vegetable salad were contaminated with coliform bacteria, which indicates the likelihood of food poisoning. According to Russia 24, one survey suggests 60% of Russians think all McDonald’s restaurants should be closed. The national monitoring service for consumer rights and well-being announced that one of the outlets that has been forced to close is the iconic restaurant on Pushkin Square that opened just before the fall of the Soviet Union. The Guardian reports that McDonald’s restaurants in Russia are almost always crowded. Thousands of people waited hours in line to try a “Beeg Mek” when the first restaurant opened on Pushkin Square in 1990, an event that became symbolic for an era of sweeping political and economic changes. Russian reaction to the restaurants’ closure on Twitter was largely sardonic, with one user pointing out that McDonald’s was the official restaurant of the Sochi Olympics. “I did not speak out when they came for the right to assemble. I did not speak out when they came for the right to free speech. BUT I WON’T LET THEM TAKE AWAY MY RIGHT TO BE FAT,” a Russian user named Mikhail Kafanov tweeted.Two decades after the end of his Emmy-nominated run on NYPD Blue, Jimmy Smits is returning to ABC for a major role opposite Viola Davis on the upcoming fourth season of the network’s drama series How to Get Away With Murder. As is the case with all Shondaland series, details about Smits’ season-long recurring role are not being revealed, but his character will be a prominent figure in Annalise’s (Davis) life and will have a key role in this season’s mystery. Smits is coming off co-starring roles on Fox’s 24: Legacy and Netflix’s The Get Down. Before that, he portrayed Neron “Nero” Padilla in the final three seasons of FX’s Sons of Anarchy. The Dexter and The West Wing alum received six consecutive best drama actor Emmy nominations for his role as Victor Sifuentes on NBC’s L.A. Law, winning the Emmy in 1990, and five Emmy nominations for his role as Bobby Simone on ABC’s NYPD Blue He is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Tom Hoberman.A npm module for securely wiping files off the file system completely so that it cannot be retrieved later with file retrieval programs. Introduction The method used of wiping the file from the hard drive can be found in Peter Gutmann's paper Secure Deletion of Data from Magnetic and Solid-State Memory The file/s, before being deleted, is overwritten by a defined set of bytes, as specified in the above reference. This will make the file headers and file contents unrecognizeable through different kinds of magnetic hard drives. Usage Install with npm install file-wipe --save ES6 In your application: import wipe from'file-wipe'; wipe ('file.exe'). then ( ( file ) => { console. log ( " File %s completely erased! ", file ) ; } ). catch ( err => { throw err ; } ) ; ES5 or if you prefer the classical use of callbacks: var wipe = require ('file-wipe') ; wipe ('file.exe ', function ( err, file ) { if ( err ) throw err ; console. log ( " File completely erased! " ) ; } ) ; File globbing is supported wipe ( './sensitive-data/'). then ( ( files ) => { console. log ( " Wiped files: " ) ; console. log ( files ) ; } ) ; Pass an options object const options = { tap : ( file ) => { console. log ( " Wiped %s ", file ) }, unlink : false } wipe ( './temp-files/ ', options ). then ( ( files ) => { console. log ( " Files wiped: " ) ; console. log ( files ) ; } ) Documentation Will run the callback or return a promise when all files specified have been wiped. Parameters files: string\|array The files to be wiped. A string or an array of strings. options: object (OPTIONAL) options.unlink: boolean (OPTIONAL) If the files should be unlinked after wipe passes has been applied. Defaults to true options.tap: function (OPTIONAL) A function to be called after each file has been wiped. callback: function, (OPTIONAL) The callback to be executed when the file/s have been wiped. Returns: Promise, A promise with an array of files wiped. Contribution Pull requests are welcome! Disclaimer Due to how Solid State Drives (SSD) store and retrieve data this method will not work on an SSD. Please see Reliably Erasing Data From Flash-Based Solid State Drives. I cannot completely guarantee that any file will be completely wiped from the magnetic hard drive. The results may wary on different machines, but this method should make file retrieval, at least, more difficult. License MIT (See LICENSE.txt) Author Github @simonlovesyou Twitter @simonjohansosnThe Red Apple in the Central District doesn’t look like much when you drive by – maybe just another grocery store in an old strip mall. But it’s at the heart of the Central Area, and the African-American community that once dominated this neighborhood. Now Vulcan, billionaire Paul Allen’s real estate firm, has plans for the spot, but they may not include the Red Apple. Edward Winston used to work at a bakery up the street from the Red Apple. Now, he drives here to shop – from Tukwila. Winston said many people are loyal to this store. Top read: Seattle's 'Reparations' experiment is working “Great people work here,” he said. “We have a good rapport with all of them. Because that’s the type of people that we have working here. And that’s beautiful.” Michael Moss, store director of the Promenade Red Apple, has worked there for 25 years. As he walked around the store, customers waved to him. Red Apple is a local chain, with stores in Washington and a couple in Oregon. It gives its managers a lot of discretion over what they stock in each store. “We carry pig ears year round, pig tails, pig feet – any part of the pig you can eat,” said Moss. Customer Bama Chester chimed in: “Red Apple got everything. Safeway, QFC – ain’t none of them got what Red Apple got.” Like chicken skin. “You think, ‘Chicken skin? I don’t understand,’” Moss said, “but you think about it, a lot of people like the skin of the chicken and they don’t really want the whole chicken.” That’s how they set up the store 25 years ago, and how they’ve kept it since. “We didn’t really get caught up in the gentrification of the neighborhood,” Moss said. “We want everybody to be able to buy what they want, but we don’t want to exclude that one customer.” Those customers are upset. Patsy Tyler said she loves shopping at the Red Apple. “I don’t know why you let Paul Allen buy you all out,” she said. “He could have done something else with that money.” At Vulcan, Ada Healey, said the company prides itself on listening to the community. Healey oversees Vulcan’s real estate strategies. But Healey, looking at the property with a bird’s eye view, said she “sees a lot of parking lots.” Vulcan has a pitch for this neighborhood: This place could be so much more. There could be up to a thousand people living here, enjoying each other’s company on busy sidewalks. “I mean, real estate is all about people,” Healey said. “Creating a great place for people is gonna create a great real estate project. I think one of the keys in thinking about this 23rd and Jackson project is that the tide is gonna lift all ships.” Lois Martin is a long-time business owner in the Central District. She said the neighborhood is dominated by small, scrappy businesses, most of them owned by African-Americans. “When I first heard that they were buying it, that was a big concern for me,” Martin said. “That it was going to totally change the face of our neighborhood.” The neighborhood has become increasingly white as real estate values skyrocketed, but minority-owned businesses have hung on. Martin runs Community Day Center for Children, a few blocks from the Red Apple. Her mom started the business in 1963. The daycare has stayed in the same spot, but the kids have changed over the years. They used to be mostly black – now they represent all races and colors. “This is what made me become involved in the community work,” Martin said. “I’m thinking about my students and the kind of Seattle I want them to live in.” Martin and other neighborhood activists pushed Vulcan to think about the retail spaces at 23rd and Jackson in a new way. Developers usually want big tenants that can fill a lot of space, because it makes leasing that space simple. But Martin said that way of doing business excludes small businesses. “It has to be someplace affordable, so that they can profit, so they can grow,” she said. Martin's group pushed Vulcan to create smaller retail spaces for community businesses – that way, people in the CD could benefit from the buzz of new tenants. “If we don’t make those spaces available in these new developments,” Martin said, “then we’re going to lose an important part of the fabric of our community.” Vulcan listened. They’re going to line Jackson Street with spaces for small, even tiny, businesses. It’s one of the many gestures Vulcan has made to the community. Others include some affordable housing, a meeting space for the community, and African-inspired ornamentation. Those accommodations have built goodwill. But Martin hasn’t been completely won over. Vulcan hasn’t promised to bring the Red Apple back, which has her concerned. “I just think about some of the cashiers,” she said. “My son is 25. They watched him grow up.” And so, she has this question for Vulcan: “Are you really open to hearing the voice of the community? Or is it lip service?” Back at the Red Apple, Michael Moss is philosophical about being displaced. “Well, honestly, we’ve had conversations with the ownership and you know, no one’s at fault,” he said. “Paul Allen’s a businessman, and he saw an opportunity.” A new development has to get higher rents, to pay its own costs. Moss says Red Apple probably can’t pay those rents. And it wouldn’t be wise to try. "We don't want to end up having to be here for a year and then go out of business," said Moss. And so, it seems likely the grocer will leave sometime in the next year. The employees would move to another store, about a mile south. Closer to where so many of their customers have already moved. As part of our Region of Boom project, we’ll be following the path of gentrification from the Central District into south Seattle.Recently, there have been many discussions of whether or not it's safe to play as Kanna, due to the number of Kanna related ban appeals that have been appearing. On the surface, this sounds like an easy enough question to answer, but in reality, there's a lot going on behinds the scenes.Let's first get the facts out of the way. The community knows that certain classes are most popular with hackers and we know this as well. It should also be to no surprise that Kannas were the main focus in our recent attempt to combat the issue of hackers in MapleStory. Over 1,000+ illegitimate Kannas were banned as a result of this recent action, but it's also a fact that in the past, our banning procedure has made some errors as stated by our CS & Investigations team here. Due to this, we're just as careful and wary about this whole ordeal alongside the community, and we're doing all we can to make sure there are zero errors.Going back to the original statement: "On the surface, this sounds like an easy enough question to answer, but in reality, there's a lot going on behinds the scenes." There's a reason why much of the information regarding the banning and appealing procedure must be behind closed curtains. It's the same issue that we're dealing with currently with hackers submitting ban appeals pretending to be legitimate. It should also be to no surprise that illegitimate users take advantage of community platforms. As candid as we'd like to be with the community, the release of sensitive information would ultimately harm the integrity of the game if fallen into the wrong hands.At this point in time, we will continue to do our best to investigate Kannas who were banned and submitted an appeal. While this may not address the immediate concerns with playing Kanna, we do hope that this provides the community with further understanding.CLOSE Larry Nassar's attorneys Shannon Smith and Matt Newburg talk after the sentencing for Larry Nassar in Grand Rapids on Thursday, Dec. 7. Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal Former MSU, USA Gymnastics doctor still awaits sentences in sexual assault cases Buy Photo A sketch shows Larry Nassar and U.S. District Court Judge Janet Neff on Thursday, Dec. 7, when he was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges. (Photo: Jerome Lemenu/For the Lansing State Journal)Buy Photo GRAND RAPIDS – Larry Nassar, the 54-year-old former MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor whose work took him to multiple Olympic Games, received an effective life sentence when a federal judge on Thursday sentenced him to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges. "He has demonstrated that he should never again have access to children," U.S. District Judge Janet Neff said as she imposed a sentence that went beyond guidelines calling for 22 to 27 years in prison. He was sentenced to 20 years on each of three counts to which he's admitted. The sentences are to be served consecutively. Neff also ordered that his federal time would be served consecutively to state sentences for sexual assault to which he's also admitted. He will be sentenced next month on those charges.The courtroom was filled to capacity. Among those in attendance were several victims of Nassar's admitted sexual assault, their relatives and their attorneys. Several victims said after the sentencing they were still trying to process their feelings, but it was a step toward justice. “I was blown away with what the judge did today, and I thought it was very fitting," Larissa Boyce, who first raised concerns about Nassar to an MSU coach in 1997, said at a news conference after the hearing. "I can’t thank her enough for the things that she said." In court filings last week, Nassar's attorneys asked Neff to show leniency, saying the doctor had worked toward redemption by helping fellow inmates and taking Bible classes since his arrest nearly a year ago. Nassar, speaking in a barely audible voice from the courtroom podium on Thursday, told Neff he’d long battled an addiction he likened to alcoholism or drug addiction. His shame kept him from asking for help, he said. He said he hoped his crimes would educate people about the problem to prevent others from being hurt in the future. “You go back and you wonder how I got down this path to begin with,” he said. “I really did try to be a good person. I really did try to help people … I hope one day I can be forgiven, and I’m going to take every day of your sentence to try to better myself.” More: Nassar victims: Response from MSU, USA Gymnastics 'heartbreaking' More: Like Schuette, U.S. attorney won't say if he'll investigate MSU over Nassar But Neff said Nassar’s crimes hurt so many people on so many levels. That includes the unnamed children in the pictures who feel assaulted every day knowing someone somewhere could be viewing their bodies, she said. It includes the women Nassar assaulted who now struggle to trust doctors and struggle with their own sense of self-worth. The judge said she'd sentenced defendants in child pornography cases for a decade but Nassar was "unique" in the sheer volume of pornography he'd collected and the brazen way he assaulted women during medical appointments with parents in the room. "You have to wonder whether he felt he was omnipotent, whether he felt he was getting away with something so cleverly," Neff said as several victims and family members in the room started to cry. "I am a mom of two daughters. I cannot imagine that kind of situation." From the archives: Nassar pleads guilty to federal child porn charges Related: Feds say Nassar should get 60 years in child pornography charges More: Nassar pleads guilty to 3 more sexual assault charges More: Larry Nassar makes 7 guilty pleas, victim calls him'master manipulator' Federal prosecutors had argued for the maximum 60 years, saying Nassar "poses an immense risk to the community" and quoting one victim who said he "will not hesitate to reoffend" if he's ever freed. Neff agreed. Buy Photo A sketch shows Larry Nassar with his legal team Thursday, Dec. 7, when he was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges to which he's admitted. (Photo: Jerome Lemenu/For the Lansing State Journal) Nassar pleaded guilty in July to three federal charges after investigators said he possessed at least 37,000 graphic videos and images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent children engaged in sex acts. He also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for trying to destroy the evidence. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Nassar paid to have his work laptop wiped clean and threw away hard drives containing the pornography. Investigators were only able to obtain those hard drives at Nassar's Holt property because the garbage truck happened to be running late that day, according to court records. Some of the videos appeared to show Nassar assaulting young girls in a pool, investigators said. As part of a deal with federal prosecutors to obtain his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed they would not charge him with alleged sexual exploitation of children in relation to four reported victims. Thursday's sentencing ends one of three criminal cases against Nassar. He's also pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges in both Ingham and Eaton counties and could get to up to life in prison in those cases when he's sentenced next month. In still-pending lawsuits related to Nassar's admitted crimes, more than 140 women or girls have said Nassar assaulted them, often during medical appointments. LSJ Editorial Board: "Lou Anna Simon must resign as Michigan State president" Related: "Viewpoint: MSU Trustees 'disagree vehemently' with LSJ editorial asking Simon to resign" More: "Denhollander: May this be the spark needed to protect young girls and women" Nassar, who was led in cuffs out of the courtroom at the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building in downtown Grand Rapids on Thursday, was for decades an esteemed sports medicine doctor. USA Gymnastics sent him to almost every summer Olympic Games, from 1996 in Atlanta — where he was photographed in the iconic image of an injured Kerri Strug being helped off a platform — to London in 2012. He started working at MSU, where he had earned his osteopathic medicine degree, in 1997. His public downfall began in September 2016, when the Indianapolis Star named Nassar in a report on USA Gymastics' lackluster response to allegations of assault. Rachel Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of assault, was in the courtroom on Thursday. The State Journal reported that between 1997 and 2015, at least seven women or girls say they raised concerns about Nassar's actions to coaches, trainers, police or MSU officials. LSJ investigation: "Larry Nassar and a career filled with ‘silenced’ voices" The IndyStar report: "MSU doctor accused of abusing USA gymnasts" Related: AG Schuette wants to know what MSU officials knew about Nassar" Among those to publicly accuse Nassar of abuse are Olympic medalists Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Gabby Douglas and Jamie Dantzscher. Maroney was in court for the sentencing with her mother. Nassar left USA Gymastics in 2015. MSU fired him in September 2016. He lost his medical license earlier this year. CLOSE Larissa Boyce addresses Michigan State University failings on Larry Nassar following his federal sentencing on child pornography charges Thursday, Dec. 7. Justin A. Hinkley/Lansing State Journal Contact Reporter Beth LeBlanc at 517-377-1167 or eleblanc@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @LSJBethLeBlanc. Contact Justin A. Hinkley at (517) 377-1195 or jhinkley@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinHinkley. Sign up for his email newsletter, SoM Weekly, at on.lsj.com/somsignup. Read or Share this story: http://on.lsj.com/2AjRUx5Two drivers at the Masters. No drivers at the U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson threw in yet another surprise Thursday at the Deutsche Bank Championship with a belly putter in his golf bag, saying he was likely to become the next in a growing list of players to see if it will help make more putts. "It's awkward to me," Mickelson said after his pro-am round at the TPC Boston. "But so many guys have had success with it that I thought I'd give it a try." The longer putters have been getting more attention this year, especially after Keegan Bradley became the first player to win a major with one at the PGA Championship. Mickelson, once renowned for a silky putting stroke, has been struggling the past several years on shorter distances. Not only has he been a mentor to Bradley this year, Mickelson played with the 25-year-old rookie last week at The Barclays and began grilling him about a putter in which the end of the grip anchors into the stomach. Mickelson had one built to similar specifications as Bradley and received his new toy Monday. Then, he called Bradley over the last few days to ask questions how to use it. So it's a rookie teaching a four-time major champion? "Yeah, it is funny," Mickelson said. "You can always learn, and he putts it extremely well, and it rolls so nicely off the face." It didn't work out for him during the pro-am when Mickelson took 34 putts, including 18 on his opening nine. "I was a little shady with it on the front nine, but a little bit better with it on the back," he said. "Look, I don't mind trying new things. I've hit two drivers and no drivers, and I don't mind trying something different. We'll see." The timing is peculiar. Only last week, Mickelson said he had grabbed a belly putter off the rack and tried it out, and that he would not "rule it out." He also said, however, that a player has to understand the technique of using a longer putter because the motion is different from a conventional size. "I don't know those little secrets... and so I don't really putt very effectively with it," he said. One week later, he is willing to try it in the second FedEx Cup playoff event. Mickelson dropped five spots to No. 11 in the standings. The idea is to at least get into the top five before the Tour Championship at the end of the month as he tries to win the FedEx Cup and the $10 million prize for the first time. Plus, he won the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2007 and considers the TPC Boston "one of my favorite courses we play all year." The third playoff event is at Cog Hill, one of his least favorite courses. Only the top 100 players advanced to the second playoff event at Boston, although the field is only 99 players because J.B. Holmes had successful brain surgery Thursday that will keep him out the rest of the year. The top 70 after this week move on to the BMW Championship at Cog Hill in two weeks. Among those on the bubble are Ian Poulter (No. 78) and Padraig Harrington (No. 80), both of whom had to play well last week at the rain-shortened Barclays simply to advance. At the top is Dustin Johnson, who won The Barclays with a 65 before the rain from Hurricane Irene arrived. Johnson became only the sixth player to win multiple playoff events - he won at Cog Hill last year - and he understands why the list is so short. "These are the few events where you get all the top 100 or 125 or the top 70 on the FedEx Cup... all playing at the same time," Johnson said. That's why it makes it harder. And there's only four each year." Tiger Woods was at the Deutsche Bank, but not for long. Woods failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time, although the tournament benefits his foundation. He showed up Wednesday night for the pro-am pairings party. His absence - not only from the playoffs, but from dominating the PGA Tour as he once did - has created plenty of parity. That extends to the playoffs, which is up for grabs. Luke Donald is at No. 5 in the standings, even though he has been No. 1 in the world since the end of May. Donald has only one win in the United States this year, at the Match Play Championship in Arizona, although his consistency is what has taken him to the top of the world ranking. He figures winning might not be too far behind. "The goal is to win," Donald said. "I think winning is more important than ever during the playoffs. There's a lot more volatility, and winning is very important. Hopefully, I'll have a good chance come Sunday." Chalk that up to Donald being a creature of habit. The Deutsche Bank Championship ends Labor Day.Patrick Kennedy Helps Quiet the Stigma of Alcoholism Lesley Stahl recently interviewed Patrick Kennedy, the son of Ted Kennedy, on a 60 Minutes episode in which he opens up about his own alcoholism and how addiction affected his family. In an era when there is still a stigma and shame that surrounds people and families with an alcohol or substance abuse addiction, many people are stepping up and going public with their problems. While the conversation might still be taboo for many, it is definitely softening as more people come forward. It isn’t easy for anyone to open up about having a drinking problem. For most of us, it is embarrassing to discuss with family or close friends and the shame attached forces it behind closed doors. The stakes are even higher for celebrities and famous faces. In the past, word of a drinking problem would ruin careers from which there might be no recovery. Addiction was seen as a character flaw or moral failing, which further drove home the shame. Today, more high-profile people are saying that simply isn’t true, and they have the media’s attention. As Patrick Kennedy explains in the interview, he is leading a political movement to change the way we all think about not just addiction, but also mental health issues. They’re medical issues and should be treated that way. Kennedy is five years sober and he calls addiction a “family disease” because it has an impact not only on the person but also on their entire family. The Kennedys are no strangers to alcohol problems, and like many others, it runs in families. Alcohol is widely accepted in our nation’s capital, and when the family business is grounded there, it’s difficult to stay sober. Alcohol is one way to dull the pain from the stress of the job. But you don’t have to be a Kennedy to suffer from alcohol in the family or work environment. These are things that many of us encounter in daily life, except our lives aren’t on display in public. It takes a lot of strength and courage to own up to our problems and take inventory. It isn’t easy for anyone. But knowing that if someone like Patrick Kennedy can open up and be honest with himself and his family, and seek treatment, there’s hope for the rest of us. He has said that his family is angry about his book that talks about many of the family secrets. Yet he still moves forward in the hopes that others will be helped. The stakes are high for everyone, but today, there are countless paths to take for overcoming alcoholism and finding a life of sobriety. Treatment centers are available nationwide, along with private counseling, and group therapy. And here’s the important part…a national conversation is taking root and many state governors and even Washington is talking about ways to get help for people instead of incarcerating them for their addictions. The first step is always recognizing there is a problem and understanding that it can’t be fixed alone or in silence. Denial doesn’t work, and the longer the problem progresses, the worse it gets. It won’t go away on it’s own and the hole just gets deeper to climb out of over time. More people like Patrick Kennedy should be encouraged to break their silence in the hopes that the shame and stigma of addiction is completely erased around the world and we realize it’s okay to talk about it and get help. Related: 21 Signs You Might Have A Drinking Problem Alexis Neiers star of the hit E! Reality Show “Pretty Wild” shares her story How to Help an Alcoholic Symptoms of Alcohol DependenceAnd it appears we were right as Square Enix has just surprised everyone. A few days ago, we claimed that Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster would be coming soon on the PC. Well, the official Steam store page for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster has just gone live. Yeap, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is officially coming to the PC, and is scheduled for a May 12th release. FINAL FANTASY X tells the story of a star blitzball player, Tidus, who journeys with a young and beautiful summoner named Yuna on her quest to save the world of Spira from an endless cycle of destruction wrought by the colossal menace Sin. On the other hand, FINAL FANTASY X-2 returns to the world of Spira two years after the beginning of the Eternal Calm. Having been shown a mysterious but familiar image in a sphere, Yuna becomes a Sphere Hunter and along with her companions Rikku and Paine, embarks on a quest around the world to find the answers to the mystery within. Here are the key features of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster: Characters, monsters, and environments have been fine-tuned to HD detail, providing a richer, deeper FINAL FANTASY visual experience. Other features in the PC version include remastered/rearranged BGM, International Edition content, Auto-save and 5 game boosters including high speed and no encounter modes. For what it’s worth, the game will include both English and
before, analyzing the initial load speed of the dictionary ends up being crucial. If we’re utilizing a JavaScript object we have to evaluate it first – and that can end up taking a considerable amount of time. Thankfully both of the new techniques load virtually instantaneously (taking only 0.65 – 1.7ms to load the whole dictionary, which makes sense, since they’re both coming from simple strings and require no code evaluation). Search Speed Analysis As I mentioned in my last post, the performance of word lookups wasn’t nearly as important in my particular use case as all the other considerations. Having a lookup take a couple milliseconds was OK since they were only going to occur every couple seconds or so. This may not be the case for every application – and I still wanted to make sure that the code wasn’t going to take any major performance hits. The binary string search ends up being quite fast – even faster than the old Trie search, which is quite promising. However the new Succinct Trie ends up being disturbingly slow (taking about 5.5ms to look up a word in Node.js on a fast machine). I double-checked and the lookup time for finding a word on an iPhone 4 using iOS 4.3 is about 46ms. Even taking that into account I think that’s still a lookup rate that I can live with in my particular application. However it most certainly will be too slow for many situations (and in those cases they’ll likely want to use the Binary String technique). It’s not clear to me how much of the Succinct Trie’s performance stems from its implementation. Perhaps there could be some improvements made to it to increase its final word search time. Memory Usage Analysis I finally revisited memory usage, as well. This continues to be critical on mobile devices. Using too much memory will cause all sorts of problems and frequently force the browser to reload your application. The Binary String technique does well. Being a simple string (and of a smaller total size) means that it uses less memory as well. However the Succinct Trie technique does absolutely stellar – as it’s a string as well, and since it’s total uncompressed size is only about 1/3 of a MB, that’s all the memory that it ends up using. This is fantastic and certainly a huge encouragement towards using this technique. Conclusion Even though it’s not quite as small (compressed file-size-wise) as a regular Trie and even though its lookup speed is significantly slower than any other technique (but still usable) – I’m heavily inclined to use the Succinctly Stored Trie Structure. I would definitely like to encourage everyone to look at this particular technique further as, currently, it provides excellent memory usage, reasonably-small file size, and virtually non-existent startup overhead. If you’re OK with having relatively slow word lookups then this is certainly the technique for you. If slow lookup speed is undesirable then I would be inclined to use the binary string search technique (as it still provides decent memory usage, reasonable file size, and reasonable memory usage). As always, all the code and tests are up on Github: https://github.com/jeresig/trie-js Raw Data The raw data for the updated tests (which can be found in my Trie.js Github repo) are as follows: Binary String -------------- Normal: 806KB Gzipped: 326KB Build Speed: 174 (1.74ms per) Find Speed: 369 (0.0033ms per) Not Find Speed: 197 (0.0012ms per) Private Memory: 112.2MB (0.98MB per) Succinct Trie -------------- Normal: 317KB Gzipped: 197KB Build Speed: 65 (0.65ms per) Find Speed: 609985 (5.43ms per) Not Find Speed: 622700 (5.54ms per) Private Memory: 47.1MB (0.33MB per)As tourism has boomed in Bali, it has had a strange side-effect, doubling the number of orphanages on the island in 20 years. Tourists' donations keep the orphanages going - but some are effectively rackets, exploiting children and holidaymakers alike. I met Pam and Samantha, an Australian mother and daughter who had travelled all the way from Perth, with a suitcase loaded full of toys, books and puzzles to hand out to children. "I usually just give them out on the street," said Samantha, a veteran visitor to the island. "This time Mum suggested we do it properly at an orphanage, so we looked online for somewhere to visit. "We just wanted to give something back. They're such beautiful people, aren't they?" 'Work experience' They donated to the Jodie O'Shea orphanage, an apparently well-run institution in Bali's capital, Denpasar. In the worst cases, it's just like the mafia - orphanage directors driving large cars, while the children live in squalor Brenton Whitaker, Bali Kids Its founder, British-born Alison Chester, set up the orphanage to house children from another home which she says was abusing and exploiting them for profit. With one and a half million tourists visiting the Indonesian island every year, only a small proportion need to visit an orphanage - and make a donation - to generate an income for the owner. "The tourism is not organised. Many tourists will just climb into taxis and ask to be taken to an orphanage," says Alison Chester. "Often the taxi drivers have been paid by an [orphanage] owner to bring the tourists in. What they see on the outside is not necessarily what's going on the inside." When I visited the House of Hope orphanage, home to 95 children, I was taken for just another foreigner looking for a taste of the "real" Bali. Image caption Some orphanages provide proper lessons for some children - and still use other children as free labour The owner quickly made an appeal for money, suggesting a donation of $50 (£32). When I asked about bank transfer arrangements to send money from abroad, she suggested I pay the money directly into her personal bank account, saying this reduced bureaucracy. Fifty kilometres to the east of Denpasar, I visited the Dharma Jati children's home in the village of Klungkung. The site is dominated by an imposing temple, which is still being built - with children barely in their teens among the labourers. "My children work here, yes," the administrator confirmed to me. "They are happy working here." Those on the site were reluctant to speak with the supervisor around, but one young man said the children worked eight or nine hours every day. Find out more You can hear the full report on Crossing Continents on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 8 December at 11:00 GMT and on Assignment on the BBC World Service Listen to Crossing Continents Listen to Assignment Download the Crossing Continents podcast "We come here for school, but the school is only in the evening when we are usually too tired to study," he said. "The younger children have to go out on the streets to perform." The owner of the orphanage, Wayan Nika - who has received government awards for his contribution to child welfare - seemed surprised when I put it to him that some people would describe this as forced child labour. He said the home provided "work experience for children" - and added that the temple would contribute to spiritual harmony, making the world a better place. Tourists' dilemma There are now 78 orphanages in Bali, housing several thousand children. Lisa's story When a wealthy stranger offered Lisa Puri a free education, her mother jumped at the chance. From the age of five, she spent six years at an orphanage - her parents could see her twice a year. Instead of being educated, Lisa was forced to sell food on the street, and was often beaten. The owner - a well-connected woman - once beat the children so badly some were left with bloody, broken noses. Her punishment - a night in police cells. If Lisa had run away, the orphanage would have kept her school record, damaging her prospects. In the end, Alison Chester of the Jodie O'Shea orphanage paid $50 to "release" her. The majority of the children are not in fact orphans but their parents are simply too poor to care for them. Some orphanage owners run enticing recruitment campaigns in the villages to lure the children away. "The children are a commodity to many directors," said Brenton Whitaker, an Australian who runs Bali Kids, a local healthcare charity which deals with many of the orphanages. "The orphanages get an allowance from the government for each child, but they get most of their revenue from the tourists who visit. "In the worst cases, it's just like the mafia. You find orphanage directors driving large cars and sending their children to expensive universities in Europe or America, while the children live in squalor." Mr Whitaker says that in his view the majority of Bali's orphanages are badly mismanaged, with a few of them criminally so. In total I uncovered claims of abuse in four specific orphanages with reports of extortion or profiteering in several others. Image caption At Dharma Jati, children have to share beds and rain drips from the ceiling I heard detailed reports of abuse from parents, former orphans, NGO workers, concerned foreign visitors, local journalists and even some reports from concerned orphanage owners themselves. But when I reported some of the allegations that I had uncovered in just one week to the government's Social Welfare department, its director told me he had not heard such claims, though he did promise to investigate. For tourists, there remains a dilemma - how to help needy children without having their money being diverted or encouraging exploitation. Alison Chester of the Jodie O'Shea orphanage wants visitors to be vigilant, but still generous. "Just don't hand over cheques to organisations unless it's in the charity's name, unless they are willing to show you their books," she said. "But don't give up on us. The children here need help." Listen to the full report on Crossing Continents on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 8 December at 11:00 GMT or on Assignment on the BBC World Service or by downloading the podcast.NEW ORLEANS -- Joel Embiid told ESPN Radio on Thursday that winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award would represent a huge step in lifting him out of the "bad place" he had reached while missing his first two seasons with the 76ers due to injury. Speaking to ESPN Radio's Meet The All-Stars Show that will air Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET, Embiid told hosts Marc Kestecher and Marc Stein: "The time that I missed, [those] two years that I missed, I went to such... I was in a bad place. Coming back and having a chance to be the Rookie of the Year, I think it's going to pay for all the sacrifices that I made." Expounding on an interview he gave Sports Illustrated on the subject early in the season, Embiid explained that enduring two season-ending foot surgeries in his two seasons -- combined with the death of his teenaged brother, Arthur, in a car crash in October 2014 -- nearly led him to leave the sport and return to his native Cameroon. Editor's Picks GM says Embiid has'very minor meniscal' tear One day after Joel Embiid was seen dancing on stage at a concert despite a knee injury, Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo said the injury should be called a "very minor meniscal tear" and bone bruise. Jokic, Abrines replace Embiid in All-Star events Alex Abrines will replace Joel Embiid in the Rising Stars game, while Nikola Jokic will take his spot in the Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. 1 Related "I was such in a dark place, I wanted to quit basketball," Embiid told ESPN Radio. "I just wanted to go back home and just leave everything behind. "But, you know, coming into [this] season, one thing I thought was just, 'Come and have fun.' It's all about having fun. So all the dark days that I had back then, for me now, I think it's my time to have fun." Embiid told ESPN Radio that he's "hopeful" of returning to the Sixers' lineup after the All-Star break "if I'm asymptomatic." The 22-year-old has missed Philadelphia's past 11 games (and 14 out of 15 overall) due to a bone bruise in his left knee. "I'm not worried at all," Embiid said. "It's a bone bruise. [The media] talked about a meniscus [injury], but I'm being treated for the bone bruise. "Our goal is for me to be asymptomatic and then, when that happens, I'm going to be back on the court." Embiid added that he hopes to be cleared to play in some back-to-back situations during Philadelphia's final 26 regular-season games because he "wouldn't want to come into next season without having really seen what it's like to play back-to-back." Embiid has played in 31 games this season and is averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks in just 25.4 minutes. The fewest number of games played in league history for a Rookie of the Year winner is Patrick Ewing's 50 for the Knicks in 1985-86. Regarding his success after losing two full seasons, Embiid said: "I think I'm more surprised than everybody else." In Thursday's sit-down with ESPN Radio, Embiid acknowledged that games played is likely to be a factor in his Rookie of the Year candidacy but expressed confidence that teammate Dario Saric would likely win "that trophy" if Embiid is ultimately bypassed by voters. "I know my teammate, Dario, he's been playing great lately," Embiid said. "So If I don't win, I know it's going to stay on the team." The recent knee trouble will prevent Embiid from participating in All-Star Weekend events -- he had been picked for the Rising Stars Challenge -- but he said he wanted to come to New Orleans regardless "to see how it is."To an observer from the United Kingdom's most successful franchise, Britain's just-concluded election to determine its prime minister seemed awfully … quick. Parliament was dissolved on March 30 (a.k.a. 30 March, lol.). Candidates filed in early April; the election was May 7. The new Parliament is seated two Mondays from now. By comparison, the first major American presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), announced on March 23. The first voting is still more than eight months away. The entire British election process takes less time than the period between our general election and the inauguration. Put another way: Put yet another way: Everyone marveled at the election of 20-year-old Mhairi Black to the Parliament from Scotland. By the time we have a new American president, Black will have spent 8 percent of her life -- about one out of every 12 days -- as an elected official.Tarun Tejpal is in custody since November 30. (IE Photo) Disposing a bail application filed by Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal, arrested on the charge of sexually assaulting a junior colleague, a Goa sessions court has rejected the defence argument that the alleged act was consensual and not criminal since the victim was a “liberated, emancipated modern woman”. Advertising In a 21-page order on January 15, sessions court judge Anuja Prabhudesai said the “victim’s statement is genuine”. “The persona of the victim and her social strata are not relevant to decide the (bail application). Similarly, the fact that she is liberated, emancipated modern woman who demanded (a) written apology rather than suffering in silence are no grounds to believe that she was not traumatised or that the act was consensual or could be consensual. Even on merit, the character of the victim or the past conduct… or the alleged aftermath on the stormy evening would not be relevant for deciding the issue of consent,” the order stated. The court examined CCTV footage, the emails and SMS messages between the victim and Tejpal, the statement of the victim, her boyfriend, journalists, and Tehelka colleagues in whom the victim confided immediately after the alleged incident. The bail hearing was conducted in-camera partially. According to the written order, senior counsel Amit Desai, representing Tejpal, argued that the “social background of the victim, her persona, sense of understanding and values are relevant factors in deciding the (bail) application”. Stating that ingredients of IPC section 376 (rape) is not made out, the defence relied on Supreme Court observations in two cases where “the apex court has drawn distinction between the tradition-bound Indian woman and a woman from the western society”. The order cites Desai’s arguments that the “victim is an educated emancipated woman who wanted the apology to be published on the letterhead of Tehelka. She cannot be compared to a girl from tradition-bound non-permissive society of India who would be extremely reluctant to make such revelation in fear of being shunned by the family or the society”. Placing “this background” to allege “material discrepancy in the victim’s statement vis-a-vis CCTV footage, delay in lodging the complaint as well as subsequent conduct of the victim, more particularly her conversation with her friends”, the defence cited “suspicion about the genuineness of the allegations”. Countering this argument, senior counsel and special prosecutor S D Lotlikar told the court that “societal strata and moral status of the victim are irrelevant, as the law does not give licence to any person to sexually abuse women even if they have liberal views on sex”. The prosecution said material evidence indicated that Tejpal had not disputed the allegations levelled by the victim. Lotlikar said the victim stood by the allegation and had never said that the act was consensual. The court noted in the order: “It is not possible at this stage either to examine the material meticulously and to look into the discrepancies, omissions, or contradictions, or to read in between the lines and find out as to whether the evidence is sufficient to infer guilt of the applicants or not. It is enough if sufficient grounds are shown to connect the applicants with the offence. As stated earlier, the statement of the victim indicates that she was sexually abused and that the act was not consensual. In terms of Section 114 A of the Indian Evidence Act, even at the stage of trial, the presumption would be that she did not consent. Hence, at this stage it cannot be presumed otherwise.” Advertising “I have also viewed the relevant CCTV footage and in my considered view, the same does not falsify the version of the victim. It is also pertinent to note that the emails/SMS messages exchanged, between the applicant and the victim prima facie supports the version of the victim and rules out the possibility of consensual act or false implication,” judge Prabhudesai said in the order. Tejpal has been in custody since November 30 and is currently in judicial custody at Sub Jail Sada, Vasco da Gama.CTV Montreal A 17-year-old boy has been charged for the alleged murder of 17-year-old Darius Brown. The teenager died Thursday in what was first thought to be an armed robbery gone awry outside a residence near the corner of Westminster Ave. and Westover Rd. in Cote-St-Luc at about 7:45 p.m. Montreal police's major crimes unit investigated Brown's death as homicide after an "important witness" was arrested Friday night, police officials said. "They arrested a 17-year-old man who was detained," said SPVM spokesperson Manuel Couture on Saturday. "They questioned the man and today he appeared (via video conference) under accusation of murder. While police initially believed the victim died after striking his head against the brick wall of the building, autopsy results showed a sharp object may have played a role in his death. "I can't confirm how it was used," said Couture. "Was he stabbed or when he fell on the ground during the altercation? Who was in possession of this sharp object? Was it the victim or was it the suspect? Right now, I just don't know." The suspect will appear in court on Monday. If sentenced as an adult, he could face life in prison. A 15-year-old boy had fled the scene and was later arrested. He was released overnight and likely will not be charged. A K-9 unit scoured the scene for evidence.The Amazing Arizona Comic Convention flies into Mesa Convention Center this weekend, and though it's AACC's first appearance on the Valley's rich fan convention scene, it's starting out super -- largely because they've got Robert Kirkman, writer of The Walking Dead series, as a headline guest. The Walking Dead (Image Comics) centers around a group of people trying to survive on the road after a zombie apocalypse. It's light on gratuitous gore (though there's some dismemberment and disembodied, gurgling heads) and heavy on character psychology. Kirkman's series about people fighting external and internal monsters won the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at San Diego Comic-Con International, and a TV adaption of The Walking Dead premiered on AMC last fall. The show's nominated this year for a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series Drama, and will return for a second season on AMC this October. We recently caught up with Kirkman to talk about zombies, TV shows, and comic conventions. Continue Reading Why are zombies so fascinating? Aside from them looking cool and being fairly entertaining, I think there's some kind of subconscious representation of our own fears of death in there that make it somewhat compelling. It's kind of a physical representation of the unrelenting, unstoppable possibility of death that looms over all of our lives at all times. I think there's probably a primal element to our personalities, and what kind of entertainment we like, and I think that kind of taps into that. Those movies always have tons of interesting characters dealing with zombies, and when the running time of the movie runs out, they either ride off into the sunset -- or most of them die -- but there's always some kind of really hurried resolution. It always occurred to me that I'd like to see what comes next. I'd like to see where the people who get into the helicopter at the end of land. I'd like to see how they continue to live in this world. Nobody had done a continuing zombie story that focused on the same characters and followed their lives for years and years, as they continue to survive. So that's really where the idea for came from. How does the post-apocalyptic environment in The Walking Dead influence and change the characters in your story? Different characters are influenced and changed in any number of different ways. That's part of the fun of The Walking Dead, seeing how these different people react to the same situations in different ways. You'll see characters that start out being good twisting over to the dark side and becoming bad people, and you'll see bad people doing the exact opposite and becoming somewhat heroic over time, just because of things that they're living through. It's just a lot of fun to see characters pushed to their breaking point, and some of these characters snap and lose their minds, and some of these characters rise to the occasion and find strength they never knew they had. So any number of things could be happening to any member of the cast at any point, which is part of the charm. Are you happy with the television adaptation of The Walking Dead? Is it true to the graphic novels? Absolutely. It's true to the graphic novels in spirit, in that all the characters are who they're supposed to be and the tone is there, and everything is pretty well translated. But I like that the television show is going to divert from the story from time to time and tell new stories and new material that people who are fans of the comic book series aren't familiar with and won't be bored with. That's what I wanted out of the show, was for it to be a good portion of the comic book getting adapted, but there's always new stuff thrown in to keep everybody guessing. What do you like about coming to conventions like the Amazing Arizona Comic Con? I enjoy being able to meet with the fans and talk with them one-on-one, and get their sense of what they like and what they don't like, and have face-to-face meetings with all of the different people who support my books and watch the TV show...I'm really looking forward to meeting my bosses, I guess is a good way to think of it, and give them a chance to yell at me if they don't like things, and be nice to me if they do. Robert Kirkman is scheduled to appear at the Amazing Arizona Comic Convention, taking place Saturday and Sunday, January 8 and 9 at Mesa Convention Center, 263 N. Center Street. Weekend passes cost $25; Sunday-only passes cost $15. Visit amazingarizonacomiccon.com for more information.Russia backs Assad's departure 'if that is what Syrians want' Russia has indicated that it will no longer stand in the way of the departure of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad if that is what Syrians want. The comments by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov come despite Russia's insistence that there should be no external intervention in the escalating Syrian conflict. While the Russian remarks remain obscure on how that political transition might be achieved, they suggest a weakening of Moscow's backing for Assad in the midst of growing international calls for his departure. "If the Syrians agree [on Assad's departure] between each other, we will only be happy to support such a solution," Lavrov said. "But … it is unacceptable to impose the conditions for such a dialogue from outside." His comments came as opposition sources claimed that Syrian troops shelled the southern city of Deraa on Saturday, killing at least 17 people. In Damascus, residents spoke of a Friday night of shooting and explosions in the worst violence that Syria's capital has seen since the uprising against Assad's regime began 15 months ago. For the first time in the uprising, witnesses said, regime tanks opened fire in the city's streets, with shells slamming into residential buildings. However, a BBC correspondent, Paul Danahar, who visited one of the areas of the reported clashes in the capital, said he could find no evidence of the street battles reported. The UN said several weeks ago that at least 9,000 people had been killed since the crisis began in March last year, while Syrian activists say the violence has claimed the lives of more than 13,000 people. The latest violence follows the visit on Friday by UN observers to the deserted village of Mazraat al-Qubair, where activists say 80 people were massacred earlier last week by pro-government militia. The Assad regime claims only nine people died in the village, at the hands of "terrorists". The scene held evidence of a "horrific crime", said UN spokeswoman Sausan Ghosheh. Ghosheh said the residents' accounts of the mass killing were "conflicting", and that the UN needed to cross-check the names of the missing and dead with those supplied by nearby villagers.Like this article? rabble is reader-supported journalism. Chip in to keep stories like these coming. After a hiatus from the Ukraine and Russia file for much of 2015, the editor of Canada's largest daily newspaper has opened the year 2016 with sharp words for Russia, notably the "lightning annexation of Crimea" and the "Moscow-backed separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine" which Russia is said to have sprung on the world in early 2014. Olivia Ward pens an article in the January 10, 2016 edition of the Toronto Star loaded with grim predictions for Russia's economy in 2016 and of "swelling grassroots outrage" against the rule of President Vladimir Putin. The Star editor explains, "In 2014, Russia’s lightning takeover of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula was a shock that reverberated around the world. Within a month, a Moscow-backed separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine convinced western leaders that the Russian bear was on the prowl, and its appetite for territory was growing." Looking forward, Ms Ward writes, "In 2016, the question is not how much Putin’s geopolitical ambitions might expand, but how long it will be before they are curtailed by harsh economic realities at home. The answers will have serious consequences for the future of the Middle East and beyond." A biased and vacuous view of an important part of the world If Russia's ambitions in Crimea and Ukraine were such a shock to the world in 2014, then a reader might expect some words to explain how matters are faring in those two places, apparently suffering grievously under the heel of the "Russian bear". But we read not a word. The silence is not at all a surprise, because if the intent of an article is to discredit Russia, then there is not much in either Crimea or Ukraine place to peg an argument. In Crimea, survey after survey in 2014 and 2015 has shown widespread satisfaction with the referendum decision in March 2014 to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. Which is not to say that Crimeans have no criticisms or dissatisfaction with their new political institutions or their economic and social policies. These would, indeed, be interesting to read in English; Russian-language press has lots of it. But when the sole purpose of news reporting is to'stick it' to Russia, the subtleties and nuances of a real-life situation on the ground are so much clutter. Such are the guideposts of dogmatic, mainstream Western media. Concerning the political, economic and human rights situation in Ukraine, it's a disaster going from bad to worse. This has apparently escaped the attention of Olivia Ward, but not that of Bloomberg News, Gallup Poll, Ukrainian farmers, Ukrainians who believe in a justice system free of thuggery (and here), the Financial Times, people in Ukraine of Jewish faith, the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, James Risen in the New York Times, and so on. The Star shields its readers from such news that gets in the way of the pre-determined agenda of its editors. Olivia Ward's predictions of economic collapse in Russia are nothing original and have grown stale. Writer Alexander Mercouris of Russia Insider is closely following the difficulties that low oil prices and Western economic sanctions have brought to the Russian people and economy and he concludes that the storm, whose causes are entirely out of the control of the government, is being weathered rather well. Vladimir Putin explains similarly in a January 5 interview with the German daily newspaper Bild. Once again on Crimea The accusation of a "lightning" annexation of Crimea betrays further ignorance of the situation in Ukraine. There was nothing "lightning" about long-standing grievances and dissatisfaction by the people of Crimea with their second-class status in Ukraine. Tensions and disagreements between Crimea and its political overlords in Ukraine go back decades, first to the arbitrary decision by the Soviet Union in 1954 to switch Crimea's formal, ties from the Soviet Russian federation to the Ukrainian one (irony of ironies: a decision backed today by Ukrainian ultra-nationalists and their Western backers!), then to the post-Soviet Union era beginning in 1991. During and following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Crimeans voted for independence (restoration of their Soviet-era autonomous republic) in 1991 and then for full autonomy within Ukraine in 1994. Neither the governments in Kyiv nor the ones in Moscow at the time accepted those votes. By 1996, Crimea achieved a compromise autonomy stemming from the 1994 referendum from a very reluctant government in Kyiv. But Crimea languished economically in Ukraine and the languages of the large majority of the Crimean population—Russian and Tatar—never achieved official status in the constitution of the country. (In today's Republic of Crimea, a member of the Russian Federation, there are three official languages—Russian, Tatar and Ukrainian.) Everything changed in February 2014 when the Ukrainian president for whom the large majority of Crimeans had voted in 2010 was overthrown in a violent coup spearheaded by extreme-right paramilitaries and financed and encouraged by Western powers. In the aforementioned Bild interview, Vladimir Putin explained why he and the Crimean people acted as they did in those stormy times in February-March 2014: [My concern] is people – 2.5 million of them. These are the people that were frightened by the coup; let’s be frank, they were worried by the [February 2014] coup d’état in Ukraine. And after the coup in Kiev – and it was nothing but a coup d’état, no matter how the extreme nationalist forces, the forces that were coming to power at that moment and largely stayed there, tried to sugar it up – they just began to openly threaten people. To threaten Russians and Russian-speaking people living in Ukraine and in Crimea in particular, because it was more densely populated by Russians and Russian-speaking than other parts of Ukraine… Here is a question: what is democracy? Democracy is the will of the people. People voted for the life they wanted. It is not the territory and borders that I am concerned about but the fates of people…. It is important to always respect international law. In Crimea, there was no violation of international law. Under the United Nations Charter, every nation has the right to self-determination…. What happened in Crimea? Firstly, the Crimean Parliament was elected in 2010, that is, when Crimea was still part of Ukraine. This fact I am talking about is extremely important. The Parliament that had been elected while Crimea was part of Ukraine met and voted for independence and called a referendum [March 2014]. Then the citizens voted at the referendum for reunification with Russia… Now I want to ask you this: if the Kosovans in Kosovo have the right to self-determination, why don’t the Crimeans have the same right? In citing the example of Kosovo, the president could have cited other, contemporary examples of self-determination votes that were accepted, if grudgingly, by Western governments and editorialists otherwise crying "annexation" over Crimea, including those in Quebec (1980 and 1995), south Sudan (2011), Scotland (2014) and perhaps soon Catalonia. In place of its selective news reporting and closed-door, dogmatic analysis of events in Ukraine and Russia, Toronto Star editors would serve their readers well by opening up their pages to informed opinion on Ukraine and Russia from Canadians. There is no shortage of highly informed opinion it could solicit. And yet they are frozen out of mainstream discourse in Canada. For example, Mikhail Mochanov of St. Thomas University in New Brunswick has recently penned an article examining the chronic and intractable crisis of corruption in Ukraine's political and economic institutions. (Even the right-wing vice-president of the United States acknowledged during his December visit to Kyiv that "something" is urgently needed to tackle this problem.) Halyna Mokrushyna and Ivan Katchanovski give voice in their frequent writings to the very soul of so much of the Ukrainian nation and population. Writer Mark Chapman in British Columbia offers an informed viewpoint that no doubt clashes with Star editors' mindsets, but isn't good journalism supposed to present contests of ideas, not just pre-set formulas? His concerns with misrepresentations of Russia in mainstream media go back at least to 2010 when he founded a blog titled 'The Kremlin Stooge'. Olivia Ward was last active in writing about Ukraine in early 2015, including a February 6 article urging support for the fundraising efforts of the extremist, far right Ukrainian paramilitaries waging civil war in eastern Ukraine. This writer wrote at the time about the disturbing proclivities of writers and editors in the Toronto Star and its cross-town rival daily, The Globe and Mail, to publish material endorsing and urging financial support for weapons purchases for the extremist paramilitaries in Ukraine. How is it that the anti-Russia views of foreign affairs editor Olivia Ward holds such sway in the pages of Canada's largest circulation newspaper? By all evidence, she neither speaks Russian or Ukrainian nor has she traveled to that part of the world. And why are alternative views, including those of Canadians of Russian and Ukrainian descent so rigorously excluded from the pages of the Star? The answer is that Ward speaks and writes on behalf of an entire editorial board which is deeply prejudiced and, let it also be said ignorant, of so much of contemporary Ukraine and Russia. They write and publish prejudice, not accurate news or informed comment. Readers of the three large print media conglomerates in Canada—the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and Postmedia chain are paying a heavy price for the incredible bias and dogmatism of editorial opinion of these publications. And now a repeat over events in Turkey And it gets worse. We are seeing a repeat of this bias over Ukraine now apparently taking place over events in Turkey. There, similar to Ukraine, the central government is waging war against a rebellious section of the population with legitimate social, economic and cultural concerns, in this case the Kurdish people in the east of the country. Shamefully, Canada's mainstream media has been utterly silent over the very serious attacks against journalists in Turkey, scores of whom have been threatened and jailed. As of December 29, 33 journalists are charged or in detention in Turkey, according to Today's Zaman. The BBC reported in June of this year that since his election to the presidency of Turkey in August 2014, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had taken libel action against more than 100 people for "insulting the head of state". The list of journalist victims includes the editor-in-chief of Cumhurriyet daily newspaper, Cam Dündar, jailed on November 26 over his newspaper's reporting in May of this year of collaboration between Turkey's secret police and Islamic State. The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey has addressed an urgent appeal over the entire situation in Turkey to the international community on January 6. Members of the left-wing opposition People's Democratic Party as well as the imprisoned Cam Dündar have addressed similar appeals to the world asking for expressions of concern and solidarity. A statement now signed by more than 2,000 Turkish academics in Turkey and abroad was issued on January 10 demanding that the government "abandon its deliberate massacre and deportation of Kurdish and other peoples in the region" of eastern Turkey The statement reads, " We demand the government to prepare the conditions for negotiations and create a road map that would lead to a lasting peace which includes the demands of the Kurdish political movement." Journalists in Turkey have issued a statement in solidarity with the statement of the academics. This article also appears on Counterpunch. Roger Annis is a retired aerospace worker in Vancouver BC. He is an editor of the website The New Cold War: Ukraine and beyond. There is an extensive compilation of news from Turkey on that website as well as recommended weblinks to Turkish news sources. Roger Annis can be reached at rogerannis@hotmail.com. Like this article? rabble is reader-supported journalism. Chip in to keep stories like these coming.Paul Angelo MHA, MBA - Miami Gay Matchmaker If you are a
Defense of the Republic of Congo. The aircraft made two technical landings – in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The 41.2-ton cargo from Baku and Belgrade included: 7, 62 mm cartridges, 12 pcs. sniper rifles, 25 pcs. М12 “Black Spear” calibre 12,7х108 mm, 25 psc. RBG 40×46 mm/6M11, and 25 pcs. Coyote machine gun 12,7х108 mm with tripods. The same heavy machine gun appeared in videos and photos posted online by militant groups in Idlib and the province of Hama in Syria a few months later. The aircraft also carried: 1999 psc. M70B1 7,62х39 mm and 25 psc. М69А 82 мм. On 26 February 2016, a video featuring the same М69А 82 mm weapons was posted to Youtube by a militant group calling itself Division 13 and fighting north of Aleppo. Interestingly, the aircraft that carried the same type of weapons landed in Diyarbakir (Turkey), 235 km away from the border with Syria. Another type of weapon, RBG 40 mm/6M11, which was from the same flight and supposedly destined for Congo too, appeared in a video of the Islamic Brigade of Al Safwa in Northern Aleppo. After Turkey, the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia and remained there for a day. Afterwards it landed in Congo and Burkina Faso. A week later, there was an attempted military coup in Burkina Faso. 300 tons of RPG-s, machine guns and ammunition for the Kurds In March of 2017, over 300 tons of weapons were allegedly sent to the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Northern Syria. Six diplomatic flights transported 43 tons of grenades on each flight from VMZ Military Plant, Bulgaria, to the Defense Ministry of Iraq. There are no contracts applied, however. On 28 March, 82 tons of cargo (AKM 7,62×39 mm and AG-7) were sent from Otopeni (Romania) to Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan). The consignor was Romtechnica S.A., the consignee – again the Ministry of Defense in Baghdad. No contracts are provided for this flight either. On 16 March 2016, yet another Silk Way diplomatic flight carried 40 tons of military cargo from Slovenia to Erbil: the exporter is ELDON S.R.O., Slovakia, the importer – Wide City Ltd. Co, Erbil, the final consignee – the government of Kurdistan. Wide City Ltd. Co has three offices – in Limassol (Cyprus), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Erbil. The office of the Bulgarian company Techno Defence Ltd is at the address in Sofia. On the website of the company, the owner of Techno Defense Ltd Hair Al Ahmed Saleh claims that he has an office in Erbil and that his company manufactures Zagros weapons in Azerbaijan (K15 zagros, 9×19 mm and automatic K16 zagros). These types of Zagros weapons appeared in propaganda footage posted by the military wing of the Kurdish PKK party, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey. The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev is also an ethnical Kurd. I reached out to all sides concerned involving my investigation. However, I have not received any comment.Oregon State vs UO mbx Oregon State's Devon Collier and Angus Brandt celebrate after Collier draws an 'and one' in the second half during Sunday's win over Oregon. (Jesse Skoubo/The Associated Press) EUGENE -- By some numbers and ratings, Oregon men's basketball still passes muster as a possible NCAA Tournament team. The Ducks (13-4, 1-4 Pac-12) a key component considered by the tournament selection committee, ahead of ranked or near-ranked teams such as Saint Louis, Michigan, Connecticut and Iowa. Ken Pomeroy's rankings have Oregon closer to the , but still, that's higher than teams considered in much better shape such as Toledo and Colorado. After three losses and his last update on Jan. 16, ESPN's Joe Lunardi pegged UO as a sixth seed in the NCAA tourney. But by the unofficial and unquantifiable eye test, the Ducks don't appear to be close to pulling together a run in the final 13 regular-season games that would gain an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament. The latest blow to UO's chances was its fourth-straight loss came Sunday in Corvallis, a place head coach Dana Altman had never lost as UO coach in four seasons. "Everybody's down," Altman said, describing the mood of the locker room after Sunday's defeat. Oregon did not play 6-foot-11 post Waverly Austin, its tallest player, against OSU's tall and talented trio of Angus Brandt, Eric Moreland and Devon Collier because Austin missed a couple practices this week with an illness, Altman said. Even if he'd played it wouldn't have helped the shooting of Joseph Young, Damyean Dotson and Mike Moser, however, and though defense was once again UO's downfall Sunday, the 37 percent shooting as a team -- a season low -- was a new and troubling wrinkle. Those three combined to shoot 7-of-34 from the field. "I think a little of that is pressure, trying to get it going," Altman said. If UO wants to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009, it must fight through building pressure with each loss. Thursday in Seattle against Washington (3-3 Pac-12) will serve as another chance for UO to show whether it's good enough to fight through that pressure, as tournament teams do, or not. My question to readers is, where do the Ducks go from here? What is your best-case scenario for this team -- and what do you think the reality will be? OK, to the links: My story on what went wrong with Oregon. the film of the loss. Oregon State pulled off the win after Contributions by Ben Carter and Richard Amardi were nice, their groove again. Oregon in the loss. The Beavers' secret is Sunday. A nice is here. for this week's AP top 25 poll. isn't happy about this latest loss. --Putin Confirms Russia Will Regulate Cryptocurrencies Following the meeting with Vladimir Putin, Russian regulators announced that cryptocurrencies will officially be regulated in Russia. The central bank and the finance ministry will now work together to come up with one draft law to provide a basic regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, which is expected by the year’s end. Also read: Putin Tells Central Bank Not to Create Unnecessary Barriers to Cryptocurrencies Putin Has Spoken At the meeting on cryptocurrencies between Putin and top Russian regulators on Tuesday, the decision to regulate cryptocurrencies in Russia was reached. “The Russian government has decided to officially regulate the mining and circulation of cryptocurrencies,” RT described and quoted Finance Minister Anton Siluanov announcing on Wednesday that: We have agreed on the following: the state should regulate the process of issuing cryptocurrencies, the process of mining, the process of circulation…The state should head this situation and regulate it legally. The meeting was attended by Siluanov, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Central Bank Deputy Governor Olga Skorobogatova, Presidential Aide Andrei Belousov, and Qiwi CEO Sergei Solonin. In the meeting, Putin acknowledged the risks associated with cryptocurrencies. However, he also stressed that “it is important not to create unnecessary barriers, of course, but rather to provide essential conditions for advancing and upgrading the national financial system.” Finance Ministry to Work With Central Bank Currently, cryptocurrencies including bitcoin are not regulated in Russia despite many attempts by various government departments to put forward proposals to regulate them. Both the central bank and the finance ministry have been working separately on a draft law to regulate cryptocurrencies. A draft bill was supposed to be introduced in October but was postponed due to a lack of consensus among the regulators. The finance ministry proposed to legalize cryptocurrencies but was opposed by the central bank due to “a loss of control over the money flows from abroad.” This week, the ministry proposed to register cryptocurrency miners and to license crypto exchanges. After the meeting with Putin, however, Siluanov told journalists that the finance ministry and the central bank will now work together to prepare one basic draft law to regulate cryptocurrencies, Tass reported on Wednesday and quoted him saying: We will prepare the draft law together with the Central Bank…I think we will be able to determine the basic regulatory positions before the end of the year. “According to him, with regard to regulation, the functions of the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and Rosfinmonitoring will be delineated,” the publication elaborated. Possible Restrictions In addition, Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev indicated on Wednesday that there may be some restrictions. “Russia’s Finance Ministry supports the idea to limit the amount cryptocurrency that can be purchased by individuals,” Tass detailed and quoted him saying: We said that restrictions are needed on purchases and sales, accounts, miners’ taxation and so on…Yes, there is such an idea, we support it. We should discuss the amounts. We should look at international practice. This is not the first time Moiseev talked about restricting the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies in Russia. In August, he proposed listing them on regulated exchanges but banning non-qualified investors from buying and selling them. However, his proposal did not receive a lot of support from other regulators. First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov promptly commented on Moiseev’s suggestion, stating that no legislation had been decided. The finance minister followed up with a suggestion that cryptocurrencies could be made available to anyone in the same way federal loan bonds (OFZ) are. How do you think Russia will regulate cryptocurrencies? Let us know in the comments section below. Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Alchetron. Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section.Kelsey Grammer is best known for his two-decade-long portrayal of psychiatrist Dr Frasier Crane which began on the NBC sitcom Cheers. He continued the role in the hugely successful spin-off series Frasier which ran for 11 years. When the series ended in 2004, it had won a total of 35 Emmys. Born in the Virgin Islands, he was brought up by his mother and maternal grandparents in Florida, after his parents divorced. He studied drama at the Julliard School in New York but left before the end of the second year. He got his big break when he joined the cast of Cheers in 1984. In his personal life Grammer has experienced a great deal of loss - his much-loved grandfather died when he was 12 and his 18 year old sister was murdered when he was 20. His struggles with drink and drugs, now behind him, are well documented. Married four times, he is the father of seven. The winner of multiple awards, he is also a TV producer, director, writer, and known for his voice work: among others he was Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons and Stinky Pete in Toy Story 2. He is currently on stage in London. Presenter Kirsty Young Producer Cathy Drysdale.I AM NOT THE DEVELOPER OF THIS SYNTH. I WAS BETATESTING IT (OBVIOUSLY THE ONLY ONE) AND SPENT MORE TIME THAN ANYBODY ELSE ON THIS PLANET WITH THIS SYNTH. WHEN I WRITE "Though I am somehow involved in the development process" I MEAN THAT THE DEVELOPER APPRECIATED MY SUGGESTIONS AND EITHER IMPLEMENTED THEM OR NOT. BUT THE SYNTH WAS ALREADY DONE (MORE OR LESS). Hello everyone,. I can't believe there is no review for HYDi until now. Maybe people are afraid of the SE framework, maybe people think this little dirty girl can't come up with some serious sounds...let me say you one thing: you should not have to worry about stuff like that. I give her 10/10. Though I am somehow involved in the development process I think after such a long time without a review I am allowed to write one. She deserves one and I know all of her Ins and Outs (lol). Of course I am heavily biased. So keep that in mind. But I hope that you will have a lot of fun and some usage in your projects with HYDi. I wrote Andrew shortly after his first KVRDC12 Version. I liked what I have heard so far and saw many potential in it. Shortly after that I was heavily beta testing a new version which became more and more polished over the time. We fixed lots of bugs and added lots of new stuff. I recommended a few things and lucky for me Andrew implemented them into his already pretty deep concept synth. And that's what HYDi is all about: a hardcore semimodular modulation monosomething synth with some of the most innovative custom Oscillators, Filters and FX I have ever heard in the VST synth world (paid synths included). I stopped counting the different SAW waveforms after five or six and all of them sound different plus a RAMP one as well. The third OSC can act as a dedicated SUB OSC with some nifty functions like FILTER BYPASS. This synth allows you to route your filters either PRE or POST AMP. The resonance of most filters sounds completely different that way. HYDi comes with one of my favourite software CUSTOM (!!!) LOWPASS FILTERS: LP12C...I like this so much that I measure a lot of synths against this one. Use the inbuilt stepsequencer and let this modulate your CUTOFF as well. High resonances with low cutoff on SAW or PULSE can sound very 303 this way. Not a lot Filter can do this IMHO (another good one is eg signaldusts DOLPHIN 303 filterdesign if you are after that kind of sound). The micro fx section (a small fx section between the AMP and "MAJOR" FX sections) contains a pretty useful compressor that I use a lot. This in combination with the upper EQ/FILTER unit can give your final sound "the icing on the top". To get the most out of HYDi I recommend to think about her this way: everything that is going either into FX1 or FX2 is MONO. The FX can now be used to add some STEREO information to the MONO signal. That can be the pretty subtle but awesome CHORUS unit, one of the two REVERBS or the FREQ shifter in L/R config. Use different timing on the DELAY, PAN each of the two delay lines to L & R and you can get a nice PING PONG effect. Use the AMP ENV as a mod source and invert it to get a DUCKING effect. This can be applied on most FX. I also recommend downloading my CORESOUNDS pack that will give you a bunch of preconfigured raw OSCILLATOR setups. Tweak ENV & FILTERS to taste and have some serious fun. Regards. Sebastian.Sixteen-time World Champion Pankaj Advani stormed into the final of Asian Snooker Championship thrashing Mohammad Bilal of Pakistan 5-0 in a thoroughly one- sided encounter. Advertising Advani will meet second seed Lv Haotian of China, who beat Mohamed Shehab of UAE 5-3 in the other semi-final. The clean sweep in the semi-final puts Advani just a win away from completing a career Grand Slam in cue sport. Having won all the major events – Nationals, Asian and World Championships in both Billiards and Snooker and in both the long and short formats, this is the one title (15-red Asian Snooker) that has eluded Advani. A victory will make Advani only player in history to win all Majors in two sports at all levels and across all formats. Advani will also become the first player to win both Asian titles in Billiards and Snooker in the same calender year. Many records await the 31-year old champion and they all hinge on the final of this championship. In the semi-final, Advani was trailing in the first frame but after a chance was gifted by his Pakistani opponent, the top seed capitalised and grabbed the frame to draw first blood. Advertising From there, it was a one-sided affair as Advani grew from strength to strength, winning the next four frames rather comfortably to confirm his berth in the final.This week’s Four Corners investigation on the circumstances surrounding the death of Iranian asylum seeker Reza Barati at the Manus Island detention centre in February was uncomfortable viewing. The ABC program highlighted the lawlessness of the centre and the vulnerability of the asylum seekers to violence. But perhaps the most concerning aspect of the report was the Australian government’s steadfast commitment to an arrangement that is both dysfunctional and inhumane. This commitment has not been shaken by Barati’s death or the serious injuries suffered by 62 men in the care of Australia and Papua New Guinea in the February violence. In a conference call with the centre’s stakeholders obtained by Four Corners, a voice, believed to be Immigration Department deputy secretary Mark Cormack, says that the Australian government is: …not going to change their policy. They’re not going to change their approach. They’ve got very strong resolve. International law obligations The immigration minister, Scott Morrison, admits in the episode that he is unable to guarantee the safety of the asylum seekers in the Manus Island detention centre. He said: It is absolutely my aspiration, it is my commitment, to ensure that these places are safe, but it is difficult I think to do that in every instance. However, Australia cannot wash its hands of its legal responsibility to ensure the safety of the asylum seekers it transfers to PNG. If the government cannot guarantee the well-being of people seeking Australia’s protection, it is unlawful, under international law, for Australia to transfer them to a place where they are at risk of harm. Some of Australia’s legal responsibility to asylum seekers stems from voluntarily signing and ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR applies to Australia wherever it exercises power or effective control. Australia pays for the detention of asylum seekers in PNG and maintains a permanent presence at the detention centre. As was revealed in the Four Corners report, Australia makes decisions about the day-to-day operation of the centre, such as when certain information is revealed to asylum seekers. Therefore, Australia has clear power and effective control in the centre and is bound by its ICCPR obligations there. Australia’s responsibilities under the ICCPR include protecting life (under Article 6) and ensuring that individuals are not subject to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment (Article 7). Under the ICCPR, Australia also has an obligation not to send someone to a place where their life may be in danger or where they may be subject to cruelty or inhumane treatment. The transfer of asylum seekers to PNG is therefore a clear violation of Australia’s international obligations. The enforcement problem Unfortunately, there is no effective means of enforcing Australia’s obligations at an international level. As a result, it is left to Australian courts to monitor the legality of the government’s actions. However, Australian courts can only enforce obligations under domestic law rather than international law. When overturning the then-Gillard government’s “Malaysia Solution” in 2011, the High Court ruled that Australia could only relocate asylum seekers to a country that meets certain human rights standards. That decision was based on Section 198A of the Migration Act. In response to the ruling, the then-government amended the Migration Act to remove the requirement for Australia to declare that a country will meet “relevant human rights standards” before transferring asylum seekers. That is, while domestic law may have previously protected asylum seekers from being taken to PNG, the changes to the law make it more difficult to enforce Australia’s international obligations in Australian courts. Australia’s extraterritorial processing regime under the new law is currently being tested before the High Court. Should the challenge be successful, Australia may have to cease the detention and processing of asylum seekers in PNG (and perhaps in Nauru). The Four Corners episode offers some hope for united opposition to the Australian government’s punitive policies by showing footage of the vigils for Barati, attended by thousands across the country. Without political pressure, any legal wins may be short-lived. Governments can readily change domestic law to suit their needs.British Parliament members of the ruling Conservative Party say they have lost their confidence in Prime Minister David Cameron, calling on him to quit over what they call Brexit lies. The MPs called for a general election to be held before Christmas, further fueling the Brexit debate less than a month before a crucial referendum decides Britain’s future in the European Union (EU). Tory MPs Andrew Bridgen and Nadine Dorries said Sunday that Cameron had effectively lost his parliamentary support after resorting to “lies” and “outrageous” claims in his bid to persuade British voters to back remaining in the EU during the June 23 vote. “The party is fairly fractured, straight down the middle and I don’t know which character could possibly pull it back together going forward for an effective government. I honestly think we probably need to go for a general election before Christmas and get a new mandate from the people,” Bridgen said. At least 50 MPs – the number needed to call a confidence vote – were on the same train, Bridgen revealed, adding that a vote on the prime minister’s future was “probably highly likely” after the referendum. Dorries went even further in his criticism of the premier, telling ITV on Sunday that she had already submitted a letter of no confidence to the chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee. “[Cameron] has lied profoundly, and I think that is actually really at the heart of why Conservative MPs have been so angered. To say that Turkey is not going to join the European Union as far as 30 years is a lie,” Dorries said. Cameron said earlier in May that Turkey was making little to no progress in implementing EU standards and therefore “it would be decades, literally decades, before this even had a prospect of happening.” He has also warned that leaving the EU would cost Britain billions of pounds and put its security at risk. According to Dorries, the Remain campaign’s decisive win in the referendum was vital for Cameron to survive. “If remain win by a narrow majority, or if leave win, he’s toast within days.” Meanwhile, Chris Grayling, the UK justice secretary, downplayed the possibility of an early election, saying the rebel MPs would not get enough support for that purpose. The fiery criticism came shortly after the release of a scathing open letter by Tory MP Boris Johnson, and Justice Secretary Michael Gove, two firm Brexit backers, who described as “corrosive” the Prime Minister's failure to keep his promise to bring migration levels down.Sales of the Apple Watch tanked by more than half... The iPhone is still in a slump — but it may have at least hit rock bottom. That was Wall Street’s glass-half-full take on Apple’s fiscal third-quarter results Tuesday, as the tech giant posted narrower-than-expected drops in sales and profits. Apple sold 40.3 million iPhones in the three months ended in June — 15 percent fewer than it did in the year-ago quarter. Still, that was slightly less than the shocking, 16-percent drop iPhone unit sales saw in the March quarter, sending its shares tumbling in April. Overall, Apple’s revenue dropped 15 percent, to $42.4 billion, with earnings down 27 percent, to $7.8 billion. Results were weighed down by sluggishness in China, where sales fell 33 percent, the company admitted. The narrower-than-expected declines sent Apple stock 7 percent higher, to $103.41, in after-hours trades Tuesday, bringing Apple’s market capitalization to $558 billion. The bump-up, worth $25 billion, was about double the size of the entire market value of Twitter, which also reported results late Tuesday. In a conference call with analysts, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook admitted that iPhone sales this year have been worse than the company originally expected. “The iPhone upgrade rate for [the iPhone] 6s has been very similar to the 5s,” Cook said, referring to the fact that the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 models, with their significant design improvements, boosted sales more. “In retrospect, maybe that was a predictable thing, although we didn’t predict it at the beginning,” he said. Looking ahead to September, Cook sounded upbeat about the release of the next iPhone, although he scrupulously avoided letting any details slip about the new gadget — including whether it will be called the iPhone 7. Analysts have grown increasingly bearish about the upcoming iPhone after leaked pictures showed a design that’s little different from the 6s apart from a larger camera and a missing headphone jack. “We’ll see, but I’m very optimistic about the future,” Cook said, noting the rising rates of users switching to the iPhone from other phones. Despite initial skepticism, Apple execs said the smaller, lower-priced iPhone SE launched this spring has been a hit. That, combined with a 4-million-unit inventory reduction in higher-priced iPhones, sent average iPhone sale prices tumbling to $595 — from $662 a year earlier. Nevertheless, that figure is poised to increase in the current quarter with the release of the new iPhone, Apple financial chief Luca Maestri said. Elsewhere, the iPad Pro sent overall iPad revenues upward for the first time in several quarters, although overall iPad unit sales continued to drop. Mac sales also declined as designs grew stale. Apple said that revenue from services grew 19 percent, driven by cash from App Store downloads and rising subscriptions at its stumbling Apple Music division. For the current quarter, Apple said it expects revenues of $45.5 billion to $47.5 billion, with gross margins of 37.5 percent to 38 percent.Get all of Chris Burke’s columns as soon as they’re published. Download the new Sports Illustrated app (iOS or Android) and personalize your experience by following your favorite teams and SI writers. Offensive tackle Ryan Harris, who started every game for the Super Bowl champion Broncos, did not sign with the team until May 29 of last year. Fellow tackle Gosder Cherilus, a 13-game starter in Tampa Bay, did not ink his contract until August 17. James Jones, the Packers’ eventual team leader in receiving yards and TDs (and a free agent again this off-season), did not make his way to Green Bay until September 7. In other words, a general manager’s work is never done. Teams are constantly tweaking their rosters, with the time between the draft and Week 1 typically featuring a non-stop stream of transactions. The biggest prizes of this year’s free-agent class were claimed weeks ago, but there could be some help out there yet. Here are 15 intriguing players still on the market: Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB Fitzpatrick is 33 years old with 11 seasons and nearly 3,500 pass attempts under his belt. There are no riddles to solve at this point—he is what he is. Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey did coax career highs in yards (3,905) and TDs (31) last season but it was hardly a flawless showing. All that said, he is a decent, experienced option in a QB market that long ago ran bare. He’s not going to touch the $18 million per season deals handed to Sam Bradford and Brock Osweiler this off-season, but he does have value at a lower price tag. The Jets seem to have figured that out, hence their refusal to budge on Fitzpatrick’s contract demands. Odds are, he winds up back in New York. If not, there are enough unsettled quarterback situations around the league for Fitzpatrick to find a shot. • QBs with the most to prove: Carson Palmer faces unrelenting pressure Anquan Boldin, WR Boldin, 36 on Oct. 3, still wants to play. His wait on a (likely) new home should not be much longer now that teams have their receiver depth charts more or less set. Boldin never was going to be a priority free agent this off-season, but he could push for his eighth 1,000-yard season in the right situation. Heck, he caught 69 passes for 789 yards last year while missing two games and playing on the league’s worst offense. Brandon Boykin, CB The Eagles traded away Boykin for a mid-round draft pick, the Steelers kept him glued to the bench for several weeks last season and now the Josh Norman-less Panthers cut him despite a cheap contract. So, there has to be more than meets the eye here. Still, when Boykin has had a chance to play, he has been a highly effective slot corner. A GM out there will give the 25-year-old another gig. Leon Hall, CB Another member of the slot-corner fraternity, Hall reportedly underwent back surgery once Cincinnati’s 2015 season ended. Add that to his age (31) and two prior Achilles tears and the result is an extended trip into free agency. Nevertheless, Hall has been linked to an ever-growing number of teams and remains, when healthy, a very steady performer against both the run and pass. Walter Thurmond, S Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported two months ago that Thurmond, 28, might be considering retirement. While that would be a surprise with Thurmond coming off a career year, the ex-Eagle does have a checkered injury history. If he does want to give it another go, his 2015 performance, when he shifted from corner to safety, only bolsters his standing. • NEWCOMB: Falcons set to sell $2 hot dogs, other cheap concessions Dwight Freeney, OLB Freeney did not sign with Arizona until October last season, then delivered 8.0 sacks in 11 games plus another in the playoffs. So there should be no rush on his end. He is a pass rush-only option at this stage of his career—87% of his snaps came vs. the pass last season, per Pro Football Focus. He’s still effective. Donte Whitner, S It now has been two weeks since Whitner had this exchange with a fan on Twitter: @stevensutton0 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 soon — DonteHitner31 (@DonteWhitner) May 4, 2016 He remains a free agent, so there could be extended negotiations going on there. If not the Rams, then bank on another team scooping up Whitner, who was unexpectedly cut by the Browns early last month. The 30-year-old scuffled last season (who didn’t on that Cleveland defense?) but still averaged 93 tackles over his two Cleveland campaigns. Arian Foster, RB When will Foster be ready for game action again? How confident will his new team be in his health when he is? Still rehabbing the Achilles tear that ended his 2015 season in October, the 29-year-old Foster has ample NFL success on his resume to use as a pitch when he’s ready. The days of him being counted on as a No. 1 back are over, though. Danny Lansanah, LB The two-down linebacker is starting to go the way of fullback, squeezed out by the evolution of NFL offenses. Lansanah, 30, realistically should come off the field on passing downs or when the opposition spreads the field, but he did pick off three passes during his breakout 2014 season. Even in a limited role, he will wind up on a 53-man roster. Randy Starks, DT For about seven or eight seasons now, Starks has been among the most underrated players in football. He did show signs of fading during the 2014-15 seasons, first in Miami and then Cleveland, but remains a reliable rotational interior defender. Louis Vasquez, G Vasquez was a Pro Bowler in 2013, his first season after hopping ship from San Diego to Denver. While he did not maintain that level of play in 2014 or ’15, he was a full-time starter for the Super Bowl champs. Still just 29 and now with 100-plus appearances, Vasquez is the type of veteran who signs in June or July and then locks down a first-team role by August. Pierre Thomas, RB Thomas learned firsthand last season how the NFL views running backs once they hit 30 years of age—he was not signed anywhere until November, when San Francisco came calling, then finished out 2015 with Washington. Another long wait could be on the horizon in 2016. Even so, Thomas still can contribute as a passing-down back and he has averaged 4.6 yards per carry during his career. • BEDARD: Why settle? Cowboys need more competition at backup QB Will Beatty, OT Few tackles of note remain on the market, which means any teams still looking are either out of luck or will wait until cuts happen. The 31-year-old Beatty could rise as an X-factor from that muck. He missed the entire 2015 season due to multiple injuries: a torn pec out of camp and a shoulder injury that required rotator cuff surgery late. His recovery timetable is TBD, but multiple teams reached out earlier this off-season. Beatty started 47 games at left tackle for the Giants from 2012–14. Kevin Williams, DT The Saints’ defense, if we can call it that, was shredded to the tune of a league-worst 29.8 points allowed per game last season. Lost amid the carnage was that Williams turned in a useful performance. Pro Football Focus ranked him 33rd among 123 interior defenders, one spot back of Kansas City’s Dontari Poe. He will turn 35 in August, so this could be the end of the line, but a team needing help vs. the run could do worse. • MMQB: On injuries in Buffalo, Carolina's corners, more NFL notes Chris Canty, DE Speaking of linemen who can stand up against the run, Canty has done so effectively throughout his long career. The pressing issue—aside from his age (33)—is that he has been unable to stay healthy. Canty missed seven games in both 2012 and ’15 and another five in 2014. He should come cheap, after the Ravens declined his $2.15 million option for the coming season.Burak Cingi/Redferns/Getty Images When Donald Glover closes his eyes and falls in a crumpled heap to the Honda Stage floor at the end of the psychedelic "Riot," are we supposed to think that he's actually dead? Later, when the house camera catches him staring up at his drummer, his back to the audience, flashing an awed grin, holding his pose while the syncopation of "Stand Tall" crescendos, looking like a Broadway leading man facing up to a cardboard cutout of a mountain, his coke-white jumpsuit pulled down around his waist, are we supposed to think that he's about to climb some Everest? When he says, "I love you" to the crowd as though he's got a point to prove at the end of "I. Crawl," like he's deploying it in the middle of an argument, accentuating every syllable and raising his eyebrows and pointing into the front row beneath him, are we supposed to think that Childish Gambino loves us? The Honda is Governors Ball's second stage, but it's twice as full here for Childish Gambino's set as it is for Phoenix's simultaneous headline slot on the other side of the park. This is the first show that Glover's played in the northern hemisphere since the release of 2016's Awaken, My Love! and he tells the crowd that this will be his only show this year. Between having a kid, preparing for roles in the next Star Wars and a new Lion King, and plotting a new series of his much-lauded FX series Atlanta, Donald Glover is busy. Bringing his sleek, slithering neo-funk to an audience that loves him now more than ever can't be a priority. There are only so many hours in the day. All this—the idea of Donald Glover the award-winning polymath—should be simple. But Donald Glover and Childish Gambino have always had a strange relationship and that's always been a problem for his critics who have obsessed over questions of authenticity and coolness. The consensus that Childish Gambino's rich-millennial rap was corny (thanks in no small part to that Pitchfork review of Camp) persisted through the sprawling and ambitious Because the Internet and the palm tree pop of Kauai. Critics were always looking for ways to poke holes in Childish Gambino's persona—he got his name from a Wu-Tang Name Generator! What a nerd!—and eventually the thing was so porous that it wouldn't float. Total reinvention, then. Tonight he walks on to Awaken opener "Me and Your Mama" and the mean funk-rock of "Boogieman," the band filling out the back of the stage while Glover's presence fills every other inch of the park. He shimmies and flutters when the mic's in the stand, then struts from one side of the stage to the other when he picks it up. Tonight could have been this and this only: All 11 Awaken tracks, pretty much in order, a rapturous Glover throwing his back into every song but staying quiet in between. It could have been a passive-aggressive statement from an artist who's understandably tired of the questions. It is emphatically not that. Things go quiet for a second after the opening one-two and then we're wrestled back into the past. The first line of his Chance the Rapper collaboration "The Worst Guys" comes in without warning. "All she needed was some" can be heard precisely one time before the audience swallows the line whole. Reviewing Camp at Grantland back in 2011, Rembert Browne wrote that he was "excited and thrilled" that Glover's existentially critical lyrics, his way of wrestling with his own black experience, were having an impact on "the younger, more malleable-minded cohort." Well, they're six years older now. They're following along with "Rather blast a Jackson 5 in the back of an Acura / Acting blacker than a Bernie Mac, two Charlie Murphys and Akon," and then collectively erupting to echo Glover: "They girls that you brought, man, where are they from / Where are they from / We were playing Playstation." The reinvention of Childish Gambino relied on us thinking that this was a clean break. Once a rapper, then a pop musician, now a funk singer/bandleader. We're supposed to believe that this was a new man. But the old and new blend perfectly tonight. His flow over the warehouse atmospherics in 'II. Worldstar" doesn't feel all that far from Awaken's "Have Some Love" when the two are brushing up
paddy straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea, at right) native to their homeland with the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides).” The genus Amanita is one of the most toxic mushroom genera in the world. Cotter believes that if foragers will follow a few simple guidelines, take the right precautions and gain a little education about native mushrooms, they will be able to enjoy what should, he said, be an extremely safe activity. His suggestions include: Join a local mycological (fungi) group. They are located all over the United States. A list is available at the North American Mycological Association. Buy a regional field guide to learn what mushrooms grow wild near you. Seek to identify at least the genus of the mushroom you have found (identification keys include the stem, a spore print, what the mushroom is growing on and the structure of the stem base, which could be below ground). Take two collecting baskets when foraging. Put mushrooms positively identified as edible in one. Put mushrooms you are uncertain about in the other. You won’t get sick by simply touching a toxic mushroom, he said. Be extremely careful if you are a pet owner and want to take your dog on a foraging trip. Dogs lead the list as victims of deadly and poisonous mushrooms — more than any other animal or humans, Cotter said. Here is an overview of a few edible and nonedible North American mushrooms. Edible-toxic look-alikes: Chanterelles vs. jack-o’-lanterns Chanterelles: edible The gold-yellowish or brilliant orange color of chanterelles makes them easy to spot during a walk in the woods. Morels are better known, but chefs tend to prize chanterelles more because of their unique peppery, peachy, apricot flavor and because they are found only in the wild. Where they grow: On the East and West coasts. At maturity, East Coast chanterelles tend to be smaller (about the size of a fist) than those on the West Coast, which can weigh up to two pounds. When to forage: Most of the summer and into the fall on the East Coast. From September to February on the West Coast. A tip from Cotter: On the West Coast, look for chanterelles around conifers. On the East Coast, they prefer hardwoods, especially favoring oak species. Habitat: Chanterelles tend to grow in small clusters among hardwoods, conifers, shrubs and bushes. They are also often found in leaf litter of mountainous forests and among grasses and mosses. Culinary use: These meaty mushrooms have a magical appeal for chefs and home cooks alike. Slice them into generous-sized pieces to retain as much of the flavor as possible. Saute them in butter, cream, oil or chicken broth. Their distinctive flavor stands up well in soups and stews, and with main courses such as scallops, chicken, pork or veal. Jack-o’-lanterns: Toxic The jack-o’-lantern mushroom is a common mushroom and has two forms in the United States. East of the Rocky Mountains, Omphalotus illudens is a bright orange. West of the Rockies, Omphalotus olivascens grows in southern to central California, where it has olive shades mixed with orange. Jack-o’-lanterns can be found in urban settings in large clusters at the base of trees, on stumps or on buried wood. How to tell them from a chanterelle: There are two primary differences between chanterelles and jack-o’-lanterns. The jack-o’-lantern has true, sharp, non-forking gills that descend the stalk, whereas chanterelles have blunt, gill-like ridges on the cap to the stem. When the stem of a jack-o’-lantern is peeled, the inside is orange. In chanterelles, the interior of the stem is paler than the exterior. Symptoms: Symptoms from eating a jack-o’-lantern appear within 30 minutes after consumption and usually abate within 24 hours. Symptoms include: excessive secretion of tears, perspiration and salivation, difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea. Two more edible-toxic look-alikes: Morels vs. false morels Morels: Edible Morels are considered a gourmet’s delight and one of America’s most popular and highly regarded mushrooms. They range in color from cream to almost black, and their honeycomb pattern makes them easy to spot. Where they grow: Morels grow in almost every state. Exceptions are Florida, which is too hot, and Arizona, which is too arid. When to forage: Early spring before the trees leaf out. That’s February on the Pacific coast, March to mid-April in the South, and May in the Northeast. Peak season is April-May. A tip from Cotter: Carry a cooking thermometer to measure the ground temperature. Morels fruit only when the ground temperature is 50 to 58 degrees. Habitat: Morels associate with moist areas and specific tree types: Ash, tulip, oak, hickory, sycamore, cottonwood, maple, beech, conifers and apples. Cotter urges caution if foraging in apple orchards, because morels are excellent at absorbing pesticide residue, which can remain in the soil for long periods. Culinary use: Morels have a unique smoky, earthy, nutty flavor that is prized by cooks worldwide. The darker the color, the stronger the flavor. A popular way to cook them is to simply saute then in butter with salt and cracked pepper. Wash thoroughly, but be aware that because of their honeycomb structure, they may retain some bits of soil that can’t be washed out. False morels: Toxic There are approximately a dozen species of false morels that grow in the United States. False morels fruit in the spring at the same time as morels as well as in the summer and fall. How to tell them from a true morel: Though people sometimes confuse the two, they are actually quite different. The caps of false morels have a wrinkled, brain-like or saddle shaped structure rather than a honeycomb look. Also, when sliced down the middle lengthwise from the top, morels have hollow interiors, whereas false morels have a cotton-ball looking substance inside their stems. Symptoms: False morels are toxic to the liver. Onset of illness usually occurs six to 48 hours after consumption. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, muscle cramps, bloating and fatigue. Two of the deadliest mushrooms in the world Mushrooms in the genera Amanita are among the deadliest in the world. Here are some ways to recognize two of these. Death caps: This highly toxic mushroom (Amanita phalloides) is blamed for the most mushroom poisonings in the world. While native to Europe, death caps occur on the U.S. East and West Coasts. Description: Death caps have a 6-inch-wide cap, often sticky to the touch, that can be yellowish, brownish, whitish or greenish in color. The cap has white gills and grows on a stalk about 5 inches tall with a white cup at its base. Can be confused with: Young death caps can resemble puffballs, which encompass the genera Calvatia, Calbovista and Lycoperdon. When seen: September to November. Habitat: Under pines, oaks, dogwoods and other trees. Symptoms: None immediately. Then the person will experience vomiting, diarrhea and cramps. After several days, these symptoms will go away and the person will think they are OK. However, they are not. During this time, internal organs are being severely damaged, sometimes irreparably. Death can occur six to 18 days after ingestion. Destroying angels: Destroying angels get their name from their pure white stalks and caps. Like the death caps, they belong to the genus Amanita, with several species occurring in different regions of the country. All, however, have a similar white fruiting body. Description: An attractive white cap, stalk and gills. Can be confused with: In their button stage, destroying angels can be confused with button mushrooms, meadow mushrooms, horse mushrooms and puffballs. When seen: Summer and fall. Habitat: All Amanita species form relationships with roots of certain trees. Destroying angels can be found in or near woodlands or near shrubs and trees in suburban lawns or meadows. Symptoms: Diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain generally occur five to 12 hours after ingestion. As with death caps, the symptoms will typically go away and the victim might think they don’t need to see a doctor. However, a day or two later the symptoms will return and get worse. By then, it will probably be too late because the person will likely suffer liver and kidney failure and enter a hepatic coma that ends in death. If they survive, treatment is severe: a liver transplant. Three mushrooms that are edible (and tasty to boot) A thumbnail look at three other edible mushrooms popular with foragers. Lion’s mane mushrooms: Also known as the bearded tooth, hedgehog or pom pom mushroom, the distinctive Hericium erinaceus can be found growing on hardwood trees in late summer and fall. Its distinctive shape, which resembles the mane of a male lion or a pom pom, is unlike any other mushroom. Its taste is also unique and often compared to seafood. How to recognize it: Beech trees are frequent hosts. Another identifying characteristic is that it tends to grow its spines from one group rather than from branches. It can also grow very high in the trees, as much as 40 feet up the trunk. Maitake mushrooms: Also known as hen of the woods, ram’s or sheep’s head, maitake mushrooms (Grifola frondosa) grow at the base of hardwood trees such as oaks. It is prolific in the Northeast but has been found as far west as Idaho. Because they can grow quite large and become too tough to eat, they should be harvested when they are young. Older specimens can be dried, powdered and used for soups and sauces, also for a unique breading adjunct. How to recognize it: Maitakes have small, overlapping tongue or fan-shaped caps. Oyster mushrooms: Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) belong to a genus of some of the most commonly eaten mushrooms. They can be found in every season of the year, but are most prolific in cooler weather. Be sure to clean carefully to remove any insects that may be hiding in the gills and discard the stems, which tend to be woody. How to recognize it: Look for their scalloped caps on dying hardwood trees such as oaks, maples and dogwoods, especially after the first rains of the fall. The caps are a whitish-gray, sometimes tan. Cultivated varieties found in grocery stores may have blue, yellow or pink caps. Photo credits: All photos except death cap by Olga Katic Cotter Death cap: Tatiana Bulyonkova/flickr Wild mushrooms: What to eat, what to avoid Proper identification can mean the difference between life and death.Serbia’s reputation has suddenly been dramatically rehabilitated, taking it from being seen as the worst nation in Europe to being among the most open and tolerant. While Hungary is busy fencing itself in and authorising the use of rubber bullets against refugees and migrants, Serbia has been keeping its borders open and promising to be a good host. As Andrew MacDowell asked in Politico: “Wait, the Serbs are now the good guys?” It’s certainly a sea change. Back in the summer, Bosnian Muslims attacked Serbia’s prime minister Aleksandar Vučić at a Srebrenica massacre commemoration. They were angry at the presence of the former ultra-Serbian nationalist Vučić, whose official condemnation of “this horrible crime” did not go as far as recognising the killings as genocide. Foreign coverage, taking its cue from the very ugly 1990s, assumed the Serbian authorities would treat refugees harshly. That changed in September, when BBC journalist Manveen Rana’s photograph of a Serbian policeman cradling a Syrian child propelled a different view of Serbia. Adding resonance to the picture, it was subsequently discovered that the policeman was ethnically Albanian, which Serbia invoked to show it integrated members of ethnic minorities into its police. More importantly than the images, the country’s humanitarian responses to the tens of thousands of refugees and migrants arriving at its borders this year has won it international praise. The Serbian government has taken the official position that the refugees do not want asylum in Serbia, but that while they travel through the country, they will be treated humanely and cared for. And as Vučić himself has noted, Serbia has not seen the sort of protests against and attacks on refugees and migrants that have been witnessed elsewhere. Lead the way While Serbia shares many of its neighbours’ problems – a crumbling national infrastructure and welfare system, industrial decline, poverty and unemployment – compared to some of its neighbours in nations such as Hungary, many of its citizens have a far more open attitude to the refugees. Crucially, ordinary Serbs are not scared of the refugees and migrants and do not automatically think of them as illegal or criminal. They have generally sympathised with the arrivals as people escaping war, just as their own families and friends did in the 1990s. That empathy only increased this summer with the 20th anniversary of Operation Storm, when more than 100,000 Krajina Serbs fled Croatian forces in August 1995. Serbia is also not a EU member and is therefore not under the same pressure to simultaneously uphold EU frontiers and accept EU-imposed quotas on refugees. Serbia has more scope to develop its own national policies – so the situation accordingly feels less out of control to the Serbs than it does to their EU neighbours. Author provided At the same time, Serbian nationalist politics was discredited in the 1990s even among many Serbian nationalists themselves, who accused the government of abandoning Serbs in Krajina and Kosovo. As a result, Serbs are cynical about any exclusionary nationalist answer to their questions about the future. Instead, they want to come out of international isolation. Rather than attacking the refugees as a threat, Serbs have greeted the refugees as an opportunity to retrieve their international reputation. Solidarity with the Syrians and other arrivals makes perfect sense in a Serbia nostalgic for the international standing and ties that Socialist Yugoslavia enjoyed through its membership of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was jointly founded by its then-leader, Josip Broz Tito. Not there yet Serb citizens have been energised by the chance to offer humanitarian support to the refugees, building on the volunteerism that followed the 2014 floods in the region – the worst for 100 years. Many Serbs hope their activities will foster progressive political change in the country and thereby improve its international standing. Already the signs are good; Vučić has just returned from a successful visit to Washington with senior US government officials, and this year’s Gay Pride took place without the violent disruptions of past years in Belgrade, albeit under tight police security. Businesses exploiting refugees have been named and shamed on social media But there’s a long way to go, and it would be wrong to say there’s no limit to this openness and liberalisation. The Serbian government has built the national consensus on refugees on the presumption that refugees won’t stay, and not having to provide permanent asylum for thousands of people. There have also been reports that the Serbian police have sometimes been far from accommodating, and even violent. So while Serbia has become one of the preferred safe migration routes from Turkey and Greece to Europe, the proportion of the refugees in Serbia who are actually seeking asylum there has gone down this year The government has failed to outline long-term plans for hosting the refugees, a position that looks more like short-term PR management than principled humanitarianism. The delicacy of that approach is evident in the rising tensions with neighbouring states, including a trade war with Croatia. Simultaneously, the Serbian government has yet to answer its own citizens’ search for a more meaningful politics, and to offer an alternative future for its citizens and for the refugees – many of whom will need to stay and find shelter from the colder European political climate ahead.This is a response to Aoief Wilson's hands-on preview of Dark Souls II, entitled "Seven Reasons for Fans to Worry." It's a great preview of the game that outlines some of the big changes coming in Dark Souls II. I wasn't able to play the game myself other than the Network test late last year. I'm basing my responses on what I know from the hands-on coverage thus far, of which there is plenty. You can voice chat with other players I was not expecting this. Co-op partners have the option to voice chat. I’m not sure if this is attached to a ring or just a menu option, but it’s clear that you’re able to turn it off completely. I’m sure I will have it off for the majority of the random people I play with, and for some reason I expect this to be the norm. The passive communication in Dark Souls leads to some brilliant moments in multiplayer - a seasoned veteran desperately trying to lead a new player safely through The Depths wouldn’t really play out the same way if you could just call out all of the shortcuts. But, it’s simply up to the player to decide the experience they want to have, so nothing is lost here. Friend summoning is made easier Via the Name-Engraved Ring: With it, players can pledge allegiance to one of ten gods, and if their friends also sign up to the same god, the likelihood that those two players will be paired up in co-op is greatly increased. Sounds good to me! Similarly to the voice chat option, it’s up to the player to decide their experience. Playing with friends in Dark Souls is a pain in the ass. Some might say playing with friends goes against the intentions of the multiplayer, or it’s not the “right” way to play the game. But this changes nothing but make it easier for people who were going to play with friends anyway. And after a million playthroughs, I wish there was a more convienent option. You can be invaded whilst hollow This is an interesting change that seems to reflect the intent that human form is actually desirable in Dark Souls II. There’s no penalty for running around as a zombie in Dark Souls, and the benefits of being human can easily be outweighed by the new threat of invasion. Now invasions are a constant threat. But of course, this is Dark Souls, so the mechanic isn’t that simple. You could join a covenant that will spawn a helping phantom (who can only attack invaders, not enemies!) automatically when you get invaded. You can burn a human effigy (Dark Souls II’s version of humanity) at a bonfire to disable invasions temporarily. This seems fair. Say you only have one effigy. You use it to turn human to summon a phantom for a boss, but now you can’t disable invasions. Or perhaps you can’t disable invasions when a phantom is present. I have no idea. Fast travel is available from the start Remember Dark Souls before you couldn’t warp to Tomb of the Giants? There won’t be any of that in the sequel. And you won’t even have to wait until the middle of the game to be able to warp between bonfires. I fondly remember beating Ornstein and Smough for the first time and getting the lordvessel. Unlocking the warp ability following such an intense fight affects the pacing of the game beautifully, filling players with confidence to progress onward, showing them that there are now multiple paths to take, and suggesting that maybe they should go back to previous areas to see if they’ve missed anything. But now it’s playthrough 43 and you’re in front of the Ornstein and Smough fog. You’ve forgotten the large ember, and even though you’ve been to The Depths you can’t warp there yet. This type of punishment gets tedious after a while. I am confident the game will be designed around this change for the better. It’s really just a matter of how much the convenience bothers you. You can still take the scenic route if you’d like. You can reset your character stats Fuck yes. I’m sure this will come at a great sacrifice, but again, for the convienence of replaybility, I’m all for it. Deleveling in Demon’s Souls was obnoxious, and not even possible in Dark Souls. There's a (sort of) random enemy The Black Knights in Dark Souls were originally supposed to randomly roam around Lordran and stalk the player. It seems like this scrapped idea has resurfaced with an enemy called The Pursuer. He’ll show up at specific points, but he’ll still offer an element of surprise not found with the otherwise static enemy placement. Total random enemy placement wouldn’t feel right – unless there was some sort of game options menu for subsequent playthroughs like XCOM’s Second Wave – but a stalker enemy who can show up in multiple places should help keep things fresh. Maybe there will be a reason to walk back to previous areas instead of warping after all. Why the celebrity endorsements? Dark Souls II, originally revealed to the world via Jessica Alba at the VGAs, features the voicework of actor Peter Serafinowicz. I could go on for days about how the marketing of these games doesn’t accurately reflect what makes them special. But the minimal voice work in the Souls games has been excellent so far, and from what I’ve heard in Dark Souls II that still seems to be the case. Next month we’ll be able to see how these changes will really affect the game. Next. Month.The Federal Reserve is mobilizing against Sen. Rand Paul's increasingly popular effort to audit the central bank. “This is about interfering with the making of monetary policy. I respect the gentleman from Kentucky, but he’s wrong,” said Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher on Fox Business Monday evening. “We are audited out the wazoo." Fisher was one of several Fed officials to speak out Monday against Paul’s bill to have the Government Accountability Office audit the Fed’s monetary policy deliberations and report to Congress. In a separate appearance on Fox Business, Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser said the Fed audit is “scary” because it would mean that “you are going to have political interference in the short term to try to influence and shape policy decisions” that should be left to the independent central bank. In a sign of how seriously the Fed is taking Paul’s effort, Jerome Powell, one of the five members of the Fed’s Board of Governors, gave a speech at Catholic University Monday solely dedicated to Paul’s bill and other efforts to increase congressional oversight of the Fed. Powell said the idea that the Fed acted in secret or was not accountable during its efforts to counteract the financial crisis was “a perspective that is in violent conflict with the facts.” The former George H.W. Bush Treasury official also said the legislation was “a stepping stone to abolishing the Fed.” The Fed's finances are already audited by an outside accountant, and most of its functions are audited by the GAO. Paul's bill, however, would undo the exemption that shields monetary policy from GAO audits, a move deeply opposed by Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen, the White House and Wall Street. But the general public is overwhelmingly in favor of new legislation to audit the Fed, and Paul is tapping into that populist sentiment. “Whenever we go through periods like the one recently where there’s a great deal of dissatisfaction with the outcomes, there are usually pressures to do things about the Fed,” said Allan Meltzer, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon and the author of a history of the Federal Reserve. Paul also anticipated the Fed's counteroffensive while in Iowa over the weekend. “Anybody feel that the Fed’s out to get us? They’re all over the TV! They’re going to be out there saying, ‘Oh, we can’t audit the Fed.’ What, are they too big to be audited? Too secret to be audited?” the libertarian Republican said Friday at an “Audit the Fed” event, according to Bloomberg. Paul, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, also continued drumming up support for his legislation over social media and mailing campaigns. Legislation to impose new congressional brakes on the Fed is nothing new. But with a new Republican majority in Congress and anti-Fed sentiment running fairly high, some analysts believe that Paul’s bill could go further than previous efforts, even in the face of resistance from the Obama White House and the financial services industry. The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2015, Paul’s bill, has 30 cosponsors. Among them is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Paul’s fellow Republican from Kentucky. Tony Fratto, a partner at communications firm Hamilton Place Strategies that represents some financial firms, noted that establishment support for a Fed audit is new, even though there has always been a populist strain in U.S. politics, going back to at least William Jennings Bryan, skeptical of centralized monetary policy. “What I’ve seen recently is, for populist political reasons, some more people have been willing to entertain and lend some credibility to some of the critics” of the Fed, said Fratto, who warned that auditing the Fed’s monetary policy would be dangerous. “I still don’t believe that at the end of the day it’s going to go very far,” Fratto said, “but I am worried and disappointed at the number of people who are willing to entertain some of these ideas.” One advantage that Paul has is that Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the chairman of the powerful Senate Banking Committee, may be interested in some form of a Fed audit. Shelby said after Paul’s bill was introduced that he would like to see some form of audit, although his office did not clarify whether he supported the specific provisions of Paul’s bill. “You have a Tea Party element behind the bill,” said Brian Gardner, a political analyst at investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, noting the support of Paul and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. With Shelby’s possible support, “now you have somebody who’s really of the old school in the Senate, kind of the consummate dealmaker, it’s a very interesting dynamic.” “The old guard and young Turks might be collaborating on this,” Gardner added, noting that Shelby might have the political skill, if he wanted, to attach a Fed audit bill to other legislation the White House would have trouble vetoing. The Paul bill is one of many that Shelby at the committee level and McConnell in the full chamber must decide among during a packed legislative schedule. It could easily get lost due to time constraints or a lack of support, but it already has enough momentum to have the Fed worried.by Tiled roofs seldom tell such a vivid story as they do in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Stories of war. Stories of reconstruction. The war of the early 1990s destroyed most of the tiled roofs of this jewel of the Adriatic. Not enigmatic like Venice but inviting, though both are definitely charming in distinct ways. I wrote earlier about the charms of this Adriatic town loaded with history from older times and recent times. Its emblematic roofs catch your eye from up high as you approach the town from the airport. It is quite a view even if this photo is not the best as it was taken from a moving bus. Walking along the old walls that surround the town is one of the best things to do to see the town from a very unique angle that most cities do not offer. From there, the tiled roofs caught my eye in a different way. This post will share some of those roofs, the new and old (most are new, repairs from the most recent war) as I keep pondering the stories the town could tell us… Enjoy them! Please share this post! Facebook Twitter WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest Google Reddit Email Print Tumblr Like this: Like Loading... RelatedThe Sacramento Kings were on the verge of moving to Anaheim in April of 2012, and they are currently awaiting the NBA Board of Governor’s approval t0 move to Seattle. But there was a surprise location that the Maloofs shopped the Kings to after the Anaheim talks broke down. The Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting that Las Vegas arena developers were pushing hard to bring a professional franchise to town, specifically the Kings. They even met with the the Maloofs: On May 21, 2012, Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen and acting City Attorney Christine Guerci-Nyhus met representatives of the Maloof family, which owned the Kings, and the largest nonfamily partner, Bobby Hernreich, in New York City. No deal was made. The Kings recently were sold to a Seattle investment group. This is just another dirty trick in the bag of the Maloofs, who have turned their backs on their once proud franchise. In the past year, they have been more than interested in selling the team to three different investors and locations (Anaheim, Las Vegas, and now Seattle) and we are all left wondering when this roller coaster will end.In this week's Academy column, Frank McParland explains how a constant flow of players going back and forth from Kirkby to Melwood is maintained. While plenty of youngsters from the club's U21s and U18s squad have gone across to Melwood for the occasional training session, there has been situations where players have come the other way. On Tuesday, for example, Luis Alberto, Raheem Sterling, Jordon Ibe and Martin Kelly were all involved as the U21s beat Sunderland at Anfield... We need to remember here at the Academy that our U21s side is also a vehicle for the first-team players and when they need to get minutes under their belt, we'll be more than happy to accommodate them. I think it's great that in midweek against Sunderland we had Luis Alberto, who scored a hat-trick, Raheem Sterling, Jordon Ibe and Martin Kelly all playing with our young lads. All the staff and the players understand that when a first-team player needs time, we have to do our bit because everything we do at the Academy is geared towards helping the first team. So it's fantastic that the boys came down and they really made a difference. It was a really good game. I think everyone enjoyed it. Yes, we started quite sloppy, but we got better and better. There were some fantastic performances. I thought Raheem was brilliant on the night and for me it was a great occasion. The manager was there to watch, as were the likes of Michael Owen, Steve McManaman and Rob Jones. There are two sides to this situation, though. For the lads who are playing with the first-team players, it's a great experience and a vital one for their development. You can't deny that. Being with the senior players and playing alongside them is fantastic. Obviously there is also a small negative, because simply, someone won't play. And we have to manage that. So, all the boys who missed out on that had a game prepared for them the next day which was carried out behind closed doors. We played this game against Burnley and we had planned ahead for the match. We looked at it in advance and we knew that in this particular week we would get some first-team players coming down to the U21s. So we played against Burnley and we had Luis Suarez take part in the game. We all know that Luis is a world-class player and for the young boys to be able to get changed in the same changing room as him, do their warm-up alongside him and pass him the ball, was superb. Not all of our boys will play in the first team, but they can all say they've played with Luis Suarez, which is a fantastic achievement. He handled himself really well in the game and he worked very hard. He did the warm-up in exactly the same manner as the young boys did and from start to finish he was a professional. I was very, very impressed with him. The way we are managing this coming and going of players from the first team at the moment is about right I think. The boss is very keen for us to play the same way as the first team. So for the likes of Jordan Rossiter, who played in the Anfield game, it's not so much of a transition when they play alongside senior players. Our lads are used to going up to Melwood to train with the senior side as well and so they are familiar with some of the faces who come down to the reserves. Personally, I think it's a great situation for the Academy when the players are used to playing there and they have that relationship with the first-team players. They don't look out of place when they line up on the pitch with senior players - but they've still got to step up to get into the first team. Last week we appointed a new U18s boss in Neil Critchley to help us bring these players through. He's a very astute and quiet sort of guy, who goes about his business very well. He is very focused on improving the individual players and he's got a proven track record from Crewe. Now he's come to us and we're really looking forward to working with him. Neil is one of only 16 in the country to have gained the highest possible qualification in the game after he was handpicked by the FA to take UEFA's first elite badge course. It's great that the FA went through a club like Crewe to pick him out and send him on the course. He's done really well to get that. I think qualifications are definitely important, but really it's more about how he coaches players and how he gets on with the lads. And I think Neil has a lot of humility and he's a really, really good coach. Mike Garrity will now revert back to his role as assistant manager of the U18s to help Neil. This week also saw the likes of young Harry Wilson, who is just 16, go up to Melwood to train. This is part of our plan as we want there to be a fluid transition in place, whereby young players can come and go from Melwood and there's nothing untoward and they don't look or feel out of place. Sometimes the first team will want a player and we won't always send an U21s player, we'll send an U18s player, like Harry, who's doing particularly well and deserves to go up there. But the lads have got to realise that the Kirkby Academy is where they play and this is where they train. It's a bonus when they go to Melwood - but they have to do their job here at the Academy first. If they go up for two or three days and think they've made it, we'll let them know that they haven't.Girl’s Day’s Sojin has given a hater a valuable piece of advice. On June 1, the singer continued her series of live broadcasts on V app entitled “Ssozi is Back,” where she talks to fans while reading the chat window full of their comments. During the show, she sings for her fans and even personally makes calls to them. As her time on the broadcast runs out, Sojin begins to give her final greetings and says, “Thank you for spending time with me like this.” Right then, a hater appears on the chat box and leaves negative comments. Slightly taken aback, she says, “I see there are people who leave hateful messages on V app too.” She continues, “You should spend more time on your own happiness. I hope you won’t spend so much time hating other people, and instead spend your precious time thinking happy thoughts, even if just for a short while.” That’s good advice for everyone! Source (1)New homeless count out, but don't try to compare the numbers From left, Tim Rennaker, Hannah Hunthausen, Jennifer Williams, Emily Mirra, and Gina Ohms search Ravenna for signs of people sleeping outside as they take part in the annual Point in Time count, early Friday morning, Jan. 27, 2017. Around 1,000 volunteers and guides spread out across the city Friday to count the number of people living without shelter. less From left, Tim Rennaker, Hannah Hunthausen, Jennifer Williams, Emily Mirra, and Gina Ohms search Ravenna for signs of people sleeping outside as they take part in the annual Point in Time count, early Friday... more Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close New homeless count out, but don't try to compare the numbers 1 / 25 Back to Gallery The number of people who are homeless in Seattle and King County has risen, but no one is really sure by how much. In all, King County had no less than 11,643 people without permanent housing on Jan. 27, when a tally -- called Count Us In -- was done, according to the report released Wednesday morning by All Home King County. In Seattle, the count found 3,857 people unsheltered and 4,665 in shelters or transitional housing. Countywide, the total would represent a 9 percent, or 963-person, jump over last year’s One Night Count. But this year’s count was done using a new method that counted more areas and did a better job of it, said Mark Putnam, All Home’s director. Even if the number of people experiencing homelessness had stayed the same for a year, the numbers would likely be higher simply because the count captured more data than in previous years, he said. RELATED: Annual count of homelessness set for Friday, but under new terms The new report included a survey that gathered an array of data from the people encountered, including how people became homeless (the largest share, 30 percent, said it was because they lost a job while drugs and alcohol accounted for 20 percent), where they had lived before (77 percent had been living in King County before they became homeless) and what would be most helpful to get them back into housing (rental assistance and affordable housing were the top supports). “This year’s count helps us better understand who is homeless and why they’re homeless,” said Catherine Lester, director of Seattle’s Human Services Department. But as city and county leaders struggle to find effective ways to get people off the streets and into housing, the report can tell them little about how effective current programs really are. Comparing this year’s report to previous years is “an apples to oranges comparison,” Putnam said. The result is that this year’s report is something of a reset after 37 years of counting the city and county’s homeless population. “We need to draw what we can from this and maybe this will be the baseline year,” said King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles. In hindsight, she said a consistent methodology across the country would have been better, so that data could be compared consistently over time and
don’t have enough time.” There are f***g five to six classes a day here at the Academy which I give, so if you can’t make the early morning, there’s a later morning, there’s a midday, there’s an early evening, and there’s a late evening. So it’s a matter of want there, so if they don’t want to, they’re not going to make the time for themselves. WBBJJ: Favorite activity besides BJJ? Kurt Osiander: I like to go shoot guns. I don’t go hunting. I go to shoot guns to get good at shooting things; people, animals. I collect ancient weapons and study ancient civilizations and warfare and tactics and all that crazy st. WBBJJ: What’s on your IPOD? CD Player? Kurt Osiander: There’s a lot of really heavy music on it. Currently I have been listening to a lot of Lamb of God, because they’re just so f***g clean and heavy, it’s awesome. I listen to YOB, Necrosis, which is an old-time band but they’re f*g still heavy. I listen to Sepultura, Pantera, Testament. I listen to a lot of the old metal day bands. And then a lot of the bands have made a comeback, like Death Angel, who have put out a f*g recent bunch of f*g awesome albums. WBBJJ: What was the last movie you watched? Kurt Osiander: The last movie I watched from start to finish, was “The Unexpected Journey”; the Hobbit Movie. WBBJJ: If you could train with someone living or dead who would that be? Kurt Osiander: If I could be taught by them, it would be Carlson Gracie. That’s old school. That guy made some f*g guys that are still to this f*g day so f***g good and making such good product. It’s quite impressive. Carlson or Rolls Gracie, how about that? WBBJJ: Any final thoughts? Kurt Osiander: I want to thank all of my sponsors: Shoyoroll Kimonos, Q5, AfterGlow by Biorhythm, Bauerfeind, and On the Mat Fightgear. That’s about it! Man, please try to make it out to the KO Finisher which is coming up on February 16th and it’s down in Anaheim, the mecca of Jiu Jitsu, so we’re looking for a big turnout for people who want a fight to the finish. Interview by Todd Shaffer WBBJJOTTAWA — The federal Conservatives are considering sweeping recommendations from an influential government firearms advisory committee to loosen Canada’s gun control laws, the Star has learned. The proposed changes would touch on many of the remaining restrictions on firearms and critics say would pose a risk to public safety. Nathalie Provost, who was wounded during the École Polytechnique massacre, is concerned "we are losing more than just the long-gun registry, we are losing total control of guns in Canada." ( Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO ) The proposals include getting rid of the “prohibited” category of firearms and reclassifying weapons such as certain handguns and assault weapons as “restricted” only, and extending the duration of owner licences from five to 10 years — a move the RCMP warns would strip away an important safety check. MORE:Gun control advocate fears new tragedy On the 23rd anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre of 14 women, one of its survivors is aghast at the ideas proposed by the committee and fearful of its influence and power in Ottawa. Article Continued Below “I am very sad. And I am mad,” said Nathalie Provost, who was wounded in Marc Lepine’s fusillade against female engineering students on Dec. 6, 1989. Parliament has declared the anniversary a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada, and yet Provost fears any lessons learned have been forgotten. “I have the feeling with all of this that we are losing more than just the long-gun registry, we are losing total control of guns in Canada,” Provost said in an interview from Montreal. A summary of the recommendations as well as a record of a meeting where they were pitched to the government are among documents released to researchers for the Coalition for Gun Control under the access to information law and provided to the Star. Co-chaired by Steve Torino of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee met with Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and other senior government officials in Ottawa in late March, after the bill to kill the long-gun registry had cleared the Commons and was on the verge of Senate approval. The 12 committee members also called for the removal of the requirement on gun owners to get an “authorization to transport” firearms, and for the creation of a committee to advise on the classification of imported firearms — but said it should be made up mostly of advisers from industry. They recommended seized firearms — which by law must now be destroyed — be made legally available for public sale or trade. They suggested a “prohibited persons registry” could be set up to aid the tracking of those who should not be allowed to possess guns, but otherwise prohibited weapons should be reclassified. Firearms licences should be valid for at least 10 years “or longer,” said the committee, and “if a licence expires, it should go into suspension until renewed, removing the criminalization of the firearm possessor.” Article Continued Below Toews’ office confirmed Wednesday that he is actively considering the recommendations, particularly a licence of longer duration. “We always consider common sense solutions to ensure we have effective firearms laws that keep people safe, without needlessly burdening law abiding Canadians. We are looking at ways to ensure the licensing system is efficient and effective,” said Toews’ communications director Julie Carmichael. Her email reply did not directly address several other Star queries. The RCMP refused the Star’s request for comment or technical information Wednesday, deferring to the department of public safety. But the documents show the Mounties had real concerns in the spring. Assistant Commissioner Pierre Perron, responsible for the Canadian Firearms Centre, was at the March meeting and warned extending the duration of licences to 10 years “would limit” the RCMP’s “ability to monitor, on a timely basis, any changes to an individual’s mental health status,” according to a written record of the discussion that Toews’ office prepared. That’s because when a licence is renewed, an individual must answer questions about mental health or changes in personal circumstances that could affect their fitness to own a weapon— and the form must be verified by another person. The Conservative government — which has so far failed to respond to a request by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to put their representative on the advisory committee — has already acted on two of the committee’s other recommendations: Earlier this fall, Toews eliminated certain gun show regulations the committee called useless, and just last week, cabinet quietly deferred to December 2013 a decision to require gun manufacturers to put new markings on weapons imported to Canada — a move that was intended to allow better tracking and to bring Canada into compliance with a UN effort to control international gun smuggling. The proposed changes are “just chilling,” said Michael Bryant, former Ontario attorney-general who spoke on behalf of the Coalition for Gun Control. “And I think Canadians should be frightened by this.” “The idea that you could get the equivalent of a lifetime licence to use a gun in Canada is not what the Conservatives ran on in the last election, and that the RCMP is concerned about changes to somebody’s mental health over that period of time is enough to keep the licensing requirements and not water it down.”An environmental group, the Environmental Integrity Project, is criticizing the way the state notifies communities that have had persistently high levels of arsenic in their drinking water. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images) AUSTIN — Environmental groups are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to force Texas to more clearly warn of the hazards of arsenic in drinking water. The six groups, led by the Environmental Integrity Project, this week sent a letter to EPA Commissioner Gina McCarthy asking her to issue guidance ordering the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to stop telling people it’s OK to consume water with high arsenic levels for extended periods. In a report released last month, the Environmental Integrity Project said three El Paso County communities — Tornillo and two mobile-home parks — had had more than 10 parts per billion of arsenic in their drinking water for most of the past decade. That’s the limit that the EPA considers to be safe for human health. Elevated levels of arsenic have been linked to lung and bladder cancer, heart disease and slowed neurological development in children. Asked about the report, a spokeswoman for TCEQ downplayed the health risks of long-term exposure to arsenic at levels above the federal standard. She also said that the notices her agency tells utilities to send are dictated by the EPA. That’s inaccurate, said the Environmental Integrity Project’s executive director, Eric Schaeffer, who is a former director of the EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement. He pointed to guidance from other states, such as Wisconsin, that warn residents not to drink or cook with water that has arsenic at levels above 10 parts per billion. Since Texas has 34 communities in which 51,000 people have been chronically exposed to high arsenic levels, it’s especially wrong that state regulators haven’t warned of the danger, the environmental groups said in this week’s letter to the EPA. “Despite these chronic violations of the arsenic limit, the language in Texas state health advisories continue to suggest that the water is still safe to drink,” the letter says. “Year after year, the water-quality-violation notices that the state requires local water utilities to send continue to state: ‘This is not an emergency… You do not have to use an alternative water supply.’ Because of the chronic health risks posed by arsenic, this message is inappropriate when violations persist for years.” For Tornillo, which has by far the largest number of customers among El Paso County utilities with high arsenic levels, improvement should come soon. An official there said last month that it has received a $3.2 million EPA grant for a filtration system that would remove arsenic. The system should be online by the end of the year. Marty Schladen may be reached at 512-479-6606; mschladen@elpasotimes.com; @martyschladen on Twitter. Read or Share this story: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/health/2016/04/07/epa-asked-order-texas-warn-arsenic/82722538/Gov. Scott Walker told reporters Friday that critics of the deal between Wisconsin and Foxconn "can go suck lemons." In a stop in Eau Claire, Walker didn't mince words when he was asked by the media about environmental impacts or the $3 billion in incentives he promised Foxconn: "But I will tell you the pattern out here is there's a whole lot of people out there scrambling to try and come up with a reason not to like this. I can tell you, that's fine but I think they can go suck lemons. The rest of us are going to cheer and figure out how we get this thing going forward." Walker is touring the state to tout news about global electronics giant Foxconn's plans to invest $10 billion on a new manufacturing facility in southeast Wisconsin. The Friday tour that took Walker far from where the plant is located gave him a chance to talk up how the plant will help the entire state, not just the region where it's located. Lobbyist Bill McCoshen was Wisconsin's commerce secretary under then-Gov. Tommy Thompson. He said the tour gives Walker a chance to win over state lawmakers outside of the Milwaukee area to try and get their support for a $3 billion tax incentive bill the Legislature must pass to seal the deal. While lawmakers have welcomed the prospect of new jobs in the state, some have been cautious of getting too excited before going over the proposed bill, which has yet to be released, with a fine-toothed comb. When a reporter asked Walker why Foxconn left Pennsylvania and why they wouldn't do the same to Wisconsin, Walker said the difference is "simple." "Pennsylvania changed governors. It'd be a pretty good idea not to change governors over the next couple years," Walker said. In 2013, Foxconn said it would invest $30 million in a factory in central Pennsylvania. The plant never came to be. Walker traveled to Appleton, Wausau, Eau Claire and La Crosse on Friday. Editor's Note: This story was last updated at 3:46 p.m. Friday, July 28, 2017.5 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard In a recent radio interview, Sen. Mitch McConnell laughed at the unemployed who recently lost their benefits as he promised to vote no on any UI extension. Listen to how heartless the Senate Republican leader really can be. Listen here: Transcript: Lars Larson: I hope you vote no on extending unemployment benefits… McConnell: ha ha ha ha Larsen: …at least for the long term unemployed, I appreciate it. McConnell [still slightly laughing]: ya. McConnell: Thanks Lars. At the 8:21 mark of the audio, McConnell finds it funny that he is going to vote no on extending unemployment benefits. McConnell has so little compassion for the 1.3 million long term unemployed workers and their families that to him voting no and throwing them into poverty is a tickle the funny bone moment. Politico ran a story today that highlighted the hard choices that these decent people are facing, “Some who lost their benefits say they’ll begin an early and unplanned retirement. Others will pile on debt to pay for school and an eventual second career. Many will likely lean on family, friends and other government programs to get by.” Mitch McConnell finds it funny that he is forcing people into early retirement, or making them pile up debt in the hopes of going back to school to find a second career, or even worse, forcing them to rely on public assistance to survive. The unemployed aren’t lazy. They aren’t undeserving. They are hard working Americans who lost their jobs because of the kind of Wall Street and big bank greed that Mitch McConnell is a staunch defender of. If Sen. McConnell is so completely devoid of empathy and compassion that he laughs at jeopardizing the economic well being of millions of Americans, he doesn’t belong in the United States Senate. Mitch McConnell is so far inside the beltway conservative bubble that damaging the lives of millions is a moment of high comedy. This isn’t the behavior of a leader, a senator, or a decent caring human being. 18,000 Kentuckians lost their unemployment benefits on December 30, and Mitch McConnell is laughing at them. Kentucky needs a senator that understands and empathizes with the struggles of the folks back home. Kentucky and the United States of America will both benefit if voters decide to ditch Mitch this November. Sen. McConnell’s disturbing lack of compassion is hurting this country, and it is time for him to go. If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:Has Tre Mason played his last down for the Rams? The backup running back was placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list Saturday after failing to show for the start of training camp. Mason did not participate in Los Angeles' offseason program. Coach Jeff Fisher attributed his absence to "personal reasons." The 22-year-old tailback was arrested in March on drug and traffic charges and has had five separate incidents with police over the past four months. Fisher acknowledged in June that the Rams "have to prepare ourselves that Tre's not going to be here." Fisher revealed Saturday that Mason has broken off communications with the team: Jeff Fisher hasn't talked to Tre Mason since the season ended. Said Tre's chosen not to communicate with the team. â Colleen Wolfe (@ColleenWolfeNFL) July 31, 2016 TMZ Sports reported earlier this week that Mason's family is "extremely concerned" about his mental health, citing a "string of bizarre behavior and angry outbursts." Mason was viewed as a nucleus player on the Rams offense after earning a spot on the 2014 All-Rookie team. Reduced to a sidekick role following the addition of franchise back Todd Gurley, Mason managed a disappointing 2.8 yards per on 75 carries last season. While it's fair to wonder if the Rams will cut ties with Mason, his personal well-being is the chief concern.But Pegasus and others insist there’s now another way — that, armed with enough data and computing muscle, we can translate cities’ complexity into algorithms. Sensors automatically do the measuring for us, while software makes the complexity manageable. “We think that sensor development has gotten to the point now where you can replicate human behavior,” said Robert H. Brumley, the managing director and co-founder of Pegasus. These days, he and others believe, even the unpredictable “human factor” is, given enough computing power, predictable. “You can build randomness in.” Mr. Brumley isn’t alone in his faith that software can do a better job of replicating human behavior than the humans themselves. A start-up named Living PlanIT is busy building a smart city from scratch in Portugal, run by an “urban operating system” in which efficiency is all that matters: buildings are ruthlessly junked at the first signs of obsolescence, their architectural quality being beside the point. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. To the folks at Living PlanIT and Pegasus, such programs are worth it because they let planners avoid the messiness of politics and human error. But that’s precisely why they are likely to fail. Take the 1968 decision by New York Mayor John V. Lindsay to hire the RAND Corporation to streamline city management through computer models. It built models for the Fire Department to predict where fires were likely to break out, and to decrease response times when they did. But, as the author Joe Flood details in his book “The Fires,” thanks to faulty data and flawed assumptions — not a lack of processing power — the models recommended replacing busy fire companies across Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx with much smaller ones. What RAND could not predict was that, as a result, roughly 600,000 people in the poorest sections of the city would lose their homes to fire over the next decade. Given the amount of money and faith the city had put into its models, it’s no surprise that instead of admitting their flaws, city planners bent reality to fit their models — ignoring traffic conditions, fire companies’ battling multiple blazes and any outliers in their data. The final straw was politics, the very thing the project was meant to avoid. RAND’s analysts recognized that wealthy neighborhoods would never stand for a loss of service, so they were placed off limits, forcing poor ones to compete among themselves for scarce resources. What was sold as a model of efficiency and a mirror to reality was crippled by the biases of its creators, and no supercomputer could correct for that. Despite its superior computing power and life-size footprint, Pegasus’ project is hobbled by the equally false assumption that such smart cities are relevant outside the sterile conditions of a computer lab. There’s no reason to believe the technologies tested there will succeed in cities occupied by people instead of Sims. The bias lurking behind every large-scale smart city is a belief that bottom-up complexity can be bottled and put to use for top-down ends — that a central agency, with the right computer program, could one day manage and even dictate the complex needs of an actual city. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Instead, the same lesson that New Yorkers learned so painfully in the 1960s and ’70s still applies: that the smartest cities are the ones that embrace openness, randomness and serendipity — everything that makes a city great.× George Brett gives each member of 2015 World Series team a special bottle of whisky KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals received bottles of Crown Royal XR whisky from Royals legend George Brett Wednesday morning when they arrived at the clubhouse. The $130 bottles of whisky came enclosed in a velvet, Royal blue bag that was embroidered with the words “Kansas City World Champs 2015”. “Like most Royals fans, I’ve dreamed of the day the World Series Trophy would return to Kansas City, and I couldn’t be more proud of the team for bringing it back for the first time in 30 years. I wanted to congratulate them with an extra rare gift – special bottles of Crown Royal XR. I hope they’ll have a chance to enjoy the whisky during the offseason, as they look back on a great accomplishment,” said Brett in a news release.Observations from the Ravens' 34-31 preseason win over the Washington Redskins on "Monday Night Football": Baltimore Ravens fans were treated to a rare sight in the second quarter of Thursday's preseason game. Ravens fourth-year quarterback Joe Flacco threw a beautiful deep ball that sailed high in M&T Bank and into the hands of speedy receiver Lee Evans. Baltimore's newest receiver blew by Redskins corner DeAngelo Hall for the 35-yard touchdown. Lee Evans hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco with DeAngelo Hall defending. Rob Carr/Getty Images The Ravens hope to see many more big plays from Flacco and their offense in 2011. Baltimore's inability to get deep was a major reason the Ravens were ranked No. 22 in total offense last season. As a result, Baltimore released receivers Derrick Mason and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and tight end Todd Heap. Evans, rookie Torrey Smith and Ed Dickson are some of the new, more athletic pieces the Ravens are counting on. Time will tell whether the Ravens are better on offense this season. But they are certainly faster. Here are some additional observations: 1. Baltimore's receivers look ready. The offense still has work to do in some areas. But starting receivers Evans and Anquan Boldin look ready. Both veterans caught touchdown passes from Flacco on Thursday night. Evans' score was a deep ball, while Boldin beat the zone over the middle for a 12-yard score. Both bring different strengths and are playing well off each other. Boldin and Evans combined for eight receptions and 133 yards in limited playing time. 2. Running back Ray Rice is getting to the next level. Baltimore is making a concerted effort to improve the running game this season. That starts with getting Rice to the second level. Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach is blocking well at the line of scrimmage, and Rice is exploding through the holes. He rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries against Washington. Rice averaged 5.5 yards per run. 3. Baltimore needs offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie. Baltimore's offensive line remains in flux, particularly with pass protection. The Ravens hope free-agent signing McKinnie is the answer. Rookie tackle Jah Reid still has a long way to go. He gave up another sack against fellow rookie Ryan Kerrigan of the Redskins. McKinnie didn't play Thursday but likely will play left tackle for Baltimore. That would push Michael Oher to right tackle and give Reid more time to develop. 4. The Ravens' pass defense remains a work in progress. Washington quarterback Rex Grossman had a lot of success against Baltimore's first-team defense. Grossman threw for 112 yards and connected with Redskins receiver Santana Moss for a 24-yard touchdown before halftime. The play featured a blown coverage by Ravens rookie corner Jimmy Smith. 5. Ravens rookie quarterback Tyrod Taylor took another step toward becoming Flacco's backup. The sixth-round pick continues to be a pleasant surprise. He was 11-of-18 for 125 yards and a touchdown. There is a lot of discussion in Baltimore about whether the Ravens can go into the season with a rookie backup. Next week Taylor likely will get a majority of the reps to put his final stamp on a solid preseason. 6. Dickson might have a slight lead at tight end. The Ravens have a young tight end combo in Dickson and Dennis Pitta. They are in a close competition for the starting job. Pitta jumped out of the gate fast this preseason but Dickson is finishing strong. He recorded three catches for 57 yards against Washington. 7. Baltimore rookie defensive end Pernell McPhee continues to impress. The fifth-round pick recorded his first sack of the preseason in the second half. The Ravens were not counting on McPhee to come on this quickly. But he has been very good in training camp and is earning a spot in the rotation at defensive end.LAKEWOOD, Ohio - City voters face decisions this November on who will lead them in the mayor's office and on City Council and the school board. State Sen. Michael Skindell is challenging incumbent Mayor Michael Summers on the Nov. 3 ballot to see who will lead the city in the future. Skindell says he is running to save Lakewood Hospital from closing. To learn more about the candidate, watch the video here. Summers has headed city government since he was appointed mayor in 2010 and says he wants to continue leading the renaissance of Lakewood. Find out more about the mayor by watching this video. Lakewood Hospital: Summers has supported a plan to close Lakewood Hospital and replace it with a family health center and emergency room, but challenger Skindell argues the hospital should be saved. Learn more about their positions here. Hospital charter amendment: Summers calls a charter amendment concerning Lakewood Hospital deeply flawed, but Skindell says it would ensure the public a voice in the hospital's future. Find out more. Business attraction: Summers said the city has done well attracting new businesses downtown, but challenger Skindell said he would like to see Lakewood Hospital used as an asset to attract new businesses. Hear more here. Heroin problem: Mayoral candidate Skindell said the city must better address heroin addiction and overdoses, but incumbent Summers said his administration is taking an effective three-pronged approach. See them debate the issue. Lakewood City Council candidates City Council candidates in Wards 1-3 are in contested races this November. In Ward 1, incumbent David Anderson is being challenged by Patrick Metzger. Read more about Anderson here and Metzger here. In Ward 2, incumbent Sam O'Leary is being challenged by Paul Beegan. Learn more about O'Leary here, and Beegan here. In Ward 3, John Litten is challenging Mark Schneider for a seat that is to be vacant at the end of the year. Learn more about Litten here, and Schneider here. Basement flooding: Solving basement sewer backups in a city with a 100-year-old sewer system will be a complicated, expensive and long-term undertaking, City Council candidates agreed. Hear what they had to say. Lakewood Hospital development: City Council candidates agree it's early to begin discussing what type of development - retail, office or residential - should go onto the current Lakewood Hospital property if the hospital closes or downsizes. Find out more. Lakewood Hospital ballot issue: City councilmen David Anderson and Sam O'Leary oppose a proposed charter amendment requiring a public vote before the city could close Lakewood Hospital or reduce services. Find out where all the candidates stand here. Business development: Candidates for contested city council seats say the city can spur economic development by working with administration officials, maintaining the city's housing stock and improving Madison Avenue. Watch them discuss the issue. You can see video of the entire council debate here. Lakewood school board candidates Three incumbent Lakewood school board members, Linda Beebe, Tom Einhouse and Emma Petrie-Barcelona, are facing challenges this November. Gregory Calleri, Meghan George and Kristine Pagsuyoin are running against the incumbents. All the candidates, with the exception of Beebe, participated in a recent Northeast Ohio Media Group hosted video debate. You can see the video of the entire debate here. For more about Einhouse, watch the video here; for more on Petrie-Barcelona, here; information about Calleri is here; George explains why she is running here, and information about Pagsuyoin is here. School construction: A $100 million construction project to build three new elementary schools and replace half of the high school is on schedule and within budget, board member Einhouse said during the debate. All the candidates endorsed the building project. You can see what they said here. District finances: The school district needs leadership that can better control costs and ask for fewer tax increases, school board candidate Calleri said. Meanwhile, two incumbents on the school board, Einhouse and Petrie-Barcelona, said the board and administration have been effective at managing costs. Find out what all the candidates think here. Superintendent's salary: Lakewood school Superintendent Jeffrey Patterson, with a $173,000 salary, is one of the area's highest compensated suburban school district superintendents. Find out how all the candidates feel about the pay here. Music staff reductions: School board candidates Calleri and Pagsuyoin said they would like to see staffing restored for the district's music program, but incumbents Einhouse and Petrie-Barcelona said a reduction in enrollment and cost concerns justified reducing the music staff by one-half position. Hear all the school board candidates' positions here. Follow cleveland.com on Facebook and @LWOhio on TwitterFor what is this needed? Updating information about heroes powers help to add this hero for builds. How this work? For example we want to change "Rebounding Club" power for Daredevil 1. Choose any power what is located in the table Powers for update in this specific example search for name "Rebounding Club" 2. Check on actual data in the update history, and click on one of them. 3. After that should appear form "User Power Editor", what we can divided into: Icon - Icon you can find in the table Icons for Powers Name - Name of Power Tags - tags for Powers Description - description for power Information - main information about power. Where colors tags have format: [o] [ht] [rl] [rp] [r] [sl] [sy] [u] [cm] [dg] [y] [b] [p] [m] [g] [l] [c] [w] and Special tags : [blue] - blue color, [tab] - tabulation, [break] - break line in cell. Level - level required for unlock power 4. We are adding missing informations by using tags: 5. After you finish, click on Update button. Moders are able now to check your update and add it to main table. I should use values from 60 lvl hero with no equipment? Feedback It doesn't matter, admins will change it later. If you found any technical problems, please let us know by contacting us by e-mail feedback@marvelheroes.info. We are open for cooperation and ready for help in solving problems.The co-chair of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s election campaign has resigned following reports he gave advice on how to lobby a Liberal or NDP government to a company backing a controversial pipeline proposal. Daniel Gagnier is also facing a possible investigation by Lobbying Commissioner Karen Shepherd following a complaint from the NDP and was also under fire from the Conservatives. In a statement, Gagnier said he was stepping down for the good of Trudeau’s campaign. “In order to avoid becoming a distraction to the campaign, I have decided to take a step back from my responsibilities to the Liberal campaign,” Gagnier wrote. “I deeply regret that the campaign has been affected by these negative, personal attacks. I have always conducted my business openly and in full accordance with the rules.” In a statement, the Liberal Party said it respected Gagnier’s decision and blamed Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party. “Mr. Gagnier has always operated within full accordance of the rules. It is disappointing that the Conservatives chose to practice negative and mean spirited politics.” By Wednesday evening, Gagnier’s name had already been removed from the Liberal Party’s national directors webpage. Gagnier’s resignation came within a few hours of the news breaking and within a couple of hours of the NDP formally asking Shepherd to launch an investigation into his actions. “The Canadian Press is reporting that Mr. Gagnier e-mailed TransCanada Corporation with privileged information about the size of the presumptive Liberal cabinet, the key people lobbyists should target in order to ensure the timely construction of the Energy East Pipeline,” NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice wrote in a letter sent to Shepherd’s office Wednesday. “These allegations are precisely the kind of backroom dealing that undermines Canadian’s trust in their democracy, and causes them to believe that it’s Ottawa-insiders, not ordinary citizens, who shape the decisions of government.” Gagnier is not currently registered to lobby on behalf of anyone but has been registered in the past, including as recently as last year for the Calgary-based Energy Policy Institute. TransCanada is registered to lobby the government on a number of subjects including Energy East, U.S approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, proposed greenhouse gas regulations and liquid natural gas (LNG) pipelines in British Columbia. Officials lobbying on behalf of TransCanada have had 455 meetings with government officials since 2008. The NDP’s letter comes as the election campaign is coming down to the wire with national public opinion polls showing Trudeau’s Liberals in the lead. It also comes during an election where Shepherd’s office has served notice to Canada’s lobbyists to be careful about doing anything during the election that could “create a sense of obligation” on the part of a candidate once they are elected such as advising them or serving as a campaign chair. “Lobbyists who perform these political activities should recognize that undertaking such activities will mean that they cannot lobby that individual once elected, nor his or her staff,” Shepherd wrote in a notice on her website. “These activities pose a higher risk of creating a sense of obligation because of the direct interaction with the candidate that may occur, and the value added as a result of personal competencies or professional skills.” Shepherd’s notice has resulted in a number of Ottawa lobbyists with political experience largely sitting out the election campaign for fear of running afoul of the lobbying rules. The controversy that led to his resignation erupted after The Canadian Press reported that Gagnier sent an e-mail Monday to five people at TransCanada Corp., advising them to target the right people in a new government quickly to help shape Liberal or NDP decisions on a national energy strategy. Gagnier told them a Liberal or NDP government would likely reduce the size of cabinet to about 25 ministers which meant the finance minister would be a critical lobbying target, Canadian Press reported. “An energy strategy for Canada is on the radar and we need a spear carrier for those in the industry who are part of the solution going forward rather than refusing to grasp the implications of a changing global reality,” reads the e-mail obtained by Canadian Press. “The last point is critical as federal leadership and a discussion with premiers will take place early. This is where we can play and help them get things right.” Chris McCluskey, Conservative Party spokesman who served in the natural resource minister’s office prior to the election, said Gagnier’s e-mail is symptomatic of the culture that accompanied the Liberals when they were in power. “Justin Trudeau doesn’t represent change. He represents the same old Liberal Party that brought you the sponsorship scandal,” McCluskey wrote. “A party run by elite insiders who sell their influence to the highest bidder to the detriment of taxpayers.” NDP MP Charlie Angus also drew parallels to past Liberal governments and called on Trudeau to reveal whether Gagnier would serve as one of his advisors after the election. “It’s not even election day and already the Trudeau team are having to kick out key liberal insiders for engaging in back room lobbying deals,” Angus said in a statement after the news broke. “The fact that Mr. Trudeau has had to kick out his election co-chair Dan Gagnier for opening back channel lobbying to Energy East insiders shows that Justin Trudeau’s claims of ‘new politics’ is really just more of the back room, old boys club.” “I respectfully ask Mr. Trudeau to explain why his key point man on the election was doing outreach to insiders pushing a controversial pipeline proposal. It appears that Mr. Trudeau’s insiders are playing by the same tainted rule book as the discredited Harper Conservatives.” [email protected]After going through the audition process myself many times, both successfully and unsuccessfully, here’s 5 tips I picked up to help you nail that first audition. 1. Get enough sleep/food If your brain is beat up from the night before, you’re not going to be able to fully concentrate your energy on the task at hand; nailing that audition! Stick to your normal sleeping schedule, and get at least 7 hours the night before. Also, make sure to eat a filling nutritious breakfast. We tend to forget that drumming is exercise which burns a lot of calories; your muscles needs energy to draw from. You’re not you when you’re hungry, but Snickers bars are not the answer (if they had an ad campaign featuring Ringo Starr we might reconsider). Also, hydration. There is no life (that we know of) in this universe that exists without water. You may think you can live off beer, but you aren’t the exception to the rule. Drink water till you piss clearer than the California sky on a summer afternoon (if your pee is cloudy, please seek immediate medical attention. Also if it is blue.) 2. Warm up your body We’re not up there like Lebron James trying to dunk over 7 footers, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t warm up like you are. Muscles are as important to drummers as they are athletes. Just like an athlete, it’s important to warm up before playing in order to avoid unnecessary strain/injury. That means biceps, triceps, quad-ceps (not sure where they are but if there’s bi + triceps, there have to be atleast five – ceps, right?) head, shoulders, knees and toes. Oh and don’t forget fingers. Many professional drummers will run or lift weights before a gig to get their body in the proper condition to play. You can at-least try to touch your toes and do a few push-ups. The looser and more relaxed your body/mind are, the better you will play. 3. Practice the transitions The groove is the most important part of the song, but that doesn’t mean it’s the most difficult. When playing along with a song, you’ll end up practicing the groove 50 times more than the fills or transition simply because there are way more measures of groove than anything else.
struggling in ways I could not have imagined. The difficultly of the Puritan poetry I was teaching was nothing compared to the difficulty of living a life while being weighed down by doubt and fear. The next morning, I went to his homeroom and called him into the hallway. He looked even more nervous than he did when he handed me the note, so I got right to what I wanted to say. “Congratulations!” I blurted out. I then threw my arms in the air and hugged him; he began to well up. I told him that being who he was should not be a post script – “it should be a SCRIPT!” He laughed, I laughed, and then we talked. It was as if the dam had broken and he could finally express what he had been trying to hide so diligently for years. It was a release for him and a wake up call for me. It opened my eyes to the burdensome, intangible items that my students carry to class each day; they are items that weigh more than the ones I can physically see. They carry insecurity; they carry rejection; they carry worry. They carry secrets. From that point on, I made sure that I started mentioning some of the intangibles that I carried as a high school student because there were many; self-doubt was the most prominent. But, I also started including anecdotes of my BGU (Big, Gay Uncle). I talked about his career in the film industry, his life in big cities, and our shared love of anything Broadway. As I talked, I could see the faintest hint of a knowing look on some students’ faces. They were usually the ones who came to me later for advice on teen life — or to come out. Since that day in 1997, I have had the privilege of being the “coming out” teacher for numerous students in my school. Some were students I had in class, some were kids who heard about me. Some students cried. Some just rambled freely because the flood gates were open. But as each conversation progressed, I could see an invisible weight being lifted. It’s as if each of the students had been wearing a heavy, wet, wool coat that constricted their movement and made them uncomfortable. By the time each meeting was finished, the coat was on the floor. I still have the note; I also have 17 years-worth of wool coats all over my classroom. And I’m ready to collect more. Members of the Delsea Regional High School Gay-Straight Alliance at the Equality Forum in Philadelphia, 2013 AdvertisementsChoo choo! Next stop: hypeville. Today, we’re happy to release 0.9 which is a huge milestone for us, not only because of the amount of features we’re introducing, but because the next step is – make sure you’re sitting down – the 1.0 release of Castle Story! Which is, sort of, like, a big deal for us, to say the least. Today, we’re happy to release 0.9 which is a huge milestone for us, not only because of the amount of features we’re introducing, but because the next step is – make sure you’re sitting down – the 1.0 release of Castle Story! Which is, sort of, like, a big deal for us, to say the least. Since 0.8, we’ve been to Steam Dev Days, GDC, PAX East and EGX Rezzed to demo and playtest the game to as many people as possible! We met tons of incredible people, both developers and players alike with whom we discussed many things; the ups and downs of game development, various ideas and improvements for Castle Story and we got to visit some of the best spots in whatever town we were in to let off some steam from our busy game development schedules. (P.S: Boston has the best Clam Chowder, hands down!) After watching many fans playing our early 0.9 demo at PAX East and EGX Rezzed, we’ve been heavily rebalancing and ironing the kinks to get it in a releasable state. It’s with tremendous excitement (we dare say Kaplan-esque) that we drop the biggest update in Castle Story’s history and hope it was worth the wait! Highlights Your browser does not support the video tag. Rope Bridges Your Bricktrons can now build rope bridges to close the gap between two ledges and they only need access to one side to construct the bridge, meaning that new frontiers have never been easier to reach. No longer will you need architecturally dubious diagonal columns of stairs to reach new islands! Wards are new dynamic structures that Bricktrons can build out of iron ingots and Brimstone. There are different types of Wards and each of them serves a different purpose. Your browser does not support the video tag. Pylons will allow you to channel energy from your crystal or captured shards to out-of-range wards in order to power them up. Some wards need energy from the crystal to function at all, while others will function better when energized. Your browser does not support the video tag. Sentinels are powerful wards that will act as a sentries when powered up, helping you guard corners of your castle if your archers are busy somewhere else. After spotting an enemy, sentinels will charge up and fire seeking projectiles. Sentinels can overheat and will need to cooldown if they fire for too long, however. Your browser does not support the video tag. The Healing Ward will cast a regenerating aura around it. Friendly units within will quickly regenerate health. Healing wards are expensive and need energy to function! Your browser does not support the video tag. Capture Wards allow you to capture crystals to convert them to your faction when placed nearby. Capture wards will generate wisps over time giving you precious wisps to summon new bricktrons. Your browser does not support the video tag. Lanterns cast light passively and dissipate the fog of war nearby. They don’t need to be powered up, but if they are, they’ll shine considerably brighter and their fog dissipating ability will be enhanced. Your browser does not support the video tag. Free Agents: Automated Workers The gist of it is that workers now automatically assign themselves to tasks; you no longer need to manually select Bricktrons and assign them to a task, then manually move them out into another task once that one is complete. The workers will intelligently switch between tasks depending on which priorities you’ve set. Once they’re no longer needed in a task, they will leave and work on the next one in the list of priorities. This means you can focus on building awesome structures and managing your armies rather than continuously bouncing between micromanaging workers, designing structures and micro managing soldiers. The best example to this is placing a harvest task over some trees, placing some stockpiles blueprints, placing a quarry and placing some bricks blueprints. Workers will automatically assign themselves to the harvest task and chop down some trees. Some of them will split off the harvest task and build the stockpiles. As soon as a few stockpiles are built, some will split off and begin working on the quarry and finally, once the stone turns into bricks, workers will assign themselves to build the bricks. All you had to do was place the tasks and confirm they’re ready. This is the “pièce de résistance” of this update. One of the biggest change to the artificial intelligence we’ve ever done in Castle Story and it will make the game considerably easier to play, drastically reducing the amount of micromanagement required to play.The gist of it is that workers now automatically assign themselves to tasks; you no longer need to manually select Bricktrons and assign them to a task, then manually move them out into another task once that one is complete. The workers will intelligently switch between tasks depending on which priorities you’ve set. Once they’re no longer needed in a task, they will leave and work on the next one in the list of priorities. This means you can focus on building awesome structures and managing your armies rather than continuously bouncing between micromanaging workers, designing structures and micro managing soldiers.The best example to this is placing a harvest task over some trees, placing some stockpiles blueprints, placing a quarry and placing some bricks blueprints. Workers will automatically assign themselves to the harvest task and chop down some trees. Some of them will split off the harvest task and build the stockpiles. As soon as a few stockpiles are built, some will split off and begin working on the quarry and finally, once the stone turns into bricks, workers will assign themselves to build the bricks. All you had to do was place the tasks and confirm they’re ready. Magic! Your browser does not support the video tag. Crafting System & New Resources New resource types are making their appearance in the 0.9 update; iron ingots & fiber. Fiber is obtained by harvesting plants while iron ingots can be smelted from iron ore in a furnace. The furnace is one of the new dynamic structures introduced by the crafting system. Hold right-click on it, queue some iron ingots and a Bricktron will haul brimstone and iron into it, refining them into iron ingots. Your browser does not support the video tag. Iron ingots, fiber and planks can be used to craft Knight kits and Archer kits by queuing them on a workbench, which is the second new structure in the crafting system. Your browser does not support the video tag. These kits can be stored in the third structure added with this update; the weaponstand. Up to four kits can fit on each weapon stand, allowing you to equip workers to turn them into military units and vice-versa. Bricktrons can now dynamically switch classes and turn into workers, knights or archers at the whim of your command. Your browser does not support the video tag. Vertical Beams We have horizontal beams, so why not vertical ones too? These work similarly to logs and X Plug Bricks; horizontal beams can be attached to them from any angle. They cost only planks so they’re bound to make your wooden carpentry easier. :) Your browser does not support the video tag. New Sidebar With 0.9, we’re introducing a brand new sidebar that will make it easier for players to find the task and blueprint they’re looking for. Additionally, it introduces harvest tasks for specific resources; harvest trees, harvest fiber, harvest iron, harvest brimstone and harvest boulders. The good ole’ classic “harvest everything” task is still available and will collect all resources in its radius. New Launcher Out with the old, in with the new! We’re introducing a snazzy new launcher to replace the dreadful default Unity Launcher. It will serve as a portal to the various community hubs of Castle Story. A navigation menu leading to the website, forums, Discord and support site will help increase the amount of traffic to these platforms, benefiting the community as a whole with the arrival of new players. Additionally, we’ll be displaying news concerning updates and other Sauropod Studio related articles. NOTEWORTHY FEATURES Your browser does not support the video tag. Defensive Stance Knights can now toggle in and out of a defensive stance (by pressing H). In defensive stance, they move slower, but now absorb ranged attack damage to their stamina. This is super useful to approach an enemy’s walls in multiplayer since projectiles, such as an archer’s arrows, will have to drain the Knight’s stamina before it starts chipping health away. Additionally, knights in defensive stance will not move from their position when enemies are in sight, essentially replacing the old “defend position” mode entirely. Your browser does not support the video tag. Multiplayer: Colored Scarves! In multiplayer, Bricktrons now wear adorable little scarves that represent the color of their factions. Very practical to avoid catapulting your ally’s Bricktrons off the island, you dirty traitor. Performance improvements We’ve undertaken major work in the performance department – freezes should happen much less frequently now and the game’s performance as a whole is considerably better. Audio improvements We’ve worked with the beautiful folks at Vibe Avenue to implement tons of new audio elements to Castle Story. You’ll hear brand new cues, whether it’s your Bricktrons grunting during hard work, the satisfying bloop bloop of the pie menu or the deep rumble of a Biftron coming to smack the ever loving bricks out of your castle. Camera improvements We’ve made changes to the camera that will reduce instances of cameras getting jammed high up in the air or under the ground. We’ve also added damping to zoom and elevation limits to make it feel a lot more natural. Situations where you’re stuck with your camera in some weird position with your Bricktrons nowhere to be seen is now a lot less likely. New Textures Several dynamic objects have been retextured and re-shaded. Notably, you’ll notice explosive barrels and planks look snazzier now! Your browser does not support the video tag. New Maps We’ve added several new official maps for you to explore. Two invasion maps, one sandbox and one conquest map, as well as a total revamp of Stepping Stones, which is now almost two times bigger Tasks & Bricktrons Feedback Bricktrons are a little more talkative now, giving you better insight on why they might be having trouble completing an action. Additionally, we added bubbles on top of tasks alerting you when there’s an issue stopping its progression, such as a lack of resource or storage. Your browser does not support the video tag. Corruptrons Animations We added new animations for the Corruptrons spawning. Instead of popping out of nowhere, they’ll now dig themselves out of the ground. FIXES & CHANGES Updated to the new scoreboard on all gamemodes. Fixed UI issues in multiplayer lobby. Threaded the main menu, making maps and saves list load without hiccups. Fixed an issue where bricktrons would slide to the middle of a voxel after arriving to their destination. Fixed an issue where the music would randomly stop playing. Fixed an exploit where Bricktrons could pick up a barrel that was about to detonate and cancel the detonation. No more spitting on your yellow oven mitt and putting the wick out. It’s unhygienic. Fixed an issue where Corruptrons would jump inside the terrain. Fixed an issue where the timer would start before you clicked “I’m ready” in Invasion. Fixed an issue where rubble on bricks would stay there forever. It’ll now disappear after a little while. Fixed an AI issue where Bricktrons would only carry resources for one structure at a time. Now they’ll carry several resources for several structures at once, making building much quicker. Fixed the crystal capture progression on Conquest not updating properly in the scoreboard. Fixed an issue where destroying a Bear Trap’s supporting voxel caused the Bear Trap to levitate instead of being destroyed. If you’re still reading this deep down the changelogs, you’re awesome, thanks for appreciating our hard work you glorious thing :). Fixed an issue where clients wouldn’t see the progression til the next Wisp on the scoreboard. Fixed lazer-beam appearing between corpses’ wisps and the bottom of the map. We’ll have to find another way to rave and party hard, now. Fixed an fog of war being wonky in sandbox. Fixed allies not sharing the same fog of war in multiplayer. Fixed an issue where workers would fight while carrying bricks, logs or planks. Fixed a locomotion issue where Bricktrons would turn around after arriving to their destination. Fixed an issue where players couldn’t publish new maps on the workshop. Fixed an issue where archers would stop shooting if the nearest target was not shootable. Fixed Lights Out mode having no stars on Linux. Fixed a naming discrepancies between the pie menu and sidebar. Fixed the warriors being able to attack through doors. Fixed an issue stopping players from grabbing handles through stockpiles’ blueprints. Fixed an issue where clients in multiplayer couldn’t see resources in storage management. Fixed a save/load issue with Lights Out multiplayer. Fixed an exploit allowing knights to restore their health while they only lost stamina. Fixed an issue where arrows would get stuck in visible barrel blueprints. Fixed an issue where suicidal catapults would sometimes try to blow themselves up. Fixed the checkboxes in general options not working. Fixed the scoreboard in shared control only showing the first player’s name. We love you too, Player 2. Made sure there’s always at least one Corruptron defending corrupted crystals. micdrop.Could a large ship hit and damage one of Burrard Inlet’s vital bridges? The possibility is being studied by the province because 40,000 oil tanker trips are scheduled through Vancouver Harbour in the next 50 years. Dirk Nyland, chief engineer at the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, said the strength of the piers of the Second Narrows (Ironworkers Memorial) and Lions Gate bridges will be examined in relation to a federal code which governs the structural integrity with regards to hits by marine vessels. The review, which has only recently come to light, began in the spring of 2015. “The Ironworkers Memorial and Lions Gate bridges have operated safely since being opened in 1938 and 1960, respectively, and the ministry is taking action so they continue to operate safely in the future,” said Nyland in an email. “Given the changes to vessel usage in Burrard Inlet over time, we are in the midst of undertaking a review of the vessel impact protection for both of these structures,” he said. Related The Second Narrows and Lions Gate are critical pieces of Metro Vancouver’s economic well-being, connecting people, goods and services to the North Shore with around 182,000 trips a day. Brian Gunn, spokesman for Concerned Professional Engineers of B.C., said the province is assessing the bridges under a federal law called the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code S6-14, which analyzes collisions and ways to mitigate them. “The code gives engineers guidelines to know what impact forces the foundations can withstand. It’s very important,” he said. Gunn said impacts from ships were incorporated into the design of new bridges like the Golden Ears and Port Mann, but not for older ones in Vancouver Harbour, where numbers and sizes of vessels have increased dramatically over the decades. “A proper risk analysis has to be done if you’re building new bridges, but it doesn’t retroactively apply to old bridges,” he said. “One of the oversights of this (Trans Mountain) pipeline project is the lack of a fully fledged risk assessment for the bridges.” The south pier of the Lions Gate was beefed up about 20 years ago with tonnes of reinforced concrete and energy-absorbing buffers to improve its impact resistance, said Gunn. “The idea is to build a much bigger foundation and have big, big buffers so a ship would glance off it into the middle of the channel,” he said. Marine safety expert Joe Spears of the Horseshoe Bay Marine Group said it’s important to look at safety “with fresh eyes” because there are usually ways to improve protection for people and property. “The North Shore bridges are part of Canada’s critical infrastructure, so we need to deal with this in a holistic fashion and look at every aspect. Organizations shouldn’t be afraid to talk. That’s good ocean governance,” he said. The federal government approved the tripling in size of Kinder Morgan’s oil pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby last year. The company said 408 tankers per year will transit the harbour over the 50-year lifespan of the project, passing under three bridges — the Lions Gate and Ironworkers, which are provincially maintained, and a railway span owned by Canadian National, 110 metres from the Ironworkers. The channel is narrowest under the railway bridge at only 120 metres wide. Aframax-sized tankers, with the capacity to carry up to 120,000 metric tonnes of crude oil, clear it by just 37 metres on each side. Gunn said the S6-14 code doesn’t apply to the railway bridge. “I’d like to see the code applied to it as well. A lot of jobs are dependent on it, especially with the grain terminal expansion,” he said. News of the provincial review has reached Sandro Scola, senior manager of bridges and structures for Canadian National based in Chicago. He wants to learn more about the province’s findings. “I will be calling Mr. Nyland,” Scola told Postmedia News in an email. Gunn said the ministry’s scrutiny indicates that engineers are “obviously concerned” something could happen despite increased safety measures such as additional escort tugs, experienced pilots and state-of-the-art navigational equipment. Port of Vancouver spokeswoman Kristina Driedger said the port’s authority does not extend to the highway bridges. “We are not the owners or operators of the bridges,” she said in an email. Richard Wiefelspuett, executive director of a government and industry-funded organization called Clear Seas, said a general risk assessment which was done for the pipeline project did not extend to the bridges. “A tanker hit on a bridge would be a bad thing. Our preference is prevention,” he said. The concerned engineers produced an animated video last year which presents a scenario in which they said the Ironworkers could come down. The video shows a series of events: a rudder failure on the tanker, collision with a steel tower on the railway bridge, the tower dropping upright onto the tanker and subsequently plowing into the Ironworkers. “We have been accused of fear-mongering, but we’re looking at worst-case scenarios,” said Gunn, who was a project manager for Deltaport expansion in the 1990s. “We have no objection to pipelines. We think they are safe. The whole argument is about the seven-fold increase in tankers,” he said. The provincial review will be completed this spring. kspencer@postmedia.com twitter.com/kentspencer2 Related vantips@postmedia.com.Despite a year of unprecedented turmoil in Europe, Irish people remain strongly supportive of the European Union, maintain a positive attitude to migrants and believe the Irish economy won’t be too badly affected by Brexit. The findings are contained in the latest Eurobarometer poll, conducted last November amid the ongoing migrant crisis, the fallout from Brexit and the election of US president Donald Trump. The survey reveals only 13 per cent of Irish people believe the economy here will “worsen” over the next 12 months as a result of Brexit despite dire warnings about its potential impact on trade. In contrast, some 38 per cent of Irish people believe the economy is likely to improve while 45 per cent think it will “stay the same”. Overall, 64 per cent of Irish people described the economy as “good” which was significantly higher than the EU average of just 41 per cent. Amid the ongoing migrant crisis, Irish people continue to exhibit a positive disposition towards immigration with 81 per cent of people professing to have a positive view of immigrants from other EU states. Wrong direction Similar to other EU countries, however, Irish citizens were less enthusiastic about immigrants from outside the EU with only 57 per cent maintaining a positive view, albeit this was 20 points about the EU average. “Comparatively speaking, Ireland ranks among the most positive about this form of immigration,” the study noted. The biggest single change in Irish attitudes was detected in the 61 per cent of people who felt the US was headed in the wrong direction in the wake of the election of Mr Trump. This was up from 16 per cent in the previous survey. Despite the rise of euroscepticism across Europe, the poll reveals the number of Irish people’s professing trust in the EU institutions has risen and eclipsed those that don’t for the first time since the crash. EU institutions Trust in the EU in Ireland has climbed from a low of 24 per cent in November 2011 in the wake of the EU-IMF bailout to 49 per cent currently. This is higher that the EU average of 36 per cent and represents the largest proportion of the people professing trust in the EU institutions since 2008. On support for specific EU policies, the poll showed 90 per cent of Irish people are in favour of the free movement of EU citizens compared with an EU average of 81 per cent. However, only 44 per cent supported the further enlargement of the EU.The following text is an expanded version of Peter Dale Scott’s Talk at Berkeley, September 24, 2006, entitled “9/11 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out.” I want to talk tonight about using the 9/11 Report as evidence – evidence of what is being suppressed. We can use it in this way because some parts of the Report are accurate and reliable. This base line of reliability helps define other parts of the Report which are misleading, and in a few places I believe dead wrong. These relevant omissions and deceptions should be taken as clues as to what is being suppressed, and where the hidden truth lies. I shall talk of the Report’s occasional resistance to the truth. Let me give an easy and incontrovertible analogy from the Warren Report. The Warren Report got many things right; but it also minimized the links between Jack Ruby and organized crime.1 This resistance was a clue that Ruby in fact was crime-related and that this was important. The House Select Committee on Assassinations, even though they got many things wrong, amply confirmed the importance of Ruby’s crime links. We find similar symptomatic resistance in the 9/11 Report. 1) Here is an easy example: the identity of the hijackers. The FBI had distributed a list naming 18 of the 19 alleged hijackers by 10 AM on 9/11.2 Within two weeks the identities of at least six of the hijackers were unclear; as men in Arab countries with the same names and histories, and in some cases the same photographs, were protesting that they were alive and innocent.3 In response to these protests, FBI Director Robert Mueller soon acknowledged that the identity of several of the suicide hijackers was in doubt.4 But there is no discussion of this problem in the detailed treatment of the alleged hijackers in the 9/11 Commission Report.5 2) WTC-7. This is obviously a big area of doubt, as you have just heard. The Report’s solution was not to mention WTC-7 at all. And yet Kean and Hamilton, the 9/11 Commission Co-Chairs, have the nerve to claim in their new book that after the Report “those believing conspiracy theories now had to rely solely on imagination, their theories having been disproved by facts.”6 In other words, they are still covering up that there was a cover up. 3) The U.S. government’s intimate on-going connection to al-Qaeda and a chief 9/11 plotter. In our book, 9/11 and Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out, I wrote of Ali Mohamed, the close ally of Osama bin Laden and his mentor Ayman al-Zawahiri.7 It is now generally admitted that Ali Mohamed (known in the al Qaeda camps as Abu Mohamed al Amriki — “Father Mohamed the American”)8 worked for the FBI, the CIA, and U.S. Special Forces. As he later confessed in court, he also aided the terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri, a co-founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and by then an aide to bin Laden, when he visited America to raise money.9 The 9/11 Report mentioned him, and said that the plotters against the U.S. Embassy in Kenya were “led” (their word) by Ali Mohamed.10 That’s the Report’s only reference to him, though it’s not all they heard. Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney who negotiated a plea bargain and confession from Ali Mohamed, said this in testimony to the Commission Ali Mohamed. …. trained most of al Qaeda’s top leadership – including Bin Laden and Zawahiri – and most of al Qaeda’s top trainers. He gave some training to persons who would later carry out the 1993 World Trade Center bombing…. From 1994 until his arrest in 1998, he lived as an American citizen in California, applying for jobs as an FBI translator.11 Patrick Fitzgerald knew Ali Mohamed well. In 1994 he had named him as an unindicted co-conspirator in the New York landmarks case, yet allowed him to remain free. This was because, as Fitzgerald knew, Ali Mohamed was an FBI informant, from at least 1993 and maybe 1989.12 Thus, from 1994 “until his arrest in 1998 [by which time the 9/11 plot was well under way], Mohamed shuttled between California, Afghanistan, Kenya, Somalia and at least a dozen other countries.”13 Shortly after 9/11, Larry C. Johnson, a former State Department and CIA official, faulted the FBI publicly for using Mohamed as an informant, when it should have recognized that the man was a high-ranking terrorist plotting against the United States.14 As I say in our book, in 1993 Ali Mohamed had been detained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada, when he inquired at an airport after an incoming al Qaeda terrorist who turned out to be carrying two forged Saudi passports. Mohamed immediately told the RCMP to make a phone call to the United States, and the call secured his release.15 We’ve since been told that it was Mohamed’s West coast FBI handler, John Zent, “who vouched for Ali and got him released.”16 This release enabled Ali to go on to Kenya, take pictures of the U.S. Embassy, and deliver them to bin Laden for the Embassy bombing plot. In August 2006 there was a National Geographic Special on Ali Mohamed. We can take this as the new official fallback position on Ali Mohamed, because John Cloonan, the FBI agent who worked with Fitzgerald on Mohamed, helped narrate it. I didn’t see the show, but here’s what TV critics said about its contents: Ali Mohamed manipulated the FBI, CIA and U.S. Army on behalf of Osama bin Laden. Mohamed trained terrorists how to hijack airliners, bomb buildings and assassinate rivals. [D]uring much of this time Mohamed was …, an operative for the CIA and FBI, and a member of the U.S. Army.17 …Mohamed turned up in FBI surveillance photos as early as 1989, training radical Muslims who would go on to assassinate Jewish militant Meir Kahane and detonate a truck bomb at the World Trade Center. He not only avoided arrest, but managed to become an FBI informant while writing most of the al Qaeda terrorist manual and helping plan attacks on American troops in Somalia and U.S. embassies in Africa.18 That Mohamed trained al Qaeda in hijacking planes and wrote most of the al Qaeda terrorist manual is confirmed in a new book by Lawrence Wright, who has seen US Government records.19 Let me say this again: one of al-Qaeda’s top trainers in terrorism and how to hijack airplanes was an operative for FBI, CIA, and the Army. Yet this TV show, just before the 9/11 anniversary, was itself another cover-up. It suppressed for example the information given it about Mohamed’s detention and FBI-ordered release in Canada. According to Peter Lance, the principal author for the show, the show suppressed many other sensational facts. Here is Lance’s chief claim: that Fitzgerald and his FBI counterpart on the Bin Laden task force, John Cloonan, learned shortly after 9/11 that Mohamed “knew every twist and turn of” the 9/11 plot.20 Within days of 9/11 Cloonan rushed backed from Yemen and interviewed Ali, whom the Feds had allowed to slip into witness protection, and demanded to know the details of the plot. At that point Ali wrote it all out – including details of how he’d counseled would-be hijackers on how to smuggle box cutters on board aircraft and where to sit, to effect the airline seizures.21 If all these latest revelations about Ali Mohamed are true, then: 1) a key planner of the 9/11 plot, and trainer in hijacking, was simultaneously an informant for the FBI. 2) This operative trained the members for all of the chief Islamist attacks inside the United States – the first WTC bombing, the New York landmarks plot, and finally 9/11, as well as the attacks against Americans in Somalia and Kenya. 3) And yet for four years Mohamed was allowed to move in and out of the country as an unindicted conspirator. Then, unlike his trainees, he was allowed to plea-bargain. To this day he may still not have been sentenced for any crime.22 Peter Lance has charged that Fitzgerald had evidence before 1998 to implicate Mohamed in the Kenya Embassy bombing, yet did nothing and let the bombing happen.23 In fact, the FBI was aware back in 1990 that Mohamed had engaged in terrorist training on Long Island; yet it acted to protect Mohamed from arrest, even after one of his trainees had moved beyond training to an actual assassination.24 Mohamed’s trainees were all members of the Al-Kifah Center in Brooklyn, which served as the main American recruiting center for the Makhtab-al-Khidimat, the “Services Center” network that after the Afghan war became known as al Qaeda.25 The Al-Kifah Center was headed in 1990 by the blind Egyptian Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, who like Ali Mohamed had been admitted to the United States, despite being on a State Department Watch List. 26 As he had done earlier in Egypt, the sheikh “issued a fatwa in America that permitted his followers to rob banks and kill Jews.”27 In November 1990, three of Mohamed’s trainees conspired together to kill Meir Kahane, the racist founder of the Jewish Defense League. The actual killer, El Sayyid Nosair, was caught by accident almost immediately; and by luck the police soon found his two co-conspirators, Mahmoud Abouhalima and Mohammed Salameh, waiting at Nosair’s house. They found much more: There were formulas for bomb making, 1,440 rounds of ammunition, and manuals [supplied by Ali Mohamed] from the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg marked “Top Secret for Training,” along with classified documents belonging to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The police found maps and drawings of New York City landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Times Square – and the World Trade Center. The forty-seven boxes of evidence they collected also included the collected sermons of blind Sheikh Omar, in which he exhorted his followers to “destroy the edifices of capitalism.”28 All three had been trained by Ali Mohamed back in the late 1980s at a rifle range, where the FBI had photographed them, before terminating this surveillance in the fall of 1989.29 The U.S. Government was thus in an excellent position to arrest, indict, and convict all of the terrorists involved, including Mohamed. Yet only hours after the killing, Joseph Borelli, Chief of NYPD detectives, struck a familiar American note and pronounced Nosair a “lone deranged gunman.”30 Some time later, he actually told the press that “There was nothing [at Nosair’s house] that would stir your imagination…..Nothing has transpired that changes our opinion that he acted alone.”31 Borelli was not acting alone in this matter. His position was also that of the FBI, who said they too believed “that Mr. Nosair had acted alone in shooting Rabbi Kahane.” “The bottom line is that we can’t connect anyone else to the Kahane shooting,” an F.B.I. agent said.”32 In thus limiting the case, the police and FBI were in effect protecting Nosair’s two Arab co-conspirators in the murder of a U.S. citizen. Both of them were ultimately convicted in connection with the first WTC bombing, along with another Mohamed trainee, Nidal Ayyad. The 9/11 Report, summarizing the convictions of Salameh, Ayyad, Abouhalima, and the blind Sheikh for the WTC bombing and New York landmarks plots, calls it “this superb investigative and prosecutorial effort.”33 It says nothing about the suppressed evidence found in Nosair’s house, including “maps and drawings of New York City landmarks,” which if pursued should have prevented both plots from developing. What explains the 9/11 Report’s gratuitous and undeserved praise for the superb effort of Patrick Fitzgerald and the FBI in the New York landmarks case? How can it be “superb” to know that terrorists intend to blow up buildings, to lie to protect them from arrest, to allow them to bomb the WTC, and only then to arrest and convict them? Lance now alleges that Kenya was allowed to happen as well, before a few of the bombers there were convicted with the aid of the arch-plotter. This pattern of toleration can make for good arrest and conviction records, but at a terrible cost to public security. Did the authors of the 9/11 Report recognize that here was an especially sensitive area, which if properly investigated would lead to past U.S. protection of terrorists? This question returns us to Peter Lance’s charge that Fitzgerald had evidence before 1998 to implicate Mohamed in the Kenya Embassy bombing, yet did nothing and let the bombing happen. Did Fitzgerald have similar advance evidence before the 9/11 attack, and again do nothing as well? Skeptics will need a thorough investigation before they can be reassured that this is not the case. As a first step, all U.S. agencies should release the full documentary record of their dealings with Ali Mohamed, the FBI and CIA informant who allegedly planned the details of the airline seizures. Then and only then will a close interrogation of Fitzgerald satisfy those who accuse members of the U.S. Government of assisting the 9/11 plot, or alternatively of failing to prevent 9/11 from happening.34 Now, what did the 9/11 Commission know about this scandalous situation? I suspect they knew more than they let on. Is it just a coincidence that they selected to write the staff reports about al Qaeda and the 9/11 plot, and conduct the relevant interviews, a man who had a personal stake in preventing the truth about Mohamed from coming out. This man was Dietrich Snell, who had been Fitzgerald’s colleague in the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s office. (Thus Snell presumably drafted the praise for the superb effort by his former colleague Patrick Fitzgerald and the FBI). Of the nine people on Snell’s team, all but one had worked for the U.S. Government, and all but two for either the Justice Department or the FBI.35 Keep in mind that what I have said so far is about a government-Mohamed connection and cover-up that goes back to at least 1990, long before the Bush-Cheney administrations. But the 9/11 Commission staff reports went out of their way to cover this up. The 9/11 Report, based on the Snell staff reports, mentions Mahmoud Abouhalima and Mohammed Salameh, two co-conspirators of Ramzi
be a downside for people who still carry these particular genes today. The same bits of DNA make the immune system more likely to overreact to certain stimuli such as pollen and animal hair, and increase the risk of developing other sorts of allergies. "This is a trade-off of sorts," Kelso says. It remains unclear whether those genes also are still protecting people from pathogens, she and other scientists say. "That's sort of the $1 million question," says Lluis Qutintana-Murci, with the Pasteur Institute in Paris, who led the second research team. "What was good in the past may or may not be good for us today." But it is clear that Neanderthal genes do more than just affect the immune system. Previous research found Neanderthal DNA seems to influence human hair and skin, for example. "I think this is really just the tip of the iceberg about how mating with Neanderthals influences all sorts of traits today," says Josh Akey, a professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington who studies Neanderthal and human DNA.Intel's decided it can do without VMware's ESXi hypervisor as part of a big upgrade of its private cloud. Chipzilla's a Platinum Member of the OpenStack Foundation and therefore has a seat on the project's board. The company's also been building an OpenStack private cloud since around 2011, but built a customised virtualisation controller. Now a white paper (PDF) has appeared on the OpenStack web site in which Intel's plans to re-vamp its private cloud by adopting the OpenStack control plane are revealed. And that plan suggests that ESXi doesn't feature in Chipzilla's future. VMware and Intel get along very well: the latter cooked up extensions in silicon to help the former. As a result, VMware reckons Intel made more money than it did during the server virtualisation boom. But the two companies have very different views about OpenStack. VMware thinks it needs to be tamed by vSphere, so that developers don't do crazy things that IT teams have to re-discover. Intel thinks world+dog should go nuts and build clouds on OpenStack. The paper shows Chipzilla's walking the talk and is planning “... a fully automated architecture that minimizes manual service requests: aiming at instant fulfillment of 90% of service requests.” “By Phase III, the enterprise private cloud will be heavily based on open standards and open source technologies. Phase III represents the next step in the journey to federated, interoperable, and open hybrid cloud. It will support PaaS, containers and automated hybrid cloud provisioning to maximize scalability, flexibility and value.” Here's the money shot from the document, showing how all that good stuff above will happen after ESXi disappears in Phase II. Intel's private cloud road map: ESXi gets dropped off in Phase II Hybrid cloud provisioning is an interesting element of Intel's private cloud upgrade, as it recognises that some workloads are best suited to the public cloud for performance or financial reasons, but wants IT to act as a broker rather than letting users do the choosing. What to make of Intel's architectural decisions? ESXi is a first-class hypervisor under OpenStack, but is read-only unless you shell out for other VMware products. While the white paper says Intel's motives for rebuilding its private cloud are about improving automation and building on the US$21m savings it's made since 2011, it looks a lot like booting out ESXi also offers potential savings. VMware's consistent position is that its software adds lots of value, so it can see off competitors. That logic held as Microsoft challenged it with Hyper-V and has mostly held as OpenStack grew in sophistication. El Reg's virtualisation desk suspects there won't be much panic down VMware way on news of Intel's changes, because OpenStack remains something to be approached with caution and deep pockets. Committed vSphere users would need very compelling reasons to unpick their infrastructure. Intel's OpenStack entanglements are just such a reason and the white paper even mentions its private cloud is a way to give back to the community. A moment of squirming for VMware, then, rather than a knife-from-back extraction? ®The Hack Day Manifesto So you're organising a hack day or hackathon? Here are some basic requirements to make your event a success, and avoid the common pitfalls that could otherwise ruin it. If you cannot provide any of the following, make it clear to guests before registration. Attendees are generally forgiving when clear communication is given. These are only guidelines, but exist to help you run a hack day in the easiest possible way. Announcing the event Once you know when and how your event will take place, you'll want to tell the world about it. At a bare minimum, you should decide on a canonical place where all public information about the event lives - this might be a dedicated web site, an event on an existing event online service or some other place which is publicly accessible. Once you've decided where that location is, use tools like Twitter and Facebook to make people aware of the event, and also consider which Google Groups and mailing lists developers relevant to your event may be hanging out. Don't spam them, though - nobody enjoys that. Registration Optional If you require your attendees to register, make it clear what information is required for signing up and what the deadline for the registration is. If there's a maximum number of attendees the venue can handle, communicate how the selection process works and when/how people will be notified if they've been granted attendance or not. If there's a waiting list for the event, make sure to explain how it works. Most registration forms lets applicants enter name, contact details and food preferences/allergies (if applicable). Depending on your event and your venue, you might want to ask for additional information - this manifesto lists a few other topics which might make sense to add to the registration form. There are also a number of things you probably should not ask for, like gender, religious preferences etc. Venue Location The venue should be relatively easy for people from outside of town to locate, with good public transport links. If it's difficult to reach, try to provide alternative means of transportation, such as coaches to/from local transport hubs throughout the event. Provide a full address, and if necessary, additional instructions to all attendees well in advance of the event. Include instructions/contacts/getting in arrangements, too (i.e., what to do at reception/security desks). Print big signs that will guide your attendees to the venue (and in some case inside the venue). Accessibility Hack day venues should be accessible to everyone: at a bare minimum, there should be step-free access to all common parts of the building. If an attendee is blind or deaf, they should be able to participate too. Make sure your event signup forms mention accessibility and ask what accommodations might be needed. Insurance Does your venue have the relevant insurance? Are guests' belongings protected in case of fire or theft? If not, you should make them aware of the risks so they can take extra precautions. Do you, as an organizer have adequate insurance? Security Attendees will often be bringing a lot of expensive kit: laptops, tablets, etc. Make sure they have some security. If the venue does not have some form of lockers, can you run a cloakroom system? Secure sites and photo ID Are the rooms going to be available to non-attendees? Work out whether you are running a secure site and whether people need to bring photo ID; if so, tell them when they sign up and remind them close to the event date. For some people, showing photo ID may be a deal breaker. Not everyone will have 'government issued ID', either. Providing proof of address may be hard for some. Dates Weekend or Not? Most hack days are held at the weekend as this allows people to attend without taking time off work. If you are planning a hack day that begins on a Friday, remember that this may limit the number of people willing to travel after work. Checking for clashes One of the most frustrating things for attendees to see is two similar events on the same day in the same area. To avoid this, check places like Lanyrd, Eventbrite, Meetup, and ask on Twitter "is anything going on in X on X?". Remember that people may be travelling long distances for hack days, so even if an event is a few hundred miles away, you are still diluting your potential audience. Overnight Events Sleeping provision If attendees are staying overnight, then a separate (dark, quiet) area should be available away from the hacking should people decide to sleep. If possible, this should be several areas potentially including dedicated areas, for example male/female/mixed, minors (+chaperones?), snorer/non-snorer, night-owls/early birds. Showers Optional Despite the stereotypes, most geeks like to keep clean. Only a few venues are able to provide showers - but if you can, you should. Make sure you tell attendees well in advance so they can bring towels and toiletries. Network Your 4MB DSL isn't enough Hack days have special requirements: don't just trust anyone who tells you that "it'll be fine". Think about the networking issues, and verify that they work for the kind of capacity you are going to have. People from the venue or their commercial partner will tell you all sorts of things you want to hear but keep in the back of your mind that they may not have any clue what they are talking about. Given the importance of network access, if you are operating a commercial event consider requiring network performance as part of your contract with venues and suppliers. Rock solid WiFi Many commercial WiFi providers plan for much lower use than actually occurs at hack days. The network should be capable of handling at least 4 devices per attendee. Minimal firewalling As a minimum: ports used for SSH (22), DNS (53 — TCP & UDP), VPN (47, 500, 1701, 1723, 5500), HTTP (80), NTP (123 — UDP), HTTPS (443), Submissions (587), IMAPS (993), MQTT (1883), CVS (2401), Subversion (3690), XMPP/Jabber (5222), IRC (6665-9), and Git (9418), must be open and accessible, without the need of proxy servers, and preferably without perimeter-level malware checks. Subnet / DHCP capacity Subnet and DHCP server must have capacity for allocating 6 IPv4 (and optionally, IPv6) addresses (preferably a /29) per hacker. If NAT is not used, attendees should be informed in advance. WiFi security Use WPA2 security over an open WiFi network, to offer some basic protection against the monitoring of other users' network traffic. No device isolation Attendees should be reminded that when connected to the network, their devices may be accessible to all other devices on the network so they would be wise to secure them. Organisers should make it clear that they absolve themselves of liability for any intrusion or damage caused over the network. Attendees will want to share resources with other attendees (version control, for example) but while it would be wise for them to do so in a controlled manner it is ultimately up to each individual to be responsible for the security of their own devices, connected or otherwise. Attendees should be encouraged/advised to run their own firewalls, too, remembering that IPv6 exists. IP Whitelisting For events with 150 attendees or more, you will need to contact organisations such as Twitter, Google, and Freenode in advance to inform them of the increased number of connections from your IP range; they may have an existing process that you should use. In many cases, rate-limiting is handled by authentication, not IP address (ranges). For Freenode, email iline@freenode.net with dates, expected number of attendees and IP addresses if possible. QoS and Monitoring Traffic shaping and monitoring should be employed to help prevent a few users abusing the connection to the detriment of all others. Deep packet inspection should not be used. Ethernet to the Chair Optional In case of WiFi collapse (or if you can't provide adequate WiFi at all) you should have ethernet available at the chairs. Have at least 100 megabit ethernet feeding into a gigabit backbone arranged in an (extended) star topology. If you go ethernet-only, announce this up-front. Regardless if you provide cables or attendees bring their own, you should have a big pile of spare cables at the venue. Single subnet Optional Both WiFi and ethernet should share a single subnet, allowing devices to communicate regardless of how they are connected to the network. Power Power sockets You will need a minimum of 1.5 power sockets available for every seat. That's a minimum; many attendees will bring two, three, or more devices that require separate power. Have spare cables available. Make sure you have access to the fuses of all used power circuits, and review power requirements with the venue. Portable Appliance Testing As stated above, your attendees will be bringing two, three, or more devices making full PATs for every device an impossible endeavour. But if you are providing a lot of power strips it can be worth getting them tested. Isolated power for hardware hacks Optional Isolating the power for those doing hardware hacks is generally a good idea, don't let one soldering iron knock out the power for the entire venue. Sustenance Dietary requirements Not everyone in the technical community is hyper-carnivorous. Be sure to check with your attendees for dietary requirements: food allergies, vegetarians, vegans and people with dietary restrictions. Make provisions to ensure they are provided for equally. If you’re on a budget, prioritise allergies and vegan alternatives; the vegan alternative will satisfy most non-allergy based requirements. Common food allergies include milk, eggs, nuts, fish, shellfish, soya, and wheat (gluten). It's important to note that that vegan meals exclude all animal products, not just meat, and therefore it should exclude eggs, cheese, milk, yoghurt, honey and much more. Breakfast If your event starts before 11am you should provide breakfast to attendees, either continental or cooked. Lunch You should provide a lunch for each day of the event, this should consist at least of sandwiches (or suitable alternatives for gluten intolerant folk). Dinner If your event runs later than 6pm or overnight you should provide attendees with a proper evening meal, not sandwiches or snacks (and not everybody likes/eats pizza). Overnight If your event runs through the night, you should arrange for food to be available throughout the night, either by periodically refreshing it or supplying something that can still be eaten after it has gone cold. Drinks A selection of coffee, green and black tea (plus milks, sugars), energy drinks, caffeinated and non-caffeinated soft drinks, juices and water should be freely available to attendees throughout the event. Snacks Chocolate, sweets, biscuits, fruit, crisps, etc. should be freely available to attendees throughout the event. Try to ensure there are healthy options too. Fresh fruit, nuts and vegetable platters can provide sustainable high energy levels to developers through out an event. Alcohol Should be served as if you are the owner of your local bar because, in fact, you are. Check licensing rules with the venue, including where and when alcohol can be served and consumed and what time you need to stop serving. If you have underage attendees, make sure they're not served alcohol. Penalties for failing to do this could range from a fine to imprisonment for the person providing alcohol and loss of licence for the venue. APIs / Datasets Presentations Presentations by API and dataset providers should be kept to a minimum, try to make it a quick introduction involving the company name, the type of data / platform they have, and who to speak to for more information. Have technical - not marketing - people give the presentation as they will be asked technical questions, both on stage and during the rest of the event. Working APIs The APIs pitched to attendees should be checked in advance by someone technical to confirm that they are suitable, work, and are of a high enough quality. Multiple clients All APIs should provide client libraries in at least three major languages unless there is good reason for them not to (such as the target platform only supporting a single language). (And if you haven't got the client libraries written, maybe you need an internal hack day to write them!) Clean datasets Datasets provided for use in the hack day should, where possible, be checked in advance by someone technical to ensure they are well structured and in a sensible format (CSV, XML, JSON, RDF etc., rather than Excel spreadsheets and PDFs). Thorough documentation All APIs and datasets should have thorough documentation, detailing format, any codes or abbreviations, as well as the underlying assumptions and business logic of what it represents. The documentation should be checked by someone technical before announcing the API. Local downloads Datasets -- especially large datasets -- should be available over the network from local servers without the need for registration, and where possible available on USB keys for even faster transfer. Make data explorable Try and ensure that large datasets are accompanied by smaller sample files so attendees can check them for suitability and write parsers using a small number of records before downloading and importing multi-gigabyte files. API Keys If an API requires a key to use it, then make sure that someone is on site and able to authorize the requests quickly, and with as little fuss as possible. Licensing Get clear licensing information from API and dataset providers ahead of time, and communicate those licences clearly to the attendees, remembering that those in the technical community often have strong opinions about open licences for data and code. Longevity Attendees are often averse to building on top of platforms and datasets that could disappear or will incur usage fees after an event, try to avoid companies making resources available only for the duration of the event and communicate clearly the risk of building on top of any alpha or beta APIs. Demos Hack submissions If possible, have a shared, public listing of the hacks that have been submitted. This helps the judges, the attendees and bloggers/journalists who are covering the event. Hack submissions should be as straight forward as possible. You can use Google Docs, Etherpad or a wiki. Make sure that all attendees have write access and can concurrently edit. Plan for the hack listing to stay around as a historical record. Alternatively, there are hack submission services that will handle the logistics for you like Hackathon.io, WeHack.it, or Devpost. Anyone who hacks should be a allowed to demo at the end of the event, regardless of the quality or completeness. Time limit Each demo should be given a fixed time limit, standard times are 60, 90, 180, and 300 seconds. Tell presenters ahead of time, let them know how much time remains (either half time cards or an on-screen count down), and don't let them run over. Clear expectations Try and communicate clear expectations for the demos to all attendees from the beginning of the event. Some attendees will become frustrated when they see others demo-ing paper prototypes or Photoshop mockups when they believed a working implementation was required. If hacks do not meet these base requirements, they should not be able to win a prize. Audience vote If you have an "audience choice" prize, someone will attempt to game the system, either technically or by running an obnoxious "vote for me" campaign. Keep the prize for it relatively small, and give attendees a one-time token (a code on the reverse of their pass for large events, or a physical item for smaller ones) in order to vote. Judge selection The judges for your hack day should reflect the nature of your event. For standard hack days, judges should be primarily technical or knowledgable in the relevant thematic area (eg. musicians judging Music Hack Day). Try to avoid having businesspeople (VCs, non-technical founders, journalists, etc.) judge technical events, as it encourages hackers to build prototype businesses, not interesting hacks. Your judging panel should be chosen to allow participants to win a hack day based purely on technical merit, even if the hack is completely impractical as a business. Judge previews Optional If possible, let the judges meet all the teams for a few minutes, a couple of hours before the presentations. This means people don't need to cram their whole idea in 60 seconds, but instead can demo the product to their peers knowing the judges understand how technically awesome their product is. This also allows for judges to fully inspect if a product was actually implemented, or is just a bunch of screenshots - and how technically advanced their project is. Audio / Video Support There should be staff on hand to help users set-up quickly for their demos, such as connecting to the projector. If the equipment at the venue allows it, have one demo presenting while the next is setting up. Video connectors For the demos, either have a set of adapters handy for (Apple Mac) Thunderbolt, Mini DisplayPort, VGA, DVI, and HDMI video outputs, or make sure attendees know the projector's inputs ahead of time so they can make sure they have the relevant adapters. Projector info Information on projector resolution, contrast, etc should be provided to attendees and speakers ahead of the event. Hardware and mobile hacks If mobile or hardware hacks are expected, equipment to demonstrate them on the device should be present. Have a camera feed or visualiser available on the big screen. State ahead of time if that'll be provided, to allow these to be demoed adequately. Prizes Not every hack day needs prizes Some people go to hack days to learn, or to play. Having one team go home with enormous prizes and many other teams go home with nothing may sour the end of the event. Make sure it's not all about the money/toys. Prizes per team member Prizes must be divisible to encourage teamwork: it is very hard to slice an iPod into three bits. If you wish to give away physical goods there should be enough that they may be given to each member of a reasonably sized team. Available on the day Prizes should be on site on the day of judging and ready to be handed to attendees as the winners of the various prize categories are announced. Attendees should not need to claim a physical prize after the event unless said prize is dependent on winner. If the prize is not available on the day, clear printed instructions on how to claim must be provided instead. No cost to claim Attendees should not be required to pay a subscription or sign a contract in order to claim or make use of their prize. Requiring prizewinners to do so is likely to induce negative feelings in the winner towards the company providing the prize and the hack day organisers. Avoid service prizes Discounts and credit for an API, face time with a company's CEO, or development resources to continue a hack make for poor prizes (with obvious exceptions such as of companies offering music/video streaming services or online stores) and are likely to just disappoint the winning team. When organizations/individuals wish to pursue further development of a hack they should speak to the winning team separately. Atmosphere and attitudes Don't make people feel unwelcome Avoid sexism and other discriminatory language or attitudes. Don't make any assumptions about your attendees. Get someone who is demographically very different from you to check your marketing material through to see if it makes sense and isn't offensive to someone who doesn't share your background. Many event attendees expect events to have and enforce a code of conduct. Having such a code encourages diversity of participation and can help to create and maintain a welcoming environment. It is highly recommended to adopt a code of conduct for your event. One such example is the Hack Code of Conduct, and there are several other appropriate examples. You can either reference your chosen code of conduct directly or create your own customized version. Make sure to communicate clearly to attendees ahead of time the existence of this code and the enforcement policy behind it. In addition, the code should be linked prominently from the event web site and promoted by the event organizers and by members of the event's community. The code should be known to and practiced by event staff and volunteers and enforcement procedures should be clear. Make assumptions around privacy clear Tell people up front what level of privacy they should expect during the event. If you allow people to take photographs, tell photographers to respect people's privacy if they do not wish to be photographed: if someone objects to being photographed, they have a right to have that objection taken seriously. Sleeping areas should be explicitly marked as no photography as sleeping people are unable to implicitly consent to being photographed by not objecting. Do not charge attendees If developers are willing to donate their time -- which could otherwise be used for paid work or hanging out with family and friends -- they should not be charged for tickets. It shows a complete disrespect for the value of their time, and is likely to leave a bad feeling towards the organisers and sponsors. The developers are providing the sponsors a service in testing and showing the possibility of their APIs, data, products and services. Intellectual property The intellectual property rights of hacks produced at the event should belong to the attendees, and not to the organisers, sponsors, or partners, with the obvious exception of (a) hack days based around the further development of an open source project, or (b) commercially run hacks. Intellectual property can be a big issue; it is best to make expectations clear in advance, both to developers and to sponsors or data providers. What are you after? Have some idea what counts as success, but don't be too tight: people will surprise you! Some hack days are specifically focused on one language or tool, others on a theme, while others are meant for a particular open source project or problem that needs solving. The point of the event will inform how you do marketing, judging and many other aspects of the event. This is not a rock concert! Some hack days have hired bands or other entertainment. This is usually a bad idea. People are at the event to hack, and hacking requires extended periods of concentration. You don't need silence, but if you are thinking about putting on entertainment you may not understand exactly what the point of a hack day is. If you do insist on putting noisy entertainment on, don't be surprised if the people actually trying to build things go and hide in the lobby to carry on with what they are doing. Emergency plans Make sure you have a plan for attendees who are injured, fall ill or suffer any other emergencies. Have at least one designated first aider on call. Make sure you know where the first aid box is, and check it's appropriately stocked. Know the procedures for calling an ambulance, sounding the fire alarm, evacuation point, and logging incidents in the venue. Make sure attendees know who to turn to for help; a phone number, a few bright crew shirts and a central crew desk or wardrobe go a long way. A central point of contact will also help you deal with inevitable electric, network, venue- or food-related questions. Handling problematic people It's unlikely that you'll have to throw someone out, but just in case know what the procedures are, what you're legally able to do and what kind of misbehaviour would actually trigger ejection. Some events have instituted safe space and anti-harassment policies due to widely reported incidents of sexual harassment. Keep your crew safe too Working at a hack day, as a volunteer or otherwise, can be a stressful and demanding job. Make sure your crew are safe, happy and well-fed throughout, and that you've got enough staff to cope with emergencies or unexpected dropouts! Finally, remember to have fun! If you follow all these guidelines, prepare well in advance, and get plenty of rest before the big day, you'll maximize your odds of having an event that's not just successful, but enjoyable as well. Good luck!OAKLAND (CBS SF) — Bacon may have to be sold with a warning label following the World Health Organization’s announcement that the processed meat is carcinogenic to humans. The Oakland-based Center for Biological Diversity wrote Monday in a release that “today’s decision should trigger a similar classification in California, requiring these meats sold throughout the state to include a label warning that the products are known to the state of California to cause cancer.” The World Health Organization has put these meats in the same category as cigarettes in terms of the death and danger they deliver. Now, California must follow suit with public health warnings on the labels,” Stephanie Feldstein, Population and Sustainability Director of the Center for Biological Diversity said. California’s Prop 65 requires businesses to notify Californians about significant amounts of chemicals in the products they purchase.The 40-year-old "war on drugs" and the criminalization of addiction have placed communities at odds with law enforcement, prosecutors and courts -- to the detriment of justice and respect for the rule of law. The violence driven by the astronomical profits of the illicit drug market and the life-long collateral consequences for those snared by drug laws will continue to exile generations from the mainstream. It might be surprising to hear this from a cop like me, but the solution to our current human rights crisis will ultimately require the legalization and regulation of current illicit drugs. I retired from a rewarding career with the Maryland State Police in 2007, and since then have had the honor of working as a lawyer and educator in Baltimore, largely in communities composed of people of color. One of the most heartbreaking things to witness - as both a law enforcement officer and a legal educator -- is a "contempt of cop" culture held by many people living in poor and blighted communities. As a police officer I understood that some people dislike the police. As a lawyer I have witnessed a generational feedback loop within communities of color that perpetuates fear, distrust and hatred for the police officers charged with protecting their communities and maintaining order. This contempt is grounded in the failure of criminal justice system leaders to effectively screen and manage cases to ensure the fair enforcement of laws and distribution of police services in all neighborhoods -- regardless of the socioeconomic and racial demographics. It is also informed by our nation's long history of racial tension and violence between police and minority communities. But nowhere is the racial disparity more glaring than in the enforcement of drug laws. The rates of illicit drug usage in America by race and zip code do not reflect the criminal engagement and prosecution rates. In fact, black and brown people in this country are being disproportionately impacted by our criminal drug laws and what has evolved into an incarceration and penal model of social control. Meanwhile, affluent whites are afforded the privilege of handling substance abuse as a family and health issue, often covered by insurance. On the other end of this disconnect between the police and the community is an equally troubling "contempt of community" culture emanating from law enforcement. Police, as a group, have become increasingly jaded about the prospects of effective policing in impoverished communities riddled with the violence and disorder associated with the business of the illicit drug trade. The violence surrounding the enforcement of drug laws leaves community members and law enforcement fearful for their personal safety. It is natural for officers working on the front lines of the drug war to be impacted by the fact that the colleagues they work with oftentimes become arbitrary casualties. The trauma and fear associated with that reality reverberates through every relationship, every conversation and every decision the police make. The laws, policies and procedures driving the unjust and uneven enforcement of our drug laws must be challenged and reformed. The drug laws the police and prosecutors are sworn to uphold are immoral and have eroded fairness in the justice system and undermined the rule of law. The "contempt of community" and "contempt of cop" speak volumes about the abject failure of our contemporary justice system to deal with drugs and the illicit drug economy. If you have not observed court dockets in action and you care about access to justice issues, go and watch. The court system, particularly in the metro areas, is completely overwhelmed, and no one is getting real justice. Not the victims. Not the government. Not the community. Not the accused. The question our society now faces is how to end prohibition and the criminal enforcement scheme without causing more harm. A logical frame is to pilot a legal drug enclave within a bounded jurisdiction where business and religious leaders, police, prosecutors, defenders, courts, community, youth and private and public health officials work collaboratively with addicts to create both time, place and manner restrictions and effective education and prevention campaigns. Simultaneously, social pacts will have to be formed with drug cartels, local gangs and the federal government to support the overarching goal of drug legalization, which is violence reduction. The legalization of drugs, reinvestment in pillaged communities and implementation of a thoughtful regulatory scheme for the manufacture, delivery and distribution of all currently illicit drugs will remove the profit, the violence and the systemic racism inherently linked to our criminal drug laws. The time to act is now. Justice and respect for human rights demand transformative change.CANOGA PARK >> Authorities sought the public’s help today in identifying an armed robbery suspect who held up a gas station in Canoga Park. Detectives released video Wednesday of the armed robbery, in which more than $800 in cash and cigarettes were taken. “We noticed the guy stole one thing, even before he pulled the gun,” said Det. Fernando Avila, a robbery investigator at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Topanga Station. “You can see him reach into the take-a-penny- leave-a-penny tray when the clerk turns to retrieve the packs of cigarettes the robber feigned to buy. When we catch this guy, I’m going to let him know how unlucky those pennies were.” The robbery took place just before midnight Saturday when the suspect walked into the store alone, wearing a black Monster hoodie, Avila said. “He displays money and feigns buying cigarettes to distract the clerk, then pulls the gun,” Avila said. “…This is top quality video and anyone who knows this man is sure to recognize him.” The weapon appears to be a black semi-automatic handgun, which the suspect kept in his waistband, Avila said. Help ID the Penny-Pincher Bandit who committed armed ROBB in Canoga Park #lapd https://t.co/RODInDVmvr — LAPD Topanga Div. (@LAPDTopanga) November 30, 2017 “The penny pincher demands all the money in the cash register and he is not satisfied until the clerk gathers several wads of money,” Avila said. “The robber does not forget to take the cigarettes he ordered either.” The suspect is described as Hispanic, in his 40s, with a shaved head and a goatee. His left ear is pierced, and he wore an earring, Avila said. Anyone with information about the robbery was urged to call Avila at (818) 756-3520.At face value nothing seems unusual about Barcelona’s 4-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano. Until you look at the stats, that is. Rayo produced the same amount of shots/chances, but the far more important number is the ball possession. FC Barcelona were out-possessed for the first time in five years, with the last time being in a 1-4 loss in May of 2008 against rivals Real Madrid. It’s amazing to think Barcelona saw more of the ball in every match under Pep and Tito. Even before last week’s match, much of the discussion in the Barcelona sports papers had been centered upon the subtle but noticeable change in style of the side under Gerardo Martino. The side passes less, resorts to the long-ball more, and is changing the vaunted style that fans and pundits alike view as nothing short of sacred. Indeed, many twitter comments during and after the match expressed shock at the lopsided possession stat. Here are some thoughts on what we saw against Rayo, why it’s not so bad, and why it may end up being very good. Rayo are not that bad Rayo made on average 604 passes per game in the 4 previous Liga matches this season. Only Barcelona (726) have more. #fcblive [via latdp] — barcastuff (@barcastuff) September 21, 2013 Despite their low spot in the standings, Rayo Vallecano were second in the league in terms of passing stats going into Saturday’s game. Their style under manager Paco Jémez has been quite similar to Barça’s in that they play with a high-pressure defense and hold a high defensive line to compress the space their opponents have to work in. This style combined with the narrowest pitch in the league made it a tough task for Barcelona to play their game. Martino lined up a more direct eleven to meet this challenge, with Song and Fabregas in midfield, Montoya and Pedro on the right flank, and the increasingly impressive Neymar on the left. Cesc and Neymar have 10 league assists between them, and Barça ran away with a lopsided scoreline that flattered them on a day when Rayo out-worked them. Martino playing to individual strengths There can be no doubt that Cesc Fabregas has seen a revival under Martino. Whereas he arguably struggled to find form in his first seasons back at the club, he is now playing to his full potential both in midfield and occasionally in the ever controversial false nine role. The midfield has been the most rotated area of the pitch so far this season, and this has highlighted how Fabregas, Iniesta, and Xavi are all brilliant but ultimately different players. By allowing each to showcase his talents rather than conforming to one rigid system with straight replacements, the midfield is slowly starting to show the kind of variability it had lacked in the last few seasons. Fabregas is the most direct of Barcelona’s star midfielders, and much of the interesting vertical play we have seen has come through his boots. During the course of a match that sees Fabregas playing cross-field passes and finding seams in the opposing defense, his teammates increasingly position themselves for those passes and other players seek to use them as well. By allowing Fabregas to run the midfield his way, even while Xavi is on the pitch, Martino is getting what he wants: the top performance of his key players and the kind of variability in attacking options that the team has desperately needed. If the form of Victor Valdes, Javier Mascherano, Cesc Fabregas, and Lionel Messi are any indication, Martino has done quite well. Plan A to Plan B No one can deny that when Pep’s Barcelona were at their best, they were untouchable. But by his final season, despite legitimate attempts to tinker with the formula, Pep could not find a plan B to counter sides that simply sat back and conceded possession. Tito’s side were no different and often looked stagnant in possession against well organized defenses. This is why having a multi-faceted attack/defense, one that can go vertical as easily as they hide the ball, and more importantly one that can win when the Plan A of one-sided domination fails is for the better of the team. We already saw how Martino changed his game plan midway through the first leg of the Super Cup and why not take some inspiration from last year’s German Champions League finalists, who famously deviated from their normal possession-heavy styles to best their Spanish rivals (as suggested by
this issue: “The percentage of [front page election] articles written by Asian American reporters is 3.3%, by African American reporters is 2.9%, and by Hispanic reporters is 0.7%. This under-representation of minorities reporting on the front page holds true across most media outlets for most ethnic groups. The Dallas Morning News stands out as an exception where 18.8% of their front page stories were written by African Americans. The most striking under-representation of minorities in our data is that of Hispanic journalists, considering the Hispanic population stands at approximately 16.3% of the U.S. population (according to the 2010 Census).” Stay up-to-date with the latest news, stories and insider events. Please enter a valid email address Oops, something went wrong! Sign Up Try Again You've signed up to receive emails. Please check your email for a welcome confirmation. Although I’m happy to see the Internet take the RedEye to task over its exclusion of minorities in coverage, this criticism needs to be shared with an entire industry and city that continues to marginalize voices and perspectives of color. The RedEye is such a tiny fraction of the problem that I worry we’re not seeing the forest for the racist trees, but I’m heartened by the RedEye’s timely response to the criticism. In addition to reaching out to Westgard on Twitter, they released a mea culpa on social media within less than 24 hours of the meme going viral. They didn’t even try to defend themselves or offer excuses for their gaffe. They simply apologized. It’s an incredibly classy move, especially from an outlet often dismissed as tabloid journalism or “fluff.” This response is anything but. Here’s what they had to say: “The online conversation that’s developing around this story is an important one. Thank you for the comments and feedback. This is incredibly important to us, especially as we set out to shine a light on Chicago violence this year. Conversations like these will continue to inform and improve our coverage. We hope you’ll continue to join us in addressing these issues.” We can shoot the messenger all we want, but as this statement shows, we must target the system along with them. By releasing this statement, the RedEye has recognized that this is a conversation we need to be having, whether we feel burned out on talking about privilege or our eyes are being opened for the first time by the simplicity of Westgard’s graphic. In this photo, Westgard makes the allegedly invisible plain and clear. The visual brings the discourse to those who might not think critically about structural racism or take the time to check out Racialicious or Crunk Feminist Collective, where these discourses take place every day. We need to keep in mind that making the RedEye apologize won’t solve racism and remember to take accountability for raising awareness and shining a light on racism—with whatever tools we have available. Racism isn't just the RedEye's problem. It's everyone's. Nico Lang writes about LGBTQ issues in Chicago. You can follow Nico on Twitter @Nico_Lang or the Facebook.Sadiq Khan has repeatedly explained his broken TfL fares promise by claiming that Travelcards and daily and weekly caps are out of his control. Of course this doesn’t justify the broken manifesto pledge that commuters would “not pay a penny more”. And it turns out it isn’t even true… The excellent Mayorwatch blog has got hold of the advice TfL sent Khan when he took office. In it, TfL told the Mayor it would be possible to freeze Travelcard prices and daily and weekly caps, even going as far as giving him a cost plan: “the ﬁnancial impact on us of freezing Travelcards (and pegged daily/weekly Oyster/contactless caps), which would be an additional £660m over ﬁve years” If Travelcards and daily and weekly caps are out of the Mayor’s control, why would TfL include the cost of freezing them in their advice to him? Khan really enjoying the lack of accountability in his new job. Gordon Brown’s team didn’t call him Sadiq the sneak for nothing…Chamillionaire at SXSW in 2011. Andy Sheppard/Redferns Rapper Chamillionaire is the newest entrepreneur-in-residence at Mark Suster's Los Angeles-based investment firm Upfront Ventures. Suster announced Chamillionaire's residency on his blog a few days ago. It turns out Chamillionaire, a.k.a. Hakeem Seriki, has actually been involved in the world of entrepreneurship for some time. In 2003, Chamillionaire, best known for his 2005 single "Ridin' (Dirty)," invested in a Houston-based car dealership called FlyRydes. He's also launched a modeling firm, led a Global Innovation Tournament at Stanford— part of the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar Series — and he owns a tour bus company. He's also attended a bunch of tech conferences as an audience member and as a speaker. In 2009, he met Suster, and invested in Maker Studios, an online video talent agency now owned by Disney. Here's what Suster said in his announcement: After seeing Chamillionaire interact with several entrepreneurs both at events and as an investor I started introducing him to startups in an advisory capacity. It always started the same way - a founder would ask for an intro because they figured he could help with promotion. And after one meeting they started asking for his advice about marketing, customer engagement, product design, monetization - whatever. Chamillionaire has a way more refined sense of what customer behavior is like than most ivy league graduates with nice Powerpoint slides that I meet. If you want to get schooled by a guy who's done it all I suggest watching this video interview I did with him that has already been watched 55,000 times or if you prefer a summary version in writing it's here. A while back Chamillionaire started telling me he wanted to immerse himself even more in the tech world - learning to build products, studying different business models and committing himself to being a true tech entrepreneur. He attends many of the high-profile tech conferences and has been hanging out with a few partners at Y Combinator and such. Chamillionaire's entrepreneur-in-residence appointment marks the first time a rapper has been given the title at a VC firm. However, Andreessen Horowitz has an "official rapper": an underground rapper named Divine.Harrods is facing demonstrations and possible strike action by staff over its tips policy, Politics.co.uk can reveal. Workers at the high-end department store's restaurants are involved in a dispute with bosses over the amount the company deducts from the service charge. The United Voices of the World Union (UVW), which represents a number of the workers, says that Harrods takes an unspecified percentage of the tips left for waiters and staff by customers. Staff say they have been left in the dark over the amount being deducted from the service charge because they do not receive a full breakdown of what they receive. They have complained to management over Harrods’ refusal to confirm in writing the percentage they take. Politics.co.uk understands that relations between staff and management deteriorated so severely this week that workers are considering going out on strike on Boxing Day. UVW is calling for the staff to receive the entirety of the service charge and for union recognition by the company. The union has organised a number of protests to be held over the store's sale period, which starts on Boxing Day and continues until the middle of January. The first Harrods knew about the planned protests was when Politics.co.uk contacted them for a comment yesterday. Shortly afterwards, staff received a letter saying that the company would be looking to improve the tips system. The general secretary of UVW, Petros Elias, said that while this development is a good start it did not go far enough and vowed to continue the campaign. "We hope this can be resolved through dialogue but we will resort to protests and will consider calling staff out on strike if it's not," he said. A spokesperson for Harrods said:It was the 18th century, and in France the modern day buffet was developed which soon spread across Europe. Serving a meal to oneself has a long and interesting history, but the original term buffet referred to the sideboard where all the various types of food was served, although, eventually this style of eating was converted to modern day buffets. The second half of the 19th century, especially in the English speaking world, buffets became extremely popular for meals. Lunch, or an informal luncheon which was originally a very light meal that was consumed between breakfast and dinner, and often replacing dinners. Buffets came in two styles of a meal, and started at the fashionable hour of "One O'Clock". The "buffet" luncheon, and at which time the dining guests would stand while they eat their meal, or the luncheon served at small tables where the dining guests would be seated. All buffet food must be eaten with a fork or a spoon, and the knife was strictly forbidden at these "buffet" lunches. The essentials of a "buffet" luncheon are covered by these following dishes. All types of beverages including coffee, tea, punch or chocolate which was poured from urns, or brought from a pantry on trays in filled cups. Hot entrÃ©es of various types which was served on a platter or from a chafing dish, and preceded by hot bouillon. Cold entrÃ©es such as salads, lobster, salmon, shrimp, crab, potatoes, chicken, and served with heavy dressings. Hot rolls, and sandwiches that were wafer-cut in size such as tomato and lettuce, ham, and many others. Plus desserts such as small cakes and pastries. Buffets are very popular with people today, because, it offers plenty of food variety at a reasonable price. People with large appetites can feed themselves without waiting for their food to be served. Especially families with children, this is often a very important point when dining out. Buffets are definitely a nice dining alternative to conventional restaurants, because people can get the foods they want in the quantities they like. People can create their own dishes with more meat, less vegetables and fewer side dishes, plus creating salads with appealing ingredients that they enjoy. Buffets offer people the opportunity to try new types of food that they would not order off a menu in a restaurant. Infusions Restaurant at the Okanagan College hosts several buffets every year, and the last "buffet" was held a week after their Okanagan Wine Festival Gourmet Dinner which attracted a sellout crowd of over 80 dining guests. Guests were treated to a "Five Course" gourmet dinner with special Okanagan Valley wines to accompany each course. The Okanagan College Culinary Arts Buffet was prepared with the special talents of the new, up and coming future chefs of your favorite restaurants, cruise ships, hotels, ski and golf resorts, all directed and instructed by World Class Chefs. The buffet included fresh meats, poultry, seafood of all types, and of course Okanagan Valley fresh vegetables and fruits. Infusions and the Okanagan College Culinary Arts Bakery had a spectacular dessert buffet for this special night with freshly made gourmet desserts, and with a delicious assortment of as many freshly made Pastries, Cakes, and Chocolate Confections as a person could possibly eat after the meal. The Culinary Arts buffet offered a HUGH selection of seafood and seafood platters that were served at the buffet from Sushi Rolls, Dim Sum, Salmon, Coulibiac of Halibut to Shark and Lobster. Dishes containing Gratin of Potatoes & Yams, many types of Pasta with Grilled and Glazed Vegetables, and of course the Roast Beef and Beef Tenderloin, and ALL for $15.00! For tourists, visitors or people in the Kelowna area and the Okanagan Valley who missed this "Spectacular Feast", there will be another buffet held in early December at Okanagan College's Infusions Restaurant. Infusions Restaurant is run by future culinary chefs in the Culinary Arts program at Okanagan College with instruction from World Class Chefs, and the restaurant offers their dining guests a chance to experience fine gourmet dining at very reasonable prices.Boarding soon at Gate 22a: the Venus express? In the deserts of the western United States, space tourism is becoming a reality as construction progresses on Spaceport America -- the world’s first purpose-built commercial space travel facility, 45 miles north of Las Cruces, N.M. Today, concrete and rebar litter the ground here as crews build walls and windows, roads and runways. They've been toiling for a year and a half and will continue until 2013, when a glowing, round disk standing testimony to the future will be unveiled in the desert -- at least according to artists' imaginations of the facility. Right now it looks like any old construction site, with men in hard hats and prosaic dump trucks carting rubble in and out. In 2013, things will be different. “You’ll experience weightlessness, they’ll actually go near space so you’ll see the curvature of the Earth,” Chris Anderson, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, told FoxNews.com. When the facility is finished, a mere $200,000 will let you take a voyage at least partway to the stars: Virgin Galactic will be the first carrier to transport space-curious passengers from Spaceport America on its sub-orbital missions. The facility is more than 100,000 square feet and includes the terminal hangar and a public viewing gallery for inquisitive visitors not wishing to launch -- it looks out on a desert plain that will someday be filled with spacecraft, some shaped like traditional rockets, others space shuttle-like planes, wingless round disks or whatever spaceship designers of the future come up with. Anderson said the flat desert location 4,600 feet above sea level is ideal for space travel. “[It’s] perfect because that means you need less fuel and you get more pay load when you launch,” he told FoxNews.com. Plus the predictable weather will assure on-time takeoffs. “We don’t have tornadoes, we don’t have hurricanes, we don’t have earthquakes.” “So year-round, it’s pretty good launch weather for us,” Anderson added. Plus White Sands Missile Range, a military testing site, is nearby, meaning the site lives among 7,500 square miles of restricted airspace. The spaceport includes a vertical launch pad and a 10,000-foot long runway for horizontal liftoffs. So far there have been12 vertical launches on site. No passengers have been included in the flights yet. The Spaceport Authority hopes that will change. It envisions dozens of vehicles launching. Indeed, Spaceport America is a state-owned facility and will operate like any ordinary airport. The $209 million project is funded by state and county tax dollars, and will someday collect tax and fees from travelers. Space-goers will travel in Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, shuttled by WhiteKnightTwo via a horizontal launch to an altitude of 350,000 feet; the entire trip will take 2.5 hours. NASA isn’t directly involved with Spaceport America or any of the carriers lifting from the facility, but the agency is funding some research to push commercial space travel, Anderson said. “It’s a very nice relationship, I think, from a technological perspective,” Anderson added. The development of Spaceport America is bringing positive economic growth to the area. Anderson said the project has added 800 construction jobs and they predict hiring up to 200 people over the next couple of years. With tourists, it’s also going to create a demand for more restaurants and hotels nearby. More than 400 people have already signed up and left deposits with Virgin Galactic, Anderson told FoxNews.com. “It’s blazing a new trail into space,” said Spaceport America media spokesman David Wilson. He said this is going to be a valuable way to learn more about efficient space travel. “I think what we’ll see in 15, 20 years is a different way or different ways to get to space, at lower costs, and how we travel great distances.” Wilson also added that he doesn’t expect the high ticket prices to last forever. Anderson said they hope the program gets children excited about math and science. They have already hosted education launches where students could attach experiments to rockets and study its reactions to space travel. “It’s really encouraging to talk them because many of them said, ‘you know, we never liked math or science before.’ But a couple of them said, ‘I think I will become an engineer.’” More than 800 students came to test their experiments earlier this year. Some built electronics, others were curious to see what would happen to green chili in space. The construction of a modern space center unexpectedly turned into an archeological dig. Anderson said they have uncovered 23 archeological sites dating back 10,000 years. Some of the findings include old tools and pieces of pottery. “It really goes from the old frontier to the new frontier,” said Anderson.Fitting, given the circumstances. In an ACC game played on an ACC court, N.C. State was ushered out of the NCAA tournament by two players from the state of North Carolina. Tarboro’s Montrezl Harrell was Louisville’s best player, dominating N.C. State inside, and Raleigh’s Anton Gill scored all seven of his points in the final seven minutes, essentially to put the game away, add ing up to a cruel twist of fate for the Wolfpack. The ACC is moving on, but N.C. State is not after a 75-65 loss to Louisville. Ralston Turner fouled out with 10 seconds to go and moved slowly down the bench accepting hugs as the N.C. State fans applauded. He was only around for two seasons, after transferring from Louisiana State, but he was part of a team that won fans over as it grew and blossomed. It’s over now, but it will not be forgotten. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer The Wolfpack’s regular-season win at Louisville helped get N.C. State into the NCAA tournament, helped turn N.C. State’s season around. The Cardinals won when it really mattered. The last time the Wolfpack made it this far, the circumstances were completely different. It was Mark Gottfried’s first year, piecing together the wreckage of the Sidney Lowe era, building a team out of the talent Lowe left behind, a job that was as much Walter White as John Wooden, managing the chemistry of that group. That run was unexpected, from being the last team into the field to coming within a possession of beating Kansas in St. Louis (with North Carolina next). It ended, like so many of State’s seasons that have ended in a regional semifinal, against a juggernaut. This run was, if not expected, not a surprise. The Wolfpack’s comeback against Louisiana State was a real statement of intent, the win over Villanova a further validation of the Wolfpack’s ability. After all, N.C. State beat better teams than Villanova during the regular season. With Trevor Lacey’s ability to make impossible shots and Cat Barber’s speed and Ralston Turner’s outside shooting, the impossible was always possible with this team. Unlike Kansas in 2012, N.C. State was the better team Friday, having already beaten the Cardinals in Louisville this season, before the Cardinals lost Chris Jones. But the better team doesn’t always win, a big reason why this tournament is always so entertaining. And so devastating. Barber was the key to N.C. State’s victory in Louisville, but he started Friday well into do-too-much mode, going 0-for-7 in the first half. In the play that summed up his half, N.C. State had the ball with 32 seconds to go. Gottfried called for one shot. Barber shook him off, went straight to the rim and missed. But he also got his own rebound, while flat on his back, and fed Ralston Turner for a 3. It also left 21 seconds for Louisville, and Terry Rozier answered with a 3 of his own, a gift possession for the Cardinals. Not to be outdone, Barber hit two quick 3-pointers of his own to open the second half, but Louisville fed Harrell to jumpstart a 14-2 run and retake the lead. The Wolfpack responded, and led 54-53 with seven minutes to play. That’s when Gill, who played only three minutes in the first half, took over. He had all seven of his points in a 12-3 run that put Louisville back in the lead, and for good. Harrell finished with 21, a powerful force underneath that N.C. State could never stop. It was a remarkable run, the wins over Louisiana State and Villanova in Pittsburgh something approaching magical. And for a moment Friday, after a Lacey 3-pointer that put the Wolfpack in its last lead, the magic was back. And then it was gone. And so was N.C. State.An in-law of MSNBC’s Chris Matthews has been arrested and charged in connection with an $8.1 million drug bust. The 79-foot sailboat Sarah Moira was heading to the US from Jamaica on Nov. 21 when it was intercepted by federal agents, the Cape Cod Times reported. Authorities seized 4,497 pounds of marijuana and arrested the boat’s captain, James Ormonde Staveley-O’Carroll, and his crew. “The captain of the vessel and the target of a federal probe is 58-year-old James Ormonde Staveley-O’Carroll, a shipbuilder and self-described firebrand liberal, whose daughter, Sarah, is married to Michael K. Matthews, the son of MSNBC ‘Hardball’ host Chris Matthews,” the paper reported. The ship was taken to the US Coast Guard Station in Gulfport, Mississippi. A federal affidavit said that drug sniffing dogs found two wooden crates filled with individually wrapped packages of marijuana. Staveley-O’Carroll is being held and awaiting trial in Mississippi, along with co-defendants 20-year-old Boone Ferrie and 27-year-old Brian Parker. All of them men are charged with conspiracy to possess controlled substance with intent to distribute, conspiracy to import controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of controlled substance with intent to distribute and importation of controlled substance with intent to distribute. The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 14. “The interception is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security agents and stems from information provided by a confidential informant that the Sarah Moira was smuggling about 4,000 pounds of marijuana from Jamaica to the US,” the Cape Cod Times said. According to the affidavit, Ferrie and Parker said they were hired by Staveley-O’Carroll to help with the transport of a load of marijuana. After leaving Jacksonville on Nov. 7, the boat arrived off the coast of Jamaica on Nov. 14. It was met by two other small boats that provided the drugs.Early psychologists, including Galton, Cattell, and Spearman, proposed that intelligence and simple sensory discriminations are constrained by common neural processes, predicting a close link between them [1, 2]. However, strong supporting evidence for this hypothesis remains elusive. Although people with higher intelligence quotients (IQs) are quicker at processing sensory stimuli [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], these broadly replicated findings explain a relatively modest proportion of variance in IQ. Processing speed alone is, arguably, a poor match for the information processing demands on the neural system. Our brains operate on overwhelming amounts of information [6, 7], and thus their efficiency is fundamentally constrained by an ability to suppress irrelevant information [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21]. Here, we show that individual variability in a simple visual discrimination task that reflects both processing speed and perceptual suppression [22] strongly correlates with IQ. High-IQ individuals, although quick at perceiving small moving objects, exhibit disproportionately large impairments in perceiving motion as stimulus size increases. These findings link intelligence with low-level sensory suppression of large moving patterns—background-like stimuli that are ecologically less relevant [22, 23, 24, 25]. We conjecture that the ability to suppress irrelevant and rapidly process relevant information fundamentally constrains both sensory discriminations and intelligence, providing an information-processing basis for the observed link.There was a call for participation from Hermann Meyer, the main developer of Guitarix, for creating a new user interface for his very cool project. It may create the impression that I don’t know how to spend my days but I couldn’t resist to get in touch with him to talk about his wishes and preferences. Fortunately he had enough trust to give me a carte blanche so I started thinking about a visual concept. Earlier this day I sent him an export of my very first steps in Inkscape and it seems it met his expectations and preferences. He gave me commit access to the SF git repo so I’ll start implementing stuff as soon as my scribbles reach a mature state. Don’t expect that things are done next week since the image represents a quit early stage of brainstorming. In addition Guitarix is in a rather advanced state and offers a quite complex user interface so realization will take its time. But it’s a start at least.The following article originally appeared on The Archdruid Report. It has been nearly four decades now since the limits to industrial civilization's trajectory of limitless material growth on a limited planet have been clearly visible on the horizon of our future. Over that time, a remarkable paradox has unfolded. The closer we get to the limits to growth, the more those limits impact our daily lives, and the more clearly our current trajectory points toward the brick wall of a difficult future, the less most people in the industrial world seem to be able to imagine any alternative to driving the existing order of things ever onward until the wheels fall off. This is as true in many corners of the activist community as it is in the most unregenerate of corporate boardrooms. For most of today's environmentalists, for example, renewable energy isn't something that people ought to produce for themselves, unless they happen to be wealthy enough to afford the rooftop PV systems that have become the latest status symbol in suburban neighborhoods on either coast. It's something that utilities and the government are supposed to produce as fast as possible, so that Americans can keep on using three times as much energy per capita as the average European and twenty times as much as the average Chinese. Of course there are alternatives. In the energy crisis of the Seventies, relatively simple conservation and efficiency measures, combined with lifestyle changes, sent world petroleum consumption down by 15% in a single decade and caused comparable drops in other energy sources across the industrial world. Most of these measures went out the window in the final binge of the age of cheap oil that followed, so there's plenty of low hanging fruit to pluck. That same era saw a great many thoughtful people envision ways that people could lead relatively comfortable and humane lives while consuming a great deal less energy and the products of energy than people in the industrial world do today. It can be a troubling experience to turn the pages of Rainbook or The Book of the New Alchemists, to name only two of the better products of that mostly forgotten era, and compare the sweeping view of future possibilities that undergirded their approach to a future of energy and material shortages with the cramped imaginations of the present. It's even more troubling to notice that you can pick up yellowing copies of most of these books for a couple of dollars each in the used book trade, at a time when their practical advice is more relevant than ever, and their prophecies of what would happen if the road to sustainability was not taken are looking more prescient by the day. The irony, and it's a rich one, is that our collective refusal to follow the lead of those who urged us to learn how to get by with less has not spared us the necessity of doing exactly that. That's the problem, ultimately, with driving headlong at a brick wall; you can stop by standing on the brake pedal, or you can stop by hitting the wall, but either way, you're going to stop. One way to make sense of the collision between the brittle front end of industrial civilization and the hard surface of nature's brick wall is to compare the spring of 2010 with the autumn of 2007. Those two seasons had an interesting detail in common. In both cases, the price of oil passed $80 a barrel after a prolonged period of price increases, and in both cases, this was followed by a massive debt crisis. In 2007, largely driven by speculation in the futures market, the price of oil kept on zooming upwards, peaking just south of $150 a barrel before crashing back to earth; so far, at least, there's no sign of a spike of that sort happening this time, although this is mostly because speculators are focused on other assets these days. In 2007, though, the debt crisis also resulted in a dramatic economic downturn, and just now our chances of dodging the same thing this time around do not look good. Here in the US, most measures of general economic activity are faltering where they aren't plunging – the sole exceptions are those temporarily propped up by an unparalleled explosion of government debt – and unemployment has become so deeply entrenched that what to do about the very large number of Americans who have exhausted the 99 weeks of unemployment benefits current law allows them is becoming a significant political issue. Even the illegal economy is taking a massive hit; a recent NPR story noted that the price of marijuana has dropped so sharply that northern California, where it's a huge cash crop, is seeing panic selling and sharp economic contraction. What's going on here is precisely what The Limits to Growth warned about in 1973: the costs of continued growth have risen faster than growth itself, and are reaching a level that is forcing the economy to its knees. By "costs," of course, the authors of The Limits to Growth weren't talking about money, and neither am I. The costs that matter are energy, resources, and labor; it takes a great deal more of all of these to extract oil from deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico or oil sands in Alberta, say, than it used to take to get it from Pennsylvania or Texas, and since offshore drilling and oil sands make up an increasingly large share of what we've got left – those wells in Pennsylvania and Texas have been pumped dry, or nearly so – these real, nonmonetary costs have climbed steadily. The price of oil in dollars functions here as a workable proxy measure for the real cost of oil production in energy, resources, and materials. The evidence of the last few years suggests that when the price of oil passes $80 a barrel, that's a sign that the real costs have reached a level high enough that the rest of the economy begins to crack under the strain. Since astronomical levels of debt have become standard practice all through today's global economy, the ability of marginal borrowers to service their debt is where the cracks showed up first. In the fall of 2007, many of those marginal borrowers were homeowners in the US and UK; this spring, they include entire nations. What all this implies, in a single phrase, is that the age of abundance is over. The period from 1945 to 2005 when almost unimaginable amounts of cheap petroleum sloshed through the economies of the world's industrial nations, and transformed life in those nations almost beyond recognition, still shapes most of our thinking and nearly all of our expectations. Not one significant policy maker or mass media pundit in the industrial world has begun to talk about the impact of the end of the age of abundance; it's an open question if any of them have grasped how fundamental the changes will be as the new age of post-abundance economics begins to clamp down. Most ordinary people in the industrial world, for their part, are sleepwalking through one of history's major transitions. The issues that concern them are still defined entirely by the calculus of abundance. Most Americans these days, for example, worry about managing a comfortable retirement, paying for increasingly expensive medical care, providing their children with a college education and whatever amenities they consider important. It has not yet entered their darkest dreams that they need to worry about access to such basic necessities as food, clothing and shelter, the fate of local economies and communities shredded by decades of malign neglect, and the rise of serious threats to the survival of constitutional government and the rule of law. Even among those who warn that today's Great Recession could bottom out at a level equal to that reached in the Great Depression, very few have grappled with the consequences of a near-term future in which millions of Americans are living in shantytowns and struggling to find enough to eat every single day. To paraphrase Sinclair Lewis, that did happen here, and it did so at a time when the United States was a net exporter of everything you can think of, and the world's largest producer and exporter of petroleum to boot. The same scale of economic collapse in a nation that exports very little besides unpayable IOUs, and is the world's largest consumer and importer of petroleum, could all too easily have results much closer to those of the early 20th century in Central Europe, for example: that is, near-universal impoverishment, food shortages, epidemics, civil wars, and outbreaks of vicious ethnic cleansing, bracketed by two massive wars that both had body counts in the tens of millions. Now you'll notice that this latter does not equate to the total collapse into a Cormac McCarthy future that so many people like to fantasize about these days. I've spent years wondering why it is that so many people seem unable to conceive of any future other than business as usual, on the one hand, and extreme doomer porn on the other. Whatever the motives that drive this curious fixation, though, I've become convinced that it results in a nearly complete blindness to the very real risks the future is more likely to hold for us. It makes a useful exercise to take current notions about preparing for the future in the survivalist scene, and ask yourself how many of them would have turned out to be useful over the decade or two ahead if someone had pursued exactly those strategies in Poland or Slovakia, let's say, in the years right before 1914. Measure the gap between the real and terrible events of that period, on the one hand, and the fantasies of infinite progress or apocalyptic collapse that so often pass for realistic images of our future, on the other, and you have some sense of the gap that has to be crossed in order to make sense of the world after abundance. One way or another, we will cross that gap; the question is whether any significant number of us will do so in advance, and have time to take constructive actions in response, or whether we'll all do so purely in retrospect, thinking ruefully of the dollars and hours that went into preparing for an imaginary future while the real one was breathing down our necks. I've talked at quite some length in essays about the kinds of preparations that will likely help individuals, families, and communities deal with the future of resource shortages, economic implosion, political breakdown, and potential civil war that the missed opportunities and purblind decisions of the last thirty years have made agonizingly likely here in the United States and, with an infinity of local variations, elsewhere in the industrial world. Those points remain crucial; it still makes a great deal of sense to start growing some of your own food, to radically downscale your dependence on complex technological systems, to reduce your energy consumption as far as possible, to free up at least one family member from the money economy for full-time work in the domestic economy, and so on. Still, there's another dimension to all this, and it has to be mentioned, though it's certain to raise hackles. For the last three centuries, and especially for the last half century or so, it's become increasingly common to define a good life as one provided with the largest possible selection of material goods and services. That definition has become so completely hardwired into our modern ways of thinking that it can be very hard to see past it. Of course there are certain very basic material needs without which a good life is impossible, but those are a good deal fewer and simpler than contemporary attitudes assume, and once those are provided, material abundance becomes a much more ambivalent blessing than we like to think. In a very real sense, this way of thinking mirrors the old joke about the small boy with a hammer who thinks everything is a nail. In an age of unparalleled material abundance, the easy solution for any problem or predicament was to throw material wealth at it. That did solve some problems, but it arguably worsened others, and left the basic predicaments of human existence untouched. Did it really benefit anyone to spend trillions of dollars and the talents of some of our civilization's brightest minds creating high-end medical treatments to keep the very sick alive and miserable for a few extra months of life, for example, so that we could pretend to ourselves that we had evaded the basic human predicament of the inevitability of death? Whatever the answer, the end of the age of abundance draws a line under that experiment. Within not too many years, it's safe to predict, only the relatively rich will have the dubious privilege of spending the last months of their lives hooked up to complicated life support equipment. The rest of us will end our lives the way our great-grandparents did: at home, more often than not, with family members or maybe a nurse to provide palliative care while our bodies do what they were born to do and shut down. Within not too many years, more broadly, only a very few people anywhere in the world will have the option of trying to escape the core uncertainties and challenges of human existence by chasing round after round of consumer goodies; the rest of us will count ourselves lucky to have our basic material needs securely provided for, and will have to deal with fundamental questions of meaning and value in some less blatantly meretricious way. Some of us, in the process, may catch on to the subtle lesson woven into this hard necessity. It's worth noting that while there's been plenty of talk about the monasteries of
Future failures being done in the routing layer, meant that the RequestTimeoutException s were being hidden from logs. This also prevented us from providing more useful error messages to the clients of our RESTful API. The cause of this problem was subtle, but making the situation better in the short-term was fairly easy: To Sort out the timeouts we made sure we had larger timeouts at our Routing layer and then progressively made them smaller as we got deeper into the application. Although this helped, it became a nightmare to manage, as we were using the ask pattern a lot. we made sure we had larger timeouts at our Routing layer and then progressively made them smaller as we got deeper into the application. Although this helped, it became a nightmare to manage, as we were using the pattern a lot. Log failures at the call-site – For belt and braces, in case we accidentally misconfigure the timeouts in the future, we also added logging into our recoverWith blocks: This further reduced the signal-to-noise ratio in our code, making it harder to read. Improved Design with tell To better deal with these problems, we decided to remove ask s from our design and use tell instead. Our inspiration for how to solve this came from a post on the Spray mailing list which described the Actor per-request model. In the new design we start with no Actor s in the application-core : When a request comes in to our routing layer, we now immediately spin up a new per-request Actor and pass it the Spray RequestContext. This frees up the routing Actor to deal with another request. The job of the per-request Actor is simply to hold the RequestContext, spin up another Actor in the application-core, send it a tell, then wait on a reply message or a failure, completing the RequestContext as appropriate. Since our “Get Wishlist Items” Actor is now also scoped to a single request, it can store state related to the request as member fields. This allows us to build up our aggregation of products and wishlists using tell. Each time we receive a tell response from one of the REST clients, we can store it in a field and keep doing so until we have all the data we need in fields, at which point we can aggregate the data in those fields. When the per-request Actor receives a response from the application-core, it completes the RequestContext and then kills itself. This has the nice property of also killing any request-scoped Actor s in the application-core via the supervision hierarchy. So how does the new design help with the problems we were facing before? Solution 1 – tell is easier to debug We now never see the useless AskTimeoutException in our logs. Huzzah! Also, we are now using Actor s where we were previously using Future s. Since Actor s have names, traceability of messages is much better using LoggingReceive. This, in turn, makes debugging easier. Solution 2 – tell doesn’t hide failures We no longer have to configure loads of timeouts in the application-core. Instead, we now have a single timeout set in the per-request Actor via Akka’s setReceiveTimeout. This timeout defines how long we are willing to take building a response, before we instead send a timeout error to our clients. If this timeout is reached, then the per-request Actor will kill itself and any request scoped Actor s in the application-core. Until the per-request Actor timeout is reached, any non-recoverable failures in the application-core are free to be escalated up the supervision hierarchy to the per-request Actor and completed on the RequestContext as a useful error message. This means we no longer run the risk of shadowing spray-client timeout errors as we did in the first design. Downsides of the Actor per-request model Before you switch to using the Actor per request model, there are a couple of points to consider: Actor per-request may not help you The Actor per-request model is a good fit when you need to manage many request-scoped actors in your application-core. There are other Akka applications we have built here at NET-A-PORTER that do not have this requirement, and the Actor per-request model has not been so appropriate in these cases. Performance We considered whether using the Actor per-request model was going to be a performance bottleneck. There is an overhead for spinning up several Actor s per request. However, for us it is not big enough to be an issue. An Akka system is designed to work well with millions of Actor s. Actor s are cheap; they are fast to create and only cost around 300 bytes of memory. This, combined with the ability to scale this service across many machines, means the performance penalty is outweighed by the benefits of a cleaner design. Conclusion We’d advise you to use the tell pattern whenever you can and only ask when required. If you find yourself using ask pattern a lot you could find yourself struggling to manage all the timeouts. If are building a web service similar to ours that involves aggregating data from various sources, then consider using the Actor per-request model to promote the “ tell, don’t ask ” pattern.China urges United States to block transit visit by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen next month Updated China has called on the United States not to let Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen transit there when she visits Guatemala next month, days after President-elect Donald Trump irked Beijing by speaking to Ms Tsai in a break with decades of precedent. Key points: China is suspicious of Taiwan potentially pushing for independence Taiwan has not confirmed the trip, but media reports have detailed a transit stop China maintains that Taiwan's "real aim is self-evident" China is deeply suspicious of Ms Tsai — whom it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of Taiwan — a self-governing island that Beijing regards as a renegade province. Her call with Mr Trump on Friday was the first by a US president-elect or president with a Taiwanese leader since president Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979. On Tuesday, Ms Tsai played down the significance of her phone conversation with Mr Trump, saying it was to congratulate the President-elect and not to push for policy changes. "I do not foresee major policy shifts in the near future because we all see the value of stability in the region," she said. Ms Tsai is due to visit Guatemala, one of its small band of diplomatic allies, on January 11 to 12, its Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales said — he gave no details on what President Jimmy Morales and Ms Tsai would discuss. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Liberty Times reported on Monday that Ms Tsai was planning to transit in New York early next month on her way to visit Central American allies Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador. The trip would take place before Mr Trump's inauguration on January 20, and Ms Tsai's delegation would seek to meet Mr Trump's team, including his White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, the Liberty Times said. Taiwan's'real aim is self-evident': China Taiwan has not formally confirmed Ms Tsai's trip — calling the media reports "excessive speculation" — but visits to its allies in the region are normally combined with transit stops in the United States and meetings with Taiwan-friendly officials. Asked about the possibility of a Tsai stopover in the United States, China's Foreign Ministry said the "one China" principle, which states Taiwan is part of China, was commonly recognised by the international community. "As for the issue you raise of a 'transit' in the United States by the leader of the Taiwan region, her real aim is self-evident," the ministry said in a statement. China hopes the United States "does not allow her transit, and does not send any wrong signals to 'Taiwan independence' forces," it added. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he had no information to announce about whether Ms Tsai would meet US officials if she stopped in transit. "What I can say about that is that that kind of transit is based on long-standing US practice, and it's consistent with the unofficial nature of our relations with Taiwan," Mr Toner told a regular media briefing. The White House said on Monday it had sought to reassure China after Mr Trump's phone call with Ms Tsai, which the Obama administration warned could undermine progress in relations with Beijing. Mr Trump stoked controversy further on Sunday when he used Twitter to complain about Chinese economic and military policy. Reuters Topics: world-politics, us-elections, china, united-states, taiwan, asia First postedNo trade dealmaker he. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) The trade winds were behind Sen. Bernie Sanders' in Michigan's 2016 Democratic primary on Tuesday, leading him to his biggest win of the cycle so far. The results were quite the surprise, considering that Clinton had enjoyed huge margins in the polls there. The Real Clear Politics poll average coming in had her with a 21-point lead; Huff Post pollster had her up 18 points. Previous Sanders wins had been, if not exactly expected, as least entertained in the days prior to voting. This one is an upset, no two ways about it. Polling guru Nate Silver called it "among the greatest polling errors in primary history." In many ways, the outcome is validation that Sanders can contend in the Midwest with his strategy of honing in on free trade, which he has been doing in a big way recently. Just look at this tweet: The people of Detroit know the real cost of Hillary Clinton's free trade policies. pic.twitter.com/OoatUvhEc9 — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 3, 2016 He hammered home the same theme during Wednesday night's debate, saying, "Secretary Clinton supported virtually every one of the disastrous trade agreements written by corporate America. … Look, I was on a picket line in early 1990s against [the North American Free Trade Agreement] because you didn't need a PhD in economics to understand that American workers should not be forced to compete against people in Mexico making 25 cents an hour." Among the 60 percent of primary voters in Michigan who said free trade takes away U.S. jobs, Sanders won by 13 points. And he won among those voters who decided in the last week. There's little evidence Clinton's gambit to tie him to a vote against the money that went toward bailing out out the auto industry had any effect. Trade is certainly a weak area for Clinton; she dithered over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, only coming out against it in a way that looked like it was solely a reaction to Sanders, and she supported NAFTA in the '90s. (To be fair, as she noted in the debate, she voted against the only trade pact to come before her when she was a senator, the Central American Free Trade Agreement.) Sanders picked her apart on the issue in Michigan, as, presumably, will Donald Trump, should she and the orange one win their respective nominations. Sanders now has to be looking ahead to states like Ohio and Illinois, which vote on Super Duper Tuesday, and thinking he has a real shot. But he still has a delegate problem. And it showed up on Tuesday, again, in the deep south. In the night's other Democratic primary, as expected, Clinton cruised in Mississippi. She has overwhelmed Sanders all across the South, in states such as Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia. There, Sanders' deficit with black voters has been starkest, and it was the same story in the Magnolia State, where Clinton received 90 percent of the black vote. And she's going to run up a big delegate margin because of it. Sanders, of course, had a decent weekend prior to Tuesday's voting, winning three of the four contests – he came out ahead in Kansas, Maine and Nebraska, losing only Louisiana. Despite his victories, though, he barely made any headway into Clinton's delegate count, reducing Clinton's nearly 200 pledged delegate lead by just two, according to the New York Times. Herein lies the issue for Sanders: Because Democrats dish out delegates proportionally, he has to find some big blowouts in delegate rich states, akin to those Clinton has been winning all across the South. So far they haven't materialized. He'll likely just split delegates with Clinton in Michigan as well, which, with her big win in Mississippi, still makes him the night's delegate loser. One hill Sanders hasn't really managed to climb is winning big among, well, Democrats. Even in his blowout win in New Hampshire, he only won self-identified Democrats 52-48 percent. His margin of victory was his impressive showing among independents. And the story is much the same in the bigger states he lost: In Virginia, he lost Democrats 71-29 percent, while winning independents. In Massachusetts, he lost Dems 60-40 percent, while winning two-thirds of the independent vote. He lost Democrats again in Michigan. At a certain point, to get the wins he has to get, he'll have to swing those numbers in his favor. But make no mistake. Taking Michigan when all the polls said he would come nowhere close is a big deal, and shows that Sanders has a much more plausible case for taking his campaign all the way to the Democratic convention in July than he had last week. Trade on that.Once every century, the dragons of Underwing return to their ancient brooding grounds for a Great Hatching. Whelps, drakes, wyverns, and wyrms alike dart through the air as the world's most daring tamers try their hands at capturing and training these wondrous, winged beasts. Armed with an array of colored Elements, players hatch a horde of dragons by strategically placing gemstones within nesting sites. Of course, different eggs thrive in the presence of different elements, so would-be tamers must optimize the use of their Dragon Handler underlings to stake claim, add gemstones, and fetch more resources. At the end of the Great Hatching, the tamer with the most Dragon Points is proclaimed Underwing's next great Dragonlord. Underlings of Underwing is an award-winning, worker-placement and resource management game for one to six players. Gazing out into the Hatching Grounds, players imbue Dragon eggs using elemental crystals gathered by their Handlers in an attempt to successfully hatch the greatest collection of Dragons following the rules of color theory. It takes about 30-60 minutes; more players means longer playing time. Originally designed by Alisha Volkman for the The Game Crafter's Learning Game Design Contest (co-sponsored by The Pericles Group), Underlings of Underwing not only took first place, but impressed us so much that we wanted to publish it under The Pericles Group brand. Underwing does so many things right with regards to helping players better understand the principles of color theory while simultaneously succeeding as a fantastic lightweight game, appealing to all ages, with potential for incredible strategic play. Underlings of Underwing is played in rounds, otherwise known as hours during Hatching Day in the realm of Underwing. Each hour has 4 phases in order to maximize efficiency when it comes to hatching Dragons. Element Collection Move and Assign Dragon Handlers Add Elements to Eggs / Hatch Wild Dragons Hatch Eggs / Collect Completed Eggs / Discover New Eggs At the conclusion of each hour (round), the Egg Token (indicating Player 1) is passed to the left and the hour pawn is advanced one space to the right. Phase 1 - Collect Elements Beginning with Player 1 and rotating to the left, each player draws the appropriate Element from the Element Bag for each Dragon Handler he or she has currently on the Field. If the player has no Handlers on the Field, it is a blind draw rather than a specific Element. Colorful Elemental Crystals! Phase 2 - Move and Assign Dragon Handlers Handlers are your workers who perform all of your tasks for you. They can gather specific elements, stake a claim on eggs, or hatch eggs to ensure all proper safety protocols are followed. A view of the Field and Hatching Grounds Starting with Player 1 and rotating to the left, each player may perform one of the following actions until they have made all the moves they wish to make. These include managing Handlers on the Field, claiming Eggs, or recalling Handlers to use in future rounds. Close up view of the Hatching Grounds Phase 3 - Placing Elements on Eggs Starting with Player 1 and rotating to the left, each player must place 1 Element they own on an Egg card for every Dragon Handler they currently have on their staff. Eggs Infused with Elemental Energy Elements follow the rules of colors and players are able to combine primary colors to make secondary colors. For example, a Red and Blue Element placed together on a slot for Purple Element fulfills that requirement. Phase 4 - Hatching and Claiming Completed Eggs At the beginning of this phase, players hatch completed Eggs they have claimed in the previous round. Players then claim completed eggs, fill vacant spaces in the Hatching Ground, and then play continues to the next round. 54 Unique Dragons Ending the Game When the Round Tracker reaches 1, this marks the final round of play. At the conclusion of this round, all players will tally up their Dragon Score. The Player with the highest Dragon Score wins and becomes the next great Dragonlord!Landa Park to get $4.6 million upgrade NEW BRAUNFELS — An Austin firm has been hired to make $4.62 million in upgrades at Landa Park, including repairing a bridge, a dam and 4,400 feet of riverfront retaining walls. “It's a very significant project to revitalize this park that's been loved to death,” City Parks Director Stacey Laird Dicke said Tuesday of the municipal recreation area that hosts 250,000 visitors annually. She said Austin Filter Systems, the low bidder among four firms vying for the contract, was hired by the City Council on Monday and should start construction by June. It has 455 days to complete the work, which includes replacing a pedestrian footbridge destroyed by flooding in 2010, patching the Landa Lake dam, and installing new retaining walls to replace decades-old barriers that are eroded, crumbling or submerged in many spots on the Comal River near its source. zeke@express-news.netPersons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail. First Report of AIDS Twenty years ago, on June 5, 1981, MMWR published a report of five cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) among previously healthy young men in Los Angeles (1). All of the men were described as "homosexuals"; two had died. Local clinicians and the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer stationed at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, prepared the report and submitted it for MMWR publication in early May 1981. Before publication, MMWR editorial staff sent the submission to CDC experts in parasitic and sexually transmitted diseases. The editorial note that accompanied the published report stated that the case histories suggested a "cellular-immune dysfunction related to a common exposure" and a "disease acquired through sexual contact." The report prompted additional case reports from New York City, San Francisco, and other cities. At about the same time, CDC's investigation drug unit, the sole distributor of pentamidine, the therapy for PCP, began to receive requests for the drug from physicians also to treat young men. In June 1981, CDC developed an investigative team to identify risk factors and to develop a case definition for national surveillance. Within 18 months, epidemiologists conducted studies and prepared MMWR reports that identified all of the major risks factors for acquired immnodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In March 1983, CDC issued recommendations for prevention of sexual, drug-related, and occupational transmission based on these early epidemiologic studies and before the cause of the new, unexplained illness was known. MMWR has published more than 400 reports about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS and remains a primary source of information about the epidemiology, surveillance, prevention, care, and treatment of HIV and AIDS. This anniversary issue provides new reports on the epidemiologic features and impact of HIV/AIDS on communities in the United States and in other countries. A compilation of notable MMWR reports on HIV and AIDS is available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/hiv_aids20.html. A video that includes interviews with participants in these first AIDS investigations and reports and a video summary of each report in this issue is available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr. Reference CDC. Pneumocystis pneumonia --- Los Angeles. MMWR 1981;30:250--2. Disclaimer All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices. **Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov. Page converted: 6/8/2001New state laws go into effect today in Idaho, including permitless concealed carry. Adult Idaho residents can now carry a firearm -- hidden from plain view -- with less paper work. Supporters of the change say it is not just a victory for Idaho, but the Second Amendment. "We've been doing this for four years, trying to push this through. And all the way up until the governor signed it, we just had no idea whether or not it was going to pass," said Greg Pruette, executive director of the Idaho 2nd Amendment Alliance. Idaho 2nd Amendment Alliance helped push the new law through the statehouse. At a celebration at Capitol Park, Congressman Raul Labrador congratulated them on their efforts. "You should have the right to carry your firearm without first having to get permission from the government," explained Pruette. "I'm about 93 percent pleased," said Robert Krone, a firearms instructor and owner of RK Gun Smithing Krone says just because you do not need a permit in Idaho, does not mean gun owners should neglect safety.Hollywood, MD- We’re surrounded by water in Southern Maryland but there aren’t many public beaches to enjoy on a hot summer day. That just changed in St. Mary’s County. On Saturday, July 22, the St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation and Parks opened a new park and beach in Hollywood. It’s called Snow Hill Park and it’s 163 acres, including hundreds of feet of sandy beach. The former farm was acquired by the county in March for $1.8 million with funds from both the county and the Navy. Arthur Shepherd, the new director of the St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation and Parks, said no county tax money was used in the acquisition. “We used $1.5 million from the state’s Department of Natural Resources money and we received $300,000 from the United States Navy.” Shepherd said the Navy was involved in the acquisition to make sure there is no encroachment on the no-fly zone. “By investing in the property, the Navy can be sure how the property is being utilized.” Currently, there is limited access to the park but you can enjoy the beach along the Patuxent River and launch kayaks in the water. There are a few portable restroom facilities and picnic tables for use. “There are plans in place to add additional amenities for residents but right now we just want people to know the park is open.” Shepherd explained. During opening weekend, the park had about a hundred visitors. “It was a hot weekend and many people probably weren’t aware the beach is here,” Shepherd noted. Master plans are still being debated but the first change St. Mary’s County residents can expect to see is a new boat ramp. “People are delighted about the new property and they’re excited about the future use. Most people want to know when water access will be added,” Shepherd said. While the county hammers out the details of the master plan, Shepherd said you might see multiple purpose athletic fields, trails and maybe even an equestrian center and wedding venue in the future. “The master plan needs to be laid out and then we have to identify costs. Once we have a plan in place, the changes will be made in several phases.” St. Mary’s County residents will have a say in how they would like to see the land used. Shepherd said there will be focus group committees and the county will host community input meetings where residents can share their thoughts and ideas. Snow Hill Park joins Myrtle Point and Elms Beach as the three public beaches in St. Mary’s County. Snow Hill Park is only open on Saturdays and Sundays right now, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It will be open weekends until Oct. 1. It will also be open Labor Day. Admission is $5 per car for county residents; $10 per car for non-county residents. Season passes are also available for purchase and will allow you admission to any of the county parks. The passes are $20 for county residents; $40 for non-county residents. Snow Hill Park is located at 26590 South Sandgates Road. Contact Joy Shrum at j.shrum@thebaynet.comJoe Sacco’s latest work, “The Great War,” a twenty-four-foot-long panorama that folds like an accordion, illustrates the first day of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles in history, which took place on July 1, 1916. The Maltese-American cartoonist is best known for his comics journalism, including works like “Palestine,” “Safe Area Goražde,” and “Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt” (his 2012 New York Times best-selling collaboration with Chris Hedges), but “The Great War” is a purely visual work, homing in on a specific moment in history. We spoke with Sacco about his approach. When I got a call from an old friend of mine, an editor at Norton, asking me to draw a panorama of the Western front, my first response was “No!” Being a cartoonist, I always think in terms of narrative—but I grew up on Australia, and there the First World War truly gives Australians a sense of national identity. I’ve been reading about it since I was a kid, and I’ve spent so much time thinking about it—I’ve read so many books—that in the end, I thought, Why not? When you read obsessively about a subject, at some point you begin to wonder about yourself. Why am I reading another book about the First World War? What’s pulling me in? So one of the reasons I agreed to do this panorama was trying to deal with my historical voyeurism: O.K., I should deal with this now, because otherwise, why did I visit the Somme battlefield fifteen years ago? It was almost like a penance for a boyhood interest that had lasted so long. I don’t feel a separation from the people I read about in history books. Right now, I’m working on a long book on Mesopotamia—that’s years in the making, it’ll take a long time. I’ve been obsessed with the Middle Ages, I’ve been obsessed with the ancient world, I read a lot about different subjects—and to me, they’re all living people, just people who are just no longer with us. When we first talked about my drawing a panorama of the Western front, the idea seemed static. But immediately I thought of the Bayeux Tapestry [a work probably made in the eleventh century depicting the Norman Conquest], which has a narrative. William the Conqueror in France is getting ready for the invasion; they’re building the boats; they’re crossing the English Channel; then there’s the Battle of Hastings, and you basically read it left to right. It just came to my mind that I could show soldiers marching up to the front, going to the trenches, going over the top, and then returning after they’ve been wounded, back through the lines to the casualty-clearing station behind the front. So it seemed like a very simple idea, and to be honest, I just wanted to draw. On a visceral level, it was just a pleasure to think only in terms of drawing. It was a relief not to think about words, and to do a different kind of research. I did a lot of image research and I actually had to read a lot of books, because sometimes prose takes you where photography never went. I would read and get images in my head, and it was just a matter of putting them down. I’ve spent a lot of time doing journalism, and I still am interested in it, but I think the artist side of me wants to sort of come out now. And that’s what the Great War was to me, letting myself go in that direction. I can’t get journalism out of my blood, so even for this First World War drawing, I needed to get everything right about the details. With the Mesopotamia project, which is very historical, I’m interviewing archaeologists, so that’s how my journalism background comes into it—it’s not just about reading and then distilling. I can get to the level where I can ask intelligent questions, but obviously you have to speak to people who really know that sort of stuff and have spent ten years on digs. When I worked on “Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt” with Chris Hedges, it grew organically—he and I are good friends. I’d do these little scenes of some of the people we met. I’ve done that in my other work, so I thought, Why not just translate the approach into an American context? I’ll probably never give up journalism … but I’ve done this for twenty years and I’m not sure I need to go to another conflict zone. You begin to see the similarities in certain human behaviors, and that starts to interest you. There are some things that may be easier to approach artistically than journalistically. I’m not sure I’ll write fiction, but fiction allows a writer to connect the dots while journalists often place the dots down without connecting them. And, I mean, I just need a creative change.February 22, 2016 / Brooklyn news / Transit Issues City may have to build new bridges over Gowanus Canal, Newtown Creek for streetcar Brooklyn Paper Share on Twitter Tweet Share on Facebook Share The city may have to build new bridges across the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek to accommodate the streetcar system Mayor DeBlasio wants to construct along the borough’s waterfront, officials revealed on Friday. Planners factored in funds for the brand-new spans in the trolley’s projected $2.5-billion price tag in case they can’t run tracks across existing bridges, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen told reporters during a press briefing touting the scheme. “We took a very conservative approach and ensured even new bridges could be accommodated,” said mayoral spokesman Wiley Norvell after the meeting, at which journalists were instructed not quote anyone verbatim. The city still hasn’t announced the tram’s exact route from Sunset Park to Queens, but it will have to traverse both toxic waterways while coming in and out of Red Hook and Greenpoint. Press materials show a mock-up of tracks going over Greenpoint’s Pulaski Bridge — where the city struggled for years to balance the weight of new bike paths with the drawbridge mechanism — but Glen acknowledged that may not actually be possible. The new crossings could include bike and pedestrian paths, she added. In the weeks since the mayor announced his so-called Brooklyn-Queens Connector project, critics have slammed the scheme as a boondoggle designed for the real-estate industry rather than to move people around efficiently, and officials attempted some damage control at the meeting. They claimed the streetcar would have “right of way” for 75- to 80-percent of the path — pushing back against skeptics who are predicting the system will be a glorified bus on rails that will get bogged down in traffic. They also encouraged reporters to reject the characterization of the streetcar — a plan first created by businesses and developers along the proposed route — as a service designed for yuppies, stressing the 40,000 public-housing residents who live along the path and the connections to transit-starved industrial hubs such as the Navy Yard and Brooklyn Army Terminal. The city claims 50,000 straphangers will ride the rails once the system is up and running some time after 2024. But the honchos could offer few assurances on fears the tram’s ticketing system will not work in concert with subways and buses. They estimated half the streetcar’s riders will use it in conjunction with the state-run system, but couldn’t guarantee any free transfers for riders switching between modes on their daily commutes — echoing the mayor’s recent admission that discussions with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are in their early days. Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill @cngl ocal.com or by calling (718) 260–2511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill Updated 10:17 pm, July 9, 2018 ©2016Ted Frank is an attorney and prolific writer. He contributes at Overlawyered and PointofLaw.com and runs the Center for Class Action Fairness. Now, thanks to Scott Greenfield, I see that Ted has opened a new blog to document TSA abuses (a topic we've written about quite a bit recently). It's called, appropriately enough, the TSA Abuse Blog. Keep an eye on it if the issue interests you. I'm glad that Ted Frank, and people like him, are documenting the TSA, because the dead-tree media is doing a rather inconsistent job. Despite evidence of pervasive problems — from humiliations driven by brutal indifference to deliberate misconduct — many members of the chattering classes continue to tell Americans they ought to just shut up and take it. For every account, they have a dismissive response. So when Mary in Texas, one of the Americans whose stories have been gathered by the ACLU, gives this account: The TSA agent used her hands to feel under and between my breasts. She then rammed her hand up into my crotch until it jammed into my pubic bone…. I was touched in the pubic region in between my labia…. She then moved her hand across my pubic region and down the inner part of my upper thigh to the floor. She repeated this procedure on the other side. I was shocked and broke into tears. – Mary in Texas ... the Louisville, Kentucky Courier-Journal is there to tell Mary that she is a big crybaby. At what point did Americans turn into a nation of crybabies? Surely it preceded the sudden squall-fest resulting from new security measures at some U.S. airports — although the fuss kicked up over the weekend and continuing into this busiest of travel weeks has been loud enough to get everyone's attention. When Paula tells this story: She ran her hands all the way up and into my crotch with force. To get graphic she could have felt if I had a feminine pad on. When she finished with the front she did the same with my back to the point that she, what I would call groped, my butt. She went under, in between, and on my breast. It was more intense than my monthly breast exam. – Paula M. Hamilton, Corydon, Indiana ... the New York Times is there to tell her she is a partisan hack: Some individual pat-downs have gone too far, and the T.S.A. was ham-handed in answering those concerns. But the Obama administration should weather this storm by realizing these attacks are purely partisan and ideological. Americans know the difference between a big scanner and big government. When Melissa takes this story: I was shaking and crying the entire time. I was begging them to hurry up but they kept stopping and telling me to calm down. It is impossible to gain composure when a stranger has her hands in your underwear. A crowd gathered and watched and I never felt so humiliated. After it was over, I ran into the ladies' room where I vomited and cried until my plane was boarding. – Melissa, Massachusetts ... my hometown rag, the L.A. Times, is there to tell her to shut up: If you can't handle such a minor inconvenience, perhaps you should stay on the ground. When "B. from Maryland" tells this story: Simply, I was sexually assaulted. My breasts were caressed in an almost amorous manner. And on the second canvassing of my groin, single-finger pressure was applied to my labia majora – the plane of which was near-broken, during which the agent made a wildly off-color remark. – B. from Maryland The Houston Chronicle is there to call her a hysteric: The hysterical hullabaloo over airport security procedures is a waste of time The world's in a swivet over airport security. When Charlotte in California tells this story: This was a very different and, I maintain, a deliberately abusive experience…. the agent not only felt the inside of my upper thighs but also probed my vagina three separate times. I made it to the end of the search, but then broke down…I cannot and will not allow this to happen to me again…. I continue to have nightmares about this experience. – Charlotte in California, female, 68 ... the Baltimore Sun's response is to ask her why she hates America and our troops: Whatever happened to the notion that we need to stick together to overcome extremists? U.S. soldiers are still dying for that cause in Iraq and Afghanistan on a regular basis. And when Caitlin in Conecticut tells this story: I was the only female in a crowd of men. Even though I was not next in line, I was called over to the body scanner. As I got closer to the scanner, I could clearly hear him say "got a cute one, some DD's." … I was appalled and decided at that point to "opt out" of the scanner…. I was then put through the pat down procedure which I only can only describe as sexual assault. – Caitlin, Connecticut ... the Tennessean is there to tell her that being singled out for scans for the sexual titillation and amusement of TSA agents will make us all safer: The enhanced screenings are necessary to avert a situation in which a would-be terrorist attempts to hide weaponry under his clothing. Also, Ruth Marcus at the Washington post would like to add that all of these people should just grow up, shut up, and pretend you're at the doctor: "Don't touch my junk" may be the cri de coeur – cri de crotch? – of the post-9/11 world, but it's an awfully childish one. We let people touch our junk all the time in medical settings. Remind me, again, why I should give a shit that the newspaper industry is dying and these people will all be unemployed? Sooner or later, the state is going
example of the clever new approach to Great People. Rather than being created out of thin air whenever a civ reaches a milestone, Great People now exist in the world and must be attracted to work their magic in your nation before another leader gobbles them up. You can see who’s out there, waiting to be recruited, by clicking on a dedicated Great People tab. Shakespeare might be looking for a patron if you click that tab later in the game. In each category, there’s always one person available at any one time, and each is more expensive than the last. Until the well runs dry. That happens with Great Prophets, who can found religions, very early in the game. If you don’t manage to get one of those prophets before they’re gone, you don’t get to form a religion. That doesn’t mean your civ won’t have a religion though, because everyone who did get a prophet is going to be working hard to spread the word, using missionaries and apostles, because the more worshippers they have, the greater the benefits they’ll reap. Civ VI is a game of systems that overlap in unexpected and interesting ways. Religion and Great People are a perfect example of that – a religion requires a Great Person and the faith that the religion generates can be used to attract MORE great people. They’re also attracted using points generated by buildings and districts associated with their type – build more libraries to attract writers and so on – but if you’re rich in either cash or faith, you can just throw some cash or catechisms their way to bring them on board. That’s just one example of how you’re able to approach different problems with various tools. A mercantile nation can achieve power using great reserves of cash, but that doesn’t mean its power will necessarily be in the form of lucrative goods and trading houses. The Vatican wasn’t built with faith alone, after all, and in Civ VI just as in the world, the means by which you achieve dominance do not necessarily colour the ends of that dominance. Diplomacy is where the game disappoints slightly. It’s not that the new additions – a rumour/intelligence system and much more sharply defined behavioural traits for opposing civs – don’t work, it’s that they feel like a strong foundation rather than the finished article. You learn about the actions of other civs through traders and ambassadors, and the more contact you have (of various sorts), the more access you gain. It’s the one area of the game where the process of learning and advancing feels out of my control though. While it’s convenient to get some extra insight due to a trade route, I’ve never found it a strong enough reason to build that trade route rather than any other. It’s testament to how much of the game does feel like a particularly fine finished article that diplomacy stands out. It’s the least attractive room in a very elegant house rather than the faulty foundation that could make the whole thing fall apart. The traits work well. Each leader has one historic trait that is always in place and one secondary trait that is selected randomly. That is hidden and you’ll only learn what it is through observation of a civ’s behaviour or through intelligence agents. Harald Haradra, the leader of Norway, likes to raid coastal villages. He always does. That’s his thing. He looks slightly sad when he has to inform you that your coastal cities are “all too easy to raid”, as if the raiding is an instinct that he can’t control. If you’re going to build on the coast and don’t have a strong navy, Harald is going to make problems for you. Where communication with leaders works, it’s used to inform you about the game’s rules, using flavoursome dialogue (with animated figures that are impressive though repetitive caricatures), but even in the late stages, when diplomatic options really open up, I’ve never built a civ based around those options. I’ve controlled the world using faith, firepower and finances, but never through sheer cunning and Machiavellian manipulation. There are some smart additions in the form of greater reputation hits for civs that go against the rules of war – which themselves change through the eras – but diplomacy is the one area that, after the hours I’ve spent, feels functional rather than fascinating. The actual behaviour of the AI is fascinating though. In a way, they’re more predictable than ever, the AI leaders, because they have such distinct personalities, based around likes and dislikes. But that makes the combinations that can appear across the globe exciting to encounter. In one game, I ended up sharing a continent with Philip II of Spain and Mvemba a Nzinga of Kongo. Philip hates anyone who spreads their religion in his territory, or fails to follow whatever one true faith he’s cooked up in any given playthrough, while Mvemba looks down on any civ that doesn’t have enough faith in its faith to spread it among his own people. The contrast led to a classical era in which I knew I was going to be the cause of a brutal religious war and I had to work very carefully to ensure whoever I didn’t piss off was going to take my side when that war happened. That’s a microcosm of how the AI works: it’s aggressive but you can read its intentions and motives, allowing you to plan. The predictability does make for a lack of surprises (though there are some moments that have left me scratching my head) but the legibility of the other civs is, on the whole, a strength. War, when it comes, is better than it’s ever been. Civ V changed the rules by removing unit stacks and Civ VI makes intelligent tweaks to those rules, allowing some support units to travel with armies (usually to help with sieges and city bombardment) and reinforcing the importance of terrain. It really is hard to overstate how much more important the map is this time around. When I founded a city that had two rivers running around it, I was as happy as I’ve ever been when completing a wonder of the world because approaching armies would be slowed to a halt, and I could easily deploy units in strong defensive positions. Combat requires smart tactical thinking rather than force of numbers and technological superiority (those things help as well, of course), and that makes even the largest war engaging rather than a tedium of clicking. I’m going to spend more time unpicking the specifics of each new or changed mechanic in a diary series, where I’ll play a game to completion and critique the systems while I tell the story. Right now, I’m happy to say that Civ VI is a game that respects the time you spend with it. The gaps between important decisions have been reduced and that seems to be a driving factor in the entire design. Before moving to Firaxis, Ed Beach created complex historical boardgames and here we’re seeing how someone with that background builds a game when there’s a computer available to do the heavy-lifting and to keep track of a thousand different facts and figures. It’s an intricate, thoughtful and competitive game, built on lots of complicated intertwined systems. Cleverly, it hides its complications, not just behind a colourful and attractive aesthetic (and after spending so much time with it, I’m even more convinced that this is a beautiful game; look at that fog of war map design) but by keeping the machinery hidden. You can play, and win, without spending too much time looking at the numbers, but that doesn’t mean the game isn’t doing an awful lot of calculating in the background. Almost every addition and change that has been made works to the player’s benefit. The splitting of tech into two separate trees means you’ll be making decisions much more often, and the cards that unlock and are used to build and alter your government are always there to play with. City States, the minor nations introduced in Civ V, require much less attention than previously. This is a game that respects your time, not just happy to have you take one more turn but eager to make that turn as meaningful and memorable as possible.China’s hostility towards US technology companies is escalating this week with a ban on government use of Apple’s iPads and MacBooks. Bloomberg reports that up to 10 Apple products have been removed from a Chinese government procurement list last month over security concerns related to their usage. The latest move follows similar bans on products from US firms Microsoft and Symantec. Microsoft’s latest Windows 8 operating system was banned from Chinese government computers recently, catching the software maker by surprise. Microsoft’s Chinese offices were also raided recently over monopoly allegations, and a Chinese government agency is also investigating American technology company Qualcomm for potential antitrust issues. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for his country to become a technology leader and to develop its own software and technologies. "Only if core technologies are in our own hands can we truly hold the initiative in competition and development," said Jinping in a June meeting. "Only then can we fundamentally ensure our national economic security, defense security and other aspects of security. We cannot always dress up other people’s yesterdays as our own tomorrows." US and China fight over spying allegations China’s increased attention to US companies also follows months of revelations from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden detailing the US government’s surveillance activities. The NSA reportedly built backdoors into Chinese telecom giant Huawei's communications equipment, and the Chinese government has demanded that the US puts an end to its spying practices. The US government has previously labelled Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE as a risk to national security, highlighting the tensions between the two countries.By Mark Alsip and Kavin Senapathy Depending on whom you ask, Goop.com is either a ritzy lifestyle publication or a grab bag of the ridiculous, from advice on vaginal steam treatments to a shopping section featuring a $73 wooden spoon and a $576 earring (you read that right; it’s a single earring for the left ear). The site’s curator, actress and aspirational human being Gwyneth Paltrow, isn’t only out to sell a lifestyle but to protect us from the so-called toxins she claims lurk in beauty products, foods and non-steamed vaginas found in average neighborhoods, poisoning unsuspecting commoners. The site’s name is derived from Paltrow’s initials and features her face throughout, at times smiling, other times solemn, and occasionally covered in high-end luxury goop, known as face cream or mask for the frugal department store shoppers. In other words, Goop is an internet extension of all things Gwyneth. As Paltrow herself has been called a hypocrite, for everything from smoking cigarettes once a week to attending a swanky gala mere hours after publicly shopping on a food stamp budget, so too should Goop be judged. When celebs and sites whose advice fans hold dear warn against exposure to certain ostensibly harmful chemicals and in the next breath sell products containing those same substances, we wonder whether they’re disingenuous or sincerely misinformed. This chemical hypocrisy is a common phenomenon as co-author Mark Alsip frequently reveals on his Bad Science Debunked blog, and one Goop is no stranger to. In the Goop article “Full-On—Yet Totally Non-Toxic—Lipstick,” the site recommends seven “better-than-good-enough-to-eat” lip colors that aren’t “potentially toxic.” This and other Goop articles suggest dire health consequences from topical use or ingestion of several chemicals including aluminum, and personal care products containing it are squarely in the lifestyle maven’s crosshairs. An entire Goop exposé dedicated to “toxic” lipsticks features aluminum, the most common metal in the Earth’s crust, prominently as an ingredient to avoid. Since Goop asserts that aluminum is harmful even in small amounts, we wonder whether Paltrow’s team intentionally overlooked that two of the three Rituel de Fille “Forbidden” lipsticks the site sells contain aluminum hydroxide. Paltrow’s unscientific definition of a “dangerous” chemical compound seems to be the mere presence of aluminum rather than the amount and mode of exposure, an important distinction toxicologists make. Nearly a dozen products on Goop contain the element in various compounds, and peddling the item on the same website that calls it dangerous is indefensible. Aluminum, Paltrow’s site warns, can contribute to heavy metal toxicity, calling the condition “one of the greatest threats to our health and well-being.” Perhaps Goop needs to add a disclaimer: Expect hyperbole. Though Goop says that heavy metal toxicity is “quite common,” experts disagree. “Unfortunately for quacks (and fortunately for us), genuine heavy metal poisoning is increasingly uncommon,” explains Dr. David Gorski, outspoken critic of alternative medicine, at the Science Based Medicine blog. “[O]ften the diagnosis of “heavy metal toxicity” made by alt-med practitioners is based on 'provoked' urine levels, a methodology that has no validity.” Lipstick isn’t the only goop Paltrow has on her face--not if she uses the high-end sunscreens she recommends. In “The Dirty on Getting Clean,” Goop places a class of chemicals known as parabens on the short list of chemicals to avoid in cosmetics. Linking any compound that ends in the suffix “paraben” to breast cancer, the article specifically indicts the preservatives methylparaben and propylparaben as toxic. Fast-forward to Goop’s “The Safest Non-Toxic Sunscreens” article, and you’ll find Paltrow selling (via an affiliate link) La Roche-Posay Anthelios SX Daily Moisturizing Cream with Sunscreen—made with methylparaben and propylparaben. “The presence of this toxic preservative [parabens]—an endocrine disruptor—is indicated by any word that ends in paraben, like methylparaben, propylparaben, etc.,” explains the article. The Food and Drug Administration takes a less fatalistic view on parabens, pointing out that parabens have been found safe at levels up to 25%, while actual usage in cosmetics ranges from just 0.01 to 0.3%. A type of preservative used in cosmetics to slow the growth of microbes, parabens help prevent nasty infections that could otherwise occur. In the same article that ominously warns of the perils of parabens, Goop sounds the alarm over formaldehyde, which the site says is a carcinogen linked to asthma and developmental toxicity. The chemical is often not explicitly labeled on cosmetics, the site explains, but advises readers to look out for a host of possible formaldehyde-releasing compounds, including sodium hydroxymethylglycinate. Guess what's in the Grown Alchemist Shampoo & Conditioner sold on Goop ($49 for both 10 ounce bottles)? Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, the very ingredient Goop says is a hidden source of formaldehyde. The same stuff can also be found in Grown Alchemist Body Cream and Body Cleanser, both also sold on Goop. What Paltrow and her team don’t mention is that though it’s best known as a component in embalming fluid, formaldehyde is a naturally-occurring compound produced by all life forms, including plants, and humans and other animals, and is essential in the production of some amino acids that keep us alive. Like parabens, formaldehyde-releasers are used in minuscule amounts as preservatives, preventing the growth of microbes on personal care products. To demonstrate the apparent lack of research Gwyneth Paltrow and her team put into their merchandise recommendations, try Googling “goop.com hydroxymethylglycinate.” The search returns several Goop articles trumpeting the dangers of sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, followed by links selling you products containing the very same ingredient. It’s worth stressing again that none of the chemicals Goop warns against are harmful in our personal care products, and neither glitterati nor more ordinary people need worry about them. As we noted in an earlier discussion, chemical hypocrites like Paltrow are either cunningly disingenuous, instilling fear to line their pockets, or they fail miserably at due diligence. “We will never recommend something that we don’t love, and think worthy of your wallets and your time,” the site’s “What’s Goop” section explains. “We value your trust above all things.” Perhaps both Goop’s team of experts and Gwyneth herself could try coming clean with more than the high-end cleansers they hawk. Like Kavin Senapathy's Facebook page and follow her on Twitter. Read Mark Alsip's work on his Bad Science Debunked blog.“I force people to constrain and use the smallest amount of time to explain what’s most interesting about their company". It’s rewarding, but like any effective conditioning process, no pain, no gain. This article was originally published at 500.co and is reposted at InnMind.com with author's permission. Author: Walter Thompson. Time to read: 8 min. For entrepreneurs to pitch effectively, they must first free themselves of attachment — the root of all suffering. Which makes 500 Startups Venture Partner, Entrepreneur-in-Residence and pitch coach Andrea Barrica a spiritual guru. “I force people to constrain and use the smallest amount of time to explain what’s most interesting about their company,” she explains. It’s rewarding, but like any effective conditioning process, no pain, no gain. The 120 Second Investor Pitch Now coaching her fourth batch of founders for 500 Startups, Barrica has continually shaved the amount of time they have to present at Demo Day. Instead of 3.5 minutes, each...WASHINGTON: Describing Chinese assertiveness in the region as an opportunity for the US, an expert from an advisory group has said that China's move to build a base in Pakistan would bring India more closer to America."A more assertive China with expeditionary capability could lead nations in the region to be more receptive to supporting US efforts to shape the security environment, and to US objectives in Asia," said Kristen Gunness, CEO of Vantage Point, a China-focused advocacy group."This could specifically be an opportunity to sway those nations that are currently leery of fully supporting US efforts, for example, nations such as Thailand, Malaysia, and India, should China build a base in Pakistan, for example, potentially fall into this category and could be receptive to increased dialogue with the US," Gunness said in his testimony before US-China Economic and Security Review Commission "An implication for the US military, PLA expeditionary capabilities allow more opportunity for the US and Chinese militaries to cooperate on regional security issues particularly in the maritime domain where our two navies are well positioned to cooperate on issues such as counterpiracy, counterterrorism...," he argued.Said Thomas Bickford, senior research scientist, CAN Corporation, said India is one of the countries in the region which is going to have a lot of concerns with the Chinese assertiveness."(India is) Very concerned about Chinese submarine operations in Indian Ocean, any connection between Chinese navy activities in Pakistan and in general, anything that might happen maybe maritime element which is to what was normally just a border issue on the land," he said."So there's a lot of concerns in India where we would like to respond in a number of ways including more defense spending and possibly seeking the closer relationship with United States in terms of military," Bickford said."In terms of implications for relations with our allies and partners, well, clearly, we're going to be asked to do a lot more, you can have that expectation, and things that are really important and you need to think about carefully is what is the priority between China greater commitment and losing flexibility because the more clearer and concise our commitments are, the less flexibility future US leaders might have in the crisis," he said.Jeffrey L Fieldler, Commissioner of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, said both the US and Japan would not sit idle if China indulges in something with India."I'm not so sure that Japan and the United States will sit idle by when the Chinese did something serious with India given its position in the world and the need to go to the south the Indian Ocean," he said."So, but I don't see any formal alliance arrangement that would just scare everybody. I actually don't think it's possible. So, but short of that, there's a lot of working together that is finally going out and that has never been going on before," Fieldler said.RAMALLAH – Palestinian Prisoners Club head Qadura Fares called on detainees’ families and Palestinian organisations to stop taking part in military trials and to refuse to pay convicts’ fines, which he said amounted to $6 million in 2016. According to the media reports, Palestinian officials on Sunday called for a boycott of Israeli military courts after a Palestinian freed in a 2011 prisoner exchange was rearrested and sent back to prison for life. Palestinians captured by Israeli security forces are generally brought before the army courts, where defence lawyers say they are often not notified of the charges against their clients or allowed to meet them before the trial. “Palestinian movements and prisoners’ families must choose boycott,” Fares told a press conference in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah,. “One must take the difficult decision of rebellion and boycott” of the courts, Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian Authority’s commission for detainees, added. He noted that the same military court system on Tuesday sentenced an Israeli soldier to 18 months in prison for the manslaughter of a Palestinian he shot dead as the man lay wounded on the ground. The United Nations said the sentence was an “unacceptable” punishment for “an apparent extra-judicial killing”. “Such courts must be boycotted,” Qaraqe said on Sunday. In contrast, he said, was the case of Palestinian Nael Barghouthi, sentenced to life imprisonment by Israel in 1978 for what the Israeli army said was “a series of security offences, including murder”. He was among more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel in 2011 in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured five years earlier by Palestinian freedom fighters and held in the Gaza Strip. He was rearrested and on Wednesday a military court reinstated his original sentence of life plus 18 years. According to a report by the Palestinian Authority and the Prisoners Club, 85 of the Palestinians freed in the 2011 swap have since been rearrested by Israel with 65 sent back to prison for life.The development team of Tapbots has slowly gained a reputation for crafting polished and clever apps with a unique robotic theme. The pair behind the company include programmer Paul Haddad and designer Mark Jardine. Haddad and Jardine began working together at the Oakley web group, where Haddad got the hankering to build an iPhone app and enlisted Jardine’s help to design it. The rest is tiny robot history. Since we’ve already conducted an in-depth interview with Haddad earlier this year, I reached out to Jardine and he agreed to answer a few questions. He rarely gives interviews, so I jumped at the chance to talk to him about the design of Tweetbot for Mac in advance of today’s release. You can read our review of Tweetbot for Mac here. TNW: I know that with iOS you know point by point how the app will display for everyone, but that’s not true with the Mac. How did you find the experience of designing your first Mac app for Tapbots? Mark: Designing for the Mac is definitely far more challenging than iOS. It just feels like there’s an infinite amount of variables you have to account for. Designing a “custom” interface just makes things harder. Then, add the fact that I’m sitting here designing my first Mac app and you have a huge recipe for disaster. I did have a clear goal though. It was to take our signature look and feel on iOS and apply it to the Mac while still feeling like a Mac app. I’m a pretty harsh critic when it comes to “feeling like a native Mac app”. I always hated Firefox on the Mac because of this. Macromedia apps were notoriously bad and Adobe apps follow right behind them. So yeah, I can see how it must be ironic that I designed Tweetbot for Mac the way it is. But Tapbots apps have a heavily branded user interface. So as long as we keep making apps for this brand, I will continue to take on this challenge. Do I feel like we’ve succeeded in taking our brand and making it feel like a mac app? I’m not really sure. But it’s a 1.0 and we still have a lot of work ahead of us. TNW: I’ve seen a few iterations of the Tweetbot for Mac icon come and go, but you seemed set on the bird from the start. Was it difficult to translate him out of the square or have you always thought of the bots as three dimensional objects that you translated into icons? Mark: The original Tweetbot was a drawing I did for the bottom of our website that linked to our Twitter account. At the time, there was no thought of ever doing a Twitter client. No more than the drawing of the nurse or robot with the megaphone becoming an app icon. So when we decided to do a twitter client, my objective was to take that bird illustration and draw him with the same rules we apply to all of our icons (yes I’m still sad that Pastebot lost his eyes). I’m guessing most people have no clue why the Tweetbot for iOS icon looks the way it does. But those who have been following our apps before Tweetbot became big know why the icon looks as it does and that’s all I care about. I think [that] the iOS icon is super clever and definitely a result of pure luck that it worked out. Even when designing the iOS icon, I knew that if we ever did a Mac app, I’d use the full bird for the icon. So that’s what I did. I drew Tweetbot standing in a 3/4 view to fill most of the icon bounding box and resemble the original drawing I did for our website. But when I started to leak a few screens of it, I got a few comments that it looked too much like the Twitterrific icon. A blue bird plus the 3/4 view apparently caused too many similarities. Paul and I totally respect the guys over at Iconfactory and I’ve personally been a huge fan of their apps and icons since I bought my first Mac (a Powermac G4 MDD). We decided it wasn’t worth potentially bumping heads with them just for an icon so we decided to take a different approach. The next best thing was to have Tweetbot facing directly forward. The problem with that was he was much taller than he was wide. That made the app icon look really small in the dock. I tried my best to fatten him up and shorten his legs as much as possible, but it just wasn’t enough. So we decided to amputate his legs altogether. It felt weird at first, but it grew on us quickly so we ended up sticking with it. TNW: Was translating the design language of iOS a challenge, or did everything fall into place as far as the interface? Mark: Most of it fell into place. The biggest challenge is getting around framework limitations when it comes to customizing the interface. Right clicks replaced long holds on iOS and swipe gestures work the same for the most part. One thing I wanted to make sure I did was make good use of the space we have on the Mac. That’s where the idea of columns came in. At the same time I didn’t want to force them on people because I know some people really hate the “Tweetdeck” concept. For the average user, columns are overkill. But for someone who manages a personal account as well as a company account, it just starts to make a lot of sense. It also makes our “multiple timelines” feature that much more useful. Another big challenge was solving our tweet drawer issue. In early builds, we used the same tweet drawer we have in iOS. However it just didn’t feel right at all on the Mac. We struggled with that for awhile. Went through a few variations and finally ended up with what we have now. It’s nothing new, but it seems to work the best. TNW: Do you feel Apple makes it easier or harder to design for the Mac these days, with so much of their focus on iOS? Mark: iOS is definitely easier in many ways. It’s so easy to do custom UI and get great performance and animation (relatively speaking). But I think we’ll figure out better ways to do things over time. We went through the same problems when we created our first iOS app. Read next: Tweetbot: Probably the last great Twitter client for the MacJekyll-created websites are typically simple and their layouts, predictable. I want to show you how I created a pseudo-dynamic layout for case-studies, on TMW's new website, using some YAML front-matter and a little magic..* At TMW, the work we do comes in all shapes and sizes. Traditional templates would not suffice, because the work we do is extremely varied and the layouts needed to reflect that. We decided, at a very early stage, that each case study should change based on the project and particular type of content. This presented an interesting challenge for me because Jekyll does not cater for that functionality, so I had to get a little creative… YAML front-matter, a for-loop and lots of modules After a few iterations, I settled on a robust, if unorthodox solution that used YAML front-matter (in each case study’s markdown), a simple for-loop (in the case study layout) and lots of modules for each section of the case study page. YAML front-matter Amongst other things, the partials YAML array was added to the YAML front-matter for each case study (you can see it at the bottom of the embed below). Each item in that array had to specify a name, this name corresponded to the name of the partial/module that was going to be used. This is taken from the Canon. Unleashing Print. case study The for-loop The loop in question was added to the work layout file in the _layouts directory. It might look a bit nuts — and it is — but please bear with me.. The nature of how Jekyll compiles it’s files meant I had to account for all possible properties for each module that was used in the YAML. The loop iterated through the partials array, used the name property to include a different module, like so: include {{item.name}}.html. These were then passed to the included module using the subsequent parameters on the include tag. Even if the property was not needed in that module, it still needed to be passed down. Very quickly, I discovered that the properties of the partials array needed to share the same properties so that my for-loop didn’t get totally out of control. The modules Creating modules for this page was nothing out of the ordinary, below you can see one of them. You should also be able to tell that some of the values are optional (e.g {% if include.spaced %} ), this meant that I was able to customise the modules even further by adding/removing classes and content and giving the page even more of a unique feel. Examples of this was the optional addition to contain images in the section-image module to a thin column equal to the width of.l-container or a slightly wider version using.l-container--wide. This was used to great effect on the Lynx Bigger Issues case study. Colour schemes Another aspect to the case studies, was that they each have their own colour scheme. This is usually governed by the assets or brand for that particular case study and was controlled by some more YAML front-matter.The world is smitten by its latest fashion icon, Amal Alamuddin or the new Mrs. Clooney. She’s managed to not only snag one of the most-coveted bachelors in the world but she’s also landed herself in the same ranks as some of the world’s fashion royalty and to get the nod from just about every usually unimpressed fashion editor out there. Yes, Amal Alamuddin has given The Duchess of Cambridge a run for her money this weekend with the understated yet perfectly chosen elegant outfits she donned to her star-studded wedding week celebration in Venice. Thanks to her, Lebanon is back in the headlines for all the right reasons again and just about every Lebanese is trying to prove they are related to her. But before we take a look at her flawless style here’s a little profile on her. She’s 36, and although she is indeed born in Beirut from Lebanese parents she actually moved to London at the tender age of 2. Her father is a retired American University of Beirut Professor and her mother is a journalist. She’s an Oxford and New York University law school graduate and worked as a Barrister some controversial cases high profile such as the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the Julian Assange extradition case. Almost every paparazzo camped out in Venice as word broke out of her wedding to George Clooney. The tasteful celebrations were attended by some major A-listers but it’s safe to say that Amal stole the show with her refined fashion sense. The theme was chic romantic Italian elegance. She broke stereotypes and proved to many Lebanese women that you don’t have to wear the flashiest biggest shiniest revealing dress to look magnificent. Here’s a closer look at the full series of high fashion outfits looks she wore to the entire wedding week First Pre-Wedding Sighting Amal channeled her inner Jackie Kennedy in monochrome striped Dolce and Gabbana dress, thick framed Prada Glasses and a vintage style hat box which actually served as a lovely purse. First Post-Wedding Sighting This was one of my favorite dresses she chose from Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Amal gave the world the first glimpse of her supper skinny long legs in this long- stiff hem-lined sleeved lace number with embroidered colorful flowers. She also chose the perfect shades to go with her outfit, these cat eye stunners by Heidi London. The wedding rehearsal dinner Amal wore an Alexander McQueen scarlet waterfall dress with a black pattern from the design house’s Resort 2011 collection. Her signature big hair also made an appearance and she completed the look with simple pointy black pumps and a bold red lip. Civil Marriage Ceremony This sophisticated look Amal chose left me in complete awe. Most women would usually want to wear dresses for this occasion but not Amal, she chose this cream Stella McCartney trouser suit with a nautical strip and a matching hat. She kept her makeup soft and day-time appropriate and her coiffed hair looked gorgeous. This was one of my favorite looks by far. The Wedding Gown And finally the wedding gown. Amal Alamuddin Clooney chose a dress by Oscar de la Renta from his fall 2014 collection. The ethereal and timeless cream off-the-shoulder hand stitched creation came with fourteen yards of Chantilly Lace, an embroidered bodice and featured a classic circular train and a floor-length veil. She was reported to have worn pearl earrings with square-cut diamond accents from her parents by Lebanese jeweler Chatila. Amal’s hair? Again simple, as it fell on her shoulders. It did not in any way attempt to compete with the rest of her look, none of that chignon madness or diamond tiara’s you see at most Lebanese weddings. The makeup? As natural as can be, there was no dramatic fierce eyes or extra layers of foundation. As for George Clooney he looked dapper in a Giorgio Armani tuxedo and cufflinks gifted to him by Amal, which read “George” in Arabic. think we are all looking forward to watch what Amal will be wearing next as the world awaits her honeymoon sightings and how she will fashionably evolve to embrace her new role as Clooney’s wife. Read More Share this: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google EmailHealth Risks of Secondhand Smoke What is secondhand smoke? Secondhand smoke (SHS) is also called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). It’s a mixture of 2 forms of smoke that come from burning tobacco: Mainstream smoke: The smoke exhaled by a smoker. The smoke exhaled by a smoker. Sidestream smoke: Smoke from the lighted end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, or tobacco burning in a hookah. This type of smoke has higher concentrations of cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) and is more toxic than mainstream smoke. It also has smaller particles than mainstream smoke. These smaller particles make their way into the lungs and the body’s cells more easily. When non-smokers are exposed to SHS it’s called involuntary smoking or passive smoking. Non-smokers who breathe in SHS take in nicotine and toxic chemicals the same way smokers do. The more SHS you breathe, the higher the levels of these harmful chemicals in your body. Why is secondhand smoke a problem? Secondhand smoke (SHS) has the same harmful chemicals that smokers inhale. There’s no safe level of exposure for secondhand smoke (SHS). Secondhand smoke causes cancer Secondhand smoke is known to cause cancer. It has more than 7,000 chemicals, including at least 70 that can cause cancer. SHS causes lung cancer – even in people who have never smoked. There’s also some evidence suggesting it might be linked in adults to cancers of the: It’s possibly linked in children to: Secondhand smoke causes other diseases and death Secondhand smoke can be harmful in many ways. For instance, it affects the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke in non-smokers. Some studies have linked SHS to mental and emotional changes, too. For instance, some studies have shown that exposure to SHS is linked to symptoms of depression. More research is needed to better understand the link between SHS and mental health. Secondhand smoke and your children’s health Young children are most affected by SHS and least able to avoid it. Most of their exposure to SHS comes from adults (parents or others) smoking at home. Studies show that children whose parents smoke: Get sick more often Have more lung infections (like bronchitis and pneumonia) Are more likely to cough, wheeze, and have shortness of breath Get more ear infections Secondhand smoke can also trigger asthma attacks, make asthma symptoms worse, and even cause new cases of asthma in kids who didn’t have symptoms before. Some of these problems might seem small, but they can add up quickly. Think of the expenses, doctor visits, medicines, lost school time, and often lost work time for the parent who must stay home with a sick child. And this doesn’t include the discomforts that the child goes through. In very young children, SHS also increases the risk for more serious problems, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Where is secondhand smoke a problem? You should be especially concerned about exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in these places: At work The workplace is a major source of SHS exposure for many adults. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational
consumed cannabis were more likely to have higher feelings of self-worth and mental health than their comparable control group. The cannabinoids found in cannabis could be helping the introvert relax in by ensuring proper balance of chemicals in your brain as cannabinoids work to modulate feedback between neurons. This means cannabis could help an introvert feel more comfortable in new situations, especially social ones, which would help explain why cannabis is so popular among introverts. Cannabis being the popular drug of choice among introverts is finally starting to be explained by science. Cannabis can help regulate the flow of chemicals in an introvert’s brain, helping them be more creative in their work and helping them relax in social situations that might otherwise be uncomfortable for them. This, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. There is still so much we don’t know about the endocannabinoid system and how cannabis affects the human brain. As we discover the deeper parts of the iceberg, hopefully new research will continue to shed light on why cannabis is the drug of choice for most introverts. Are you an introvert that loves weed? Share this article to spread the knowledge on cannabis and introversion. Follow us on Twitter @CannaHacker for our latest articles!While the major record labels were dragging file-sharers and BitTorrent sites to court for copyright infringement, they were themselves being sued by a conglomerate of artists for exactly the same offenses. Warner, Sony BMG, EMI and Universal face up to $6 billion in damages for pirating a massive 300,000 tracks. It is no secret that the major record labels have a double standard when it comes to copyright. On the one hand they try to put operators of BitTorrent sites in jail and ruin the lives of single mothers and students by demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, and on the other they sell CDs containing music for which they haven’t obtained copyright permission. In the past we’ve covered many disputes between artists and labels, where the latter is being accused or even sued for using songs without permission. Just a few months ago Latin America’s biggest artist, Alejandro Fernández, sent the police to a Sony Music office to confiscate over 6,000 CDs that the label refused to return, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. The labels have made a habit of using songs from a wide variety of artists for compilation CDs without securing the rights. They simply use the recording and make note of it on “pending list” so they can deal with it later. This has been going on since the 1980s and since then the list of unpaid tracks (or copyright infringements) has grown to 300,000. Growing tired of the labels’ piracy, a group of artists have filed a class-action lawsuit in Canada against four major labels connected to the CRIA, the local equivalent of the RIAA. In October last year Warner Music, Sony BMG Music, EMI Music and Universal Music were sued for illegal use of thousands of tracks and at present the case is still underway. How and why this blatant copyright infringement could go on for years is a mystery, but the labels’ double standard has been picked up by the plaintiffs as well. “The conduct of the defendant record companies is aggravated by their strict and unremitting approach to the enforcement of their copyright interests against consumers,” the artists argue in their claim for damages. The suit is still ongoing but already the labels have admitted to owing at least $50 million for infringing the rights of artists, and this figure could grow as high as 6 billion. So who are the real pirates here? Update: The correct figure is 6 instead of 60 billion.All about Hillary? The Benghazi Select Committee appears to have become all about Sidney -- as in Sidney Blumenthal, the longtime Clinton confidant who appeared to email her regularly. During his first round of questioning for the former secretary of State, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) noted that Blumenthal clearly had Clinton's personal email address and wondered if Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, who died in the Benghazi attacks, did as well. "If I had been Mr. Stevens and I had had a relationship with you, and I had requested 20 or more times for additional security to protect not only my life but the people that were there with me, I would have gotten in touch with you some way," he said. Clinton said she did not believe Stevens had her email address but that he had a direct line to key officials at the State Department. "He was in constant contact with people," she said. Next, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) wondered why Clinton did not personally see hundreds of cables that included requests for additional security while 150 of Blumenthal's emails "reached your desk." "You asked for more of them. You read them. You corresponded with him," he said of her emails with Blumenthal. "And yet the folks that worked for you didn't have the same courtesy." Clinton repeated that Blumenthal was simply a friend who "sent me information he thought might be of interest." "Some of it was, some of it wasn't. Some of it I forwarded to be followed up on," she said. "The professionals and experts who reviewed it found some of it useful, some of it not. He had no official position in the government. And he was not at all my advisor on Libya." And then Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), the panel's chairman, picked up the torch from his colleagues, using his first exchange with Clinton to methodically question why Blumenthal seemed to play such an important role without a formal position in the administration, noting his connections to the Clinton Foundation and to Democratic-affiliated groups. He said that Clinton forwarded information from his emails to other State Department or administration officials, often without identifying him as the source. "Our ambassador was asked to read and respond to Blumenthal’s drivel," Gowdy said. But he noted Clinton did not forward emails from Blumenthal that seemed to criticize the president or other officials. "I don't know what this line of questioning does to help us get to the bottom of the death of four Americans," Clinton responded at one point. Blumenthal is among the witnesses with ties to Clinton who have been called to testify before the committee in private. In the batches of Clinton emails released each month by the State Department, Blumenthal's name is among those that appear most frequently. His notes were sometimes personal but more often included detailed memos on global hotspots, with intelligence culled from his own sources. He also offered advice -- most often seemingly unsolicited -- about how Clinton could leverage world events to boost her public standing. Democrats at various points used their questioning time to try to correct what they portrayed as misleading Republican points, and the hearing descended into a procedural fight when the panel's top Democrat sought approval for entering the transcript of Blumenthal's full testimony into the record. As the committee members squabbled, Clinton watched with a mix of amusement and confusion, rubbing her temples as the spectacle went on.Thousands said goodbye to slain emergency medic Yadira Arroyo on... “Call 911!” Dennis Wales remembers shouting to his daughter Shannon one day in July 2007 after he collapsed in his bed with a stabbing pain mounting in his chest. It would be tragic EMT hero Yadira Arroyo who would rush to his Bronx home and saved his life. And on Saturday, it was he who went to her side — for her wake and funeral. “She basically saved my life,” Wales, 62, told The Post, as he joined hundreds of mourners at the Joseph A. Lucchese Funeral Home in University Heights. “The rest is history. I’m still alive.” Wales, a retired Con Ed worker, had just finished mowing the grass at his Van Nest, Bronx, home when he suffered a heart attack. Shannon, now 31 but then a freshman in college, happened to look out the second-floor window after calling 911. Arroyo and her ambulance were stopped at a red light in the street below. “It was a miracle,” Wales remembered on Saturday. “If she hadn’t been stopped at that red light, I’d be a dead man.” The daughter ran downstairs and told Arroyo her father was having a heart attack. “She yells, ‘My father! My father!’ ” Wales recalled. Arroyo and her partner rushed upstairs, pulling the stricken Wales onto the floor. Arroyo began giving chest compressions as her partner readied the defibrillator. “I was in a lot of pain and sweating, just white,” Wales recalled. “Yadi just keep talking to me. She said, ‘Stay with me. Stay with me. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be OK.’ “I remember I looked up at her. I’m telling her, ‘You’re so beautiful. You have beautiful eyes.’ “She was smiling at me. She was like that. That was just her nature.” Wales was in the hospital for 12 days, during which time Arroyo came to check on him. Several years later, Wales ran into her at a friend’s handball tournament. “I said, ‘Remember me? You saved my life,’ ” he recalled. He heard about her death on the news. Her family heard his story and invited him to sit with them at the wake. Her death has hit him hard. “It really hit home,” he told The Post. “She saved so many people like me. “And now she’ll never save anyone else. It makes me so mad.” Ten years after Arroyo saved his life, he has seven grandchildren.Hi everyone! Some of the TrueOS/Lumina developers wanted to put together a little “live” Q&A session here this upcoming Friday afternoon, around 1pm (EST). We’ll cross pollinate with the TrueOS Subreddit to answer as many questions related to TrueOS, Lumina, and SysAdm as we can. A few suggested areas/topics for questions: history of the project, current philosophy, what’s next, why do you recommend/use “worst thing ever” instead of “best/my favourite thing ever”, long-term goals, etc. Feel free to post questions for the devs in this thread, and we’ll try to marathon as many answers as we can on Friday! We’ll create a new Q&A thread to respond to live questions, working in questions from this thread as we go. Once all questions are answered or the thread winds down, we’ll compile the questions and answers and post them on the TrueOS blog for later reference. As always, thanks for your continued support and effort in making the TrueOS community the best! tl;dr: Ask devs questions about TrueOS/Lumina in this thread or ask us live this Friday @1pm(ish) EST. Q&A thread is LIVE: [Finished] TrueOS/Lumina Dev Q&A: Ask us questions!A small chance still exists that GOP efforts to disrupt insurance-exchange sign-up could doom Obamacare. Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Having failed to block Obamacare in Congress in 2010, or to get the Supreme Court to throw it out in 2012, or to beat Obama himself last November, conservative groups have hit upon two last-ditch methods of preventing a large new entitlement program from becoming an entrenched fact of American life. One is Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s pledge to refuse to fund the discretionary functions of the federal government unless the law is repealed. The other is an effort to bring the law down at the grassroots by encouraging citizen nonparticipation. Or as Dean Clancy of Freedomworks put it: “BURN YOUR OBAMACARE CARD.” As there are no special cards associated with the Affordable Care Act, this plan will not work on a literal level. But on a practical level, though the odds are slim, it just might succeed. But if that boycott doesn’t succeed, the only people conservative leaders are going to end up hurting are their own followers. The Lee pledge, while a fascinating gambit in intra-caucus politics, is impossible, as Republican members are struggling to explain to their constituents. Obamacare’s funding is “entitlement” money that gets spent automatically, so congressional Republicans cannot withhold funding. A grassroots boycott, by contrast, really might work. The issue is that the much-litigated and much-debated “individual mandate” requiring individuals who don’t get insurance through Medicare, Medicaid, or their employer to participate in insurance exchanges isn’t really all that tough. Even someone like Boston University health economist Austin Frakt, whose analysis says the penalties are stiff enough to make the exchanges work, is relying on a penalty rate that will only be phased in over time. The immediate penalties will be smaller and not do much on their own to push people into getting coverage. That creates a several-year window of opportunity during which this element of insurance coverage expansion could unravel. The basic problem with any health-insurance pool is that it needs a mix of people who are healthier than average and people who are less healthy than average. The premiums for the healthy people subsidize the expenses of the sick. In exchange, the healthy secure some valuable peace of mind. But to make it work you need some added incentives. The Affordable Care Act provides these incentives in the form of subsidies for the 33 percent of the population who earns less than 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Most working Americans already have health insurance because we already get a subsidy in the form of the tax treatment of insurance benefits. If your employer offers you subsidized insurance premiums as part of your compensation package, that subsidy doesn’t count as income for tax purposes. But the subsidy does have to be available to all full-time employees. So the government gives employers a subsidy that they use to subsidize insurance premiums. That creates the extra incentive to participate in the employer risk-pool and makes health insurance work. People trying to buy insurance outside the employer framework currently have no such sweetener. Obamacare works by spending money to create new sweeteners for people outside existing employer-sponsored risk-pools. This is key to conservative hatred of Obamacare: They cost money and that money comes largely from taxes on rich people, which Republicans hate. But even though the subsidies are at the heart of the political controversy, the campaign to convince people to sign up is based on ignoring their existence, in order to make the law look like a bad deal. Websites like Americans for Prosperity’s Obamacare Risk Factors, which promises an individualized assessment of the law’s impacts, simply ignore the existence of subsidies, even though just 10 percent of the national uninsured population is ineligible for them. Starting this fall anyone who goes online to start the process of shopping for a plan will be shown the subsidies as part of the White House plan to sell Obamacare. But as Clancy says, the conservative plan is “to make it socially acceptable to skip the exchange” so people will never find out. April polling showed that the depth of public ignorance around the law remained profound, with about 40 percent of all respondents and half of under-30s unaware that the Affordable Care Act is still the law of the land at all. The odds of this bamboozlement working on a large enough scale to derail the law are slim. The relevant population of twentysomething uninsured people is quite liberal, and in a war of words it will end up trusting Obama and his allies over conservative activists. But that hardly means that conservatives won’t persuade anyone: They’ll end up persuading many grassroots conservatives not to participate. Trying to trick people into not exploring the potential benefits of a new government program is a rather novel tactic in American politics, perhaps because it’s blatantly immoral. But conservative leaders truly believe the ACA is disastrous for the country and are more than willing to sacrifice the concrete interests of their followers to undermine it. Also in Slate, Matthew Yglesias cites a study that says the average household subsidy will be $2,672.This weekend, Treasure Hunter has four portable skill stations up for grabs. Unlock a chest from Friday 2nd of May, 01:00 BST for your chance to get your hands on one! Portable skill stations come in four varieties: the portable forge, portable range, portable well and portable sawmill. They can be placed anywhere that you can light a fire, and they’re visible and useable by players in the area. The portable forge doubles up as a furnace and an anvil, so it can be used for both smelting and smithing. It gives you a 5% chance of creating double bars while smelting, and +10% extra Smithing XP. Also, when smithing, the portable forge has a chance to reduce the number of bars used. On average, you’ll use 10% fewer bars while using it. Feeling hungry? The portable range gives +21% Cooking XP and a 5% chance of producing double the cooked food. The portable well is only available to members, and acts as a herblore station. Use it to get vials of water, which give +10% Herblore XP when finishing potions plus a 5% increased chance of creating two potions instead of one. Another members-only skill station - the portable sawmill - allows you to convert logs into planks at a 10% lower gold coin cost than normal. If you’re lucky, you may even get protean planks when using it! All of the portable skill stations last for five minutes, so make the most of your skilling time! Win your portable skill station by opening Treasure Hunter chests between Friday 2nd May 01:00 BST and Tuesday 6th May 00:59 BST. If you need help converting this to your local time, click here. All players get at least one Key per day, and RuneScape members get two! You can even earn more through gameplay – just visit the wiki to find out how, and to learn more about Treasure Hunter itself. Head to our billing page to buy more Keys, redeem Bonds in-game, or simply click ‘Buy Keys’ when you’re in Treasure Hunter. The RuneScape TeamOn August 12, 1996, I picked up my brushes and began to paint again after 26 long years. I remember the day precisely. It was late afternoon in Seattle. A huge storm had blown in and it was pouring down rain. I put on loud music, old Bonnie Raitt, and started making soup. I used to be a singer and Bonnie was one of my inspirations so, there in my kitchen, I belted out Bonnie’s blues as though my soul depended on it. I’d been doing The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron for about a month by then, I think, maybe longer. And I’d been buying art supplies on some of my “artist’s dates.” Singing there in my kitchen, the desire to paint overrode all my fears, and I went to gather the materials. I set up in the dining room, the only space there was, and began to paint. Time stood still. I was in awe. I watched my hand dip and move, dance and swirl with the music, putting paint on canvas for the first time in 26 years. There was joy, certainly, a kind of fragile joy. I almost didn’t want to breathe because I didn’t want to break the spell. I painted like I never remember painting before. It was freer, more painterly. It was almost as though I’d been painting in my mind all those years, perhaps in my heart, because I’d grown as a painter! That day was the beginning. Those first strokes opened the doors, lit the pathway, that brought me here to live this artist’s life on the High Road to Taos. A destiny I’d never imagined, a life I’d not dared dream was possible. But I am here. And I am proof that it is, indeed, possible. Whatever it is you’ve shunted aside, the thing that makes your soul swell, look at me now and know you can do it, too. You can live your truth, whatever it may be. And you do it by putting one foot in front of the other, by stepping into the unknown, sometimes into the darkness. It starts with some small stroke one day when you least expect it. Watch for it. Pay close attention or it can slip by unrecognized. Whatever you dare to dream, begin it now. Here are some photos of me as an art student at the University of Oregon. And one of me painting after college. This is one of those first paintings I did after 26 years. I think this was my third. And this is me 3 years after starting to paint again working on my first one-woman show. Love to you all, JeaneA coalition representing Britain's 600,000 doctors and health workers on Wednesday called for a rapid phase-out of coal, saying it was an "imperative" measure and that climate change and air pollution were both "major health threats." "Ending the use of coal is a simple, no-regrets public health intervention. The rapid phase-out of coal fired stations is an imperative first step. Coal is the most carbon-intensive source of power generation, and is a key focus for reducing the risks of climate change," the U.K. Health Alliance on Climate Change said in a report. "Climate change and air pollution are both major health threats," the report, A Breath of Fresh Air, states. "They share a common driver: the combustion of fossil fuels. Pollution from coal plants alone costs the U.K. as much as £3.1bn [roughly $3.8bn] each year in human health impacts." Pollution also disproportionately impacts children and can cause diseases ranging from lung cancer to stroke, killing 40,000 people a year in the country. In a press release (pdf) for the report, Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health fellow Jonathan Griggs calls it the "silent killer," and notes that the phasing out of coal would constitute a "double win for tackling the twin health threats of air pollution and climate change." SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts Although the U.K. government promised almost a year ago that it would phase out coal by 2025, the groups raised concerns over the seeming lack of preparation to do so, with no consultation documents published since the plan was announced, the groups note. Dr. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the medical journal The Lancet, said the phase-out of coal use "is an essential step towards creating a sustainable energy policy for the U.K. It is also a vital co-benefit for health—ending coal use will deliver long-lasting health and environmental dividends for the British population. Life expectancies will be prolonged, disease and disabilities reduced, and future risks to health diminished. This is an opportunity to be seized." The report calls for replacing coal with renewable energy sources like wind and solar, which are beneficial to both air quality and climate safety, which in turn is "advantageous to health," the report states. "Indeed, joining up policies on health, air pollution, and climate change can offset the costs of climate mitigation policies through the health benefits that they bring." Added Janet Davies, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, "Cutting air pollution from coal will greatly benefit the lives of many people with long-term chronic health conditions and help to protect the health of future generations. Tackling air pollution and climate change will have numerous health benefits but it requires a joined-up approach from government to ensure the health impacts are better recognized and fully realized."Now there’s one less gun. (Courtesy of Steve Elliott) Steve Elliott is a writer and former journalist who lives in Calaveras County, Calif. I am a responsible gun owner. I bought my first gun when I was 12. It was a Browning 12-gauge shotgun, and I saved money from my paper route and cleaning a drive-in restaurant to buy it in time for dove season. In the years before I could legally drive, I’d tie the Browning across the handlebars of my bike and ride to the fields outside town to hunt. I’ve owned several guns since — deer rifles and target rifles, shotguns and a handgun. I bought that gun, a semi-automatic Ruger, to keep my family safe, and locked it up to keep them safe from it. Like I said, responsible. Although I’d like to believe I’m not party to the gun violence that stains the United States, I can’t. My grandmother shot and killed herself with a gun, and a few years ago my father shot and didn’t quite kill himself with one. A family friend lost a teenage son in an accidental shooting while he and his friends were playing with a gun. My stepbrother died in a murder-suicide with a gun, and the husband of one of my sister’s co-workers was killed in a mass shooting by a guy carrying three of them. None of that happened with my gun, of course, but after every new mass shooting, I’m reminded that I, as a responsible gun owner, bear a portion of the responsibility for our nation’s gun violence. After the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon — after every mass shooting on a college campus, movie theater, elementary school or wherever — someone from the National Rifle Association or some other gun-rights group, or someone in Congress or running for president, goes on television and says we can’t fund federal studies on gun violence or have universal background checks of gun buyers or do anything that even hints of gun control because it infringes on the rights of responsible gun owners. My gun is being used to argue against doing anything to even try to reduce gun violence in our nation. That’s what being a responsible gun owner means now — I’m responsible. I’m a bit ashamed how slowly I came to that realization. For most of my life, I never thought about guns, and certainly didn’t weigh in on the gun control debate. Until recently, I didn’t even connect the personal tragedies in and around my family to guns. I was at a restaurant when I first learned about the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., watching news reports on the television over the bar. Like most of America, my reaction was horror and disgust. But I could also overhear a guy talking at the bar, and his first reaction was, “They’re gonna use this as an excuse to come after our guns.” The authorities were still trying to figure out how many 6- and 7-year-olds had been killed, and he was worried about his guns. I thought Sandy Hook might prompt a sober discussion about gun control or even legislative action, but that didn’t happen. The NRA’s proposed solution was more guns — arming teachers and guards at every school. The church shooting in Charleston, S.C., happened about a week after I’d visited that city for the first time, and again, the gun lobby opposed any hint of gun control, ostensibly on behalf of responsible gun owners. [My son was killed at Sandy Hook. We need to do more to prevent mass shootings.] I thought about giving up my gun then, but I didn’t. In the face of so much gun violence in our society, disarming is bit frightening (even though I know statistically I’m safer without a gun in the house than with one). I still told myself I wasn’t part of the problem. That ended a week ago. After the Umpqua shooting, and the gun lobby’s predictable response, and a visibly angry President Obama admitting there’s no political will to try to solve our country’s gun violence problem, I realized it’s not their problem. It’s mine. The Monday after the shootings, I disassembled my Ruger, clamped the pieces in a vise and cut them in half with an angle grinder. I sent the proper paperwork in to the state to report it destroyed. And then I wrote about it on Facebook, and included a hashtag: #ONELESSGUN. I’m not an activist, I’m an angry American. I’m angry about the senseless killings, and the more senseless “stuff happens” response to them. I’m angry that the gun industry’s special-interest spokesmen claim to speak for me, and that politicians believe them. Mostly, I’m angry about what it says about the United States. The idea that kids getting slaughtered at school is too big a problem for us to solve infuriates me. If there is truly nothing we can do, nothing we can try — if we just have to accept it — then we have failed as a nation and as a culture. I don’t want to believe that. [People are getting shot by toddlers on a weekly basis] Instead, I believe that the overwhelming majority of Americans — including American gun owners — want to reduce gun violence and are open to solutions: policing, education, training, technology, mental health, media and yes, gun laws. I believe claiming the NRA speaks for all gun owners is like saying the Westboro Baptist Church speaks for all Christians. It doesn’t. The gun lobby in this country is considered an all-powerful political force, but it is a narrow special-interest group, same as any other. It has exactly the amount of power we give it. And I believe people are ready for change. More than 46,000 strangers shared my post and picture of my destroyed handgun with their friends and networks. A few mocked it, but the overwhelming majority of the messages were positive. Some of those comments came from other gun owners. Some came from men and women who had gotten rid of their firearms, or are considering doing so or who support my decision but aren’t going to part with their guns. That’s okay. At least they’re in the conversation. None of us individually can stop gun violence in America, but responsible gun owners can change the debate, and individuals can act when politicians won’t. I know I will no longer allow myself to be used as a justification for doing nothing. Maybe cutting up a perfectly good gun is just a symbolic — some say stupid — gesture that will accomplish nothing. Maybe. But at the very least, there is #ONELESSGUN.Brief: Indian state Kerala has opted for open source alternatives and it enabled them to save $58 million each year in licensing costs. Souther Indian state Kerala fondly called God’s own country is in news for a good reason. Our friends at FossBytes reported that adopting free and open source policy has resulted in an annual saving of ₹300 crore i.e. ₹3 billion (roughly US $58 million). Kerala, India’s first 100% literate state, introduced mandatory IT classes in schools in the year 2003. Two years later, the adoption of free and open source software begun in phases. It was a long-term plan to boot out proprietary software from the education system. K. Anwar Sadath, executive director [email protected] program, said their main job was easy classroom transaction of chapters including customization of applications, teachers’ training, and video tutorials. He further added: The proprietary version of this software would have incurred a minimum cost of Rs 150,000 per machine in terms of license fee. Hence, the minimum savings in a year (considering 20,000 machines) is Rs 300 crore. It’s not the cost saving that matters more, but the fact that the Free Software license enables not only teachers and students but also the general public an opportunity to copy, distribute and share the contents and use it as they wish. Today, computers in schools of Kerala run Ubuntu Linux. Free and Open Source software like GNUKhata is used for accounting and LibreOffice replaces MS Office. Kerala is not alone. It’s neighbor state Tamil Nadu has also switch to Linux from Windows XP. Open Source seems to be gaining official support in India. Indian central government is also working on a nation wide open source policy under its mammoth Digital India program. Open Source adoption is a growing trend worldwide and government organizations are using it to cut down the cost of proprietary software licenses. Several European cities, government organization sucha as Lithuanian Police, Italian Military etc have opted for Open Source solution and saved millions. Bulgaria went one step ahead made open source compulsory for all government used software. It’s heartening to see public sector organizations embracing open source policies. I am certain that we’ll hear more such open source adoption in coming years.India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. Its capital is New Delhi. Some other major cities are Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahemdabad....read more. India has a big chance. They are a sleeping giant, yet to be awaken India is a fast rising economy. India is the largest importer of defense equipments... now, total indeginition phase is going on in India. ie. Indigenous aircraft carrier ins vikrant ( making India join the elite club of countries ie us, uk, France and soviet who can make their own aircraft carrier), hal tejas mk 2 ( fifth gen multirole combat aircraft), agni 5 ICBM ( again making India join elite club of nation having icbm).. long awaited ins vikramaditya will be inducted to Indian navy on 16 nov 2013 making India the only country in Asia to have 2 aircraft carrier. India is also excelling in space technology. India became the first country in Asia to successfully launch a rocket to mars. in the near future we will see indigenous aircraft carrier ins vikrant 2 (equivalent to Russian and British aircraft carrier), agni 6 icbm (range 10000+km) etc etc etc... You do realize Spain, Turkey and Australia have made their own aircraft carriers The coming century is really going to be more India centered the reasons are, 1) India has most young population in the world and will be for a long period. 2) Young population of any country is a huge boost for GDP of a country as it is the work force, when other country population are getting older, India is getting younger. 3) As India is a fast developing country it has potential that will be only going to increasing with the development of the country this all due to young population coming up in the future 3) In India most of the college student mainly opt for Engg or Med courses this gona create a huge technical talents in the country in field of Aero space, Nuclear, Medical, Aviation, Nano tec, Bio tec, Naval Engg etc, this technical Boom is going to happen soon and that gonna transform India into a world power house of work force and generat a lot of income for the country and GDP. 5) Indian space and miltary sector is going into transforming of privatation which gonna stop...more Is definitely going to be the future super power because it is built to rule the world! V 681 Comments China China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a sovereign state in East Asia. It is the world's most populous state, with a population of over 1.388 billion. It was established in 1949 by Chairman Mao, the president of the communist party. Its capital is Beijing. The major cities are Shanghai,...read more. China is going to be a second superpower. It's economy will soon at least equal that of the United States. It's still modernizing a military that is still a force to be reckoned with, it has an excellent and growing technological base, and the world's largest population. It still has a lot of problems such as pollution, human rights abuses, income inequality, it needs more democratic reforms, and it has to solve it's problems with Tibet and Taiwan. Plus it's surrounded on all sides by US-Allies, India, and Russia. China's population is growing all the time, but rather than living in poverty (which exists, as it does in all countries, but isn't as common.), people are rich, middle class, poor, or working for the government. The government uses workers on low wages to help China become a superpower- it's working. It offers an alternative to the US and is different from it; the cruelty of poverty comes directly from the government, rather than corporations. The trade-off with this making poverty more common is that the poverty goes to use. The method is efficient, even if I disagree with it. It's got a huge military, and a huge economy. China is going to be the second world superpower. Even though its economic growth have started to shrink, it might become a economic superpower. However it would be hard for China to achieve military dominance in its territory since it share borders with US-Allied nations, India, Russia and some other nations that are no pushovers. China is also in lack of allies and there is few nations that tend to tighten its bonds to China. duh V 77 Comments United States The United States of America, or the U.S.A. for short, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, 48 of them are contiguous states. There are two other states, Alaska and Hawaii, which are north and south of the contiguous states, respectively. The United States declared its independence from the...read more. The United States will continue to be a superpower. It's got a large population that is continuing to grow. It is one of the largest countries in the world with abundant natural resources. It's bordered by neighbors that pose no threat to the north and south, while being bordered by oceans to the west and east. This pretty much makes invading the United States, a logistical nightmare and impossibility. It has the largest economy in the world with massive industrial and agricultural bases. Many of the largest corporations are home here and the USD is the dominant world currency. Plus American culture is pretty much everywhere. Not to mention we also have the most powerful military in the world with enough firepower to end the world fifteen times over. Then why not you are using it. Waiting for the auspicious season. - Sumit22 I myself am Indian, and I've seen India with my own eyes. The country is sinking in poverty, over 838 million Indians(2/3 of the nation) are in poverty and approx. Half of those in poverty, don't have access to basic resources such as food, running water, electricity and shelter. India's poverty will never let it succeed, and also the prevailing Hindu majority and the current mix of Hinduism(national religion) and gov. Will ruin the country. Recently prime minister modi banned beef in the state of maharashtra in India. A lot of India's workforce is also Muslim and this has angered them, as long as religion rules government, poverty is there, India moght grow a little, but not to a world superpower. The country still wastes billions of dollars a year fighting Pakistan, when its own people are starving. China is also drowning in poverty and currently half of its pop. Is in poverty. Everything might be made in China but their lack of ability to speak English, which is a major setback in...more You are not Indian.. If you were you wouldn't have said that... You don't live in India I'm sure. The country which gave you birth... You opposed it. - dhruvchauhan1333 America was built on principles never before seen and still not seen in any other country in the world. It is the model of the future of the world and as long as the
. National Post • Email: jbrean@nationalpost.com \| Twitter: JosephBreanA few months ago my daughter Abby, who is 9, was leaving school when a slightly older boy she knew started following her, going "wooo wooo" and making grabbing or cupping gestures at her body. Abby instructed him to stop, he didn't, and she turned around, hauled off and socked him. He stopped. Abby's strictly a one-warning type of girl. My wife and I explained to Abby that she should report behavior like that to us or the school, and that she has a right to resist dipshit boy behavior [not my exact words]. We cautioned that it's generally not the best policy to punch boys, rotating her upper body and leaning in with her shoulder to get weight into it and leading with the heel of her hand into a vulnerable spot. It's really not practical for women to go around punching men every time a man acts like a dipshit in that manner. Chaos would ensue. Therefore, it's probably a good thing that women (and men who find dipshit behavior unacceptable) react by calling out bad behavior, discussing it, and encouraging the community to recognize it as unacceptable. This is the sort of thing the marketplace of ideas is for. But society is made up of humans, and humans have hot-button topics. Race is one of them. How women are, or ought to be, treated is another. Some people just lose their shit completely when you raise these topics. This is true even among people who define themselves as rational thinkers — like self-described skeptics. I am referring to the current contretemps in the online skeptic community regarding sexual harassment at skeptic conventions. Now, conventions aren't known for well-adjusted behavior to begin with. From what I've seen, this is particularly true of subculture conventions. I first noted this at role playing game conventions in the early 1980s, where the overwhelming majority of males treated the few females like the apes in 2001 treated the monolith. This ethos continues; geek-culture conventions remain creepifying in many ways. But the trend seems to apply to more mundane conventions as well. From friends in positions of authority in various industries I learn of oh-God-call-the-insurance-company conduct by employees at conventions, and my occasional work litigating and training on sexual harassment issues exposes me to similar tales. So it's no surprise to me that there is some amount of creepy conduct at skeptic conventions. This issue became a topic of widespread discussion when blogger Rebecca Watson posted a video about how a guy had hit on her while she was alone with him in an elevator late at night at a convention, citing the incident (without naming the guy) as an example of how not to act — a "guys, don't do that" message. I find the conduct she describes, in its context, self-evidently creepy, as do a number of women I've talked to, but opinions vary. Watson's message provoked derision and odd outrage, even leading purported rationalist Richard Dawkins to resort to the tired and ridiculous how-can-you-talk-about-that-when-there-are-children-suffering-in-Africa trope. The skeptic pot has been simmering since then, and boiled over in the last few months with accusations and counter-accusations, demonstrating that the online skeptic community is susceptible to the same cultural tends as any other internet subgroup. Some skeptics are talking about harassment at conventions, and calling for anti-harassment policies and discussions about appropriate social norms. Though I don't agree with all of these people or everything they say, I find that discussion far less bizarre and off-putting than the response it has drawn in some quarters. The skeptics who have talked about harassment and called for responses to it have been derided as feminazis and totalitarians. Calling out behavior has been described as "bullying." Utterly typical online social behavior — argument by ridicule, cliquishness, defending friends — has been ascribed to something inherent and malevolent in "extreme feminism." I am not a feminist. By that I mean that I am completely uninterested in whether or not I deserve the label "feminist" or "anti-feminist." I believe in the legal, formal, and social equality of men and women, I am interested in the ways that laws and social norms interfere with that equality, and I am open to discussion of approaches to changing laws and social norms. But I find discussions over what a "feminist" is or is not to be tedious wankery that accomplishes little of substance. I don't care for the deliberately jargon-laden approach of some academic feminists to discussions of important issues, and I'm annoyed by the sillier nomenclature disputes (and have been since I quit the Stanford Pro-Choice Alliance after a very solemn discussion of how it was imperative to call people "anti-choice" rather than "pro-life" or "anti-abortion.") On the other hand, I am often astounded by the reaction to "feminism" (self-identified, or so identified by critics) or any discussion of sexual harassment. The reaction often seems wildly and disproportionately sensitive to criticism to a frankly disordered extent. I'm seeing that from both men and women in this debate over harassment at skeptic conventions. In fact I find the reactions more off-putting than the descriptions of harassment themselves. Take, as a recent example, this recent letter from Paula Kirby, which repeatedly calls her opponents "hysterical" (a loaded term that I would only use trollishly, belligerently, or satirically), defends terms like "feminazis" and "femistasi," refers to discussions of harassment as "totalitarian," refers to the "Sisterhood of the Oppressed" and "Approved Male Chorus," and generally acts like a 14-year-old flaming out upon being banned from a World of Warcraft subforum for comparing Orcs to various racial groups. Enraged by conduct by bloggers at Free Thought Blogs, Kirby created the hashtag #FTBullies, which turned out pretty much the way you're thinking it would. I don't get it. I'm not saying that self-described feminists — or anyone else talking about sexual harassment — are always right. They're not. Sometimes they're perfectly silly. I'm saying that they are participating in a marketplace of ideas, and that responding to them with "your criticism breaks the marketplace of ideas" or "your criticism is tyrannical" tropes is unserious and embarrassing. I sometimes write things that some people think are sexist or offensive. I own them. If someone calls me out on them, I will apologize if I think it is appropriate, or refute the accusation if appropriate, or shrug and move on, possibly with a lol u mad bro. What I will not to is attempt to portray myself as some sort of victim of bullying and censorship — as if someone had sued me, or tried to get me arrested, or physically attacked me. People hissed at me for non-liberal views in college, people sure as hell hissed at me in law school, and here I still stand, not a victim. Portraying criticism — even wrong-headed or unfair criticism — as "bullying" and "totalitarian" — is a whine that is not worthy of our respect. It encourages ignorance about the fundamental nature of free speech and the marketplace of ideas. There is no generalized right to be free of offense. But there's also no right to be free of the words "that's offensive." Please. Even if you don't respect the people you disagree with, have some self-respect. Edit: For an additional example of the sort of cringeworthy silliness I am talking about, consider this: Bullying is persistent unwelcome behavior, mostly using unwarranted or invalid criticism, nit-picking, fault-finding, also exclusion, shunning, being singled out and treated differently, being shouted at, humiliated, excessive monitoring, having verbal and written warnings imposed, and much more. Last 5 posts by Ken WhiteAHMEDABAD: In an alarming sign of just how apathetically board papers are checked in the state, a class XII general stream student was passed by the teacher assessing his economics paper despite him writing only expletives as answers in five questions. The boy has also penned explicit porn imagining being in love with Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukherjee. Despite this, the Rajkot boy was passed with 36 marks!When the moderator saw the paper, he noted the anomaly and failed the student giving him 14 marks while deducting 22 marks for penning expletives and pornography. The teacher who seemed to have mechanically checked the answersheet was also fined Rs 1,000.“It was apparent that the teacher, who is employed with a self-financed school, had not read the paper while checking. This kind of callous and negligent attitude towards paper checking can prove disastrous for the quality of education,” said a former examination secretary of the board.Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) vice-chairman R R Thakkar said that this year, 1,000 teachers, who assessed class 12 general stream papers, were fined Rs 10 lakh for errors in paper checking.Similarly, 444 teachers, who assessed class 12 science stream papers, were fined Rs 3,50,000.“Majority of errors were in totalling and there have been instances where teachers have given 49 marks to a student who scored 18 marks; 81 to a student who scored 40 and 75 to one who scored 57 marks. This kind of negligence can prove extremely detrimental to future of students whose careers depend on marks scored,” said Thakkar.88 Rainbow Brg Niagara Falls, NY 14303 (716) 282-4314 We walked over the bridge and...yet another breathtaking view of The Niagara Frontier! Walking across an international border is thrilling to me...like living in the days before automobiles, when we had to live by our wits. Fortunately my wits kept us walking forward toward the USA, without dalliance or frolic. The bridge was also empty of pedestrians, which allowed The Lovely and Gracious Mrs. Yelper and I to walk leisurely and enjoy our last view of The Falls. Farewell, Niagara. You are too dear for my possessing. Rainbow Bridge definitely has some of the best views overall of both the USA and Canadian falls. It is best to walk over from either side and do not drive. My daughter and I were leaving canada and decided to go to the New York side of Niagra Falls. The traffic on Rainbow bridge is atrocious. The border agents are extremely slow so it takes forever to get over bridge. I would say it was probably about 35-45 minutes to get over. I defiantly recommend going over Rainbow Bridge but walk it from either side. You will thank me later for this tip. I give Rainbow bridge itself and the views 5 stars but the traffic by car to get from one side to the other is totally ridiculous and unfortunately I can not give it more than 2 stars and that is very generous. Ill give it 4 stars overall as it is a great view and super picturesque. If you are by the Falls definetly walk across the Rainbow Bridge it is 100% worth it. Beautiful bridge with amazing views Easy to cross into the United States (no line around 8 AM on a Sunday) Very pedestrian-friendly Clean and well-lit Excellent walking access to & from Canada if going there to see Niagara Falls. This bridge is huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge from the ground up. For those that are afraid if heights, don't cling close to the rail- it is a long way down. Don't even think about messing around up here. From the New York side, its $10 to park in the Welcome Centre parking lot. However, if you want to be a moron, park on in the casino garage that us across the street, and pay $30. Its up to you. It costs $1 USD to cross the bridge back into the United States, if you are walking. Via car, it is more like $3.50-$3.75 USD. Strongly recommend bringing quarters if the change machines aren't working, for those that are waking. Other than that, the Rainbow Bridge is also a great spot to take pictures of the waterfalls should you choose not to walk all the way in to the park area. Just remember to bring your passport! Great views. Canadian side should warn you that upon your return toward USA, you will have to pay Canada $1 each in coins...to pass. We had a $100 bill, no ones or fives for change machine and had to go to Duty Free store to use ATM to pull $20 and buy chocolate with it, to break it... Just be prepared! We clearly weren't. Visiting either Niagara Falls, Ontario or Niagara Falls, New York- you can't miss Rainbow Bridge and it is certainly worthy of admiration. An architectural beauty stretching across the waters flowing over Niagara Falls, Rainbow bridge connects the US and Canadian sides of the Falls. Rainbow Bridge is easily viewable from the Niagara Falls parks but my favorite was seeing it from the water. Both boat tours: Maid of the Mist and the Hornblower provide excellent day time views of the this beautiful bridge. Amazing. 1) The views from here is fantastic. 2) Only coming from Canada to US there is a small charge of 1 USD. 3) Must visit bridge. Have you every want to walk to the US from Canada or vice versa? Make sure to bring your passport!!! Really nice option to see the falls from the Rainbow Bridge...went during the winter but I'm sure it's much better when not cold. Nice to see the waterfalls from here - different vantage point and highly recommend. Nice view of the frozen falls and 1/2 way point is the international line - make sure to take a picture here! From the Canadian side, you need $1 toll to start your journey and passport from either side to get back. This is a great way to walk from the U.S. side to the Canada side. All seeing spectacular views. Just make sure you have your passport available upon reaching the Canadian side. I would say it's probably about a mile walk. This is our only way of traveling to the Canadian side. Also check it out at night to see all the pretty lights including the falls. Have fifty cents in coins available when coming back to the U.S. side. I crossed Rainbow Bridge on foot, from the U.S. to Canada and back, on a June Saturday. I haven't gone over the bridge by car, so I'm not sure how it compares, but I expect I'll walk over again soon. If trekking into Canada on the weekend, I recommend going early. My husband and I walked over to Canada around 10:30 am, and the border check line was short, with only two small parties in front of us. When we walked back across the bridge to the U.S. in the early afternoon, the line to get into Canada was long. Only a few parties can fit indoors, and the line extended out onto the bridge, where there is no shade. Luckily for us, there was no line for the American border guards once we got to the New York end of the bridge. Unsurprisingly, the Canadian agents are more polite and pleasant than their American counterparts. We didn't have any trouble getting back into the U.S. (we're both American citizens), but still preferred the first leg of our trip. The views of the Falls from the bridge are great, so have your phone/camera ready. The plaque that denotes the International Boundary Line can be easily missed-if you want a photo of it, keep your eye on the outer railing. If you see other people crouching for a photo opp, that's your giveaway. The toll is currently $0.50 per person, and is only paid when you leave Canada for the U.S. There's a decent amount of things that you can see on both the American and Canadian sides that are within walking distance of the bridge. On the American side, you can walk to Goat Island or the downtown area, and on the Canadian side, there's Victoria Park, lots of viewing points for the Falls, and Clifton Hill, the super touristy street. The Rainbow Bridge crosses the border, between Canada, and the United States. It's an example of a steel arch bridge, and it was built in 1943, replacing the original bridge that was destroyed by ice in 1938. A passport is required for crossing the bridge. If you don't fall victim to a long line at the border, you will likely fall victim to a surprisingly rude border agent. The best thing about the bridge is that when you're stuck in traffic going into Canada, at least there are nice views of the falls. Beautiful gateway to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. The boat rides start inMay, and the fireworks every night in the summer. The visit was too short, I already want to come back. I've crossed this bridge by foot and by car and have always had a pleasant experience. Most recently on Saturday, I was driving back around 4:30pm and had no issues on the bridge. In fact, I got through in about 5 minutes despite there being pretty large lines! There were still about 20 lanes open and I was able to snag a place in line and it moved fairly quick! As others mention, there is a nice view of Niagara Falls when crossing the bridge. You can also cross by foot or bike and it's fairly easy to get through customs quickly if you have the right documents. Great bridge -- easy to cross the border via Peace Bridge or Rainbow Bridge. While the Peace Bridge still typically has the lowest wait times, the Rainbow Bridge is pretty painless most of the time! Absolutely beautiful. Stunning. Perfect view of the falls. This is a great place to take pictures of the falls. I went in the winter so the bridge wasn't crowded. Customs is pretty easy to deal with. Entering the US side on the walkway looks like an MTA entrance lol. It is a $1 toll to walk on the bridge. A little more to drive over it. Yelp should check the reviews they delete more carefully, because I don't think you can get a more first-hand experience than being sexually assaulted on this bridge by an employee of this bridge, which I was, and for once I'm not joking. I'm sure they just didn't read that far. No big deal. Here it is again. It has to get a 5 star rating for the amazing view, despite the horrors of actually going through customs here. The Canadian side are friendly enough, usually not detaining me, no problems. The American side has been nothing but an abusive, harrowing nightmare. It takes a lot to phase me and these people have. But first: this bridge is known as the Rainbow Bridge because it is a crossing exclusively for LGBT people. I think it's wonderful that they have a crossing purely for LGBT people. What is even better is that every border guard working here is LGBT. It's super cute hearing the male border guards discuss who was the best "Phantom Of The Opera" and the females talk about how Ani DiFranco understands why men suck and nobody else gets it. They play Pet Shop Boys CDs and Lilith Fair 1999 VHS videos all day here in the border guard offices and it's wonderful. Unfortunately none of this paragraph is completely true. I would give them a 1 star because I was actually physically and sexually assaulted here once by a US Customs Guard. My good friends know the story. I don't want to put the details in a review but let's just say that it's lucky for them I'm not the kind of person that takes things to the next level with regards to that. I often encourage others to report such things, but personally I prefer to let things be and not to waste my time on it, since it doesn't really affect me too badly. I am not even slightly damaged (DO I SOUND DAMAGED?!?!?!?! JAJAJAJAJAJA) but I'm happy to share these stories in private with you. I have to raise them by to a 3 star because as I said, going the other direction (the Canadian side) are usually somewhere between "decent" and "friendly", and then I have to raise them one more star because MY WORD THIS HAS TO BE THE MOST AMAZING VIEW FROM ANY BORDER CROSSING LIKE EVER IN THE HISTORY OF BORDER CROSSINGS AMIRITE? If you want to save time, I recommend the other bridges. Maybe. But not always. If you thought all of the US Border Guards were angels, I'm sorry that this review may have Rainbowed on your Parade. So to speak. Crossed the border between 8 and 8:30a.m. and was amazed at just how smoothly everything went. We had never crossed the border since it became more of a hassle and were pleasantly surprised. The line up was relatively short and quick to be processed. It made for a happy start to the day. We walked across Rainbow Bridge from the US into Canada. Parking on the US is cheaper and more plentiful. The bridge is a nice little walk with more incredible views of the Falls. You will likely have your car searched. Be ready fir rude border patrol on both sides looking to bust you for narcotics, firearms, and cannabis.Fanned by Santa Ana winds gusting up to 65 mph, the Thomas Fire swiftly expanded toward the Santa Barbara community of Monticeto on Saturday. The blaze rapidly grew by 8,500 acres forcing numerous evacuations and road closures, including the emptying of a zoo. Tonight, winds are still fanning burning embers and lighting spot fires in the Monticeto area. This video shows a palm tree burning as sparks fly down a local street. Montecito is one of Santa Barbara’s more affluent communities. But as of this report, all homes have so far been kept safe due to valiant firefighting efforts by the more than 8,000 personnel battling what has aptly been called a monster blaze. That said, night-time flare ups and spot fires continue to make this defensive effort extraordinarily difficult. Totaling 267,500 acres by late Saturday, the fire was at the time the third largest in California history. That’s just 12,500 acres smaller than the Cedar Fire which burned through the San Diego area in 2003. Winds presently fanning the fire near Santa Barbara are expected to die down tonight through Sunday. However, Santa Ana gusts of up to 55 mph are expected to return to the Ventura side of the fire on Sunday — risking rapid expansion there. The blaze is still just 40 percent contained. Its sprawling extent and predicted continued dry and windy weather conditions make it likely that the fire will ultimately exceed the size of the Cedar Fire over the coming days. Firefighters had hoped to get the fire under control by January 1, 2018. But conditions, which include the longest running red-flag warning on record, have made the fire very unruly and difficult to manage despite the amazing efforts of the largest fire fighting force ever assembled by California. GOES 16 visible (red band) imagery shows smoke from the #ThomasFire flowing over the Channel islands this afternoon. #CAwx #CAfire #SoCal pic.twitter.com/iS45e9j4C8 — NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) December 17, 2017 Conditions associated with human-forced climate change are clearly a compounding issue. Various climate studies indicated that persistent ridging, above average temperatures, rising drought prevalence in winter, and unusually strong Santa Ana winds would increase fire danger for California as the Earth warmed. And this is the general state of affairs we now witness. It’s a trend we see now. Large fires have become more prevalent in California. Fire officials now note that the fire season has grown in lock-step with warming to become a year-round affair. And thirteen of the twenty largest fires on record for California have occurred since the year 2000. AdvertisementsCategory: News Archive Hits: 3893 Written by WorstUsernameEver on Tweet Recently, the Torment: Tides of Numenera official Tumblr account has published a couple of posts that round up some interesting forum tidbits from the developers. For example, Kevin Saunders, project director, gave an abridged explanation of the studio's writing process and standards for the project compared to Wasteland 2: Nathan Long was the lead writer for Wasteland 2, which among other things meant that he wrote the majority of the conversations in the game. He's currently a writer on TTON. He owns one of the companions and is also writing some area conversations for a region that Adam designed (and thus owns). Nathan has a strong background in traditional fiction and also experience with writing screenplays and films. As such, Nathan brings an interesting perspective to the team -- he is approaching Torment from a different perspective and has frequent insightful comments and questions that stem from his experience in story telling and his understanding of techniques used in cinema. Nathan has little experience in writing for video games, and TTON has a very specific need there given the interactive nature of the dialogue. Wasteland 2 was his first video game writing experience, though he had veterans, such as inXile's president Matt Findley, to help him adapt to that part of the process. Fortunately, we have that video game writing experience in spades. Both Colin McComb (our creative lead) and Adam Heine (our design lead) are not only accomplished fiction writers (see Adam's short story currently being digitally published by Paizo, for example), but were also key members of Planescape: Torment. (Adam was a scripter back then, not a writer, but Colin was the second most prolific contributor to PST's conversations.) We have a good balance there between Colin's over-the-top creativity and Adam's more pragmatic perspective. ... Adam and Colin (and I) have been fleshing out the writing standards and conventions since the project began, including prototyping and internally trying out some ideas. We also identified a plethora of new toolset features that would further encourage both higher quality conversations and the faster creation of them. Through fleshing out the conventions, prototype conversations were written and implemented. In some cases, this lead us to change some decisions because an idea didn't work as well as we had hoped. In other cases, we had a great example that new team members could then play through to help them understand the feel of the game and the writing. After George joined the team full time, we spent some time calibrating the writing styles and approaches and implementation techniques of each Adam, Colin, and George, to ensure that everyone was on the same page. They did a lot of cross-review of each others' work and we further refined our conventions and ideas through that process. We've spent a fair amount of energy on all of this review, but decided it would be well worth it for Torment. The improved consistency in style and the bolstering of everyone's understanding of dialogue structures and techniques results in higher quality first draft conversations, and also greater efficiency in writing new dialogues now. Saunders would later explain in another thread why the game currently has lie/truth indicators in dialogue: One clarification: As Caerdon noted, a person's intentions have no bearing on the Tides. One reason we defined the Tides in this way is because we (as game developers) cannot objectively determine what motivations the player intends for the PC to have. If the Tides cared about motivations, then we'd have to guess -- and we'd doubtless get it wrong sometimes. Basing the Tides on actions still has its complications, but at least we aren't pretending we're mind readers. Another reason we took this approach is because of our central theme of legacy. History judges people by their words and actions, not their motivations. (Some have noted this, but to be explicit: we aren't planning to use "(Lie)" tags so that we can thwart you. =) We don't "win" by frustrating you or by serving you a Game Over death (unless you deserve it!). We are trying to aid you in telling and experiencing your story as the Last Castoff.) Design lead Adam Heine explained what kind of action system the team is designing for the "Crises": For our Crises, we're looking at a system similar to Temple of Elemental Evil, where you get an attack action and a move action, or you can forego your attack for a double move. As Caerdon stated, Intellect points are used for esoteries (and Might and Speed are used for other abilities as well). These stat points can be recovered by resting. In Numenera tabletop, you get four kinds of rests, each requiring an increasing amount of time: 10 seconds (which you can do instead of your action in combat), 10 minutes, 1 hour, and 8 hours (sleeping). After the 8-hour rest, you get all of your other rests back. In Torment, we're simplifying that a little bit, but we are keeping the basic idea. In particular, PCs will have a quick rest available during combat, and sleep will recover all your rest rolls (as well as allowing you to recover stats with any rest rolls you haven't used yet). We're also using Sleep as a means of counting time. So when you Sleep, a day is assumed to have passed. This will have reactivity with certain events throughout each Zone. For example, two guys getting pissed off at each other in a bar might (if you don't do anything to push them one way or the other) have gotten into said fight while you were gone. So after you Sleep and return to the bar, there might be only one of the guys there with a black eye, or maybe both are gone and the barkeep tells you they got arrested for disturbing the peace, etc. This way, we give the player more control over how fast time passes, and we can script much more interesting reactivity to time passing without worrying that the player is going to miss it all. (Some players might still miss some of it, and that's okay, but they won't miss it because they were taking their time exploring or because they left the game on for an hour while they went to eat dinner). And envirnoment artist Jon Gwyn talked about the progress on his front: On the Overall Art front, things are progressing nicely. We've recently bolstered our Effects team with an experienced artist who I know from my old days at Shiny as well as a young upstart who wowed the art director on a recent trip to Gnomon. Our newest Environment artist Paul is quickly making his mark with some nice Crystal environment work as well as helping me on some hidden Bloom rooms. Paul comes to us from our friends at Obsidian and was an artist on Pillars of Eternity so he knows his way around our process pretty well. Cant wait for all of our kickstarter friends and fans out there to get a gander at what were putting together. All this cool art mixed with the really in depth design and story work should make for a special game that classic RPG fans deserve. ps. The whole team is also playing Planescape Torment every week to keep us grounded in what we are trying to accomplish ( i just found my way out of the Mortuary into the Hive...so I know I have a long way to go :shock: )While Electronic Arts might not be offering refunds to players irate over the continuing server problems for its online-only SimCity, it is making its remorse over the issues somewhat more tangible by offering all purchasers a free game from EA's Origin catalog. "To get us back in your good graces, we’re going to offer you a free PC download game from the EA portfolio," Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw writes in a message on the EA blog. "On March 18, SimCity players who have activated their game will receive an email telling them how to redeem their free game." While Bradshaw freely admits in the post that this is "kind of like buying a present for a friend after you did something crummy," she says that the entire team "really feel[s] bad about what happened. We’re hoping you won’t stay mad and that we’ll be friends again when SimCity is running at 100 percent." How could EA have underestimated their server architecture needs so badly? She put it bluntly: "a lot more people logged on than we expected. More people played and played in ways we never saw in the beta. OK, we agree, that was dumb, but we are committed to fixing it. " Bradshaw also gave a quick update on EA's efforts to repair the servers, saying server capacity has increased by 120 percent in the last 48 hours, leading to an 80 percent drop in "disrupted experiences." While the problems aren't totally fixed yet, Bradshaw says she hopes to be able to say the issues are behind them sometime this weekend.Electronic Gadgets Electronic industries are booming day by day. Over the last few years there are lots of technically advanced electronic goods that came in to the markets which are awesome and also they are very good products. Let us see some of the best gadgets that rule the world. 1. MP4 Player Having Wide Display in the Wrist Watch First we are going to see mp4 player in the watch which is our first gadget having wide display that is 1.8 inch with TFT sceen.This wrist watch has some excellent features like built in FM radio,1GB memory card, movie player which supports MTV format and also it has loud speakers which gives more attraction to this wrist watch. There are lots of companies around the world which manufactures these watches particularly more from china and Taiwan. 2. Mp3 Player in Pens Having Voice Recorder Another excellent gadget that enters in to the electronics market is nothing but a small pen having mp3 player and voice recorder. This pen is having metallic body with mp3 player which supports formats like mp3, wav, and also it has USB for data transfer. Voice recorder facility is also provided which gives super voice clarity. So which means this pen is very much useful for the person who likes music. 3. Mp3 Player and Bluetooth Set in Sunglasses Sunglass having mp3 player and Bluetooth head set is quite amazing.This shows the technical advancement in the field of electronics. This sunglass is having a removable clip which can be converted in to a Bluetooth headset and also it is provided with mp3 player that supports formats like mp3, wav etc.It has USB port to transfer mp3 songs from pc to player. 4. 2.5 Inch Screen Having MP4 Player and Card Reader This is an mp4 player which has 2.5 inch display and also having card reader to transfer the data from SD/MMC card. This Player has powerful stereo speaker s which gives excellent output. It has a facility to record programs from television.Micro phone is inbuilt in this player; Data can also be stored here. 5. Lighter Having Spy Camera This gadget makes us to remember jamesbond movies. Actually it looks likes cigarette lighter but it is a digital camera having worth of taking 100 shots. For taking snaps we have to flip the lighter so that it takes the snap after that we can close the lighter tip. This lighter is very famous in the market mainly for spies it’s a great gift to them. [youtube LlD2rkrs8kQ 500 375] 6. Goggles for Night Vision DNV-GX2 has developed this kind of goggles along with its European partner NECTRON in Luxemburg which is the most advance goggles that can be used at nights. The covering range of this glass is around 200m having excellent vision clarity. It supports both NTSC/PAL having display size 36 inch and a view angle of around 25 degrees. This kind of goggles can be used at nights mainly for hunting and also for night travelling etc. 7. Multi Tool Flash Drive with Glowing Light This device exactly looks like Swiss army hand kit. It has a flash drive which can be used when it is necessary also it can be converted in to pen for emergency writings.This flash drive has torch light which can be used in the dark. This multi purpose device will be very much useful for the people and it is one of the best gadgets in this year. 8. Torch Light This torch light got the name as the best gadget in the year 2004. It will give powerful vision for 5 minutes by simply shaking it for 20 to 30 seconds. It works under the principle of electro magnetic theory of Michel faraday. This torch does not have battery and the parts can be replaced easily and also it floats on the surface of water. Motorola droid boasts a super display with android OS that provides the fastest browser with Google as search engine.This phone is well known for its messaging, highest talk time.Mainly known for its android operating system which is very best and it is widely used in the new generation mobiles. QWERTY key pad is not nice but the dual mode world roaming facility is the excellent features of this Motorola droid mobile. It also lacks the blue tooth voice dialing which is common in the latest mobiles. Flip has developed a new ultra slim cam recorder provided with rechargeable AA batteries it can be used both in Mac and windows OS. Display size is 640480 pixels having VGA video.campare to other HD recorders its battery size is very big and also it is not using lithium batteries but backup is nice. [youtube KQ_NTfVW_vo 500 375] This cam recorder do not have memory card slot that’s the main draw back but it is provided with 8GB internal memory. LG is the world’s best electronics company mainly known for its LCD TV. It has launched another LCD TV with the name LG 47LH50.This is the worlds first TV with NETFLIX streaming with unique picture wizard having a pc input energy efficient. Actual size of the TV is 42 inch provided with base reflection technology with ultra slim TFT which gives protection to the LCD screen. There is also Ethernet port for data transmission. It is provided with golden eye technology which is very good for the eyes because it gives cool effects rather than hot by seeing the TV continuously. [youtube SU0SuNZMRKM 500 375] HTC launched its new mobile under the name nexus. This mobile has very good display with fastest processor also enhanced voice capability.HTC also have multi touch facility with android OS having 3.7 inch AMOLED display with resolution 800480 pixels having 16.5 million colors. This mobile has full home screen for personalization and also by default there is Google toolbar for searching with GPS to locate the distance. Memory of this mobile is 512 in default but we can use memory card up to 4GB. Nexus almost looks like apple phone but there are certain difference in the model of the mobile, camera resolution, display clarity also varies in both the mobiles. Android OS is known for 3D graphics these graphics increase the style of the mobiles but major disadvantage is lack of battery back up. Menu has the rolling
Christopher Trottier Fourth Official: Raymond Tam Attendance: 3,789 goalWA.net Local Soccer News is sponsored by Pro Roofing Northwest, Kirkland, Bellevue, Seattle, Redmond, Woodinville, Federal Way, Everett, Snohomish, Issaquah, Renton, Kent, Bothell, Edmonds Washington roofing company. AdvertisementsThe whole exercise has bordered on the absurd. A quick recap: The administration has argued all along that it doesn't actually need new authorization for the war, because the 2001 and 2003 resolutions that Congress passed—and never repealed—allow for military action against ISIS as a terrorist group that branched off from Al Qaeda in Iraq. Speaker John Boehner demanded for months that Obama submit a formal proposal, but when the White House finally did, he left it for dead. Aides to the speaker told me on Wednesday that GOP leaders are "still interested in passing an AUMF, but we want a real, robust AUMF that reflects a real, over-arching strategy to accomplish what the president says is the goal: destroying ISIS." Obama's proposal, they said, "actually provides him with less authority" than the existing war resolutions Congress passed in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001. That may have been by design. As Benjamin Wittes of the Brookings Institution writes on the Lawfare blog, "Congressional failure to act arguably constitutes acquiescence to [Obama's] broad claim of authority under the 2001 AUMF, since few of the members of Congress who are refusing to pass a new authorization are also claiming that the president lacks legal authority to take action." Obama, in other words, put himself in a position in which congressional action would strengthen his hand and congressional inaction—always the likeliest outcome these days—would also strengthen his hand, or at least not weaken it. Wittes might be giving the White House a little more credit than it deserves; it's not clear that this was a deliberate strategy. But after more than six years in office, Obama has a much better sense of what Congress can and cannot accomplish. That is especially true after his experience in 2013, when his push for congressional authorization to use force against the Assad regime in Syria similarly went nowhere. Yet Congress's whiff on an ISIS resolution is also instructive as lawmakers prepare to debate the Obama administration's potential nuclear agreement with Iran. The legislature scored a rare victory on Wednesday by forcing the White House to accept a role for Congress in reviewing the deal before it takes effect. That concession, however, doesn't make Capitol Hill an equal partner, as the only way a deal could be scuttled is for opponents to garner a two-thirds majority reject it. And as we've learned in recent years, just because Congress demands a voice in foreign affairs doesn't mean it can find a way to use it. We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.Based on The Lady in Blue-Bláklædda Konan, National Museum of Iceland Project The Lady in Blue-Bláklædda Konan: the textiles. National Museum of Iceland. The reconstruction The woolen textile fragments inspired me and my friend Marled to make a hypothetical reconstruction of the landnáma woman’s dress, based on information from the National Museum in Reykjavík exhibit in May 2015, photographs and our own research and expertise. The recreation was made in January and February 2016 during an artists’ residency in Blönduós, Iceland, where we spun, dyed, wove and sewed the dress. The woolen textile fragments tested positive for indigotin, which lead us to assume that the dress was dyed blue with woad (Isatis tinctoria), since indigo imported from India did not enter Scandinavia until the 1600s. The yarn was spun z/z in warp and weft and woven in diamond twill with 11/10 threads per cm2. Fabric woven on a warp weighted loom has a tell tale starting border, which is an integral part of the fabric and not sewn on afterwards. The landnáma woman’s starting border has dark brown stripes at the edges and a light brown stripe in the middle. A third fragment found under the brooches was a 2/2 twill vaðmál of coarsely z/s spun yarn, also dyed blue with woad. Counting only 4-6 threads/cm2 it stood in stark contrast to the other fabric. It is assumed that these were the straps of the dress. Facts we based our project on linen shift, tabby, z/z, white woolen dress, diamond twill, z/z, 11/10 thr/cm 2, woad , woad straps, 2/2 twill, z/s, 6/5 thr/cm 2, woad , woad starting border, tablet woven, light and dark brown Marled is a weaver and dyer, specialized in Celtic, Viking and medieval textile reconstructions, Marianne is a spinner, dyer, a beginner weaver and teacher of nalbinding, finger looping and traditional Icelandic wool work at Heimilisiðnaðarskólinn in Reykjavík, Iceland. The yarn for our reconstruction was spun from Icelandic rovings on a Lendrum spinning wheel. For practical reasons (read: we had miscalculated the amount of white yarn we needed) we used a brown warp, while the white weft would later be dyed blue with woad. Both warp and thread were singles. The wool of the Icelandic sheep, brought by the settlers and belonging to the “Northern short-tail breed group”[1] is characterized by a double-coat of long outer hairs tog and downy soft under wool þel. Traditionally the tog was spun into a fine strong high twist warp thread, which could withstand the abrasion and tension on the warp-weighted loom. The inner hair þel, downy, crimpy and insulating, was spun into a soft weft yarn with a low twist. This is generally best achieved with the long draw spinning method. To give the reader an idea of the immense work load of the landnáma women: for one m2 of fabric with an equal density in warp and weft of 10 threads/cm2 she had to spin 2 kilometers of yarn – on a hand spindle! Blue The Blönduós Textile Center has a large dyeing space with a stove, sink, pots in all sizes etc. Here Marled and I dyed our handspun weft singles with woad pigments, the result being a beautiful blue with the slightest touch of grey. There is no evidence that woad was ever cultivated in Iceland in Viking or medieval times, in fact not until a few years ago when dyers in Iceland started to grow their own. Woad was likely imported from Norway were it was an important export article during the Middle Ages. The colour blue is frequently mentioned in the Icelandic sagas, mostly when clothing of men going to battle is described, of women with supernatural powers, and in connection with death. In Iceland 65% of the heathen female graves contained blue textiles and only 31% of the male graves.[2] Woad seeds and four indigo positive textile fragments were found in the 9th c. Oseberg grave of a high ranking woman and her female companion.[3]In the Swedish trading town of Birka, graves contained diverse fabrics of blue yarn such as a finely woven dark blue one and one with blue, red and brown stripes of 5 mm.[4] Even the Norse in Greenland used textiles dyed blue with woad, most probably imported from Norway.[5] The Icelanders settled in Greenland in 1000 AD and lived there for almost 500 years in very much in the same agricultural and fishing tradition as in Iceland. They did not blend with the Inuit and did not use skin clothing but continued to raise sheep and produce vaðmál. Whether the blue fragments were dyed in Greenland using woad balls imported from Norway or came as finished cloth is impossible to say, but a few balls of woad to keep the wife happy would not interfere much with a cargo of Norwegian iron and timber on which the Greenlanders heavily relied. These examples may indicate that the colour blue was not as rare as is sometimes maintained, but used quite frequently, though possibly within specific social groups or at specific life stages. The blue dress of the Ketilsstaðir woman thus does not come as a surprise but shows that many Viking age women wore blue at least on certain occasions. Two spinning traditions in the Blue dress A yarn spun clockwise (or sunwise) has a z-twist, a yarn spun anticlockwise (or withershins) has an s-twist. A textile is described as z/s woven when the warp is spun z, and the weft s.[6] In a z/z textile the yarn for both warp and weft is spun clockwise. At the beginning of the Icelandic settlement cloth was predominantly z/z spun in a variety of patterns (tabby, 2/2 twill, diamond and other twill variations), but was soon superseded by a different tradition where warp threads were tightly z spun, and the weft in s. This produced the Icelandic vaðmál, which by the 12th c. had become Iceland’s main trade commodity and the basis of its economic system. Spin directions are cultural markers linked to geographic regions and represent women of different ethnic origin. In Iceland women from the British Isles, Scandinavia and Continental Europe with their z/s tradition rapidly superseded the Norwegian tradition of z/z.[7] The changed spin directions could be directly linked to a new technology or a different type of spindle, since top whorl spindles spin s yarn, bottom whorl spindles spin z yarn). Different directions are often culturally linked to perceptions of right and wrong, the cosmological order and other magical beliefs[8], a fascinating subject, which cannot be discussed here. The Ketilsstaðir dress being spun in z/z and the shoulder straps in z/s makes it a snapshot of this time of transition, when women of different origin collaborated in the making of the Blue Dress. Weaving After the yarn was dyed the weaving began. The Icelandic landnáma blue dress was woven in diamond twill, which is consistent with textiles from important Viking centers like Haithabu, Birka, Oseberg and others. Marled set up the loom for a diamond weft. The original fragment at the National Museum of Iceland shows oblong diamonds, which could be the result of a finer warp thread than ours. The final length of our cloth was 3,40 m, the width from shoulder to shoulder or 65 cm, counting 568 threads. Though I had made an effort to spin a hard thread with a high twist, in the beginning the weaving proved difficult. The sheds would not open properly and the yarn was sticky. We resorted to make a sizing from ingredients we found in the kitchen, oil, starch and water, smeared it on the warp and let it dry overnight – and it did the trick. After that there were few if any broken threads. Sewing thread and seams While Marled wove, Marianne spun the sewing thread. Selected tog locks, white, long and shiny, were combed twice on double teeth combs, then the tops were z-spun with the highest ratio on a Lendrum spinning wheel. Plied in the opposite direction they made a strong, thin s-twist sewing thread. Where people had access to beeswax, they would pull the thread across a lump of wax to make it smooth and appear thinner. In Iceland, where there are no bees, balls of yarn were instead wound on a lump of and boiled in water.[9] Lumps of beeswax were also found in the Oseberg grave and some of the textiles showed remnants of beeswax, apparently to strengthen the warp.[10] The front and back pieces were sewn together from the right side with small, almost invisible stitches. The edges were folded down towards the wrong side, a filler thread placed along the edges and sewn down onto the fabric with tight overcast stitches and reinforced with a double row of small running stitches. Using this method the seam allowance can be kept to a minimum of less than a centimeter. The Blue Dress fragments are too small to study the sewing techniques, but comparative material of a slightly later date from Norse Greenland show the applied methods in great detail, due to the costumes’ excellent preservation in the permafrost, and we may safely assume that the Blue Dress was sewn in a similar way. The time-tested techniques of our foremothers in Iceland and Greenland show their intimate knowledge of the properties of the fibers they used, their sense of beauty as well as their practical yet attractive solutions in the garment construction. The cut of the Blue Dress Textile archaeologists and reenactors still have to find a complete dress in order to make a statement about its construction. As respectful and cautious reenactors we decided on a minimalist version, consisting of a front panel, a back panel, two side gores and the shoulder straps. As there are only rectangles and triangles there is practically no cut off waste except when straightening the seams. The front and back panels reached from just below the arms to mid calf, about 110 cm. The panels were sewn together from the top to about below the breast, where the side gores were inserted. These were made from the rest of the fabric folded lengthwise and cut diagonally. The result is one whole triangle and two halves, which were sewn together. In order to achieve a symmetrical look a false seam was made along the middle of the whole gore, a method often found in Norse Greenland garments. As mentioned above we do not know what a female Viking dress looked like, nor do we know what the items of their clothing were called, but concerning the dress a stanza in the Eddaic poem Rígsþula provides a clue. Sat þar kona, The wife sat by him sveigði rokk, plying her distaff, breiddi faðm, swaying her arms bjó til váðar; to weave the cloth, sveigr var á höfði, with snood on her head smokkr var á bringu, and smock on her breast, dúkr var á halsi, and scarf on her neck. dvergar á öxlum. studs on her shoulders.[11] Could the word smokkr designate the female Viking dress? Etymologically the word is related to the verb að smjúga, to slip, to snuggle. In modern Icelandic smokkr means wrist warmer, but also condom; both are cylindrical in shape and tight fitting. Applied to the dress, a smokkr would then mean a relatively tight fitting garment, not a wrap around dress and definitely not an apron dress. The word dvergar stands close to the smokkr and could designate the brooches. This assumption is supported by modern Icelandic dverghagur, an adjective to describe a man who is skillful and dexterous like a dwarf. The two brooches with their intricate decoration fit well into this line of association. The text would then describe a relatively tight fitting, closed, sleeveless garment, and the shoulder straps held up by two oval brooches. Since there is no archaeological evidence for the length, we opted for a practical mid calf length in order to walk, work and bend unhindered. Tablet woven starting border A telltale feature of a cloth woven on a warp-weighted loom is the starting border. Since we wove our cloth on a modern loom, we had to mimic a ‘starting border’ that was integrated into the cloth after the weaving. Dyeing z-spun, s-plied yarn with Parmelia omphalodes lichen resulted in two brown shades; light brown for the edges of the border, dark brown in the middle. The dyed yarn was then aligned along the upper edge of the front panel and set up on 12 tablets. The remaining warp of the cloth now formed the weft of the border. Thus the starting border became an integral part of the fabric, it is not sewn on afterwards as one often sees in reenactment. The shoulder straps The structure, feel and look of the shoulder straps are very different from the rest of the dress. They are woven in the typical Icelandic vaðmál, a 2/2 twill with z/s in warp and weft, whereas the dress is a diamond twill with z/z in warp and weft. Counting only about 6/5 threads/cm2, the straps are also much coarser. Both the dress and the shoulder straps were dyed blue with woad. Marled wove two separate straps about 6 cm wide, then I folded the edges towards the middle and I closed the seam with overcast stitches. The shoulder straps of the Ketilsstaðir dress are made of one piece each, but the archaeological material shows that variations are possible. There could be two narrow straps instead of one wide, they could have a filling as in the Kostrup find, the straps could be made of twisted cords as in Værnes or even of linen or silk as in Birka[12]. Implements To take measurements a thread would have been sufficient, fish bones can be used as pins, and the pattern can be taken from a disused garment. How do you cut a thick vaðmál cloth? The settlers had scissors but these were smaller than blade shears used for shearing sheep, measuring only about 14 centimeters. They look more useful for trimming hair or beard, while the bigger and stronger shears might have been used for cutting fabric.[13] Sewing needles from metal, mostly bronze, were most precious possessions, kept safe in a needle box of metal, bone, quills or even swans’ feet and kept sharp with a whetstone. Final thoughts While we were spinning, dyeing, weaving and sewing our recreation of the Blue Dress from Ketilsstaðir, thoughts often travelled back in time to the Icelandic landnáma women. We used a spinning wheel and a modern countermarch loom, but these women spun on a drop spindle and wove on an upright loom, both used in Iceland until the 19th c., not only all the fabric for inner and outer clothing, bedding, wall hangings, blankets and sails, but also for church tithe and taxes. Our work taught us much about the incredible workload of these women and their working conditions. Spinning is technically not complicated but to spin on a hand spindle a high twist thin warp thread from tog that will withstand the abrasion and pulling forces of the warp weighted loom requires much skill and experience. While we were working in a well lit and heated workspace, we imagined the longhouses made of turf, the clanging of the loom weights, the crackling fire, the smoke, the humming of rhymes as a memory device for the correct set up of the loom.[14] We had scissors, pins, measuring tape and a big table to work on, but how did women work then? Until well into modern times Icelanders who lived in traditional turf houses ate and worked sitting on the bedside; space constraints and the scarcity of wood made tables an almost unknown furniture. As Østergård suggests one might imagine that a door, taken from the hinges, temporarily served as a table to cut the fabric on.[15] The sewing can then be done sitting on the bed. Our blue dress was not a replica in the strict sense that only ancient types of tools were used, not least because of limited time and budget. Nevertheless the result is a fabric as true to the original as possible concerning spinning directions, weaves, sewing techniques, material and appearance. Yet it comes to mind that for a true reconstruction environmental factors like temperature, work surface, lighting, sounds, clothing, etc. should also be taken into account in order to fully appreciate the ceaseless, diligent and beautiful work these women accomplished. Like food and shelter, the making of textiles was a vital prerequisite for the survival of the Icelandic settlers in a harsh sub polar environment. Sources Bender Jørgensen, Lise 2012. Spinning Faith in: Stig Sørensen, Marie Louise; Katharina Rebay-Salisbury (eds.) Embodied Knowledge. Perspectives on Belief and Technology. Oxbow Books. Bláklædda konan – Ný rannsókn á fornu kumli. Bundled-up in Blue – The Re-investigation of a Viking Grave. 2015. Rit Þjóðminjasafns Íslands 38 / Publications of the National Museum of Iceland 38. Geijer, Agnes 1938. Birka III Die Textilfunde aus den Gräbern. Uppsala. Hayeur Smith, Michèle 2014. Dress, Cloth, and the Farmer’s Wife: Textiles from Ø 172 Tatsipataa, Greenland, with Comparative Data from Iceland. Journal of the North Atlantic. Special volume 6. Kristján Eldjárn 2000. Kuml og haugfé í heiðnum sið á Íslandi. 2nd ed. Reykjavík. Osebergfunnet 2006. Bind 4, Tekstilene. Christensen, Arne Emil; Margareta Nockert. Kulturhistorisk Museum, Universitet Oslo. Ostergård, Else 2009. Woven into the Earth. Aarhus University Press. Rígsþula: http://www.archive.org/stream/elderorpoeticedd01brayuoft#page/206/mode/2up Sigríður Halldórsdóttir 1995. Vefjarvísur Hugur og Hönd 1995:40-41. Rit Heimilisiðnaðarfélag Íslands. Reykjavík Thunem, Hilde Viking Women: Aprondress http://urd.priv.no/viking/smokkr.html#vernes Þórður Tómasson 1967. “Teygjast lét ég lopann minn” Hugur og Hönd 1967:12-14. Rit Heimilisiðnaðarfélags Íslands. Reykjavík Reykjavík, Jan. 2017 Marianne Guckelsberger © Marled Mader © [1] Else Østergård 2009:86 [2] Bláklædda konan – Bundled-up in Blue 2015:33 [3] Osebergfunnet bind 4, 2006:191 [4] Geijer, Agnes 1938:36 [5] Østergård, Else 2009:89 [6] Bender Jørgensen, Lise 2012:132 [7] Michèle Hayeur Smith 2014:67 [8] Bender Jørgensen, Lise 2012:133 [9] Þórður Tómasson 1967:12 [10] Osebergfunnet bind 4, 2006:194, 213 [11] http://www.archive.org/stream/elderorpoeticedd01brayuoft#page/206/mode/2up [12] Thunem, Hilde Viking Women: Aprondress http://urd.priv.no/viking/smokkr.html#vernes [13] Ostergård, Else 2009:94 [14] Sigríður Halldórsdóttir 1995:40,41 [15] Ostergård, Else 2009:94Many comments on the Labor Department website about the fiduciary rule, an Obama-era investing mandate, were found to be fake in a new analysis by The Wall Street Journal. The Labor Department allows for public comments on its site to suggest changes to the rule, which will not be fully implemented until 2019. The analysis found that many of these suggestions were falsely attributed to people, though it is unknown who was behind the false comments. The rule aims to legally mandate investment advisers to act in the best interest of their clients when planning their retirement by preventing them from hiding conflicts of interest. Under the rule, advisers must tell clients if they receive commissions for selling certain investment packages. ADVERTISEMENT A Labor Department spokesman told the newspaper that falsely submitting statements or comments online to the federal government constituted a felony, and the department removes all fraudulent comments that it finds. A survey by Mercury Analytics sent to 345 people who appeared to be critical of the rule in their comments found that 20 of the 50 respondents did not post the critical comments attributed to them. The rule was originally set to go into effect in January 2018, but the Office of Management and Budget delayed its implementation until 2019 at the urging of Labor Department officials. Investors and lobbyists have fiercely opposed the rules in court, saying they will drive up the cost of investment services.Here's a simple problem, illustrated simply, that will have you cocking your head and wondering how it's done. You won't be the first. Aristotle (reputedly) first took a whack at this, and Galileo gave it a try as well. See what you can make of it. Not everyone agrees that Aristotle invented this little paradox, but everyone agrees that it would be just like him to come up with something like this. The paradox involves two different-sized wheels, one inside another. Think of the edge of your tire and the edge of the hubcap. The two rotate in sync, and they rotate over a certain distance. But should they rotate over the same distance? Advertisement Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF If you look at the animated gif above, both wheels use their entire circumference to trace the same amount of distance - the red line. Clearly one circumference is smaller than the other. Either that means that the wheels have the same circumference, which they don't, or that different circumferences "unroll" to the same length, which they can't. (If they did, since this is true no matter how small the radius of the wheel, technically a wheel with the circumference of an inch should be able to go the same distance in one roll as a wheel with the circumference of a mile. The only thing that's keeping us from being able to drive across the country with one revolution of our tires, then, is that the tires aren't small enough.) That can't possibly be right. The smaller radius can't possibly be equal to the larger one, so what's going on? An easy answer to this is to trace, not the line, but the journey that each segment goes on to get from one point of the line to the other. Go ahead and take your finger and move it with the line showing the radius of the circle, tracing the arc that the smaller circle goes through to get from one point to the other. Now trace the arc that the larger circle goes through to get from one point to the other. It should be obvious that a point on the larger circle goes though a larger arc, and therefore a longer journey, to get to the same point. Advertisement And what's happening on the red line? To answer that, we'll invoke the wheel-and-hubcap image again. If you have parked badly, with your wheel on the street and your hubcap on the curb, exactly what do you expect to hear and feel when you pull away? If the answer is the smooth glide of a tire gripping the road, and the hideous skreech of metal slipping over concrete, you're right. The inner wheel, when made to trace out the same line as its larger compatriot, will slip. They don't make the same journey. Top Image: dbking [Via Mechanics, Wolfram Math World.]With World Junior selection camps getting under way this week, a handful of Leafs prospects will be leaving their CHL teams to join up with their national all-star teams. Â If you’d like a quick breakdown on the Leafs prospects who will be involved in the World Junior Championships, here’s a short post I put together over at Pension Plan Puppets. Â This natural break in the schedule seems like as good a time as any to check in with where our kids are sitting among their peers at this stage of the season. The Leafs have two prospects who I would consider “power forwards” and both have put up a point-per-game or better to start their seasons. Tyler Biggs has 32 points in 32 games in Oshawa while playing against his opponents’ top line on a nightly basis. Â After a bit of a lacklustre start to his OHL career, Biggs has made some real improvements to his game and the results reflect this. Â Biggs extended his point streak to 6 games on Saturday only to have it snapped on Sunday, but it’s only a matter of time before he starts his next streak with the way he’s been stirring things up in front of the opposition goal. Josh Leivo has turned out to be a great 3rd round pick. Â He’s the boom-or-bust kind of prospect you love to see your organisation take a shot at in this slot and he’s been playing some really strong hockey this season. Â Leivo had put up 27 points in 26 games prior to suffering a concussion on November 24th and has been out of Sudbury’s lineup since. Â The Wolves expect to have him back soon though and called this week’s scratch more of a precaution than anything. Despite a tough week for the Erie Otters, Connor Brown finds himself 17th in OHL scoring with 38 points in 32 games. Â This is Brown’s draft+1 year and he’s doing it on a pretty abysmal Erie team. Â My inclination so far is to think that Brown is likely just a junior star rather than a potential impact prospect but the numbers he’s posting certainly bear mentioning. Matt Finn is back in action after the flu kept him out of the Storm lineup for a couple of weeks. Â Finn took a little time to get back to form but picked up 3 points (1G, 2A) in 2 games this weekend. Â Finn currently sits 15th in defenseman scoring in the OHL despite missing this time and is ahead of such high profile names as Olli Maatta, Ryan Murphy, and Slater Koekkoek in points-per-game. Blue Chipper Morgan Rielly currently sits 3rd in WHL scoring among defensemen on a Moose Jaw team that is second last in the WHL in goals per game. Â The Warriors’ place in the standings is a complete mirage and despite shipping out one of their better defensemen this week in Joel Edmundson, Moose Jaw has stated that they will not trade Rielly. Â It’s tough to say that Rielly really has much more to learn by being the best player on a pretty abysmal team. Â He’s a +player on a team with a -18 goal differential, has a point on better than 33% of his team’s goals, and has only 5 penalty minutes on the season. Â Believe the hype. Last but not least, Garret Sparks has put together a very respectable start to his season. Â Sparks is currently 6th in the OHL with a.920 save percentage and after a bit of a rocky start has really rounded into form nicely of late. Â Sparks is one of three goalies invited to the US National Team’s selection camp and if John Gibson’s hip injury keeps him out of the American net, Sparks has a very real chance of grabbing the starter’s role. Â In the games that I’ve seen, Sparks has been inconsistent — occasionally stealing a game and at other times looking out of synch. Â He has certainly been more of the former than the latter of late though and this weekend he ruined Erie’s teddy bear toss. Â Goaltending is alchemy to me so I wont try to project Sparks at all but suffice to say, he has a shot. If you’re looking to chat prospects during the World Juniors, be sure to hit me up on Twitter here. [table “63” not found /] [table “64” not found /]Dillian Whyte (right): Adamant he'd beat Joshua again Dillian Whyte is sure he can repeat his amateur victory over Anthony Joshua and bring an emphatic end to the Olympic champion's rise in the professional ranks. Whyte, who is also unbeaten and has stopped his last 10 opponents inside four rounds, knocked down and beat Joshua on points in a four-round bout back in 2009 and is adamant he could win again. Joshua is open to the bout and the 27-year-old from Brixton said: "He knows I've got something in both hands that can put him down. He knows that when he fights me, I'm not coming to lose and just pick up a pay cheque. "I've humbled him in the ring before and I'll humble him again. I remember his friends were giving it before the fight last time and I said I would knock him out. I almost knocked him out. I will humble him again but I'm not going to talk a lot - the fight will get made and then we'll see. I've humbled him in the ring before again and I'll humble him again. I remember his friends were giving it before the fight last time and I said I would knock him out. I almost knocked him out. Dillian Whyte on Anthony Joshua "September is good for me. I've been off for a while because I broke my hand in the middle of April. I'm looking to fight a couple of times in July and if we can get the deal tied up, then why not? If not September, then whenever. I told Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn I'd be ready in January this year. "Joshua is not the be all and end all of my career. I would love to fight him because I want to prove to people I can beat him again and knock him out but if I don't fight him, I don't care. "Anthony Joshua needs the British title and if he wants the British title he better go through me - it's as simple as that." The towering Joshua, who has dispatched all 13 of his professional opponents inside three rounds, has left his foes cowering under his heavy hands. But Whyte feels there is a simple way to upset the odds. Anthony Joshua talks about who he could possibly take on next after he destroyed Kevin Johnson last Saturday at the O2. Anthony Joshua talks about who he could possibly take on next after he destroyed Kevin Johnson last Saturday at the O2. "You punch him back in the face," he said. "Size hasn't got anything to do with it. He has to face someone who is young with ambition and who is just as hungry or even hungrier than him. Somebody who wants to fight and isn't just there for a pay cheque - someone who doesn't just lean on the ropes and get hit. "The good thing about boxing in Britain is the boxing fans aren't silly - they know when someone's being protected and having their opponents handpicked for them. We are young prospects and we have to start somewhere, but it's time he fought somebody 'live' who will fight him back. "He's changed a lot and I've changed a lot. I've got a whole lot more punches in my arsenal now. His defence has got better and so has mine. My punches have got better. That was my first boxing fight and I'd only been training a couple of months. I was wowed and erratic. "I think it'd be a similar fight but a lot more technical and a lot more aggressive. I'll fight Joshua any day of the week. A lot of people say he's the next Lennox Lewis but I think he'll be lucky if he's as good as Frank Bruno. "He's strong but there's nothing I see that I'm worried about. He's a big guy and seems to have a bit of power but power isn't a problem for me."Get the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email A stroppy teenager who didn’t like his parents choice of music on the family’s car radio sparked a kidnap alert on a German motorway near Kaiserslautern. Like millions of youngsters the 15 year-old boy didn’t fancy a long car journey having to listen to his parents’ choice of 1960s hits including The Beatles and Tom Jones. So he secretly scribbled the word ‘Help’ and the car’s number on a piece of paper and dropped it out of the window as a joke. (Image: Rex) But a motorist following the family car saw the note falling on the road and stopped to recover it. He feared that the writer had been kidnapped and phoned the police. The armed cops set up a road-block and stopped the family’s car. Then with drawn guns they ordered the occupants to get out of the vehicle and be searched. A police spokesman said: ”The little misunderstanding was soon cleared up and they continued their journey. But I would not have liked to be in the son’s shoes.”By Kim Barker and Theodoric Meyer, ProPublicaThis piece originally ran on ProPublica. A GOP-led House committee voted Wednesday to seek criminal charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner, who used to run the IRS division in charge of tax-exempt groups. In a party-line vote, the committee accused Lerner of unfairly targeting the applications of conservative groups and misleading the Treasury inspector general, which was auditing the IRS based on allegations of bias against conservative groups. Though the committee referred Lerner to the Justice Department for prosecution, it will likely have little practical effect, as the Justice Department is already investigating the Internal Revenue Service and Lerner. But the documents released by the committee do shed some light on the inner workings of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations division and how it approached applications of social welfare nonprofits, also known as dark money groups because they spend money on elections without reporting their donors. The influence of such groups has skyrocketed since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision. Here are the top five takeaways ProPublica found from the documents: The IRS planned to deny the application of Crossroads GPS. Crossroads GPS spent more than $90 million from unknown donors to elect conservatives in the 2010 and 2012 elections, far more than any other dark money group. By the beginning of 2013, the IRS was planning to deny the group’s application, the documents show. After applying to the IRS in September 2010, Crossroads started spending, and
Alex Martinez/Bravo Based on the trailer, RHOA has an explosive season on its hands — with Leakes buttting heads with Whitfield and Williams, calling the latter a “big ass mother f—— liar” for her role in spreading allegations that Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker had planned on drugging Williams and their mutual friend Shamea Morton in order to take advantage of them sexually last season. “You deserve some discipline for what you did to Kandi,” Leakes yells as her fellow Housewives hold her back. “F— you.” (Phaedra Parks, who admitted to telling Williams the news, is not returning this season). RELATED VIDEO: Andy Cohen’s Pick For The Most Absurd Real Housewives’ Business Ever Zolciak-Biermann has her own set of problems, mainly with Moore, with whom the Don’t Be Tardy star famously fought last season when she made a guest appearance at Whitfield’s housewarming party. The former Miss USA’s secret wedding to businessman Marc Daly seems to take all the ladies by surprise, Zolciak-Biermann joking “she married a fan.” “Have you guys met her husband?” Zolciak-Biermann asks. “Worry about pimping your daughter out, bitch,” Moore snaps back, calling out Zolciak-Biermann’s lookalike daughter Brielle. “If you come for me, I will f——- rip your head off.” The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo.Industrial policy — government interventions to grow and improve the competitiveness of select industries — is back in fashion, according to a new paper by John M. Curtis and Dan Ciuriak published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). In fact, industrial policies never really went out of style, except in the Anglo-American democracies. For the past three decades governments in the Anglosphere — regardless of the party in power — have shied away from industrial policies and embraced the notion that state interventions to promote specific economic sectors usually do more harm than good. This is allegedly because governments don’t have the necessary information to “pick winners.” The market, according to this view, is always far superior at allocating resources than any government ever could be. The Shanghai financial district: Industrial policy remains popular in Asia. (May 30, 2013) ( CARLOS BARRIA / Reuters ) Under this paradigm, the best thing governments can do to promote investment, industrial development and economic growth is to get the so-called economic fundamentals right and let the market — that supreme and venerable vehicle for the efficient allocation of resources — take care of the rest. In practice, the prescription calls for low taxes on capital and income, balanced budgets, low debt, low and stable inflation and a light regulatory touch. These are the necessary ingredients that will permit the market to work its magic on the economy. Governments in this country have by and large bought into this mainstream view for over two decades, and have implemented this policy agenda, to varying degrees. Successive governments in Ottawa, for example, have rarely missed an opportunity to brag that Canada has the best economic fundamentals in the G8. In the context of this conventional wisdom, the industrial policy light has barely flickered in this country. Article Continued Below But now, according to Curtis and Ciuriak, industrial policy is resurging, even in the more skeptical Anglo-American countries. They argue this is due to the global financial crisis/recession, and the slow and uneven economic growth that has followed. Governments are increasingly looking for some way — any way — to get growth back onto a decent trajectory, and in particular to regenerate manufacturing industries that were hit very hard during the recession. This marks a big shift in attitude. For decades, governments in this country wouldn’t utter the phrase industrial policy for fear of being labelled economically illiterate by the high priests of mainstream economics and their apostles in the business media. Today, however, the competency of the economics profession is in serious question given its role in creating the intellectual foundations for the policies that brought on the global banking crisis of 2008-09 and the worst recession many countries have experienced in 80 years. Not to mention the fact that mainstream economics’ remedies to the crisis have produced scant growth in most countries thus far. We might now, therefore, be on the cusp of a new economic policy paradigm. As Curtis and Ciuriak claim, it is those countries with robust industrial policies — especially in Asia and other emerging markets — that have seen superior growth performance post-recession. Those are the kind of facts — as opposed to theory — that tend to catch the attention of governments struggling for an economic narrative to put to citizens in a slow-growth and relatively high-unemployment context. Canada is no exception. The Harper government, on paper the most free market administration in living memory, is adopting a more industrial policy-friendly mindset. There is evidence of this in policies to promote extractive industries, but also with significant new initiatives in the aerospace and defence sectors, both of which are well-known candidates for industrial strategies in almost all advanced countries. The relatively new Federal Economic Development Agency for Ontario is also to a degree an industrial policy instrument. Curiously, though, the one government in Canada that you would expect to be embracing industrial policy seems lukewarm to it. Ontario has experienced the most alarming economic transformation of any Canadian province in recent years. Its manufacturing sector lost 255,000 jobs over the last decade. The province’s share of Canadian GDP fell from 41 per cent to 37 per cent over that same time period. For three years now, Ontario, traditionally the milch cow of Confederation due to its powerhouse industrial economy, has been officially a “have not” province, receiving billions of dollars in equalization payments from Ottawa annually. Yet we seem to see more enthusiasm for industrial policy in blue Ottawa than in red Queen’s Park, which still emphasizes deficit reduction as the key to Ontario’s economic prosperity. While the Wynne government is pursing an aggressive transit agenda, it seems less enthusiastic than its predecessor in developing “green” manufacturing to offset some of the decline in the auto industry, and shows little interest in policies aimed at other sectors that offer promising growth opportunities. Now is probably the time for the Ontario government to embrace the industrial policy paradigm and advance an economic agenda for the province that works in practice but maybe not so well in theory. Eugene Lang is BMO Visiting Fellow at the School of Public and International Affairs, Glendon College, York University.Patients who rely on the healing effects of medicinal marijuana in the Chicago area say they feel like they've been forgotten.Former governor Pat Quinn left office without be issuing licenses to dispense medical marijuana.Patients say they are being used as political pawns in their wait for medical marijuana.The law was passed in August of 2013. Patients say time is ticking as Illinois' pilot cannabis program expires in three years. For many, cannabis is their only medical hope.Kelly Sindowski's son Harrison is almost 3-years-old. He has a severe form of epilepsy that causes 10-15 seizures a day. Sindowski hopes medical cannabis will be the key to easing Harrison's pain..."He doesn't speak," Sindowski says. "He is developmentally and physically behind. We are hoping this gives him a little less seizure activity to get him learning and more focused."Marla Levi and Julie Falco already know cannabis works to relieve their constant leg pain from Multiple Sclerosis."Cannabis, when it starts working, it calms everything down and I'm able to function and have a better quality of life," Falco says."if it wasn't for the medical cannabis I would be in bed all day," says Levi. "It loosens the tightness."Levi, Falco and Sindowski thought by now they would have access to medical marijuana in Illinois. Sindowki and several other hopeful patients attended Gov. Quinn's bill signing ceremony for the Illinois Medical Cannibas Pilot Program a year and half ago. But Quinn left office without issuing licenses for cultivation centers and dispensing organizations."We felt we had a win," Sindowsky says. "It's kind of like saying, you won't get your trophy for another year. It's rough we are running out of time."Patients are now spending their time putting pressure on Gov. Bruce Rauner. Each took a turn calling his office today."We are asking we are begging for compassion because he holds the key to our medicine," Levi says.Tuesday, Rauner's office responded by simply saying it is "under review." While no time table has been given, patients are encouraged that the governor did rehire Gov. Quinn's project coordinator for the cannabis program.Guest commentary by Alan Robock – Rutgers University Bjorn Lomborg’s Climate Consensus Center just released an un-refereed report on geoengineering, An Analysis of Climate Engineering as a Response to Global Warming, by J Eric Bickel and Lee Lane. The “consensus” in the title of Lomborg’s center is based on a meeting of 50 economists last year. The problem with allowing economists to decide the proper response of society to global warming is that they base their analysis only on their own quantifications of the costs and benefits of different strategies. In this report, discussed below, they simply omit the costs of many of the potential negative aspects of producing a stratospheric cloud to block out sunlight or cloud brightening, and come to the conclusion that these strategies have a 25-5000 to 1 benefit/cost ratio. That the second author works for the American Enterprise Institute, a lobbying group that has been a leading global warming denier, is not surprising, except that now they are in favor of a solution to a problem they have claimed for years does not exist. Geoengineering has come a long way since first discussed here three years ago. [Here I use the term “geoengineering” to refer to “solar radiation management” (SRM) and not to carbon capture and sequestration (called “air capture” in the report), a related topic with quite different issues.] In a New Scientist interview, John Holdren, President Obama’s science adviser, says geoengineering has to be examined as a possible response to global warming, but that we can make no such determination now. A two-day conference on geoengineering organized by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences was held in June, 2009, with an opening talk by the President, Ralph Cicerone. The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has just issued a policy statement on geoengineering, which urges cautious consideration, more research, and appropriate restrictions. But all this attention comes with the message that we know little about the efficacy, costs, and problems associated with geoengineering suggestions, and that much more study is needed. Bickel and Lane, however, do not hesitate to write a report that is rather biased in favor of geoengineering using SRM, by emphasizing the low cost and dismissing the many possible negative aspects. They use calculations with the Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy (DICE) economic model to make the paper seem scientific, but there are many inherent assumptions, and they up-front refuse to present their results in terms of ranges or error bars. Specific numbers in their conclusions make the results seem much more certain than they are. While they give lip service to possible negative consequences of geoengineering, they refuse to quantify them. Indeed, the purpose of new research is to do just that, but the tone of this report is to claim that cooling the planet will have overall benefits, which CAN be quantified. The conclusions and summary of the report imply much more certainty as to the net benefits of SRM than is really the case. My main areas of agreement with this report are that global warming is an important, serious problem, that SRM with stratospheric aerosols or cloud brightening would not be expensive, and that we indeed need more research into geoengineering. The authors provide a balanced introduction to the issues of global warming and the possible types of geoengineering. But Bickel and Lane ignore the effects of ocean acidification from continued CO2 emissions, dismissing this as a lost cause. Even without global warming, reducing CO2 emissions is needed to do the best we can to save the ocean. The costs of this continuing damage to the planet, which geoengineering will do nothing to address, are ignored in the analysis in this report. And without mitigation, SRM would need to be continued for hundreds of years. If it were stopped, by the loss of interest or means by society, the resulting rapid warming would be much more dangerous than the gradual warming we are now experiencing. Bickel and Lane do not even mention several potential negative effects of SRM, including getting rid of blue skies, huge reductions in solar power from systems using direct solar radiation, or ruining terrestrial optical astronomy. They imply that SRM technologies will work perfectly, and ignore unknown unknowns. Not one cloud has ever been artificially brightened by injection of sea salt aerosols, yet this report claims to be able to quantify the benefits and the costs to society of cloud brightening. They also imply that stratospheric geoengineering can be tested at a small scale, but this is not true. Small injections of SO2 into the stratosphere would actually produce small radiative forcing, and we would not be able to separate the effects from weather noise. The small volcanic eruptions of the past year (1.5 Tg SO2 from Kasatochi in 2008 and 1 Tg SO2 from Sarychev in 2009, as compared to 7 Tg SO2 from El Chichón in 1982 and 20 Tg SO2 from Pinatubo in 1991) have produced stratospheric clouds that can be well-observed, but we cannot detect any climate impacts. Only a large-scale stratospheric injection could produce measurable impacts. This means that the path they propose would lead directly to geoengineering, even just to test it, and then it would be much harder to stop, what with commercial interests in continuing (e.g., Star Wars, which has not even ever worked). Bickel and Lane also ignore several seminal papers on geoengineering that present much more advanced scientific results than the older papers they cite. In particular, they ignore Tilmes et al. (2008), Robock et al. (2008), Rasch et al. (2008), and Jones et al. (2009). With respect to ozone, they dismiss concerns about ozone depletion and enhanced UV by citing Wigley (2006) and Crutzen (2006), but ignore the results of Tilmes et al. (2008), who showed that the effects would prolong the ozone hole for decades and that deployment of stratospheric aerosols in a couple decades would not be safe as claimed here. Bickel and Lane assert, completely incorrectly, “On its face, though, it does not appear that the ozone issue would be likely to invalidate the concept of stratospheric aerosols.” With respect to an Arctic-only scheme, they suggest in several places that it would be possible to control Arctic climate based on the results of Caldeira and Wood (2008) who artificially reduce sunlight in a polar cap in their model (the “yarmulke method”), whereas Robock et al. (2008) showed with a more realistic model that explicitly treats the distribution and transport of stratospheric aerosols, that the aerosols could not be confined to just the Arctic, and such a deployment strategy would affect the summer Asian monsoon, reducing precipitation over China and India. And Robock et al. (2008) give examples from past volcanic eruptions that illustrate this effect, such as the pattern of precipitation reduction after the 1991 Pinatubo eruption (Trenberth and Dai, 2007): With respect to cloud brightening, Bickel and Lane ignore the Jones et al. (2009) results that cloud brightening would mainly cool the oceans and not affect land temperature much, so that it is an imperfect method at best to counter global warming. Furthermore Jones et al. (2009) found that cloud brightening over the South Atlantic would produce severe drought over the Amazon, destroying the tropical forest. They also ignore a huge class of ethical and world governance issues. Whose hand would be on the global thermostat? Who would trust military aircraft or a multi-national geoengineering company to have the interests of the people of the planet foremost? They do not seem to realize that volcanic eruptions affect climate change because of sulfate aerosols produced from sulfur dioxide gas injections into the stratosphere, the same that is proposed for SRM, and not by larger ash particles that fall out quickly after and eruption and do not cause climate change. They dismiss air capture (“air capture technologies do not appear as promising as solar radiation management from a technical or a cost perspective”) but ignore the important point that it would have few of the potential side effects of SRM. Air capture would just remove the cause of global warming in the first place, and the only side effects would be in the locations where the CO2 would be sequestered. For some reason, they insist on using the wrong units for energy flux (W) instead of the correct units of W/m^2, and then mix them in the paper. I cannot understand why they choose to make it so confusing. The potential negative consequences of stratospheric SRM were clearly laid out by Robock (2008) and updated by Robock et al. (2009), which still lists 17 reasons why geoengineering may be a bad idea. One of those important possible consequences, the threat to the water supply for agriculture and other human uses, has been emphasized in a recent Science article by Gabi Hegerl and Susan Solomon. Robock et al. (2009) also lists some benefits from SRM, including increased plant productivity and an enhanced CO2 sink from vegetation that grows more when subject to diffuse radiation, as has been observed after every recent large volcanic eruption. But the quantification of these and other geoengineering benefits, as well as the negative aspects, awaits more research. It may be that the benefits of geoengineering will outweigh the negative aspects, and that most of the problems can be dealt with, but the paper from Lomborg’s center ignores the real consensus among all responsible geoengineering researchers. The real consensus, as expressed at the National Academy conference and in the AMS statement, is that mitigation needs to be our first and overwhelming response to global warming, and that whether geoengineering can even be considered as an emergency measure in the future should climate change become too dangerous is not now known. Policymakers will only be able to make such decisions after they see results from an intensive research program. Lomborg’s report should have stopped at the need for a research program, and not issued its flawed and premature conclusions. References: Jones, A., J. Haywood, and O. Boucher 2009: Climate impacts of geoengineering marine stratocumulus clouds, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D10106, doi:10.1029/2008JD011450. Rasch, Philip J., Simone Tilmes, Richard P. Turco, Alan Robock, Luke Oman, Chih-Chieh (Jack) Chen, Georgiy L. Stenchikov, and Rolando R. Garcia, 2008: An overview of geoengineering of climate using stratospheric sulphate aerosols. Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. A., 366, 4007-4037, doi:10.1098/rsta.2008.0131. Robock, Alan, 2008: 20 reasons why geoengineering may be a bad idea. Bull. Atomic Scientists, 64, No. 2, 14-18, 59, doi:10.2968/064002006. PDF file Roundtable discussion of paper Robock, Alan, Luke Oman, and Georgiy Stenchikov, 2008: Regional climate responses to geoengineering with tropical and Arctic SO2 injections. J. Geophys. Res., 113, D16101, doi:10.1029/2008JD010050. PDF file Robock, Alan, Allison B. Marquardt, Ben Kravitz, and Georgiy Stenchikov, 2009: The benefits, risks, and costs of stratospheric geoengineering. Submitted to Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2009GL039209. PDF file Tilmes, S., R. Müller, and R. Salawitch, 2008: The sensitivity of polar ozone depletion to proposed geoengineering schemes, Science, 320(5880), 1201-1204, doi:10.1126/science.1153966. Trenberth, K. E., and A. Dai (2007), Effects of Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption on the hydrological cycle as an analog of geoengineering, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L15702, doi:10.1029/2007GL030524.Well, that was something. During a panel discussion on the Jemele Hill controversy and the White House calling her to be fired, things took an entirely different turn when sports radio host and provocateur Clay Travis pointed out that he only believes in two things fully. “I believe in the First Amendment and boobs,” Travis stated. It took a beat, but host Brooke Baldwin wanted Travis to clarify what he had just said, asking him specifically if he actually sad “boobs.” “Boobs, two things that never let me down, the first amendment and boobs,” Travis said. “Those are the two things I believe in absolutely in the country.” Further down the line, Baldwin still wanted to make sure that Travis was actually talking about women’s breasts and not booze. When she confirmed that was indeed the case, she ended the interview early. “I’m done, I’m sorry. I’m done,” she exclaimed. “This conversation is over, yanking mikes, bye. Forgive me, live television happens and you think you heard something, you are not sure and then you realize it happened, so I apologize for him on that.” Immediately after the segment, both Baldwin and Travis took to Twitter to remark on what had happened. That was… I just… it was one of those thought bubbles "did he actually say that on MY SHOW?!" Note to men — that is never okay. #smh — Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) September 15, 2017 Just went on @cnn and said I only believe in two things completely, the first amendment and boobs and the host lost it. Need video now. — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 15, 2017 Watch the clip above, via CNN. UPDATE –– 11:58 pm ET: A CNN spokesperson has provided Mediaite with this statement in response to Travis’ tweet: Clay Travis was not booked again on CNN. Prior to his appearance with Brooke Baldwin, he had been tentatively scheduled to appear Monday on HLN. That interview has been cancelled. [image via screengrab] — Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comShare. It's demigod vs... It's demigod vs... Details about the primary antagonist in DC's upcoming Wonder Woman movie have been revealed - not least, their identity. Possible mild Wonder Woman spoilers follow: Exit Theatre Mode French magazine Studio Ciné Live (translated by Les Toiles Héroïques) reveals that Ares, God of War will be Gal Gadot and co's main threat. Chris Pine's character, Steve Trevor will apparently steal a notebook containing a secret formula for a potentially world-exterminating gas, which catches the interest of Ares. Ares - who we've previously speculated will be Danny Huston's German officer spotted in the film's first trailer - is jealous of humanity for having been created by his father Zeus. Exit Theatre Mode Ares isn't the only Wonder Woman villain along for the ride however - we're fairly sure that Elena Anaya's masked antagonist is the comics' Doctor Poison. Wonder Woman will be released on June 2 worldwide. Joe Skrebels is IGN's UK News Editor, and Doctor Poison's mask legitimately frightens him. Follow him on Twitter.CLEVELAND– It all started with a joke and a sign. Now, Cleveland Indians fan Nate Crowe’s creation has helped raise nearly $120,000 for Cleveland Clinic Children’s. Earlier this year, the Tribe season ticket holder made a poster that read, “Party at Napoli’s.” Soon after, Crowe made a shirt with the same slogan, which caught the attention of Indians first baseman Mike Napoli. The team worked with 108 Stitches to produce the shirts. So far, more than 9,000 have been sold. A portion of the proceeds go to charity and Napoli himself matched part of the donation. Crowe said he never thought “Party at Napoli’s” would be this big. “I figured it would be just a fun inside joke that would pass in short time. After 9,000 shirts and $120,000 for a children’s charity, I’m glad I was wrong,” Crowe said. On Sunday, the Indians, 108 Stitches, Napoli and Crowe will present Cleveland Clinic Children’s and VeloSano with the money during a ceremony before the game. You can get your own “Party at Napoli’s” shirt at the Progressive Field Team Shop or 108Stitches.com More stories on the Cleveland Indians here 41.495710 -81.685293Las Vegas (CNN) Donald Trump unleashed tough rhetoric against his rivals as well as a protester at a Monday night rally, the eve before the Nevada caucuses. "I'd like to punch him in the face," Trump said, remarking that a man disrupting his rally was escorted out with a smile on his face. "He's smiling, having a good time." The GOP front-runner also ratcheted up his attacks on Sen. Ted Cruz, calling his Republican presidential rival "sick." Trump: Protester 'nasty as hell' Trump claimed the protester was "nasty as hell" and accused the man of trying to punch the security officers forcing him out of the rally, though the man did not appear to be fighting off those officers. "In the old days," Trump added, protesters would be "carried out on stretchers." "We're not allowed to push back anymore," Trump said. Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: Trump campaign: 11 outrageous quotes Hide Caption 12 of 12 While Trump has at times urged his supporters not to hurt protesters, he has also repeatedly suggested that supporters should be handled more roughly. When a Black Lives Matter protester was punched and kicked by attendees at a Trump rally last fall, Trump remarked the next day that "maybe he should have been roughed up." Shortly after that incident, the Trump campaign began making an announcement at the start of its rallies urging supporters to not harm any protesters, but instead shout "Trump, Trump, Trump" and wait for security officials to escort the protesters out. JUST WATCHED Watch Donald Trump's 'cameo' in 'Game of Thrones' Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Watch Donald Trump's 'cameo' in 'Game of Thrones' 00:45 The Trump campaign did not make the announcement before Monday's rally. It was unclear what the man who disrupted it was protesting. Moments earlier, another man raised a banner that read, "Veterans to Trump: End hate speech against Muslims." Trump on Cruz: 'Something wrong with this guy' Of Cruz, Trump took aim at the senator's campaign tactics, including the attack ads Cruz and his allies have run against Trump. "This guy is sick. There's something wrong with this guy," Trump said. Cruz's campaign has run several ads scrutinizing Trump's record on a variety of issues important to conservatives, including Trump's past support for abortion rights and stricter gun control measures. "I missed the part where Donald challenges our facts?" Cruz spokeswoman Catherine Frazier told CNN. "He can't, because our ads are true -- he is not a real conservative. He can't defend his record, so like a frustrated child, he resorts to name calling." Trump has repeatedly slammed Cruz since the Texas senator surged in the polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses and has since ramped up his attacks on him since Cruz beat Trump in the Iowa contest. The Texas senator, meanwhile, has criticized Trump over a range of issues, from Trump's support for abortion rights in 1999 to Trump's use of eminent domain laws for personal gain. He's also suggested that Trump, who has vowed to repeal Obamacare, supports the signature health care law, pointing to Trump's September interview with "60 Minutes" in which Trump said that "everyone's got to be covered" when asked if he supported universal health care. Trump: 'What the hell is a caucus?' Trump's Monday rally came on the eve of the Nevada caucuses and Trump spent much of his speech urging his supporters to head to the caucuses to give him what would be his third consecutive victory in the GOP primary. "They're all saying Trump's gonna win tomorrow. Just assume we're going to tie," Trump told his supporters on Monday night. And Trump, who has slammed the caucus process since losing to Cruz in Iowa, told his supporters to forget about the slightly more arduous caucus process, which involves voters meeting at a caucus location and hearing pitches for each candidate before casting their vote. "Forget the word caucus, just go out and vote, OK?" Trump said. "What the hell is a caucus? Nobody even knows what it means." Cruz supporter Beck denounces Trump as a 'bully' At a Cruz rally in Elko earlier on Monday, supporter Glenn Beck condemned those sorts of outbursts by Trump -- calling him a bully and asking rural Nevada voters to reject that kind of rhetoric. Beck faulted Trump for threatening protesters at earlier rallies, and noted that Trump issued a threatening tweet on Monday to the Ricketts family, which has been politically active in recent cycles. "I hear the (Ricketts) family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $'s against me. They better be careful. They have a lot to hide," Trump tweeted. I hear the Rickets family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $'s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2016 "When we have a candidate that threatens people," Beck said. "This is not American. This is not equal justice. This is not who were are." "If we give in to our anger, if we start to go down that path and we start to listen to the bullies. We lose what made us great," Beck said before introducing Cruz.Recent articles by Wayne Price What is Primitive Accumulation? Marxs and Kropotkins ViewpointsA... A Green New Deal vs. Revolutionary Ecosocialism An Anarchist View of State Formation-- Review of Peter Gelderloos, Wo... Recent Articles about Mashriq / Arabia / Iraq Anarchist movement Αναρχική Ένω... by Dmitri (republising) گۆڕینی ناوی... by KAF Changing the name of Kurdistan Anarchist Forum to Kurdish-Speaking Ana... by KAF The Palestinian Struggle and the Anarchist Dilemma mashriq / arabia / iraq \| anarchist movement \| feature Saturday May 16, 2009 00:03 Saturday May 16, 2009 00:03 by Wayne Price - personal opinion by Wayne Price - personal opinion drwdprice at aol dot com Comments on Gordons Anarchy Alive! A review of the discussion of the relationship between anarchism and the Palestinian/Israeli struggle by Uri Gordon, an Israeli anarchist, in his book "Anarchy Alive!", including a response to his attack on my views. There has been very little written on the relation between anarchism and the Palestinian struggle against Israeli oppression. Therefore it is interesting to read the discussion of this topic by an Israeli anarchist, Uri Gordon, in his recent book, "Anarchy Alive!". Chapter 6 is titled, HomeLand: Anarchy and Joint Struggle in Palestine/Israel. There has been very little written on the relation between anarchism and the Palestinian struggle against Israeli oppression. Therefore it is interesting to read the discussion of this topic by an Israeli anarchist, Uri Gordon, in his recent book, "Anarchy Alive!". Chapter 6 is titled, As he notes, most Palestinians want their own state next to Israel. He worries that anarchist opposition to this demand could be seen as paternalism, saying that we know what is good for the Arabs better than they do. More significantly, he is concerned that opposition to a Palestinian state leaves anarchists with nothing positive to say, except that Palestinians need anarchism. But they do notyet?want anarchism and it is not going to happen anytime soon. (Nor, I would add, are people likely to be persuaded of anarchism if it is seen as opposed to what they do want, namely national self-determination.) Shall anarchists say that we refuse to support the Palestinians struggle against a brutal national oppression until the Palestinians see the light and oppose states and capitalism? Castellano] The Palestinian Struggle and the Anarchist Dilemma Comments on Gordons Anarchy Alive! There has been very little written on the relation between anarchism and the Palestinian struggle against Isreali oppression. Therefore it is interesting to read the discussion of this topic by an Israeli anarchist, Uri Gordon, in his recent book, Anarchy Alive! Chapter 6 is titled, HomeLand: Anarchy and Joint Struggle in Palestine/Israel. (pp. 139162) Unfortunately, the chapter is marred by an intemperate and gratuitous attack on my views. Before getting to this, I will review his discussion. Gordon confronts the apparent contradiction between anarchists commitment to support oppressed groups on the latters own terms, and those terms beingin the Palestinian casea new nation-state. (p. 139) Again, he says that the conflict between anarchist anti-imperialist commitments and their traditionally wholesale rebuttal of the state and nationalism, would seem to leave them at an impasse regarding the national liberation struggles of oppressed peoples. (p. 152) This expresses the dilemma nicely. He briefly notes that Bakunin, Gustav Landauer, and Rudolf Rockerall historically important anarchistssupported a peoples attachment to its own culture and land (including their right to secede from larger units) but opposed national states. Kropotkin supported national liberation struggles of stateless peoples to remove foreign domination. Gordon could have mentioned anarchists participation in many national liberation and anti-imperialist struggles around the world, perhaps the most famous being Nestor Mahkno in the Ukraine. However, these examples do not resolve the dilemma of Palestine/Israel. As he notes, most Palestinians want their own state next to Israel. He worries that anarchist opposition to this demand could be seen as paternalism, saying that we know what is good for the Arabs better than they do. More significantly, he is concerned that opposition to a Palestinian state leaves anarchists with nothing positive to say, except that Palestinians need anarchism. But they do notyet?want anarchism and it is not going to happen anytime soon. (Nor, I would add, are people likely to be persuaded of anarchism if it is seen as opposed to what they do want, namely national self-determination.) Shall anarchists say that we refuse to support the Palestinians struggle against a brutal national oppression until the Palestinians see the light and oppose states and capitalism? Possible Anarchist Responses Gordon offers a series of possible responses (by Israeli or European anarchists essentially) to this dilemma. A first possible response, he writes, is to accept that there is inconsistency in endorsement of Palestinian statehood by anarchists, (p. 154) but to endorse it anyway due to the primary value of solidarity. It may be the only pragmatic, viable, way to counter the Palestinians oppression in the short term. (pp. 154-5) (I am reviewing his opinions, which I find thought-provoking, but not yet stating my own.) A second possible response, he suggests, would deny that there is any inconsistency for anarchists. Palestinians already live under a state, that of Israel (including in the Occupied Territories). To demand that Palestinians live under a Palestinian state instead of under that of Israel would not be unprincipled for an anti-statist, he argues. At most it would be just as bad for the Palestinians; at best, it might be somewhat better, due to the removal of direct foreign oppression. His third response is anarchists can support a Palestinian state as a strategic choice (p. 155), one step in a long term struggle. Obviously, the region will not move immediately into anarchism; there will be many stages to go through. Decreasing the tensions between the Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs can open things up for further struggles around gender, sexual orientation, and class in each nation. Having got what they wanted, the Palestinians may learn the limitations of statist solutions and continue the struggle on a new basis. A fourth response may seem to completely contradict the other three responses. It is to ignore the issue of national statehood while supporting day-to-day Palestinian struggles for jobs and dignity. This includes defending farmers from attacks by Jewish settlers, opposing the wall when it cuts through villages, taking apart roadblocks, etc. Anarchists can be engaged in as united fronts with nationalists, without agreeing with their politics. Israeli anarchists may loyally participate in them without endorsing a Palestinian state. He cites the work of Bill Templer, an anarchist, who recognizes that there will be an eventual two-state settlement in the short run, but focuses his work among Israelis and Palestinian villagers around such issues as resisting the wall. Templer believes that such work will someday lead to a dual power situation as it hollows out the state and capitalism. (p. 161) Uri Gordon
upset about his decision. One of his most vocal critics was his own son — who shares his father's name and happens to be a Texas state lawmaker as well. [These states are opening the door to bathroom wars] State Rep. Eddie Lucio III, also a Democrat from Brownsville, said that his office mistakenly received much of the negative feedback after his father appeared at the news conference. In a statement posted to Facebook on Monday night, the younger Lucio made it clear that his stance on the matter was different. “On this issue, I respectfully disagree with my father and I oppose SB 6,” Lucio III wrote. “I believe this bill to be nothing more than a political ploy to appease certain narrow minded constituencies at the expense of some of the most vulnerable and marginalized people in society.” The younger Lucio added that his office had yet to see data that showed that the transgender community posed a security risk to others in bathrooms, charging that Senate Bill 6 targeted people who are “just trying to live their lives and have a safe place to use the restroom.” “My father preached love and service in my house growing up, and although I sincerely believe that his position is not rooted in hate, it is still wrong and will create adversity for many,” Lucio III wrote. “This is not a priority in Texas and should not be treated as one. I will stand up and oppose any attempt at oppression or prejudice whether the target group is gay, straight, white, brown, man, woman or child.” He added that he and his father had a “civil and respectful” discussion about the bill that morning. They had hugged and agreed to disagree. “I hope that regardless of your position on this or any issue you would approach your views and discussions with the same love and respect that my father and I displayed this morning,” the younger Lucio wrote. Texas was among at least 11 states that filed or carried over legislation this year to close certain bathrooms to transgender people, The Washington Post's Amber Phillips reported. In late February, President Trump's administration rolled back federal guidelines that had stated that transgender students had the right to use public school restrooms matching their gender identity, bringing the issue back into the national spotlight. Under Senate Bill 6, no Texas public school would be able to institute a bathroom policy that allows transgender students to use a restroom, shower or locker room that doesn’t match their “biological sex” on their birth certificate. The bill would still allow for schools to accommodate transgender students on a case-by-case basis, Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who introduced the bill along with the state’s lieutenant governor, reiterated at the bill's public hearing Tuesday in the Senate State Affairs Committee, which was attended by hundreds of people. However, “public entities” that violate the law would be subject to a fine, Kolkhorst added. The Texas legislation has been championed by the state’s conservative lawmakers, who tout it as a measure to protect privacy and argued that local nondiscrimination ordinances allowed men to use women’s restrooms. “This issue is not about discrimination — it’s about public safety, protecting businesses and common sense,” Patrick said in a statement when the bill was filed in January. He and Kolkhorst have since maintained that the bill is about women's privacy rights. Texas unveiled a controversial "bathroom bill" on Jan. 5. Here's what you need to know about it. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post) However, advocacy groups denounced the proposal as discriminatory almost as soon as it was announced. Equality Texas, a nonprofit organization that advocates the fair treatment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, called the bill a “shameful attack on transgender kids” in its campaign to stop the legislation. “This proposed legislation is not about adding protection; instead it is an all out attempt to codify discrimination against transgender Texans. Plain and simple,” the group said in a statement. “If legislators were concerned with stopping sexual predators, they should introduce laws aimed at them, not transgender individuals.” The National Football League preemptively issued a warning, saying passage of Senate Bill 6 could affect whether future Super Bowls were held in the state. The Human Rights Campaign called it a “dangerous, politically-motivated assault on the rights of [Patrick’s] own constituents.” “Patrick and his anti-LGBTQ friends in the legislature have clearly learned nothing from the self-inflicted damage caused by North Carolina’s discriminatory HB2 law and want to throw away $8.5 billion in revenue from lost visitors, businesses, sports leagues and major entertainment groups,” HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. “If lawmakers vote to discriminate against transgender people, Texas will be closed for business.” [Supreme Court’s decision to pass on transgender bathroom case leaves schools, parents without answers] The proposed Texas legislation is similar to a controversial law passed in North Carolina last year, under which transgender people must use the restroom that matches the “biological sex” on their birth certificate. Its passage prompted widespread protests and boycotts of the state. Both the NBA and the NCAA ditched plans to hold special games and tournaments in North Carolina, causing a potential loss of more than $100 million in tourism revenue, CNBC reported. In December, North Carolina lawmakers convened a special legislative session to rescind the law but failed to do so. On Tuesday, a group of conservative lawmakers from North Carolina spoke at the Texas Senate's public hearing in support of Senate Bill 6, saying the economic impact to North Carolina because of HB2 had been minimal. Read more: Supreme Court sends Virginia transgender case back to lower court ‘Stop this nonsense’: ‘Percy Jackson’ author snubs invite from Texas lawmakers over bathroom bill Jackie Evancho, who sang the national anthem at Trump’s inauguration, asks for a meeting on transgender rightsBaoding balls (Chinese: 保定健身球; pinyin: Bǎodìng Jiànshēn Qiú) are metal balls small enough to hold in one hand. They are also known as Chinese "balls for ball practice" exercise balls, Chinese health balls, Chinese meditation balls, Chinese medicine balls. Baoding balls are used by rotating two or more balls repeatedly in the hand. Intended to improve finger dexterity, relax the hand, or aid in the recovery of muscle strength and motor skills after surgery, Baoding balls work similarly to Western stress balls. History [ edit ] The first Baoding balls were likely created in Hebei, China, during the Ming Dynasty. Formerly, they were often called "iron balls" as they were originally made of iron. Meditation balls continue to be produced there.[1] Composition [ edit ] Inside Baoding balls: a wire and a marble As metalworking advanced, "iron balls" became more popular. Construction methods varied. Most Baoding balls consist of a pair of hollow spheres, each containing a chime that rings when an inner ball strikes the outer sphere. Many modern examples are decorated with cloisonné and brass wire; these are essentially decorative since they easily chip when dropped or rubbed together. Baoding balls can also be made of solid jade, agate, marble, and other types of stone. Hollow balls are generally more suitable for therapeutic use due to their lighter weight. Heavier balls of iron, steel or tungsten carbide require more effort for rotation. These are mainly used to build strength by resistance training. Use [ edit ] Baoding balls in Use The basic exercise consists of holding a pair of Baoding balls in the palm of one hand, rotating them (switching the relative position of the two balls) while maintaining constant contact between them. Once this technique has been mastered, the rotation speed can be gradually increased until the balls separate in the hand. Eventually one hand can learn to rotate them completely without the balls making contact with each other. Exercises have been developed involving more balls, where the main technique is to avoid contact with the other balls. This requires using a finger, usually the index finger, as a divider. An average user should be able to start with a 45mm (1.8in) ball and move up to 60mm (2.4in) as their muscles get accustomed to the exercise. Larger Baoding balls between 70mm and 100mm (2.8in to 3.9in) can be used. Keeping larger balls separate while rotating them is an advanced skill. The area of the hand exercised can be varied, altering the part of the hand they rotate over, or changing the orbit of the balls so that more force is exerted on a particular finger or finger joints. Well-known strongmen such as John Brookfield used shot put balls as Baoding balls, rotating them to develop forearm muscles and improve their grip. Health benefits [ edit ] Though unsupported by scientific evidence, baoding balls are thought to exercise hand muscles, improve brain function and reduce stress when used as alternative medicine to stimulate the acupuncture points on the hand.[2][unreliable source?] Baoding balls are often used in physical therapy to exercise the soft tissues of the hand, wrist, and arm.[medical citation needed]Obama Flies to Alaska to Push Global Warming Propaganda – Then Orders New Icebreaker You just can’t make this stuff up… The US sent a Coast Guard icebreaker to Antarctica in 2014 to help free a Russian ship. (Business Insider) Barack Obama traveled to Alaska this week to speak out on global warming junk science. The president told supporters global warming climate change was the single most important issue shaping the 21st century. Then later today he asked Congress to build a new arctic icebreaker. FOX News reported: President Obama will ask Congress Tuesday to speed up the construction of new icebreaker ships in order to protect U.S. interests and resources in the Arctic, amid growing concern that the U.S. has ceded influence to Russia in the strategic waters. The proposals will be made on the second day of Obama’s three-day trip to Alaska, during which the president has focused largely on climate change. The president’s agenda called for him to travel to Seward, Alaska, where he planned to hike to Exit Glacier and tour Kenai Fjords National Park by boat. Concerns about Russia’s activities in the Arctic have grown after Moscow submitted a claim to the United Nations Aug. 5 for 463,000 square miles of the Arctic sea shelf, extending more than 350 nautical miles from the country’s shore. The Arctic is believed to hold up to 25 percent of the world’s untapped oil and gas supplies, and the U.S., Russia, and Canada are among the nations trying to assert their jurisdiction over the region.Image copyright AFP Image caption One dollar will give you more than 1,200 kyat Myanmar has announced it will curb the widespread use of US dollars by firms, to stabilise the tumbling domestic currency, the kyat. The central bank has revoked foreign exchange licenses from businesses ranging from hotels and restaurants to golf clubs and hospitals. It said a growing preference for the US dollar has spurred demand for it, and led to "exchange rate instability". The US dollar is used widely in the tourism industry. Since the end of military rule in 2011, Myanmar has launched economic reforms, adopting a floating rate for the kyat. The licences, however, have allowed many people to use the dollar for domestic transactions, bypassing the local financial system. The kyat has fallen more than 20% so far this year, making it one of the worst-performing currencies in the region. 'Dollarisation' In a statement, the country's central bank said the special licenses were revoked to combat "dollarisation". "Because of payments and sales in dollars, there has been dollarisation leading to an increased need for dollars, weakening the 'Kyat' and causing exchange rate instability," the national lender said. With an exchange rate of more than 1,200 kyat to one dollar, larger cash transactions require stacks of bank notes if not conducted in US dollars. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Larger amounts would likely have to be paid with huge stacks of kyat notes Cutting down on cash After the changes, only banks and official money changers will still be allowed to exchange dollars. Other companies will have to return their permits by 30 November. According to the statement, all hotels, travel agencies, restaurants, duty free shops, airlines, hospitals, freight forwarders, telecom enterprises, media, apartments, super markets, souvenir shops, gold clubs and the military-owned Myanmar Economic Holding will have to give back their licences. The bank said the move was intended to promote the use of kyat in making payments for goods and services within the country and to cut down the use of cash by encouraging domestic debit cards and credit cards, internal payment cards and online payment system. Myanmar is not the only country in Asia where the US dollar is used as an unofficial second currency, essentially replacing the national currency for all larger transactions. In Cambodia, the US dollar is also used alongside the domestic currency, the riel, which is used mostly for fractional dollar amounts.AMD shares surge on a report of laptop chip deal with Intel to fight off Nvidia 11:08 AM ET Mon, 6 Nov 2017 \| 00:45 AMD shares are rising on the announcement the chipmaker will collaborate with Intel to compete with Nvidia in the laptop chip market. "Our collaboration with Intel expands the installed base for AMD Radeon GPUs and brings to market a differentiated solution for high-performance graphics," said Scott Herkelman, vice president and general manager, AMD Radeon Technologies Group, in the press release. "This new semi-custom GPU puts the performance and capabilities of Radeon graphics into the hands of an expanded set of enthusiasts who want the best visual experience possible." Intel revealed the chip will be for thin and lightweight laptops that are capable of playing complex video games. Shares of AMD surged 5 percent Monday morning, while Nvidia shares traded roughly flat. Intel's stock rose 0.8 percent. AMD shares are down since it reported third-quarter financial results last month. The company gave gross profit margin guidance of 35 percent for the fourth quarter, below some estimates. Its shares are now down 2 percent year to date through Friday versus the S&P 500's 16 percent return. Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "This is a previous undisclosed win and as with other customer announcements, AMD will not disclose the dollar amount or specifics of the win," an AMD spokesperson wrote in an email. "Please note this is not a licensing deal and there is no transfer or license of IP" to Intel. The Wall Street Journal first reported the deal Monday morning.Janet Napolitano Hid Stash of $175 MILLON for Berkeley, Home of ANTIFA Protests The University of California school system and the site of an ongoing free speech battle has another problem—corruption. In the battle over free speech, President Janet Napolitano has been criticized for not taking action to protect the university, free speech, and the First Amendment of the Constitution. Janet Napolitano has a bigger problem, though. A state audit found that the University of California—and in particular, Napolitano’s office of the president—hid a stash of $175 million in secret funds while its leaders requested more money from the state. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the audit found that the secret fund ballooned due to UC purposely overestimating how much was needed to run the school system, which includes ten campuses in the state. Janet Napolitano, the former Department of Homeland Security chief, is in charge of the UC system. Napolitano denied the audit’s claim. She reportedly said the money was held for any unexpected expenses. Her office also denied the amount in the fund but had no documentation to dispute the report’s findings. Elaine Howle, the state auditor who authored the report, found that from 2012 to 2016, UC’s office of the president attempted to raise more funding by inflating estimates of what was needed to operate the university system. Howle also said that a top staff member in Napolitano’s office improperly screened confidential surveys that were sent to each campus and deleted or changed answers critical of Napolitano before the surveys were sent to the auditor. “I’ve never had a situation like that in my 17 years as a state auditor,” Howle said. “My attorneys are looking at whether any improper government activities occurred. Taken as a whole, these problems indicate that significant change is necessary to strengthen the public’s trust in the University of California.” Howle said Napolitano overcharged the UC system’s campuses to fund its operations, paid its employees significantly more than state employees, and interfered with the auditing process. The audit found that over the course of four years, the UC’s central bureaucracy amassed more than $175 million in reserve funds by spending significantly less than it budgeted for yet still asked for increases in future funding based on its previous years’ overestimated budgets rather than its actual expenditures. “In effect, the office of the president received more funds than it needed each year, and it amassed millions of dollars in reserves that it spent with little or no oversight,” the report said. University employees and lawmakers, who requested the audit, expressed outrage over the audit’s findings. “Today we learned that after squandering millions of public dollars on bloated management and unaccountable initiatives, the office of the president has effectively operated a slush fund and hid hundreds of millions of public dollars from public scrutiny,” Kathryn Lybarger, president of UC’s largest employee union, said in a statement. She criticized the office’s “skyrocketing executive pay,” a reference to the audit’s finding that the ten executives in the office were paid a total of $3.7 million in the 2014-15 fiscal year. That amounted to over $700,000 more than the combined salaries of their highest paid state employee counterparts. The audit went on to say that University of California president Janet Napolitano’s office hid the secret funds even from its own board of regents and created a secret spending plan while padding the salaries and benefits of her staff. For years, state lawmakers have been clashing with the university system over its opaque finances and escalating costs amid calls for belt-tightening by Gov. Jerry Brown. The tension between the state and the prestigious university system had mounted since the recession, when UC repeatedly hiked tuition to backfill state budget cuts and turned away record numbers of California high school seniors while admitting higher-paying out-of-state and international students. The audit cited extensive problems with financial management at UC’s central office, including the following findings: Administrative spending shortly after Napolitano took control increased by roughly $80 million, or 28 percent, between 2012-13 and 2015-16, but the central office doesn’t have a reliable or consistent way to track such expenditures. It received significantly more money than it needed in each of the four years reviewed by the auditor but asked for increases in future funding based on inflated budgets from previous years. It paid executives a total of $3.7 million in the fiscal year 2015-16—$700,000 more than other top-paid executives at comparable state agencies—and spent at least $21.6 million in employee benefits, including contributions to supplemental retirement savings plans. Janet Napolitano was United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. The auditor’s report can be found here.Borussia Dortmund have offered a contract extension to Mats Hummels as he contemplates whether it is time to leave the club. The Germany international has been on Manchester United's list of targets for some time but insists he has yet to make a decision. Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke is optimistic about extending his stay. 'We continue to plan with him,' Zorc told German magazine kicker. 'We will continue our dialogue with Mats regarding our collaboration.' Mats Hummels (centre) congratulates his team-mates after they beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in the German Cup Hummels (top right) watches on from the stands as Dortmund reach the German Cup semi-finals Hummels sat out Dortmund's 3-2 defeat of Hoffenheim in the German Cup on Tuesday night as Jurgen Klopp's side booked a place in the semi finals. The 26-year-old has two years left on his contract but revealed earlier in the week that he is still undecided over his future. 'There's no particular tendency one way or the other. It's just thoughts going through my mind. It will all become clearer in the coming weeks,' he told Sky. United are reportedly willing to offer Dortmund up to £30million to sign Hummels, who may be tempted to move in search of Champions League football. Mats Hummels (right) has admitted he is considering his future at Borussia DortmundPlay Video Replay Video Play Video Don't Play Leyonhjelm: roll back regulation for 'wiping noses' Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm declares he will not support a bill for childcare reform without amendments, telling The Project he would like to see qualifications for childcare workers rolled back altogether. Courtesy The Project, 6.30pm weekdays on Ten. The only thing childcare workers spend their time doing is "wiping noses and stopping the kids from killing each other". At least, that's Federal Senator David Leyonhjelm's take on the industry. When asked on The Project if he would support a bill for childcare reform, the Liberal Democratic Party senator said the bill needed amendments - specifically because he believes the existing qualification requirements are unnecessary given the nature of the work. Childcare workers do a lot more than hygiene management and breaking up fights. Photo: Marina Neil/FFX "A lot of women – mostly women – used to look after children in childcare centres and then they brought in this national quality framework and they had to go and get a Certificate III in Childcare in order to continue doing the job that they were doing," he said, suggesting that a qualification isn't necessary to do the menial tasks, such as wiping noses, that are part of the role. (Watch the full interview in the video above.) Of course, childcare workers and most parents know better when it comes to what those in the childcare industry actually do all day. They are acutely aware that there are many things early childhood educators do for our children that make a big difference to the lives of kids and their families. Here are just a few... Carers help kids develop important life skills On picking up my daughter from childcare one day, an educator pulled me aside with a form in her hand. "We focus on different children's needs throughout the year," she said, "and we'd love it if you could fill this in and chat to us about what your daughter needs from us." And so they helped my little one build her resilience. She transformed from a child who was uncertain about leaving my side into one who would confidently walk into the childcare room without hesitation. Advertisement That attention from her childcare educators has provided skills that have set her up for not only the next steps of her education, but also other aspects of her life. It took their work and experience to make it happen, and I'm grateful for that. Childcare supports families in times of need Claire, a friend of mine, says her children's daycare centre played a pivotal role in the family for almost 12 years. "In that time the kids' dad and I worked in conjunction with their teachers to raise our children," she says. "The kids' teachers were nothing short of amazing, and while I was sick with breast cancer they provided extra support to my family." Claire strongly believes that childcare workers are a valuable part of our parenting 'village'. "They provide the support that in previous generations may have been provided by grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings and cousins, for example – when families tended to live in the same street, or suburb," she says. "As a young, first time mum, who had never held a baby before I held my firstborn, they also helped me build my confidence in parenting." They fill the gaps parents leave It's a very rare set of parents that can cover all bases, and it's fortunate that we have others around us who can give our kids additional opportunities. At a childcare level, this can range from huge life skills down to day-to-day tasks we can chuckle about. Or, as Jo, a mum of two, describes: "They provide an environment where babies and children learn new skills – particularly socially – and often do things that parents don't have the time or inclination to do. For example, I hate craft and the subsequent mess, but they do it!" I have to admit, I've been known to tell my kids that glitter is only used on childcare premises – and thank goodness our childcare workers can cope with the chaos. Make kids feel important One vital thing that childcare workers offer our kids is attention. "At childcare they get really focused attention, with grown ups who can sit down and play with them, read to them and chat with them, without the constant distractions parents have," says Erin, whose children attended a small childcare centre. This attention makes our kids feel special and listened to, which is more important than ever with the mental and physical health challenges their generation is facing. This is just scratching the surface of what childcare workers do to help us raise confident, smart, happy kids – there really are so many great things educators do for families and children. So, Senator Leyonhjelm, let's encourage more gratitude and acknowledgement of what these people can offer. Essential BabyFor all the magic Ricky Rubio is able to concoct out on the court, his inability to score with efficiency is a chronic, increasingly concerning liability. Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio will never run out of magic. Whatever flaws or infirmities invade the rest of his game, Rubio will always be able to deliver the ball to his teammates in ways that tickle your endorphins, rock you back in your chair or lift you to your feet in spontaneous tribute. There will be bounce passes that thread their way through the appendages of the NBA scrum like a bike messenger on a breakneck deadline in downtown traffic. His outlets as the middle man on a fast break will hit his streaking teammates in perfect stride. His skip passes against tilted defenses will blend enough arc and velocity to defy the most dogged recuperation efforts of his opponents. And his no-look passes will continue to have everyone — opponents, coaches, fans, even teammates — following his eyes instead of his hands for the split-second required to zip the orb into an opening that will usher in the layup. So long as he is healthy, Rubio will also continue to be a premier ball-hawk and a formidable on-ball perimeter defender. He calibrates his pressure surge toward his opponent in a manner that keeps his reactive options intact; not so fast that he collides into a foul or is left in the lurch by a crossover dribble; and not so slow that he can’t close out on the shooter or use his agility and wing-span to either disrupt the dribble or deflect or steal the pass. And his sense of anticipation and timing on when to circle back to filch the inbounds pass after a made basket, or make a beeline toward a lazy crosscourt pass near half-court, is as productive as anyone in the NBA not named Lebron. Combine those thrilling virtues with Rubio’s matinee idol looks, his unyielding effort and energy, and his mien of confident modesty, and you have the most popular player on the Timberwolves. Kevin Love is better, a genuine superstar, but in terms of fan squeals and apparel sold and worn at home games, Rubio rules. If only he could shoot the ball. A relentless pattern of clanking For all the magic Rubio is able to concoct out on the court, his inability to score with efficiency is a chronic, increasingly concerning liability. He has been a relentlessly inaccurate shooter since coming into the NBA for the strike-shortened season of 2011-12. During his brief career, he has experienced only one month in which he has played at least five games and converted more than 40 percent of his shots from the field — 41.4 percent last March. In an early December column I have cited before, Zach Lowe of the ESPN-oriented site Grantland calculated that only two players, neither of them point guards, have logged more than 5,000 NBA minutes and shot less than 38 percent since 1965. At his current 3,935 career minutes at 32 minutes per game, Rubio has 34 games — next March 3 at Denver, if he stays healthy — to raise his career 35.8 percent shooting up 2.2 percentage points or stand as the worst shooting point guard of the modern NBA era. Rubio’s wretched shooting, couple with his magnificence in many other crucial aspects of the game, make him a polarizing figure to assess — and, as his contract comes up for renewal in the next year or two, difficult to value in terms of hard dollars and cents on the salary cap. In standard forms of player measurement, his clanking docks him down to mediocrity. As of games played through last Thursday, John Hollinger’s PER rating, which measures a player’s all-around efficiency, has him at 14.9 this season and 15.3 for his career, with 15.0 being an NBA average performer. Again measuring games through last Thurday, the metric “win shares,” developed by Dean Oliver, has Rubio at.098 win shares per 48 minutes this season and.082 per 48 for his career, with.100 being the NBA average. But PER, win shares and just about any other measure of NBA performance have a difficult time calibrating defense, where Rubio, at least to the naked eye, clearly shines. Unfortunately, here too, some numbers work against him. According to the website 82games.com, through games of Dec. 15, opposing point guards had a PER of 20.8 (better than Rubio’s own 17.1 when strictly playing point guard, meaning not alongside J.J. Barea). Those opposing point guards averaged 25.2 points per 48 minutes and had an effective field goal percentage (which weights the value of three-point shots) of 54.5. The 82games.com site also reveals that in the 370 minutes Rubio has sat this season, the Wolves yield 1.1 fewer points per 100 possession than in the 786 minutes Rubio has played (again, through Dec. 15). Ah, but look at how much better the Wolves’ offense is with Rubio on the court — a whopping plus 13.7 points per 100 possessions, thus far in the 2013-14 season. Yes, that is mightily affected by Minnesota’s terrible offensive production off the bench — Kevin Love and Corey Brewer have even larger positive disparities — but it is hard to imagine this team humming on offense the same way if J.J. Barea or A.J. Price were running the show. The contract dilemma But Rubio shouldn’t be judged next to Barea and Price. Less than a year ago, the overwhelming consensus was that he would be able to command a maximum contract, in the vicinity of $15 million per season. Of course for a “maximum” deal to be a wise investment, the player has to blossom (or sustain his performance) as a superstar. The worst-shooting point guard in modern NBA history doesn’t qualify. Already you can see how Rubio’s inaccuracy constricts his playmaking ability. Most obviously, his lousy shooting percentage finishing shots at the rim has caused opponents to stay with their man as Rubio dribbles beneath the hoop — denying the bounce-pass assist to a big man that was a Rubio signature when opposing bigs would drop off to stop his penetration. Less blatantly, Rubio’s clanking hinders his prowess on the pick-and-roll play: Why would an opponent jam up Rubio on the perimeter and leave the “roll man” unguarded? If there is a silver lining in the statistical metrics, it is that Rubio seems to be an accurate shooter on three-pointers at the top of the arc, a deadeye anomaly that at least provides some hope for floor spacing and half-court schemes coach Adelman can run that will keep opponents honest. But the bottom line, figuratively and literally, is that the Wolves are invested in a horrible shooter as the engineer of their offense. Certainly it can get better. If Rubio were to average even 40 percent on his field goal attempts, the rest of his skills would make him a dynamic, top 10 point guard in this league. Right now, however, he is in the middle of the pack. How much can the Wolves afford to spend on such a player? Well, point guards currently operating at the bottom of Rubio’s overall capabilities, such as Brandon Jennings in Detroit, George Hill in Indiana and Jeremy Lin in Houston — none of whom are close to Rubio’s real value, in my view — each command about $8 million per season. I suspect Rubio will eventually get more than that — negotiations will likely start in earnest next season for an extension beginning in 2015-16 — to about $10 million, perhaps as much as $12 million (Pek money) per season. Is Rubio worth it? Opinions will vary widely. Obviously, given his other skills and overall charisma with the fans, improved shooting cinches the argument in his favor. But unless Love exercises the option on his deal at the end of next season, the Wolves will have precious little cap room to go out and get another point guard of Rubio’s caliber. In other words, expect Rubio to be around for a while. In terms of pure aesthetics, if not necessarily playoff-series wins and rings, that’s a good thing. Off the holidays — but not in the comments section As you have probably already noted, MinnPost has limited operations for the holidays. But since the Wolves have a number of compelling games left in 2013 — and because I really do treasure the comments I get from readers — I will be posting brief impressions of this week’s games and actively engaging comments while monitoring feedback here throughout the week. If you want to participate, thank you — I always enjoy the debate and the edification. If you don’t want to participate, fair enough — have a wonderful holiday season and will see you in 2014.For the first time since World War II, there is no U.S. aircraft carrier at sea to respond to threats, according to Fox News. In a nearly unprecedented move, there will likely be a nearly one-month gap between the docking of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which docked last Friday, and the deployment of the USS George H.W. Bush, the ship meant to replace it. According to Defense News, the Bush is not scheduled to leave the port of Norfolk until at least the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump, and it could possibly leave later. The Bush, Fox News reported, has been delayed in the shipyards for over six months. A carrier at port could be “surged” in order to meet any threat that emerges, the Navy said. However, at a time of geopolitical instability, it is notable that our president has taken arguably taken our most important tool of military prestige and removed it from the waters of the world. The Navy, meanwhile, refrained from comment on the matter. “We are not going to discuss the timing of operational movements of carrier strike groups into and out of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” U.S. Naval Forces Central Command spokesman Capt. Terry Shannon told Fox News. The Eisenhower’s return to port was preceded by a seven-month tour in the Middle East, where the carrier launched hundreds of attacks against Islamic State group targets in Iraq and Syria, both from the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, off the shores of Yemen, two American destroyers were recently attacked by Houthi rebels, a group sponsored by Iran. There are also, as you may have heard, significant geopolitical difficulties involving both Russia and China. President Obama has overseen one of the largest downgrades in military prestige that we’ve seen from the executive branch. However, not having a carrier at sea — much less in the Middle East — for the first time since World War II is one of its most disgraceful moves yet. To make things worse, it comes at a perilous time. While there are other ways that the United States can strike back in case of an attack, the aircraft carrier is the safest, surest projection of strength we have. The fact that Obama has chosen this time, close to a transfer of power in the United States of America, is telling. We need a president whose leadership can keep America safe. This certainly isn’t how its done. We can only hope Donald Trump does better. Like us on Facebook – USA Liberty News Please like and share on Facebook and Twitter if you agree that what Obama did is an outrage. What are your thoughts on Obama’s move? Scroll down to comment below! Source: conservativetribune.com H/T Zero HedgeWhen the brackets are released every year, the NCAA Tournament selection committee and their decisions get placed under the microscope, from the seeding to the building of the bracket. While we can’t pretend to know exactly how the committee seeds teams cough UCLA cough it is easy to see how and why they placed every team in their respective opening and round of 32 sites (or pods, as they’re called) and regional sites. Busting Brackets takes a look at every team 1-68 to see why they were sent where they ended up. First of all, there are some rules the committee has to follow. The top four teams selected from a conference must be placed in different regions if they are a 1,2,3, or 4 seed. For example, the Big 12 had 4 teams in the top 16 of the seed list so every team must be placed in a separate regional. Exceptions can be made, however, as there are 5 such teams from the ACC and only 4 regions. Teams from the same conference can’t meet until the Elite Eight if they played three times during the regular season and conference tournaments. If they played twice they can’t meet until the Sweet Sixteen, and the round of 32 if they played only once. Rematches of regular season non-conference games should also be avoided in the opening round as well as rematches from the previous 2 NCAA tournaments. These are just a handful of the rules the committee follows, and the full list of their procedures can be found here. It’s important to know that there are 8 opening and round-of-32 sites so only 2 teams in the top 16 can be sent to each pod. Geography plays the biggest role in determining where to send teams, but the committee sometimes has to make a judgement call if two locations are equidistant from a certain school. Enough with the rules already, onto the Seed list!These cities, contenders for the 20 oldest continually-inhabited places on Earth, are about as close as you can get to time travel on holiday. Not all are safe to visit, however. Check the latest Foreign Office advice before planning a trip. 20. Varanasi, India When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 1,000 BC Situated on the west bank of the Ganges, Varanasi - also known as Benares - is an important
can be delivered in the environment, and possibly to humans." Advertisement Read the full study in the latest issue of Nature Communications.Hot on the heels of the surprisingly-well-received Big Picture mode, Valve has confirmed that it will release a “Steam Box” video game console sometime in 2013. Speaking to Kotaku at the 2012 Video Game Awards this weekend, Gabe Newell confirmed that Valve is working on a living room-friendly PC that runs Steam. Newell says that reception for Steam’s new, TV-oriented Big Picture mode has been “stronger than expected,” and the company will now work to get Steam for Linux out of beta. Beyond that, Gaben only gave us one other tidbit about the Steam Box, stating that “our hardware will be a very controlled environment.” In other words, the Steam Box will be a console, rather than some kind of PC that you can upgrade. Curiously, Newell also said that he expects other companies to sell living room PCs that will compete with next-gen consoles from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. We’re not entirely sure why 2013 is the year that living room PCs will suddenly compete with game consoles, but do let us know in the comments if you have a theory. Valve in general, and Gaben in particular, seem to be on some kind of heroic mission to bring Steam to the mass market. Newell was one of the first critics of Windows 8, calling it “a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space.” It’s impossible to say for certain, but it certainly seems that Steam for Linux’s graduation from weekend project to full-blown endeavor neatly matches up with Gabe’s distaste for Windows 8. As far as we can tell, though, this hatred doesn’t stem from the Metro interface; rather, Valve sees the Windows 8 Store as a direct threat to Steam. In much the same way that Microsoft squashed other web browsers with its monopolistic backside, Valve is worried that the Windows Store will snuff out third-party digital distribution platforms. What isn’t clear, though, is how the Steam Box will actually combat the Windows Store. With Valve’s focus on Steam for Linux, the current assumption is that the Steam Box will run Linux — but then the console won’t be able to play more than a few dozen games. Valve is also working on a Linux port of its Source game engine, which will certainly help matters, but that isn’t going to suddenly make Skyrim or Mass Effect compatible with Linux. The other option, of course, is that the Steam Box will run Windows 7. This would drive the cost of the console up, but it would mean that you could immediately play Assassin’s Creed III on your TV, with your Valve gamepad. Ultimately, though, the elephant in the room is the hardware itself. Newell very clearly tells Kotaku that the Steam Box will be a PC, rather than a custom piece of console hardware (such as the Xbox 360 or PS3). In all likelihood, this means the Steam Box will probably just be a small form factor (SFF) x86 PC — and as we know, high-powered SFFs are not cheap ($600+). By pitching it as a living room PC with more capabilities than a conventional video game console, Valve has some leeway on the pricing — but not that much. Though, having said that, if it looks like a Companion Cube, I’d pay almost anything for a Steam Box. Update: The wording in the original Kotaku story is rather vague. It seems to indicate that the Steam Box is coming in 2013, but Newell might instead be referring to other living room PCs. Either way, with next-gen consoles due at the end of 2013, it would make sense if the Steam Box has a similar launch window.Red Wings at New York Rangers 4-9-16 The Red Wings' Riley Sheahan created havoc around the net over the final 25 games of the season. (The Associated Press) DETROIT - Riley Sheahan resembled a power forward the final six weeks of the regular season. He was strong on the puck, provided a net presence with his big frame and his production picked up. This is what the Detroit Red Wings expect to see from Sheahan on a consistent basis. "The first half of the year he didn't play quite as well as we had expected from the previous year and then I thought the last 25 games he took a real jump in his performance," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "He's 24 years of age. A lot of times with younger players it's confidence and starting to understand that you can do some things that maybe you didn't know you could do when you were younger, and I'd like to think that's what's going on with Riley. He's a big man with skill." The Red Wings officially announced Thursday that they have signed Sheahan to a two-year contract. It has a $2.075 million cap hit. His cap hit was $950,000 in 2015-16. Sheahan will be a restricted free agent when the deal expires in 2018. "His best years are still well ahead of him," Holland said. "We're excited to get him signed to a two-year contract and we think he's going to have a bigger role on our team going forward. Our hope is he can grow into a top (two) line center." Sheahan (6-3, 222) centered the third line most of the season, but was moved up to the second line on occasion and also played on the wing. He had seven goals and 12 points in the final 23 games, following a stretch of 17 games without a point. He finished with 14 goals and 25 points in 81 games. "He's a big body, we're looking for big bodies," Holland said. "He's not a player who's going to run around and hit people but I thought he got a little more aggressive, a little more confidence. There's no doubt he's a legitimate top-nine forward and we're hoping in the next couple of years he can grow into a bigger role." Red Wings' Riley Sheahan accepts cancer patient's invitation to be her prom date Sheahan suprised 22-year-old Morgan Behen by showing up at her prom. Datsyuk deadline approaching: Pavel Datsyuk is back in town for his hockey camp, which starts Friday at Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Holland said he's had some brief conversations with Datsyuk about his future but nothing formal yet. "I'm anticipating at the very latest he'll have his decision announced by Monday (if not before)," Holland said. Holland leaves for the entry draft in Buffalo on Tuesday and said he needs to know what Datsyuk is doing before that. It is widely expected that Datsyuk will play in Russia next season. UFA updates: Holland said he'll resume talks with Drew Miller's agent next week as they work on getting a one-year deal done. Darren Helm won't decide on his future until after he's had a chance to speak with other clubs during the free-agent interview period prior to July 1. "He's obviously earned that right," Holland said. "I'll stay in contact with his agent and see where it goes." -- Follow MLive Sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram -- Download the Detroit Red Wings on MLive app for iPhone and Android -- Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage on TwitterA newly released cache of government emails offers more evidence of behind-the-scenes collusion between the Environmental Protection Agency and environmental groups in crafting greenhouse gas regulations, including an effort by one lobbyist to enlist the EPA in fundraising. The Energy & Environment Legal Institute issued a report Tuesday based on 492 communications obtained last week through open records requests, one week before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is scheduled to hear a challenge to the Obama administration’s sweeping Clean Power Plan. The plan, a cornerstone of President Obama’s effort to combat climate change, seeks to reduce by 32 percent emissions from coal-fired plants by 2020. Critics say the goal would force most plants to close and drive up electricity costs. The documents include EPA associate policy administrator Michael Goo’s use of a private Yahoo account for what he described as a channel for offline chats with environmental advocacy groups, including the Clean Air Task Force, as well as then-EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s description of the Clean Energy Group as an “industry validator” for climate change regulations. “EPA apparently sees no distinction between its public interest function and the special interests that lobby it,” David Schnare, general counsel for the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, said in a statement. “The courts need to take a hard look at this collusive behavior and carefully examine the legal implications of EPA drafting rules in this fashion.” The report also shows the Clean Air Task Force’s advocacy director, Conrad Schneider, brainstorming on how to use his EPA connections to boost fundraising in an email to Mr. Goo subtitled, “How you can help CATF with funders.” “We can tell foundation program officers that we are engaged in discussions with highly-placed officials in the Obama Administration regarding viable pathways forward on 111(d),” referring to the Clean Power Plan rule, Mr. Schneider said in a November 2012 email. “I can tell foundation program officers to call you: (a) for your take on the prospects for moving a 111(d) rule; and (b) to vouch for CATF’s value-added in the 111(d) (and 111(b)) processes.” There is no response from Mr. Goo, although Mr. Schneider describes his email as a recap of an earlier conversation. The emails and texts cover a three-year period starting in 2011 during which Mr. Goo worked with top environmental groups to devise “options” on regulating emissions from electricity-producing power plants. The Clean Air Task Force “is the same group to which [Mr. Goo] outsourced EPA rule-drafting responsibilities,” the Energy & Environment Legal Institute said in a Tuesday press release. “Such efforts to encourage donations for a private group crosses a new ethical line for a federal employee.” An April 2013 exchange via text message shows Mr. Goo in contact with the Sierra Club’s John Coequyt on hydraulic fracturing, “even while EPA and the Sierra Club were in litigation against each other on the same matter,” the free market institute said in its press release. “Goo suggested to Coequyt a strategy to get around OMB’s objections to regulating fracking, telling Coequyt that Goo would need to ‘talk some sense into OMB [expletive]’ who did not share the pair’s zeal for EPA regulation of the process in a certain rule,” the institute said. The Energy & Environment Legal Institute reiterated its call for the court to throw out the Clean Power Plan based on the agency’s failure to disclose its involvement with environmentalists in drafting the regulations. “None of these communications was docketed in the public record when the [notice of proposed rulemaking] was released for comments, even though they resulted in a Rule carefully calibrated to shut down coal power plants,” said the report. “Commenters could not have known that the Rule was drafted through ex parte contacts with environmental groups with whom Mr. Goo once worked. Such secrecy is inconsistent with fundamental principles of due process, fair notice and accountable government.” The EPA has declined to comment on accusations of collusion, citing ongoing litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay of the Clean Power Plan in February pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by about 20 states along with industry groups. Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Everyone expresses relief differently. For Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank, he expressed his relief through sheer cheering. For Falcons President and CEO Rich McKay, it was done more through a deep exhale. It only took four stressful rounds of voting before Atlanta had a majority of votes, but finally all the members of the Atlanta host committee attending the NFL spring meetings in Charlotte are feeling relief Tuesday after they were awarded Super Bowl LIII in 2019. "I've been blessed with a lot of career accomplishments. This is certainly near the very top," Blank said after the announcement. "We're thrilled to show off Atlanta in 2019." But the relief can only last for so long. The pitch was the easy part, now comes the real work. "We're going to finish worrying about finishing our stadium...and doing everything in operation we have to do in those first two regular seasons so that when we actually host the Super Bowl in '19, it not only looks perfect but it is perfect on the inside," Blank said. Sign up for the daily Speed Feed Newsletter Thank You Something went wrong. This email will be delivered to your inbox once a day in the morning. Thank You for signing up for the Speed Feed Please try again later. Submit Blank confirmed Mercedes-Benz stadium is still scheduled to open July 2017. The stadium's cost is $1.4 billion. "There's work to be done, but there was something we had to get accomplished today and that was to just get us over the hurdle for 2019," McKay said. Atlanta pitched for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Super Bowls, but were really focused on winning the 2019 bid because of other major sporting events Mercedes-Benz stadium is hosting. It will host the College Football Playoff Championship game in 2018 and the Final Four in 2020. Blank and McKay were both grateful they were able to put the largest sporting event in the country between the two. Plus, they believe by then, they'll be experienced enough in their new space to put on a flawless event. "I think the league requirement to be open for two years is important. It will serve us well," McKay said. "We'll have plenty of experience by the time this game is geared up, ready to go." WATCH \| Arthur Blank reacts to Super Bowl win Atlanta's pitch titled "Atlanta Transformed" focused mostly on the stadium and its "walk-ability" to major attractions and hotel rooms throughout the city. The accessibility to the stadium's surrounding area by foot was critical for the NFL owners who have been reluctant in the past to give Atlanta a Super Bowl after the ice storm that marred Super Bowl 2000, the last Super Bowl held in Atlanta. Blank admitted Atlanta was one of the coldest cities up for a Super Bowl this year (the other cities included New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Miami and Los Angeles). Blank asked them to look past that and focus on the fact that fans will be able to get around, even if it is a little colder. "They all thought that was a major plus for Atlanta, walk-ability," Blank said. Atlanta's public officials are feeling that same sense of relief since $700 million of public funding has gone into Atlanta's new stadium. Blank and McKay know that the city's support is what made their pitch that more attractive to the NFL. We did it, Atlanta! The 2019 Super Bowl is coming to our city. Congratulations and thanks to Arthur M. Blank for believing in Atlanta. — Kasim Reed (@KasimReed) May 24, 2016 "These are the type of events that pay off in a big, big way. We needed to deliver on this event, and thankfully we got the support to do it," McKay said. Atlanta finally has its Super Bowl. And while that sense of relief may linger for an hour or two, the stress will set back in because it's time to get to work. After all, only 985 days until Super Bowl LIII. WATCH \| Kasim reed talks about Super Bowl winThe official London Fire Brigade is demanding that ‘Fireman Sam’ – a decades old British cartoon aimed at young children – be renamed ‘Firefighter Sam’ because the original name is sexist. Yes. Really. It all started when London’s Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton wrote to the creators of ‘Fireman Sam’ asking them to “reconsider naming him ‘Firefighter Sam’ to join in on the inclusive nature.” “I like the concept, I like the fact it’s a cartoon that educates people and helps children learn about the dangers of fire. But I really would like him to come on board and be called ‘Firefighter Sam’,” said Cotton. The official London Fire Brigade Twitter account then responded to another user who commented, “‘Fireman Sam’ is a kids cartoon about a bloke called Sam who is a fireman. Anyone upset about a cartoon needs to see a psychiatrist.” Fireman Sam is an influential kids cartoon about a bloke called Sam who is the only fireman in Britain. Everyone else's job title for the past 30 years is firefighter. And they deserve respect #FirefightingSexism https://t.co/kz19U3h9RD — London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) October 17, 2017 “Fireman Sam is an influential kids cartoon about a bloke called Sam who is the only fireman in Britain. Everyone else’s job title for the past 30 years is firefighter. And they deserve respect #FirefightingSexism,” the London Fire Brigade sanctimoniously tweeted. Responses to the tweet thankfully restored some sanity to proceedings. The Fire brigade following the police down the path of abject political lunacy. Doing themselves no favours. — Sozzinski (@Sozzinski) October 17, 2017 Personally, I'm offended by the term "firefighter". Why should we "fight" anything? It seems pretty hateful and micro aggressive to me. — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) October 17, 2017 I think that Brigade is offensive. Don’t they know it comes from being a subdivision of an army? All that toxic masculinity inherent in it. — Miss Jo (@HaramHussy) October 17, 2017 Instead of spending time worrying about irrelevant nonsense like this, just carry on putting fires out and saving lives please. Thanks — Steve Mottershead (@Steve_Motty) October 17, 2017 As adults, we are aware that there are respected men and women in the Fire Service. Fireman Sam is for children, accept it for what it is. — Yvonne (@eviegibbons) October 17, 2017 Don't you guys have something better to do that fight Internet "sexism?" Like oh I don't know, SAVE PEOPLE'S LIVES?!? — 🎃Ghostly Rebel YT🎃 (@Rebelkommando) October 17, 2017 Also offensive; Spiderman (must now be Spiderperson) Batman (change it to BatXe) Postman Pat (Non-binary, gender fluid Patricia). https://t.co/Hs1NkP7lHo — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) October 17, 2017 It’s important to emphasise that the vast majority of firefighters (both men and women) probably don’t give a flying flip about a children’s cartoon character being called ‘Fireman Sam’. Just like the vast majority of police officers couldn’t care less about the incessant political correctness and virtue signalling that spews forth from the jobsworth lefty idiots who run all these ‘official’ Twitter accounts. This all proves once again that the UK is not a serious country and is being run by politically correct thought police who are trying to ruin everything for everyone. SUBSCRIBE on YouTube: Follow on Twitter: Follow @PrisonPlanet Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paul.j.watson.71 ********************* Paul Joseph Watson is the editor at large of Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com.NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Blair Walsh Project is in dire need of a reboot. Four field goals typically account for a successful game but Walsh’s contradictory performance Sunday in the Vikings’ 25-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans raises questions about his reliability following his untimely playoff miss against Seattle. Walsh converted kicks of 50, 33, 45 and 30 yards. He also badly missed his first attempt of the season, wide left from 37 yards just as he was against the Seahawks from 27 yards out — a kick that would have won the NFC wild-card game. Walsh followed his first miss of 2016 by pulling left again a 56-yard attempt at the end of the first half that would have matched his career long of 56 yards. He finally cashed in from 50 to cap Minnesota’s opening drive of the third quarter and followed up from 33 to slash the Titans’ initial 10-0 lead to four. Related Articles Brian Murphy: Vikings’ winning formula built on defense Vikings kicker Blair Walsh gets defensive after shaky start Injured QB Teddy Bridgewater says ‘bring home a W’ and Vikings comply Shaun Hill leads Vikings to win, but Mike Zimmer mum on starter for Packers game However, after linebacker Eric Kendricks returned an interception 77 yards for the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter, Walsh missed the point-after attempt. That left a touchdown’s worth of points on the table. “It’s nice to bounce back with four field goals and we won the game,” he said. “They were important kicks. But, man, you want to take the drama out of it, that’s for sure.” Not for the short term, anyway. Coach Mike Zimmer did not throw Walsh under the bus but patience clearly is wearing thin. “He’s our kicker so there’s no question about that,” Zimmer said. “But he needs to kick better.” Walsh was asked about the significance of pulling his misses. “Depends on what type of kick it is. Sometimes you’re rushed,” he said. “You try to slow down. I can say that’s what happened on the first one. Second one I was just trying to kill it because I had to get it there.” Walsh missed short and left on his first 56-yard attempt, which was negated after the Titans called timeout attempting to ice him. He missed just as badly on the do-over. “It’s one of those kicks I was into a little wind going that way,” he said. “I know I needed to hit it perfect but I didn’t. If I had to do it over again, I think I can have a better effort. I’m not really worried about that one as much as I am the first.” Walsh entered the game ranked seventh among active NFL kickers with a success rate of 85.2 percent. He also was 23 for 32 from 50-plus yards. “Yeah, I was a little pissed off,” Walsh said about the 50-yarder he converted early in the third. “I knew that was well within my range. I’ve been around a while. I think that I can bounce back. I’ve shown that. But I want to make it smooth from the beginning.” Last January, after surviving the sub-zero cold in the Seahawks loss, Walsh stoically answered questions about his pivotal miss before breaking down in tears at his locker. He spent several more days and the start of training camp answering more questions, vowing to rebuild his confidence and scrub the bad vibes from his memory. Sunday’s inconsistency opens the door for renewed doubt. “A lot of the drama starts with you guys; I’ll leave it at that,” Walsh said, addressing the media. “What I mean about the drama is you want to take the up and downs out of it. You want to have those kicks where it’s dead-center from the beginning rather than fighting through it. “I’m too good to do that and I know better than to not do that.” Linebacker Chad Greenway said he cannot claim to know what Walsh is going through mentally but sympathizes with him while reiterating the Vikings’ belief in their kicker. “We’re going to lean on him a lot this year,” Greenway said. “We’re going to need him to come around and we’re going to stay with him. The way he came back late in the game was huge for him and for the team.”The internet works in cruel ways, such as the one time it forced me to obsess over a Scandinavian teen drama on the eve of finals week. See, I thought my fangirling phase was long over. After all, “Gossip Girl” ended in 2012, the last “Harry Potter” film premiered in 2011 and David Archuleta lost “American Idol” about a decade ago. There was virtually nothing to go crazy about anymore. That is, until “Skam” popped up on my radar. After breaking historic records in Norway, “Skam”—which translates to “shame”—has begun to receive international attention thanks to devoted fan, who have flooded social media with fan-made content about the series. Naturally, I wanted in on this worldwide craze. And so, I binge-watched the entire three seasons in two days. Here’s a spoiler-free, comprehensive beginner’s guide on “Skam”: It has unique storytelling The premise of the show is conventional: A group of teenagers attend school while facing personal issues and the reality of growing up. Yet its narrative structure is far from conventional. Each season focuses on a single person from the main cast, giving viewers an in-depth character study. The storyline, however, never neglects the fascinating assemble of recurrent characters that pop in and out of the protagonist’s narrative. It’s a move that humbles the show and prevents it from contriving character development. It’s a ‘real-time’ series The series’ most captivating aspect comes from the way in which it shares its story. “Skam” occurs in real-time. Or, virtually in real-time. If a scene within the story is taking place at school on Friday at 10 a.m., that clip is released at the same time. This distribution method was responsible for the immediate craze that emerged after the show’s initial premiere. Fans now religiously monitor the webpage in the wait for a new clip every day. On Fridays, all clips released throughout the week are put together into one episode. It’s hard to think of a series that has successfully attempted this approach to television. And that’s just one way in which “Skam” is ahead of the game. It evokes good old teenage drama Since the end of “Gossip Girl,” I’ve been advocating for a new teen drama to take over our lives. Yes, there’s “Pretty Little Liars,” but the premise is too implausible for me to take seriously. Disney Channel seems to be waging a war against good television. And the once-reliable The CW is now Average Superhero Series Network. Yet “Skam” has revived teenage goodness, in a perfect marriage between “Skins” and “The O.C.,” minus the pretentious flair. The ensemble cast is charming enough for us to fall for them, the drama amongst them is juicy enough to force us to continue watching and the stories are engaging and unique enough to invest our time in them. The characters are ordinary Every character in “Skam” feels and looks like a real teenager. The characters don’t look like supermodels or Hollywood actors. Despite a problematic lack of diversity, it boasts an ensemble of memorable characters who never feel too fictional. Among them is Sana, a Muslim girl who isn’t afraid to call people out and ruthlessly educate her white privileged friends. She’s my favorite. We also meet Isak, a teenage boy and season three protagonist who explores his sexual identity. They are average teens, doing average things, but the chemistry among them and the superb acting make you feel like part of the gang because they just ooze coolness. It’s a real snapshot of teenage culture On that note, what makes “Skam” groundbreaking is that it doesn’t aim to be groundbreaking. It is revolutionary in that it shows teenagers as they are, even if it isn’t fascinating stuff. We watch them binge-watch a show on Netflix on a Friday night, or do their homework after school, or hang out at their friend’s house or pregame before a boring party. Their conversations aren’t full of witty, clever remarks but rather are plain and normal. They dress the way teenagers dress, not in the latest fashion or the quirkiest outfits. These are 21st century teenagers. The soundtrack is karaoke-worthy If the characters weren’t cool enough already, the series’ soundtrack certainly helps the cause. Featuring a range of radio hits and indie tracks, the music is a faithful representation of what the current generations are listening to these days. In one scene, Noora confesses to her friend Eva that she loves Justin Bieber and starts singing “Baby” to her. For one, it makes for a great time capsule, to look back and hear what was trending. But, it also adds a subtle layer to the portrayal of the modern teenage experience and its universality, even through the power of music. It touches on real-world topics The teenagers in “Skam” care about world issues in the way that average teenagers do—that is, in a superficial way. This in and of itself makes for great conversations among them. They have thoughtful, sometimes naive conversations about religion, refugee crisis, feminism, sexuality and more. These are moments that sneak up on you and shock you in a satisfying manner. Look out for Sana’s monologue about wars in season two. It’s a memorable one. It’s an intro to Norwegian culture In terms of originality, “Skam” automatically has a leg up because it takes place in Norway, a country that most of us know very little about. This makes for a fascinating watch, if only because we can learn about the particularities of Norwegian culture. For example, in the first season we are introduced to the crazy concept of “russ.” In simple terms, “russ” is a high school tradition that is equal parts road trip, graduation rave and cultural parade. Students in the final year of school design a party bus, drive around the country while wearing overalls (because, why not?) and party like absolute maniacs, with it all culminating in a jovial parade celebrating Norway’s independence day. And that’s just a slice of what you’ll learn about Norway. All the characters are on Instagram “Skam” is so committed to creating a nearly realistic viewing experience that every character has an Instagram account. They post photos and videos, even during the off-season. Their posts never reference the show itself (that would break the sacred fourth wall). Instead, they post random photos of their day-to-day lives. In addition, we can also read text messages they send to each other in real-time on the official website (albeit, in Norwegian). It’s a fun little strategy that deepens our obsession over these characters, as we learn more about them beyond the weekly episodes. It achieves greatness in half an hour For all that “Skam” is able to accomplish, it is insane to think it does it in an average of 30 minutes per week and 10-12 episodes per season. Most dramas need twice that length to fully realize their narratives. “Skam,” on the other hand, is very straightforward in its story arc, without ever feeling predictable. This is high praise for a series that falls in a genre that tends to be cliche. More impressive is that all of the episodes are slow-paced and deliberately uneventful, in a way that channels shows like “Mad Men” and, most recently, “The Crown.” But, don’t be fooled: Every episode has a lot to say. Where to watch: There aren’t exactly ‘official’ outlets on which to watch the English-subtitled version of “Skam.” But, if I’ve sold the show to you, you’ll find a way to watch.To get people off the streets and out of homeless camps this summer, Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz said Wednesday his administration plans to launch a work van service to connect people who are homeless or panhandling with day labor. Berkowitz says his administration is also boosting summer park maintenance staff to help clean up homeless camps. Berkowitz called the camps "something visible to everyone here in town" in a Wednesday meeting with Assembly members and other officials. "If we want to have a community that's safe, not just for folks in the camps and the community at large, it's something we can't ignore," Berkowitz said. With summer fast approaching, elected officials say they're getting more complaints about illegal camps in public parks. The chair of the Assembly's homelessness and public safety committees, Bill Evans, said he arranged the meeting Wednesday to try to get officials on the same page about a plan for tackling the camps, though the meeting touched broadly on issues with homelessness. No major policy changes emerged out of the meeting, and there were plenty of unresolved questions on thorny issues, like storage for personal belongings recovered in homeless camps. But there appeared to be general support for the city shifting its emphasis from clearing illegal camps to moving people from the camps into housing. So far this year, police have received reports of 298 homeless camps, said Anchorage Police Chief Chris Tolley. Garry Gilliam, the deputy chief of operations for the Anchorage Police Department, estimated that about 75 people are making up the majority of the camps. That's down from the 2010 camping numbers, when estimates ranged between 200 and 300 people, Gilliam said. By the middle of next month, Berkowitz said, his administration expects to have housed 82 people who were homeless, largely through state programs. Nancy Burke, the city homelessness coordinator, has led efforts to compile a list, now numbering around 200 people, of the city's most vulnerable homeless people. The administration has been holding weekly meetings to monitor the people on the list, Burke said. The idea of a van program to connect homeless people with day-labor jobs like trail maintenance and trash pickup, Burke said, is modeled after a successful program in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She said the money paid to the workers could go toward rental subsidies. She said she didn't have an exact budget, but said the program's cost wouldn't exceed $100,000, and she expects it to launch in the next few weeks. The mayor's office asked the Assembly for $425,000 for homeless programs during the April budget revisions. As for illegal campsites in public parks, Berkowitz said the Anchorage Police Department will continue to post eviction notices and those camps will be dismantled. Evidence of criminal activity in the camps, Berkowitz said, would lead to "an appropriate police action." Police said they don't plan to change the way they're handling homeless camps anytime soon -- a process that today involves giving 15 days' notice before a camp can be completely cleared out and the items disposed of. The city can also remove illegal campsites with 72 hours' notice, but in that case, the city has to store all the belongings and allow the people to go back and reclaim them -- a process police described as a logistical nightmare. After a back-and-forth in Wednesday's meeting about noticing requirements, Josh Decker, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska, said he would evaluate whether his organization would oppose a 10-day noticing period. The ACLU sued in 2010 to block a city law that allowed police to clear homeless camps with as little as 12 hours' notice. Assemblywoman Amy Demboski said it would be more valuable for the city to be dealing with bigger questions. "Are we making sure who (has) mental health care issues, drug addiction issues, whatever issues they may have, making sure we successfully incorporate them into getting resources they need?" Demboski said. She also said the Assembly should particularly encourage private-sector efforts to develop housing, such as for homeless veterans. As city officials try to boost coordination on homeless camp strategy, there's been similar activity on the community council level. Representatives from five community councils -- North Star, South Addition, Fairview, Rogers Park and Airport Heights -- met last week to talk about homeless camps. At Wednesday's meeting, Chris Constant of the Fairview Community Council told Assembly members that the councils want the city to more clearly define its process for what happens between residents calling in to report camps, and post signs banning alcohol and drug use throughout the greenbelt. Constant said the councils also want a more consistent police presence on the trails.LAS VEGAS — There was some billionaire-on-billionaire verbal violence Wednesday, with hedge-fund manager Daniel Loeb accusing Warren Buffett of not always practicing what he preaches. In a one-on-one conversation with Skybridge chief executive Anthony Scaramucci at the Skybridge Alternatives conference, Loeb went off on a tangent when asked about his favorite books. Loeb, after reciting a short list of self-help books, said he also enjoys reading the Berkshire Hathaway chairman’s annual investor letters because he enjoyed “contrasting his words with his actions.” Bloomberg Daniel Loeb in 2014 Buffett criticizes hedge funds, but effectively put together the first-ever hedge fund, Loeb said. Buffett also criticizes activist investors, but “was the first activist.” Buffett also wants people to pay more taxes, but does what he can to avoid them. The mini-rant drew applause from the audience. In a wide-ranging discussion, Loeb had praise for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Japan’s government has pressured companies to follow through on corporate reforms, he said, adding that he probably left $1 billion or more on the table by selling his stake in Sony too soon. Loeb also scoffed at China bears, saying no one has yet made money shorting the country.Kenny Dalglish is waiting to discover whether his second Liverpool reign is over having failed to receive assurances over his future from Fenway Sports Group during face-to-face talks in Boston. Dalglish arrived back in England on Tuesday morning following a meeting with the principal owner, John W Henry, and the chairman, Tom Werner, in the United States at which he delivered his end-of-season review and outlined his strategy for much-needed improvement next season. The Liverpool manager instigated Monday's talks in response to the uncertainty that has surrounded his position since defeat in the FA Cup final on 5 May. FSG, however, is continuing to assess Liverpool's poor eighth‑place finish in the Premier League and the prospects of Dalglish and Steve Clarke, the assistant manager who accompanied his fellow Scot to Boston, returning Champions League football to Anfield. Contrary to the fevered speculation surrounding Dalglish's brief trip, the Liverpool manager was not sacked and did not offer to resign. But as Dalglish prepares to go on holiday on Wednesday, it is in the knowledge that the meeting with Henry and Werner, his explanation for Liverpool's lowest league finish for 18 years and insistence that a major summer overhaul is unnecessary has not resolved the critical issue of whether he will remain as manager next season. FSG has refused to give assurances on Dalglish's future since the FA Cup final and the lack of them during direct talks with the Liverpool manager demonstrates the extent of the owners' reservations over the progress of his squad. Henry stated at the start of the season that it would be "a major disappointment" should Liverpool fail to finish in the top four after a £120m investment in new players. Dalglish's team did not mount a challenge for the Champions League places, although they did win the Carling Cup, Liverpool's first trophy for six years, and reach the FA Cup final, and next season will be the club's
the floor of his car, our kit in his trunk. In the eyes of these government heavies, our taxi driver was guilty by association. But guilty of what, what had we done? Nothing - we'd not even shot a single picture. No interviews, nothing, just driven in to a neighborhood with an anti-government reputation. The gunmen were smoking, bored now that the thrill of the chase was over. They called again: "Where was the ride to take us back to the hotel?" The answer: "We're busy, bring them in yourself." Amid screeching tires and the stench of burning rubber needlessly ground into the tarmac, we took off. A final indignity for these hard men, they'd got the mundane job of delivering us back to government officials. The violent invective started again. "You should go to Palestine and film what the Israelis are doing. You should leave Libya, go to Afghanistan, report what’s happening there," "Libya mia mia," repeating a chant we’ve heard many times, meaning Libya 100%. We were screaming down the highway close to 100 mph, the radio blasting out a Gadhafi anthem, the driver pumping out the beat with his fist in the air. One-handed driving at its most worrying. At the hotel gates, the realization we weren't alone, the realization of why the Libyan government press office had no spare vehicles to pick us up. Dozens of other journalists like us were being brought in under armed guard, signed over to our minders. One was OK about our detention, claiming, "You know if you are there they will protest; if you don't go nothing will happen." Of course, the protests began long before the government allowed in reporters, but that kind of logic carries no weight here. Another official waiting for us, one I'd not seen before, was more aggressive, telling cameraman Khalil: "If you’ve shot anything, I'm going to take you to the airport and deport you." It took a long time to convince him Khalil hadn't shot any footage. Some journalists we talked to were inside the mosque when they were arrested. How they got out of that threat, I don’t know. But right now we had only one concern: our taxi driver. We pleaded for his release –by now he could barely speak - but we were ignored. He was stuttering and trembling as they stuffed him in his car and drove him away. I still don’t know what’s happened to him. Our ordeal is over, but I fear his may only just be beginning. That’s the reality of life here under Gadhafi’s rule.Now one of the biggest problems that the European Union has nowadays is the issue regarding the migrants and their situation. Not mentioning the problems that convey with the asylum and the social issues that the migrants can cause in the society of the European Union. But they might be a solution for these problems now that the head of the European Parliament has given a statement followed by many ideas that can finally put an end to the rough situation of many refugees and migrants that come to the European Union for a new life. Problems For Everyone One of those problems is that if any country denies the opportunity to host refugees, they can end up paying more for the European Union migration and help the development projects in Africa. With a quick recap of the events regarding the migration issue in the European Union. While many countries accept that the European Union has to take some migrants, other countries that are also part of the European Union rejects these propositions. A Few Suggestions Were Said That’s why one of the suggestions that were made is to relocate more money and funding to Africa. To the hope that many migrants out there can start developing a better life. But this, of course, is still in development since the 28 leaders of each country that conform to the European Union are still talking about the subject of migration. But besides that is also important to know that the European Union has taken a lot of changes regarding the policy of migrants. Being stricter with the external borders of countries such as Turkey and Libya, also, is worth mentioning that the laws regarding asylum have become tougher for many migrants. But just the fact that the European Union is still discussing the solutions of migrants is good news for any refugee or migrant that is still wandering for a place to start his life and. With the outcome of these debates, we could finally have the answer to the migration crisis.Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number based on biometric data, has opened up pockets of resistance in North Eastern states like Meghalaya, Nagaland and Assam. Concerns about privacy, security and the increasing enforcement of Aadhaar are not restricted to these states. But they also come with their particular set of worries. In these borderlands, which have seen ethnic movements for self-determination, politics is largely shaped by the fear of the “outsider”, from other states as well as alleged illegal immigrants from across the border. Aadhaar has tapped into old anxieties about letting the outsider in, about local ethnic groups being “swamped” and political fortunes being altered by the homogenising policies of the state. The national identity project is buffeted by different battles of identity here. The opposition The three states have the lowest Aadhaar saturation rates in the country. Assam occupies the bottom rung, at 7.1%, followed by Meghalaya, at 15.3%, then Nagaland, at 55.5%. Mizoram, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have saturation rates above 70%, but even that places them in the bottom seven, along with Jammu and Kashmir. Only Tripura has managed more than 89% enrolment. In Meghalaya, an opt-out campaign among Aadhaar users has been gaining ground since last month, with petitioners complaining that they were coerced into giving up their data, in spite of repeated Supreme Court orders that Aadhaar would not be mandatory. While it started in the Khasi Jaintia Hills, campaign organisers say it seems to be spreading to the Garo Hills. In 2013, enrolment had been stopped after protests that it would allow so-called illegal immigrants to settle in the state. In Assam, which is currently updating its National Register of Citizens, a project that aims to identify the “original inhabitants” of the state, enrolment was stalled earlier this year. In Nagaland, there have been calls for exemption on the grounds that it goes against Naga customary laws, protected under Article 371(A) of the Constitution. Under this law, acts of Parliament must be ratified by the state legislature before they can apply to Nagaland. Tribal customary laws held sacred the idea of free social benefits enjoyed collectively, argued a memorandum to the state government, and “any denial in the name of identity numerisation is inimical to the social and religious identity of the Nagas”. Besides, the memorandum said, the imposition of Aadhaar impinged on the Naga right to self-determination. Another objection to Aadhaar is that it excludes Nagas living in Myanmar, who have daily ties with villages on this side of the border and who are imagined as part of a greater Naga homeland. Common threads Though articulated differently, the protests against Aadhaar in all three states have common threads running through them. First, indigenous student groups whose politics are centred on an ethnic identity have been a component of the protests. In Meghalaya, it was the Khasi Students’ Union which led the opposition to Aadhaar in 2013 and they are now part of the Meghalaya People’s Committee on Aadhaar. In Assam, the All Assam Students’ Union, which led the anti-foreigners’ movement in the 1980s, has called for the citizens’ register to be updated before Aadhaar enrolment started. In Nagaland, the memorandum has been sent by Naga Students’ Union, the apex students’ body in the state. Second, the demand for exemption is beginning to gather political resonance. In poll-bound Meghalaya, the Congress chief minister said he does not have Aadhaar either, since he shared the concerns of his people. When Aadhaar enrolment was stalled in Assam this year, it was widely perceived to be a political decision, with the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state more anxious to stick to its poll promise of rooting out so-called illegal migrants than pushing biometric enrolment. It remains to be seen how the anti-Aadhaar campaign plays out in Nagaland, which faces both polls and the prospect of a political settlement between the Centre and rebel groups that could change the administrative set up of the region. Another fear, shared by some religious groups in Christian majority states like Meghalaya and even Mizoram, is that numerical identities seem to reenact certain Biblical prophecies. But even this objection might be read as a demand to be recognised as distinct from the Hindu majority states of the mainland. Citizenship concerns Most importantly, the anxieties around Aadhaar in these states are linked to debates around citizenship, to contested ideas about who may belong and on what terms. In the tribal states of the North East, it is often imagined as belonging to a certain regional entity rather than the entire country. Both Meghalaya and Assam saw long-running agitations against outsiders encroaching on lands meant to be reserved for “sons of the soil”, changing the demographic composition of the area, entering electoral rolls through political patronage and altering political outcomes in a region where self-determination was held sacrosanct. The denizens of the imagined Naga homeland live within India’s borders and without, while many populations settled inside the state do not belong, according to this formulation. Besides, Naga democracy, based on village republics and collective decisionmaking, distances itself from mainstream democracy, and imagines a different kind of relationship between the individual and the state than the one mediated by Aadhaar. While the government has clarified that Aadhaar provides an identity for individuals and is not a guarantee of citizenship, the identity project in the states of the North East was initially linked to the National Population Register. This list flows from the Citizenship Act of 1955 and the Citizenship Rules of 2003. It is mandatory for every “usual resident” of India to register, though it does not account for the collection of biometrics. This is eventually supposed to go into the creation of a National Register of Citizens, which would help check illegal immigration. As Aadhaar changed in its contours and intent, all biometric data collection was transferred to the Unique Identification Authority of India. In Assam, it was separated from the process of updating the National Register of Citizens. But in other states, it is still feared that Aadhaar would help outsiders make their way back into electoral rolls and then claim citizenship in a particular state. Going ahead, the identity project will have to answer these anxieties, negotiate these collective demands for autonomy from the state, even as it deals with concerns about individual autonomy.Image copyright Reuters Image caption Relatives gathered outside the prison as news of the fire within spread At least 14 inmates at a prison in northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon have died after a fire, officials say. The blaze swept through the psychiatric care wing of the prison, in the town of Apodaca, causing a roof to collapse. Some 35 other inmates were reported to have been injured in the incident, some suffering from smoke inhalation. An official said the blaze, which began in the early hours of Friday morning, might have been caused by an electrical fault, perhaps on a television set. "The fire was apparently due to a short circuit," said Jorge Domene, security spokesman for Nuevo Leon. A total of 57 prisoners were asleep in a dormitory inside the prison when the fire took hold.Flagship explorer ONGC has struck a gas reserve in the form of hydrates otherwise known as 'fire ice' off the Andhra coast that could turn out to be four times larger in terms of yield than Reliance Industries Ltd's discovery of 2002, India's biggest so far.The discovery was made in August last year by the second exploratory expedition under the government's gas hydrate programme in collaboration with scientists from US and Japan, which have separately inked research MoUs with India.The discovery validates the government's stress on finding alternative sources of energy and efforts to attract investments in the exploration business. It would also be a boost for PM Modi as he moves to promote a gas-based economy in tune with India's commitment to mitigate climate change. Irrespective of the cur rent depressed oil and gas price price scenario, which makes fresh investments unviable, the hydrates discovery would put India back in reckoning in terms of prospectivity. It would also return the spotlight on the eastern offshore, described as `India's gas bowl' and `India's North Sea' after Reliance's gas discovery. The region lost its glory in the aftermath of output falling from Reliance's field.Sources in the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, the oil ministry's technical arm co-ordinating the gas hydrates programme, said the discoveries have been made in Blocks 982, D3, D6 and D9 in the Krishna-Godavari basin, off the Andhra coast.These blocks are 30 Kms south-west of Reliance industries Ltd's natural gas block KG-D6.Broadly, commercially useful gas hydrates are formed when methane or natural gas get trapped in icicles. These are found at places with extreme cold temperatures such as the Arctic region, Alaska and Siberia; or below seabed under high pressure of water depth.There are two main technologies being successfully tried to free gas either by depressurising or injecting CO2 which replaces gas in the icicles.But there's a catch. Or two. Cost of production is a worry, especially in a depressed market. Technology for producing gas from hydrates is still in pilot stage though considerable success in Japan, US and Canada gives hope. Indeed, Japan has declared it would start commercial gas production from its offshore hydrates from 2020 after proving commerciality of the technology by 2018. ONGC intends to benefit from Japan's experience and technology by starting pilot production from its discovery from 2017.The sources put the initial reserves potential of the hydrates at 134 tcf (trillion cubic feet). Even if ONGC manages to pump out a tenth of the reserves, the discovery could yield nearly 13 tcf of gas against RIL's 9 tcf.Premier Greg Selinger has declared he's staying put as NDP leader in Manitoba, prompting one political expert to call the party a "dead duck." "He has a political crisis on his hands in the form of, well, five cabinet ministers that clearly challenged his authority and did so publicly. And it seems to me that in the norms of the parliamentary system, they either have to resign or he has to fire them," said Allen Mills, a political scientist at the University of Winnipeg. "At least three of those five hold senior positions: minister of finance, minister of health and attorney general. So this is a fairly important, serious crisis for the premier." Even if there are changes to cabinet, Mills believes the NDP is still in trouble. "I think with him as the leader, the NDP is a dead duck," he said. On Tuesday afternoon, Selinger held a news conference to address the party upheaval playing out in the media. He said he would stay put as leader — and even seek re-election in 2016 — despite the party's faltering public support. Selinger said he is focused on serving the province and he believes the NDP is making progress on infrastructure, health-care services and jobs. "A better Manitoba means a better Manitoba for families. It means that we focus on their priorities, and that's what I'm committed to," said Selinger, who was surrounded by about half of his caucus — but none of those who have suggested he seriously consider his future as leader. "My decision today is to continue to serve Manitobans. That's what I was elected to do." Earlier on Tuesday, Justice Minister Andrew said Selinger must seriously consider his future for the sake of the party. The NDP would have a tough road going into the next election — which will probably take place in 2016 — with him at the helm as there is a lot of evidence Manitobans are unhappy with him, Swan said. Health Minister Erin Selby and Theresa Oswald, the minister of jobs and the economy, as well as Municipal Government Minister Stan Struthers, have also voiced their concerns about the party's downward direction. Finance Minister Jennifer Howard has been more measured, but she has encouraged Selinger to take into account the concerns that have been raised about his performance. 'A lot of anger directed at the premier,' says Swan They and other critics have cited Selinger's controversial decision to raise the provincial sales tax last year as the reason why several polls in the past year have shows the NDP losing popularity. Swan was asked if it appears that cabinet ministers were throwing Selinger under the bus because of the PST issue. "I skip a curling team and when we lose, it goes in my name. When we win, it goes in my name. Rightly or wrongly, that's the way that this works," he said Tuesday. "Frankly, there has been a lot of anger directed at the premier, and it's overshadowed the good things he has done." Winnipeg's civic election last week, in which NDP-backed mayoral candidate Judy Wasylycia-Leis lost to Brian Bowman despite holding the lead early in the campaign, shows that Manitobans are upset with the New Democrats, especially on the provincial level, Swan added. Former cabinet minister Becky Barrett, who was the party’s director of organization during the 1980s and remains on the party's executive, said earlier this week that change was needed. Selinger "has a very difficult decision to make and he has to make it very quickly," she said. 'All options are on the table' When asked Tuesday if he has actually thought of resigning, Selinger said he is always looking at how he is doing as leader. "There are always moments of reflection when you go along about what your options are and whether you want to continue to be in a leadership role, and I've certainly done that on more than one occasion. It's almost an annual review," he said. Selinger said he knows Manitobans aren't happy with the PST increase, but he maintained that raising the tax was the right decision to make, although he regretted how it was rolled out. The premier said he has spoken with his top ministers, including the ones who have raised concerns in recent days. He said he was disappointed by those who have spoken out against him. "I don't think it's been helpful for the mission that we're trying to serve, which is to make a better Manitoba," Selinger said. When asked if a cabinet shuffle may be in the future, Selinger would only say that "all options are on the table" and cabinet performances are under review. Curtis Brown, vice-president of Probe Research Inc. in Winnipeg, said Selinger has a lot of work ahead of him, "not only in terms of being able to sell the public and being able to connect better with them, but also the internal management of the party and making sure that everyone is all going in the same direction in the next 18 months." Who stood by Selinger? Greg Selinger is surrounded by NDP members of the Legislature as he speaks to reporters on Tuesday afternoon. (Angela Johnston/CBC) About half of the NDP caucus stood by Selinger during Tuesday's news conference. The cabinet ministers who were there included: Kerri Irvin-Ross. Peter Bjornson. Eric Robinson. Dave Chomiak. James Allum. Sharon Blady. Flor Marcelino (arrived late). Also at Selinger's announcement were the following NDP MLAs: Jim Rondeau. Rob Altemeyer. Dave Gaudreau. Greg Dewar. Jim Maloway. Ted Marcelino. Mohinder Saran. Melanie Wight. Deanne Crothers. Opposition Leader Brian Pallister said the New Democrats need to stop the infighting, get back to work and concentrate on the needs of Manitobans. "This is a team that can't be trusted, and we have a caucus of people who can," Pallister said, referring to his Progressive Conservative caucus. "I think the differences are being highlighted rather clearly in the last few days." Lorraine Sigurdson, past president of the Manitoba NDP executive, said she's worried about the division within the party. She said the party needs to move forward now that Selinger has said he's not stepping down. "For the moment, I have to respect that decision, and certainly many of us will be thinking about what the party needs to do over the next two years before the election," she said. Has been NDP leader, premier since 2009 Selinger was elected as the member for Saint Boniface in 1999 as the New Democrats came to power under the leadership of Gary Doer. Selinger was Doer's finance minister for the NDP government's first 10 years. After Doer accepted an appointment as Canada's ambassador to the United States in 2009, Selinger was chosen as his successor at a party convention that fall. Selinger led the New Democrats to a historic fourth majority government in 2011, but public support started to drop almost two years later, when the government raised the provincial sales tax from seven to eight per cent. It was an about-face from Selinger, who had said in the fall 2011 election campaign that he would not increase the PST, but then did exactly that in July 2013. Selinger has defended the PST increase, saying the revenue is needed to fund infrastructure across the province, including roads, hospitals and flood-prevention structures.We’re back with another edition of Boom or Bust NBA. You can find previous articles on the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, and Dallas Mavericks, by clicking the team names. You can find an article explaining the purpose of the article as well as the methodology of the prospect scores here. And on with the show. New Orleans Hornets 2011-2012 Record – 21-45 After trading away Chris Paul and then losing newly acquired Eric Gordon for most of the season, the Hornets finished with the worst record in the Western conference. The tank-rebuild method is a well-known strategy in the league; so we can’t exactly call their misfortunes-turned-first-pick a blessing in disguise. Al-Farouq Aminu Age – 21, Previous Season Stats – 6.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 0.9 SPG Aminu comes from a long line of lottery pick small forwards who become average NBA role players at best. There’s one of them in every draft. Earl Clark in 09, Joe Alexander in 08, Julian Wright/Al Thornton in 07, and the list goes on. They are not all the same player but they are all at least decently athletic, long, lacking an advanced offensive game, and in most cases, missing a reliable jump shot. Impact-wise, none of these guys have made a significant splash in the league. Returning from an unsuccessful run with the Nigerian team in the Olympics, Aminu could be taking the starting small forward spot on a very young Hornets team. Like the other lottery small forwards, Aminu has the physical tools to succeed. He is a good rebounder for a perimeter player, and his length allows him to accumulate steals and blocks at a solid clip. Howver, he is a poor shooter and does not possess a competitive offensive game. Aminu would benefit from being on a team with more offensive direction. But right now, heading into his third season, the 6’9 forward still has plenty of potential, and could be a big part of the up and coming Hornets. Prospect Score – 5/10 Ryan Anderson Age – 24, Previous Season Stats – 16.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.7 3PM, 39.3 3P% The reigning Most Improved Player. I wouldn’t argue that he didn’t deserve it, but there was a better candidate, and his name was Jeremy Lin. NBA player awards aside, Ryan Anderson was an absolute stud last season, posting up career numbers across the board. The playoffs were a different story, but with his playing style at a tender age of 24, Anderson has many seasons to prove himself. As well as being one of the top shooters in the NBA, Ryan Anderson is also the best ‘stretch 4’ role player. He is not one dimensional at all, and actually posted a higher offensive rebound percentage than Dwight Howard last season. Anderson is a bit of a defensive liability, but having Davis and Aminu as your frontcourt teammates covers up for that a little. The Hornets might be playing a small line up with Anderson at the 4 and Davis at the 5, but with all their youth and athleticism, if any team were to play with an up-tempo style, it’d be these guys. Prospect Score – 6/10 Eric Gordon Age – 23, Previous Season Stats – 20.6 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG While his future in New Orleans is still uncertain, Eric Gordon is undoubtedly one of the top young players. At 6’3, Eric Gordon is one of the few undersized shooting guards who can succeed and play as if they were 6’6. Gordon is explosive, and is as much of a scorer as he is a shooter. If you don’t count last season with the Hornets, Gordon’s assists numbers have also gone up progressively in his career, and with this season’s backcourt situation, I could easily see Rivers and Gordon each averaging around 4-5 assists a game as they alternate point guard duties. Most people know that Eric Gordon was one of the league’s top shooting guards before he went down. I definitely would have given him the ‘star’ label. The next step for Gordon is to take that next step and become an elite player. I don’t think he will ever reach that level, but I could see him being a pseudo-elite player, somewhere along the lines of Pau Gasol. Prospect Score – 8/10 Xavier Henry Age – 21, Previous Season Stats – 5.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG. 0.8 APG Xavier Henry put up eerily similar college numbers as another 6’6 Kansas Jayhawk, Brandon Rush. Henry came in to the league as one of the youngest players, and his game has not translated at all. Despite being an over 40% shooter from 3 in college, Henry shoots 26.5% for his career, and has only made 9 threes throughout 83 games. Henry is still very young, and his best-case scenario would be to model his game after Brandon Rush. If he can regain confidence in his jump shot and work on his defense, he could be a halfway decent role player in the league. Prospect Score – 3/10 Robin Lopez Age – 24, Previous Season Stats – 5.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.9 BPG Combine the skillsets of both Lopez twins, and you’d have a strong contender for the best center in the NBA. You always wonder how twins can have such different skillsets in the league. Brook is a monster scoring in the low post but can’t play a lick of defense and is a terrible rebounder. Robin is a good defender, and not a bad rebounder, and has much range on his shooting as DeSagana Diop. Maybe basketball in the Lopez driveway consisted of Brook consistently trying to score on Robin, while Papa Lopez rebounds. That should explain the poor effort on the glass. Lopez should see some quality rotation minutes at the 5. Robin is not a good passer at all (23 assists through his first three seasons playing regular minutes), so he cannot be relied on to maximize his teammates offensive potential. Robin is still a good big body to have around, and if he can just keep working on rebounding, blocking shots, and playing good defense, his unnecessary large payday (for being a 7-footer) will come soon. Prospect Score – 3.5/10 Jason Smith Age – 26, Previous Season Stats – 9.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.0 BPG A very under the radar guy, Jason Smith made huge improvements to his game and probably would have gotten more attention if he didn’t play for the sorry Hornets. His rebounding is not impressive (7.5 rebounds per 36 minutes) but he’s been doubling his touches and scoring production, while also upping his field goal percentage to an impressive 52%. There has been a few times this past season when Jason Smith has completely taken over on offense, so big props to Smith. He is by far one of the most underrated players in the league. Smith will be battling Lopez to be third guy on the Hornets’ big man rotation, and currently I like Smith’s chances. I don’t think it is likely that the Hornets will be holding on to Smith for long, so whoever Jason’s next team is will have found an absolute steal. Prospect Score – 4/10 Lance Thomas Age – 24, Previous Season Stats – 4.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG Lance Thomas was part of the Duke team that beat the Gordon Hayward-led Butler Cinderella squad. Thomas got into some serious trouble for some controversy over unpaid jewelry, and having large unexplained sums of money. My favorite part of big time college athletes receiving money is that people always sound surprised that illegal benefits have been happening away from the public eye. I don’t know too much about Lance, but he is essentially a tweener who was able to make his way into the league by signing a contract with one of the worst teams in the league. He was added to the Team USA Select Team—a team that also had bright young studs like DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Gordon Hayward, and Kyrie Irving. I don’t see Thomas staying in the league much longer or ever getting a role more important than a 12th man, but the Team USA Select Team selection has to mean something. Or…. Nevermind. I just remembered Coach K is the Team USA head coach and he was probably doing Lance a favor. Prospect Score – 1/10 Greivis Vasquez Age – 25, Previous Season Stats – 8.9 PPG, 5.4 APG, 0.9 SPG Greivis Vasquez possesses great size for a point guard, and his 6’6 body has a mind of a true floor general. Vasquez spent his rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies and spelled Mike Conley for some very productive bench minutes. Last season’s assist percentage of 35.7% puts him in good company, and as the only pure point guard on the Hornets roster, Vasquez could be in position to have a very productive season. His shooting is average at best, but that should not stop him from earning minutes. Prospect Score – 4/10The New York Times has essentially become a “propaganda megaphone” to peddle the establishment’s narrative — especially when it comes to war — charged foreign correspondent Daniel Simpson, who resigned from the paper in disgust. According to Simpson, the paper, which is often lambasted and ridiculed by conservatives and libertarians for its blatant “liberal” bias, is actually just a propaganda tool for the ruling establishment. In an explosive interview with the Kremlin-funded RT media broadcaster, the former Times correspondent, who was based in the Balkans during his stint at the newspaper, offered an inside look at how it all works. What appears to have bothered him more than anything was how the supposed paper “of record” was so determined to sell the Iraq war to the American people, even if it meant basically lying or repeating government lies to do so. "It seemed pretty glaringly obvious to me that the 'news fit to print' was pretty much the news that's fit to serve the powerful," Simpson explained, citing the warmongering over Iraq as a prime example. "The way that the paper's senior staff think is exactly like those in power — in fact, it's their job to become their friends." An ambitious reporter, Simpson joined the paper a decade ago when he was just 27 years old. He had been hired to report on the Balkans, where the U.S. government and other Western powers had intervened in an internal conflict. However, within a few months, disillusioned by the Times' war-mongering, he resigned. "I was young and naive and idealistic, I suppose. I thought I was going to be holding people in power to account," said Simpson, who wrote a recently published book about his experiences entitled A Rough Guide to the Dark Side. "It turned out instead that when I joined in 2002, the New York Times was very much engaged in doing exactly what those in power wanted them to do, and printing fake intelligence information to start the war in Iraq." As the establishment’s propaganda about "Weapons of Mass Destruction" in Iraq was getting in full swing, Simpson said he was asked to report bogus information about Serbians selling WMD delivery parts to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The Serbs, however, were actually just selling spare airplane parts, not WMD delivery systems, he explained. "They were looking for every possible way of getting this weapons-of-mass-destruction story into the news media," Simpson told RT, adding that the Washington Post quickly jumped on the dubious allegations. "So I came under enormous pressure from my bosses to start looking at it the same way, and I couldn't see any evidence for doing that." While the Times did apologize for some of its most outrageously bogus WMD “reporting” — or war-mongering, as critics have labeled it — the paper "hasn't really changed its policy," Simpson explained. Among other problems, he pointed to Howell Raines, the executive editor during his time at the paper, who wrote a long article in the Atlantic after losing his job in 2004 that offered insight into the way top officials at the paper view its role. Raines wrote that the Times was “the indispensable newsletter of the United States' political, diplomatic, governmental, academic, and professional communities.” To Simpson, though, the former executive editor was basically admitting that "he sees his newspaper as being this propaganda megaphone for those who run the world." RT host Abby Martin agreed, slamming the paper and the “illegal and immoral” war repeatedly. She said the Times had indeed become a “propaganda megaphone” by simply reprinting government press releases and official statements — the "establishment line" — as if it were truth. Critics of the paper have been saying that for decades. Asked about how the censorship over such a vast organization could function, Simpson explained that "there are different processes at work." Citing his own experience, the self-styled “renegade” correspondent said that even in the Balkans, the Times had a pre-determined view of what happened. Editors were not interested in analyzing the tragic effects of Western military intervention, and they certainly were not open to exploring alternative explanations and views. Reporters, meanwhile, would quickly adapt to their environment and learn to parrot the establishment narrative — at least if they hoped to advance their careers and have their stories published. "I was just so disgusted by this situation that I didn't want to play the game anymore," Simpson said, adding that he had previously been "very keen" to "play the game" in order to further his ambitions. During the interview, Simpson gave various examples of how stories were framed to suit the Times’ — or the ruling establishment’s — world view. "You learn, you internalize these little phrases that you apply to other countries, like Serbia is 'nationalist' or engaged in 'extremist policies,' but the United States is never doing those things, of course — and you wouldn't put them in a story,” Simpson explained. Times employees are expected to tout the agenda no matter how hypocritical. “You'd never frame a story that said the United States has started a war of aggression, but it's instead engaged in a 'foreign policy project,'” Simpson added. “Or you would talk about 'harsh interrogation techniques' as opposed to torture. These are things that people just learn to do." In a separate interview with Green Left Weekly, Simpson echoed those comments, explaining how reporters themselves learn to accept the situation if they want to move forward. “It only seemed possible to rise higher at the Times if I bought their illusions, and having seen through them, this would have been consciously corrupt,” he explained. “Until that point, I’d been unconscious of cooption as a journalist — like most of my peers. But as my eyes lost their scales, I saw my own flaws more clearly, and freaked out.” In the interest of fairness, it is worth pointing out that the Times recently became the first media outlet to admit that much of the establishment press — the Times included — was allowing the Mitt Romney and Barack Obama presidential campaigns to censor news reports about themselves. The Times actually published a front-page story about the startling practice, leading to an uproar among media critics that eventually sparked policy changes at newspapers nationwide. The Times also recently ran a column by then-Public Editor Arthur Brisbane openly admitting that “the paper’s many departments... share a kind of political and cultural progressivism... that virtually bleeds through the fabric of The Times.” Of course, that has long been obvious to honest observers. But the fact that the newspaper was actually willing to publicly acknowledge its bias was celebrated by analysts. On the other hand, the paper has been complicit in covering up some of the worst atrocities in human history. Pulitzer Prize-winning "journalist" Walter Duranty, for example, played a key role in hiding Josef Stalin’s mass murder of millions of Ukrainians while serving as the Times’ chief correspondent in Moscow. Other savage tyrants have benefited from the paper's "reporting," too. Of course, the Times is hardly the only establishment news outlet to peddle propaganda as truth. Amber Lyon of CNN, for example, recently exposed censorship at the Cable News Network and accused her employer of “making me put what I knew to be government lies into my reporting.” Former reporters at Fox and other media outlets have made similar accusations. The largest media companies in the United States — most of the market is controlled by just a handful of mega-corporations — are regularly deceiving hundreds of millions of Americans through lies, omissions, self-censorship, and by unquestioningly parroting government claims no matter how absurd. And they are starting to pay the price. Less than one fourth of Americans trust TV news programs, and newspapers across the nation are dying as readers flock to alternative media sources online. In fact, a new Gallup survey just found that distrust in the media hit a new high, with 60 percent of Americans saying they have little or no trust in the mass media to report the news. As the Founding Fathers knew when they enshrined freedom of the press in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, if the American people hope to remain
at the Children's Theater here in Omaha, so out of necessity I've taken her into my acting classes. She's been in acting classes with me since a young age," Ehrhart said. "It's just fun to see her creativity bloom. As a father it's just fun to share that with her." Ehrhart is an actor, director and teacher at the local Rose Theater, where Stella has appeared with him on stage. She actually has a big debut tonight, playing the role of Rhoda Penmark from "The Bad Seed" alongside a close family friend, Laura Marr, the artistic director of Circle Theater. Marr also had a hand in inspiring Stella to dress up as these elaborate historical figures. She gave her the book "100 Most Important Women of 20 th Century" and now Stella uses it to carefully research which woman she wants to portray the next day. "The nice thing is, she dresses as that historical figure from what she already has. We don't have to run out and buy a whole bunch of clothes. It's like, 'What would Queen Elizabeth want to wear from my closet today?'" Ehrhart said. Story continuesDetroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley was voted the Chuck Hughes Most Improved Player by his teammates. In 13 games this season, Fairley finished with 34 tackles and 5.5 sacks. He was placed on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 9. A first-round pick in 2011, Fairley suffered a broken foot during training camp his rookie year. The injury hindered him all season and he finished with just 15 tackles and one sack. According to the team's media guide, the Chuck Hughes Award is presented to the player who, because of hard work and determination, showed significant development and improvement during the past year. Hughes, a wide receiver, played two seasons with the Lions (1970-71). He is the only NFL player to have died during an NFL game, suffering a fatal heart attack against Chicago at Tiger Stadium on October 24, 1971. Below is a list of previous winners of the Chuck Hughes Most Improved Player Award: 1997 Johnnie Morton, WR 1998 Richard Jordan, LB 1999 Germane Crowell, WR 2000 Bryant Westbrook, CB 2001 Cory Schlesinger, FB 2002 Dominic Raiola, C 2003 Shaun Rogers, DT 2004 James Hall, DE 2005 Scottie Vines, WR 2006 Stanley Wilson, CB 2007 Stephen Peterman, G and Keith Smith, CB 2008 Daniel Bullocks, S, Dan Orlovsky, QB, and Ramzee Robinson CB 2009 DeAndre Levy, LB 2010 Drew Stanton, QB 2011 Matthew Stafford QB“CAN WE QUICKEN this up?” It’s lunchtime in New York and Larry Gagosian is hungry. It’s time for supper—or at least aperitifs—in Europe, where he recently did a three-week working tour of France, England, Germany and Switzerland, and it’s breakfast in Los Angeles, where last week he hosted his annual pre-Oscars opening at his Beverly Hills gallery, followed by a bash at Mr. Chow. So when food appears, served in his office on delicate Japanese dishware from his restaurant, Kappo Masa, four floors below, he’s ready. “Here, I’ll do that,” he says, commandeering the water and pouring it himself into a pair of ridged tumblers. WSJ. Magazine May 2016 Photo: Roe Etheridge for WSJ. Magazine The silver-haired, tanned Gagosian settles himself back at his massive desk, a third of which is taken up with a collection of tchotchkes, including a jack-in-the-box of George W. Bush, Russian nesting dolls bearing the faces of various international despots and a cross given to him by the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church. These curios make a humorous counterpoint to the impressive canvases in the room: Across the expansive office is a somber painting by Francis Bacon, while to his right a large Picasso leans against the wall. Directly behind him hangs a Cy Twombly covered in the artist’s lyrically looping lines. “Cy really taught me a lot about my business,” says Gagosian, 71, who became close with the artist after meeting him in Europe in the ’80s and began exhibiting his work in 1989. Every morning, when Gagosian opens his eyes in his home in the Harkness Mansion on the Upper East Side, he sees Twombly’s 2003 painting Untitled (Lexington, Virginia). He has inaugurated five of his eight European galleries—including, last October, a new 18,000-square-foot space in London’s Mayfair—with a show on the artist. This month, Twombly works will appear in a group show for the opening of the newest Gagosian Gallery, in San Francisco. Twombly died in 2011, decades after Gagosian’s father did, and Gagosian cried at the clinic in Rome when he viewed the artist’s rangy frame at rest. Every summer since, Gagosian loyally visits Twombly’s seaside house in the small town of Gaeta, Italy, bringing along his entourage to have lunch with Nicola del Roscio, the president of the Cy Twombly Foundation, who still lives there. Gagosian, in 2003, with Cy Twombly, with whom he had a very close relationship. Photo: Courtesy of Jean Pigozzi “He arrives on his boat like an admiral,” says del Roscio. “Cy enjoyed his cheeky energy, and he always came to Cy with the most interesting ideas. He was always very correct with Cy.” The gallerist and artist never signed a contract in the two decades they worked together. In Twombly’s later years, when he was ailing with cancer and needed to fly between his native Virginia and Italy, Gagosian would send his Bombardier jet. Gagosian recalls, “Cy used to say, ‘The only two things I like are painting and flying on Larry’s plane.’ ” The idea of a gallerist owning a private plane would likely have been shocking to the traditionalists of the ’50s and ’60s, when the art world was a white-glove affair and $300,000 for an impressionist masterpiece seemed like the top of the market. But in the decades since, the trade in art has expanded exponentially: 2014 saw $68 billion in global art sales, and last year, Christie’s sold $1 billion worth of art in one week alone. ‘Larry Gagosian,’ Kim Gordon, 2011 Photo: © Kim Gordon. Courtesy 303 Gallery, New York. Photo: John Berens Gagosian himself is estimated to clear $1 billion in sales annually and is among a small group of gallery owners whose appetites are omnivorous: He works across the contemporary and modern eras, representing living artists like John Currin and Mark Grotjahn while also dealing on behalf of the estates of Alberto Giacometti, Richard Avedon and Helen Frankenthaler. He exhibits a wide range of work, from Instagram images appropriated by Richard Prince to boulders-as-sculpture by cerebral artist Michael Heizer. At the same time, he conducts sales on the so-called secondary market—a term he hates—by privately buying and selling artworks to clients. He was also an early proponent of the museum-quality show within a private gallery, securing sought-after loans of historic works that are often not for sale. Such wide-ranging exhibitions have included a show on Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens in 1995 and 2009’s Picasso: Mosqueteros, co-curated by Picasso biographer John Richardson, which drew 100,000 visitors to the gallery to see the artist’s less-examined late work. More in WSJ. Magazine The Cast of Rebecca Miller’s ‘Maggie’s Plan’ on Real-Life and On-Screen Romances Pharrell Williams, Daniel Arsham and Jonah Bokaer’s New Collaboration Fly Away Home With Duke Riley’s Pigeons Gagosian does all of this on an unprecedented scale, with 16 locations from Hong Kong to New York’s Chelsea, around 200 employees, a publishing arm that produces 40 books a year, a quarterly magazine and an in-house newspaper—even a retail storefront that sells Warhol Campbell’s Soup candles and butterfly-print deck chairs by Gagosian artist Damien Hirst. (Hauser & Wirth and David Zwirner galleries, both helmed by people a couple of decades younger than Gagosian, and both perceived as strong competition, have galleries in six and three locations respectively. Pace, which predated Gagosian’s first art gallery by 18 years, has 10 branches worldwide. Along with Gagosian, these galleries dominate the global art-fair circuit.) COLOR FIELDS \| Landmark artwork from Gagosian’s career includes, clockwise from top left, Jasper Johns’s ‘False Start,’ 1959; Ed Ruscha’s ‘Smash,’ 1963; ‘Victory Boogie-Woogie,’ an unfinished work by Piet Mondrian, bought by S.I. Newhouse, Jr., in 1988 from the collection of Burton and Emily Tremaine for $11 million in a deal arranged by Gagosian; Jenny Saville’s ‘The Mothers,’ 2011; Richard Prince’s ‘Nurse in Hollywood,’ 2005; Richard Serra’s ‘Two Forged Rounds for Buster Keaton,’ 1991; an Alex Israel self-portrait from 2015; a photograph by Ralph Gibson, 1975 Photo: JASPER JOHNS, © VAGA, NY, FALSE START, 1959, OIL ON CANVAS, 67¼ × 54 IN., PHOTO: ERICH LESSING/ART RESOURCE, NY; CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI, THE KISS, 1907, STONE 11 × 10 × 8½ IN., © 2016 ARS, NY/ADAGP, PARIS; © ED RUSCHA,SMASH, 1963, OIL ON CANVAS, 71¾ × 67¼ IN,, PHOTO: PAUL RUSCHA; PIET MONDRIAN, VICTORY BOOGIE-WOOGIE, 1944, UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE/UIG VIA GETTY IMAGES; © JENNY SAVILLE, THE MOTHERS, 2011, OIL ON CANVAS, 106 5/16 × 86 ⅝ IN.; RALPH GIBSON, QUADRANTS, 1975; Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian gallery; richard serra, 1991, TWO FORGED ROUNDS FOR BUSTER KEATON, FORGED STEEL, 2 ELEMENTS, 64 × 89 IN. EACH, © 2016 RICHARD SERRA/ARS, NY; © RICHARD PRINCE,NURSE IN HOLLYWOOD, 2005, ACRYLIC AND INKJET ON CANVAS, 60 X 46 IN., PHOTO: ROB MCKEEVER “Larry is in a position that no one has ever been in the art business. He’s the guy,” says billionaire Hollywood mogul and longtime client and friend David Geffen, who has known Gagosian since he got his start 50 years ago selling posters of ocean vistas on the streets of Los Angeles. “Schlock,” Gagosian says now. “I could have been selling anything; it could have been belt buckles. It was just something to sell.” He has not lost his touch. “There are times he has sold me things that I wasn’t looking for and had no desire for and ended up buying,” Geffen says. In that respect, Gagosian is a bit like his mentor, the influential dealer Leo Castelli (of whom Willem de Kooning once said, “You could give that son of a bitch two beer cans and he could sell them,” inspiring Jasper Johns to sculpt two Ballantine beer cans in bronze, which Castelli promptly sold to collectors Robert and Ethel Scull). He’s sometimes compared to other notable names from the past, including Paul Durand-Ruel, the dealer who presciently stockpiled impressionist paintings, Sir Joseph Duveen, who brought European masterworks to the ballrooms of American industrial titans, cubist champion Paul Rosenberg or the London-based gallerist Anthony d’Offay, who closed shop in 2001. None, however, was dealing with as many zeroes as Gagosian. “ There are times he has sold me things I wasn’t looking for. ” —David Geffen Gagosian makes no apologies about pricing. It’s “a laissez-faire form of business,” he says. “I don’t think the art market is for everybody. Yeah, of course, we have a global gallery. But we’re like the one-tenth of the one-tenth of the one-tenth. OK? Not just who’s buying but who’s really seriously engaged with art. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. I believe in the popularizing of art. But when you get right down to it, it’s a bit of an elitist world. Not just economically elitist—how many people read poetry?” Gagosian with collector Daniel Wolf, 1994 Photo: Courtesy of Jean Pigozzi “Larry works at the top end of the market,” says Museum of Modern Art director Glenn Lowry. Art is today’s ultimate luxury good, and Gagosian has found himself at a singular nexus between artists, self-made magnates who are today’s art patrons, auction houses, major museums and even the banks that provide him capital. “I’ve never been what they call a pure gallerist. I find that somewhat pretentious, honestly—I’m an art dealer,” says Gagosian. “I like to show great artists of our time, but I also like dealing. And I think they reinforce each other.” Gagosian recognizes the fragile nature of this balancing act. “I mean, nobody really needs a painting. It’s something you kind of create value for in a way that you don’t with a company. It’s an act of collective faith what an object is worth,” says Gagosian. “Maintaining that value system is part of what a dealer does, not just making a transaction but making sure that important art feels important.” “I think out of jealousy, people used to really hope that he would stumble,” says Dorothy Lichtenstein, the widow of the artist Roy Lichtenstein, whose work Gagosian began exhibiting in the mid-’80s. “And then at a certain point, people started saying, ‘I hope he never stumbles.’ ” A 2013 portrait of Gagosian by David Hockney Photo: David Hockney "Larry Gagosian, 28 September - 3 October" 2013 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 36" © David Hockney Photo Credit: Richard Schmidt “I DON’T THINK THAT anybody in the ’80s would have predicted that Larry would be today the most important dealer in the world,” says Geffen. “It was completely a fluke,” says Gagosian of how he got started in the business. He grew up in Los Angeles, the only son of an Armenian family. His mother, Ann Louise, made a living acting and singing, while his father, Ara, was an accountant. His actor uncle, who played a pirate in the 1960 version of Peter Pan, for a time lived in the family’s small downtown apartment along with Gagosian’s sister and grandmother. After his father became a stockbroker, the family upgraded to Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley. In high school, Gagosian swam competitively; he continued to swim and play water polo at UCLA until he quit the team his sophomore year. After earning a B.A. in English literature at 24 (he never studied art history), he kicked around doing odd jobs in L.A. before getting hired at William Morris Agency, from which he was fired after a year. (“It was like a knife fight in a phone booth,” says Gagosian now. “I just didn’t have that DNA, to be in an office. Whatever I was going to do, I was going to do it on my own.”) Without savings, he needed a job and began working as a parking lot manager. “I’ve always been somebody who just kind of does what’s in front of me,” says Gagosian. So when he observed a man selling posters near the parking lot, he decided to give it a shot and soon discovered he had a knack for selling. “So I started buying more expensive posters,” he says. “Rather than selling something for $15, with the frame it becomes $50 and $100.” Eventually he also started a frame shop (where Sonic Youth rocker Kim Gordon worked, writing in her 2015 memoir that he was a “mean” and “erratic” boss), and then rented out a former Hungarian restaurant in Westwood Village in 1976. In this narrow space he opened Prints on Broxton, selling more upscale pieces to fledgling collectors like Geffen, whom he met through his former William Morris boss Stan Kamen. With Charles Saatchi (center) and Leo Castelli, 1991 Photo: Courtesy of Jean Pigozzi One day, while tearing through art magazines, he spotted a graphic black-and-white image by photographer Ralph Gibson. Gagosian looked up Gibson’s number in New York and cold-called to see if he would do a show in L.A. “It was very naive. Ninety-nine percent of the people you got on the phone like that would have blown me off,” he says. “Luckily he was a nice guy.” Gagosian had only been to New York once, as a teenager, but he flew out to meet Gibson, who in turn introduced him to his gallerist, Leo Castelli, who was tickled by the upstart. “He and I hit it off,” says Gagosian, who staged the Gibson show and was soon regularly buying works from Castelli and others to resell in Los Angeles. Despite their very different backgrounds (the urbane Castelli was from Trieste, Italy) and the fact that Castelli was surrounded by a circle of more likely contenders for the throne, including Mary Boone, André Emmerich and Jeffrey Deitch, “I think Leo just liked him,” Dorothy Lichtenstein says. Gagosian was always careful not to overreach his bounds. “You never circumvented the Godfather,” he says, describing their relationship as “one hand washing the other.” He adds, “I did things for Leo that were very useful for him, and he opened a lot of doors for me,” including introducing him to some of his most renowned artists. In relatively short order Gagosian began showing Castelli artists like Frank Stella at his new gallery, which opened on Almont Drive in 1981 and moved to Robertson Boulevard in 1982. He also became a de facto West Coast sales franchise for New York galleries including Mary Boone and Metro Pictures, exhibiting artists like Eric Fischl and Cindy Sherman. Clockwise from top left: A Taryn Simon piece from 2015; ‘To Be Titled (Flowerball),’ Takashi Murakami, 2015; ‘Tapestry,’ John Currin, 2013; ‘Woman III,’ Willem de Kooning, 1952–1953; a 2005 Spot Painting by Damien Hirst; ‘Bacchus,’ Cy Twombly, 2005; Jeff Koons’s ‘Play-Doh,’ 1994–2014; a 1969 Picasso from Gagosian’s 2009 ‘Mosqueteros’ show, which drew 100,000 visitors Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Gasosian Gallery; © TAKASHI MURAKAMI, TO BE TITLED (FLOWERBALL), 2015, ACRYLIC AND PLATINUM LEAF ON CANVAS MOUNTED ON BOARD DIAMETER: 59 1/16 IN.; WILLEM DE KOONING, WOMAN III, 1952-1953, OIL ON CANVAS, 68 × 48½ IN. © 2016 THE WILLEM DE KOONING FOUNDATION/ARS, NY; PABLO PICASSO, PORTRAIT DE L’HOMME A L’EPÉE ET A LA FLEUR, 1969, OIL ON CANVAS, 57½ × 45½ IN., © 2016 ESTATE OF PABLO PICASSO/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NY; PLAY-DOH, 1994–2014, POLYCHROMED ALUMINUM, 123 × 151 × 137 IN. © JEFF KOONS, PHOTO: TOM POWEL IMAGING; BACCHUS, 2005, ARTWORK © CY TWOMBLY FOUNDATION. PHOTO: ROB MCKEEVER; ISONICOTINOYL CHLORIDE, 2005 © DAMIEN HIRST AND SCIENCE LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DACS, LONDON/ARS, NY 2016, PHOTO: PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES LTD Castelli also introduced him to collectors. One day, on a SoHo stroll, Gagosian says, Castelli greeted a “completely nondescript gentleman.” When Gagosian asked who he was, Castelli replied: “Oh, that was Si Newhouse. He can buy anything he wants.” “I’ll never forget those words,” says Gagosian. “So I dragged Leo back across the street, and Si gave me his phone number. I called him up, probably the next day if not sooner.” (He became Newhouse’s go-to dealer, arranging the 1985 sale of Mondrian’s Victory Boogie-Woogie and setting an auction record for a work by a living artist in 1988 when Gagosian won Jasper Johns’s False Start for $17 million on behalf of the publishing mogul.) Soon Gagosian had a loft in New York across from Castelli’s space at 420 West Broadway, which he purchased with $10,000 and a Brice Marden painting. Until the openings got too raucous, he used it as a venue for pop-up shows with dealer Annina Nosei. It was at her downtown gallery that he first encountered Jean-Michel Basquiat’s explosively expressionist, graffiti-like paintings. “My hair stood up. I was blown away,” he remembers. Gagosian bought three on the spot, for $3,000 each, even though he had never heard of the artist. “Sounds like some old French guy, Jean-Michel Basquiat,” he thought. Instead, when Nosei introduced them, Gagosian found “this 19-year-old black guy with white pants, kind of paint-spattered like he’d just been working.” The next year, the artist moved out to Los Angeles into the “doughnut-shaped” house Gagosian had built on Venice Beach, to prepare a show for his L.A. gallery. “A month after [Basquiat] moved into the house he says, ‘My girlfriend’s going to come stay with us.’ And I’m thinking, Jeez, things are going OK now—I don’t know if I can deal with that. And I said, ‘Well, who is she? What’s her name?’ ‘Madonna.’ I said, ‘Madonna, what kind of name is that?’ And I’ll never forget: Basquiat says, ‘She’ll be the biggest pop star in the world.’ ” In Versailles with Takashi Murakami, 2010 Photo: Courtesy of Jean Pigozzi Though Gagosian’s direct approach irked some of his entrenched industry peers, it suited his generation of American artists—many of whom were also from California—just fine. “We immediately hit it off. He could have been a kid I went to school with,” says Richard Serra, who did his first Los Angeles show in 1983 with Gagosian. “Nothing stiff about Larry,” says Ed Ruscha, whose first show with Gagosian, of paintings from the ’60s, was mounted in 1993 with permission from Castelli. “He’s got a very good sense of humor and a light way of looking at things, and yet he’s very realistic at the same time. He has immediate opinions about things.” Gagosian’s aggressive style—and his Armani suits—also fit in with the corporate leaders and superpower agents who represented a new guard of collectors. “The art world was kind of in this inertia. He brought a sense of liquidity and the possibility of acquisition,” says Jeff Koons. “There was no longer this sense among collectors that if someone else had a piece, ‘I missed the boat.’ Larry brought the realization that, hey, these things can move. I think he did that almost single-handedly.” “At the beginning, everybody said, ‘Oh, he is a hustler,’ which he is, and he still is a hustler now,” adds automotive heir Jean Pigozzi, a longtime friend. “But he learned very, very fast.” More From WSJ. Magazine Artist Jasper Johns on the Process Behind His Monotypes The Reinvented Visions of Richard Serra Eli and Edythe Broad Build a Museum for Their Art Collection By 1985, Gagosian had opened his own space in New York, in a former truck dock in Chelsea, then a largely ungentrified area full of warehouses. He attracted an audience by opening with an exhibition of landmark pop art from venerable collectors Burton and Emily Tremaine. (“Burt was always concerned about balancing his portfolio,” Gagosian recalls. “He would say, ‘Larry, we got too much art, we need some cash.’ And I said, ‘I’m your guy.’ ”) Gagosian followed that up with a de Kooning show of work from the late ’50s and ’60s that included loans of significant works coaxed from museums or collectors, such as Interchange, then owned by Edgar J. Kaufmann, Jr. “He had to literally put it on top of his elevator to get it out of his apartment, but he agreed to do it,” says Gagosian. (The painting, currently on view at the Art Institute of Chicago, recently sold for $300 million.) “It was not the kind of show that you would normally see in a commercial gallery,” says Sir Nicholas Serota, the director of the Tate museums and galleries, who was then at London’s nonprofit Whitechapel Gallery. “It immediately marked him out as someone who was going to want to deal with quality and at an international level.” With clients like Newhouse, Geffen, Estée Lauder scions Ronald and Leonard Lauder, printing heir Peter Brant and British advertising mogul Charles Saatchi, he was becoming well established. The problem was signing artists: Gagosian had worked with Serra and multimedia conceptual artist Chris Burden in California, but he needed new names in New York, particularly when he moved to the city full-time after closing his gallery on Robertson Boulevard. In 1989, he took over his current space at 980 Madison Avenue across from the Carlyle Hotel, where his gallery and offices initially occupied the penthouse and grew to encompass over 54,000 square feet on the top three floors, accessible by their own elevator. (He also moved into an Upper East Side carriage house he filled with art, including a Frank Stella painting installed near the indoor pool.) He opened with a show of Jasper Johns’s landmark Maps paintings from the ’60s, many on loan. “ Larry doesn’t frighten easily. If he sees an opening, he takes it. ” —Richard Serra In 1991, Serra was looking for a space to show some immense forged rounds of steel that wouldn’t fit into a traditional gallery. Walking in SoHo with Gagosian and architect Richard Gluckman, he spotted a parking lot for sale. The trio went to take a look. Serra says, “Larry liked it, and I said, ‘Larry, it’s just an asphalt parking lot.’ He said, ‘How soon do you want to do this show?’ and I said, ‘Six months.’ He said, ‘OK, we’ll build you a gallery.’ Just like that. Didn’t bat an eye.” The head-high steel cylinders went up that same year in a 2,400-square-foot column-free space that was dubbed “Go-Go SoHo.” This month, the artist will take over Gagosian’s two Chelsea locations for a show of new sculptures. Serra says, “He’s never told me no, ever. Everything I’ve ever wanted him to do, he’s done.” “You might call it risk-taking, you might call it river gambler,” adds Serra. “But Larry doesn’t frighten easily. If he sees an opening, he takes it.” WILD AT HEART \| A Jean-Michel Basquiat portrait of Gagosian, ‘Larry,’ from 1985 Photo: Jean-michel basquiat, Larry, 1985 © estate of jean-michel basquiat. Licensed by artestar, NY EVERY MORNING, Gagosian starts his day by watching CNBC and CNN. “There are days you don’t want to call people,” he says. At around 11 a.m. he walks the one block to his Madison Avenue offices. He works the phone, which he calls “the horn,” with a Hunsecker-like ferocity, dispensing with niceties like “How are you?” and he communicates by text at all hours of the day with clients and friends like Louis Vuitton executive vice president Delphine Arnault, who says, “He’s not only interested in art and artists, he’s very aware of everything that’s happening in terms of business.” He doesn’t use a computer, and his two assistants handle all emails for him. “What do I need a computer for? You just get bogged down—you stare at a computer all day, and next thing you know you are buying a cashmere hoodie,” he says. “I know he will call at 3:01 p.m. every day,” says Stefan Ratibor, the co-director of Gagosian’s London operation. And if he can’t find you, “he’ll call every number for you and leave messages,” says Sam Keller, former Art Basel director and current director of Swiss museum Fondation Beyeler. Information is Gagosian’s currency. “Let’s say I say, ‘Oh, I have a friend who has a Warhol,’ ” says Pigozzi. “He would call me 50 times a day, saying, ‘Where’s this Warhol? Why haven’t you sent me the picture? I can’t believe you’re not doing that.’ He’s relentless when he wants something, completely relentless.” “He has the most astonishing visual memory,” says Serota. “He can remember particular works hanging on particular walls in exhibitions or in a private collection or appearing at auction. If you talk to him about a work, more often than not, he’ll know where it is, who owns it and when he last saw it.” For collector Eli Broad, Gagosian once tracked a Susan Rothenberg horse painting to the dining room wall of St. Louis art dealer Ronnie Greenberg. “It wasn’t for sale,” Broad says, “but Gagosian said, ‘C’mon, you’re a dealer,’ and convinced him to send me a photo for approval.” Broad, who recently opened a museum in L.A., estimates that he and his wife, Edythe, have acquired about 40 percent of their nearly 2,000-piece collection from Gagosian. One of Gagosian’s particular talents is conjuring complex, chesslike transactions that offer elements more enticing than cash. “He’s like a block trader,” says collector and Blackstone chairman, CEO and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman, referring to the financial practice of making high-risk, fast-moving private deals on large quantities of shares. “He’s in the matching business.” When Schwarzman, for example, was seeking a rare Twombly “blackboard” painting for his apartment, “Larry found someone in Korea who owned a painting and found another painting that was larger and more important,” Schwarzman says. “So they sold their painting and bought another from Larry. That’s a classic Larry Gagosian execution—where everyone’s happy and Larry makes tons of money.” (While private-sales numbers are not reported, a Twombly blackboard sold last year at auction for a record $70.5 million.) “Larry has found a balance appealing to his artists in terms of pricing and exposure, but also keeping his collecting clients happy,” says billionaire businessman and art collector Leon Black. “There are never any bargains, but it’s all on a reasonable basis.” Finding buyers for pieces that are not officially for sale is a signature Gagosian move. It was just such a maneuver that convinced Geffen to part with a prized Willem de Kooning, Woman III, in 2006. “He called me up and said, ‘Is there any price at which you would consider selling it?’ ” says Geffen. “And I said, ‘Well, I suppose if you got me $140 million, I would sell it.’ And it was sold that day,” to hedge funder Steve Cohen. At the time, the final price of $137.5 million was a record. (According to Cohen, the arrangement was also meant to include Jasper Johns’s Target With Plaster Casts. He flew out to L.A. with Gagosian to finalize arrangements. “I had a handshake deal with Geffen,” Cohen says, “but he reneged on it.” Geffen says the Johns painting was never for sale. Gagosian declined to comment.) It took six years for the auction houses to catch up with Gagosian: In 2013, a 1969 triptych by Francis Bacon sold for a then-record $142.4 million. Picasso’s $179 million Women of Algiers (Version O) is the current all-time auction high. Gagosian with his girlfriend, Chrissie Erpf, and collector Steve Martin in 2013 Photo: Courtesy of Jean Pigozzi Gagosian’s energy is part of what has attracted artists to the gallery, including Koons. In the late ’90s, the famously perfectionist artist was facing ballooning expenses for his Celebration series of sculptures, which had expanded in scope and confounded the dealer trio of d’Offay, Max Hessler and Jeffrey Deitch. Gagosian invested money and rallied new collectors to commit $2 million or more each to mobilize the production of the sculptures. “At a certain point, I realized that Larry was very connected—he was informing a lot of people about the work,” remembers Koons, who began working with Gagosian regularly in 2001. “Celebration was a little bit in deadlock. We just really needed someone to stand behind the work who had the financial means, so Larry did that, and I was able to proceed.” “I don’t think there’s anybody in history who’s sold more unfinished artworks,” says art collector Bill Bell of Gagosian. “It’s almost unimaginable.” Bell was one of those who acquired sculptures from Celebration, including Play-Doh, which took 20 years to complete while the complex fabrication was resolved. The sculpture, more than 10 feet high and made of 27 pieces of painted aluminum, finally made its debut as the star of the Koons retrospective at New York’s Whitney Museum in 2015. “It’s a leap of faith. I looked at a computer image of what this was going to be. And then it still took 10 or 15 more years after committing, where you’re paying and you’re putting down money,” says Bell, who is still anticipating delivery of a Celebration sculpture called Party Hat and two other more recent Koons pieces. Gagosian, Koons says, “kept people patient that if Jeff is working on it, he is working on it.” Gagosian can be pugnacious, especially on behalf of his artists. “One day I saw him sharply rebuking a curator for presenting the work of one of his artists in a space that he thought was not optimal,” says Christie’s auction house owner François Pinault, a longtime client and friend. Artists who join Gagosian often find themselves bracing for the big time. Working with the gallery, says painter John Currin, “is such a huge stage for what I think of as my kind of intimate art. It’s not CBGB; you’re playing an arena—it’s like being Kanye.” He later adds, “You can’t do a crappy show with Larry. This is not an undercover situation—it’s very, very, very public.” “ You can’t do a crappy show with Larry. It’s very, very, very public. ” —John Currin The huge square-footage of most of Gagosian’s galleries is part of that equation, allowing and often encouraging larger artworks. “Some of the spaces are heroic,” says Ruscha. “They’re kind of intimidating to any artist—they want to say, ‘Uh-oh, I can’t just put a bunch of postage stamps on the wall. I’ve got to come forth here.’ ” The British painter Jenny Saville, for one, relishes the opportunity. “You go, Oh, my God, I can make a triptych, I can do a five-meter-long pig. You raise your bar, you work really hard, and then you put it on and he sells it,” says Saville, who has been with Gagosian since 1999. “I always wanted to make big paintings but didn’t have the finances to do so. Larry never says things like, ‘I couldn’t sell it, it’s too big.’ ” “There’s a certain mentality that small is beautiful,” says Gagosian. “I get the criticism, but I don’t buy it. So an artist comes to the gallery because they feel that they’re going to get well-represented, they like the space, they like the energy, they like the people that we work with, they like the other artists that they’re in context with. If they want to stay in the little gallery in the East Village, I’ve got nothing against the East Village. I started out with zero. If that’s what they want, fine, it’s a free world.” Currin is one of several artists who left their former galleries—in his case, Andrea Rosen—for Gagosian. He made the move in 2003, with prices for new paintings increasing from a reported $400,000 to around $1 million at
4 single "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" was written about Efraín Ríos Montt's dictatorship. The song expresses Cockburn's anger about the Guatemalan genocide. The University of Southern California's Shoah Foundation, funded by director Steven Spielberg, is undertaking an extensive analysis of the genocidal Guatemalan civil wars, documented by hundreds of filmed interviews with survivors.[75] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ]SummerSummer Many centuries before our time, when the great Land of Rus was still a cacophony of warring factions, there lived a lordly warrior named Koray. He was the veteran of many battles, and for his bravery and skill he had gained the respect of both his fellows and his enemies, and in his waning years he lived untroubled with his wife in the small village of Ruskaya Zarlya. One warm summer evening, a son was born to the couple. He was a beautiful child, save that his hair was white as a swan's wing, a deformity so ill-omened that his parents could not keep him in their home. Fearing the curses and plagues that might befall him if the child was kept, Koray took the boy deep into the mountains, where the sun of summer is never felt and the snows are all but eternal. Setting the infant among a cradle of thorns and ice, Koray returned to his village, leaving the boy to the mercies of the beasts and spirits. But the child did not die. He was found, blue and shivering, by the Saraph Side-mounted fingerprint sensor Sony has adopted a novel fingerprint sensor on the side of all three phones. It works with partial prints, obviously, but you also don't need to cover the entire pad - about 2/3 will suffice. It performed flawlessly in terms of recognition and unlocked on the first try throughout the time we spent with the devices. That's only a few hours though, and it's unclear how it will react in tricky conditions - sweaty/dirty fingers or under water. What we're not fans of, is the fact that you need to wake the smartphone up, before it can take a reading. You can't just place your finger on the button and have it unlock the phone directly like you can on the OnePlus 2. It could be a battery endurance consideration, perhaps an always-on sensor would take too big of a toll. In all fairness, both Apple and Samsung's implementations follows the same press-then-scan logic. Fingerprint sensors on the Z5, Z5 Compact, and Z5 Premium Another niggle is that with the power button/fingerprint sensor recessed into the frame, it's quite difficult to press. We'd reckon that it's an issue related to our pre-production hardware as both our Z5 Premium and Z5 Compact fare better that the plain Z5 in this respect with a more solid clicking action. Synthetic benchmarks All three smartphones are powered by the same Snapdragon 810 chipset. We can already hear the comments section complain why it's not the new 820 or the 808. One possible explanation is that the 808 comes with an inferior GPU that would have choked on the 4K resolution of the Premium, while the 820 is, for all we know, simply not ready for mass release. It is what it is, and the S810 is Qualcomm's reigning high-end solution and the obvious choice for a flagship (or an entire family of three). While we did have all three with us, the state of the Premium's software was such that it didn't allows to run any benchmarks. As for the other two, just keep in mind we're tested pre-production units running non-final software. The performance may (or, likely, will) change by the time the devices are ready to hit the shelves. Also, the phones rejected to install some of the usual benchmarks, so here's what we managed to run. Basemark OS II Higher is better OnePlus 2 1942 Xperia Z5 Compact (pre-production) 1904 Xperia Z5 (pre-production) 1851 Samsung Galaxy S6 1769 ZTE Axon Pro 1565 HTC One M9 1526 Sony Xperia Z3+ final 1410 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 1167 Meizu MX5 1163 Sony Xperia Z3 1109 Basemark X Higher is better Samsung Galaxy S6 27169 Xperia Z5 (pre-production) 24886 Xperia Z5 Compact (pre-production) 23458 ZTE Axon Pro 22928 OnePlus 2 21937 Sony Xperia Z3+ final 20767 HTC One M9 19848 Sony Xperia Z3 12637 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 12080 Meizu MX5 10403 GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen) Higher is better Xperia Z5 Compact (pre-production) 25 ZTE Axon Pro 25 Samsung Galaxy S6 24 Xperia Z5 (pre-production) 24 HTC One M9 23 OnePlus 2 22 Sony Xperia Z3+ final 21 LG G4 (final) 15 Sony Xperia Z3 12 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 11.8 Meizu MX5 10 GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen) Higher is better Xperia Z5 Compact (pre-production) 35 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 25.4 Xperia Z5 (pre-production) 25 HTC One M9 24 OnePlus 2 22 Sony Xperia Z3+ final 21 ZTE Axon Pro 15 Samsung Galaxy S6 14 Sony Xperia Z3 12.7 Meizu MX5 9.5 LG G4 (final) 9.4 Both smartphones exhibit great overall performance, as indicated by the all-round Basemark OS II benchmark. The graphics department posts great numbers too, nearly up there with the Samsung Galaxy S6 in Basemark X. GFXBench also places the Z5s towards the top of the crop. The Z5 Compact breezes through the onscreen Manhattan test with a 35fps score, favored by its 720p resolution - after all it's the only device with an HD screen, powered by the S810 and Adreno 430. Yes, we know that subjecting the Premium to this, would have a lot more fun, but tough luck this time.Expelled - the adventure of a rabbit on dangerous planets, and all in order to use the only chance to get out of prison and return home to his wife and children. Exclusive offer from Giveaway of the Day and MyPlayCity! No third-party advertising and browser add-ons! Thick magical fog has its grip on the Elvenland. The amicable inhabitants lie in deep slumber, entrapped by enchanted flower buds. It is your task to lift the fog and wake the elves. Be warned, the fog is not easily driven away. You will need patience and a clear head. Four bonuses will help you through the levels until the entire realm is freed from the mist. Use them wisely to master the difficult challenges ahead. Can you save the elves?Money Magazine didn't tell us who the young couple actually are, so we can't show you a picture of them. But here's another young couple! Articles like the one I'm referencing below demonstrate why there are still bubble home prices in certain areas. This particular article also shows how poorly people manage their own finances, and does a good job showing how much the country's people are still relying on inexpensive and easy to obtain debt. The article is called "The Financial Fix" (that ought to be in quotes, btw, because it is anything but a "fix" that this advisor gives them) that appears in Money Magazine, September 2011 issue, Page 42. Where do I start?? This 31- and 32-year-old couple are $783,000 in debt! The debt is made up of a mortgage on a townhouse, a mortgage on a condo, plus car and student loans. First off, that is a terrible position to be in. They are in way, way over their heads. But it gets worse. The wife is expecting their first child so they only have the husband's $93,000 / year income. They say they are "barely breaking even on [his] salary"...uhm, no, you are not breaking even at all. You are losing ground (to debt and financial slavery), and fast. If they could apply all $93k of his income toward all their debt, it would still take them 8.41 years to pay it all off! OMG. That's atrocious. "They decided to keep their old condo as an investment, but so far it's been a cash drain." Silly people, you ought to stick to consulting or whatever it is that you do. "Real estate" as an investment is often highly overrated, as the returns on residential real estate have, on average over long periods of time, only barely beaten inflation. What are you doing buying a $410,000 townhouse in Leesburg, Virginia? Anywhere in Virginia, for that matter? That's bubble pricing if I've ever heard it. Making matters worse is that they still own a mortgage on a condo. Why does a young, white collar dual income (previously) no kids couple have to buy a townhouse or condo in Virginia? Because we are still in a significant housing bubble in multiple areas of the country...and Leesburg, Virginia is definitely one of them. These articles never fail to count "home equity" under the "Assets" section of peoples' financial situation. It says this couple has $66,000 in home equity. Bwah, ha, ha. Sure, right. Did you get those figures from Zillow? Or better yet a local realtor? Are you factoring in selling costs to liquidate all of that "equity"? Of course not. A quick off-the-cuff guess is that they are sitting on about half that much "equity." If the tenant skips out on paying them rent, the article tells how the young, naive couple will be on the hook for mortgage payments totaling 42% of their income (!!!), not factoring in maintenance and repairs. Gulp!! Gasp. That's a mighty scary position you are putting your family in, sonny. And btw, I'd definitely factor in maintenance and repairs. These young kids are financially screwed because they are trying to live "the American Dream" that someone else told them they should. Why do you have to have a kid if you cannot afford it? Parenting magazine just quoted a new study saying that the typical cost to raise a child to age 18 is approximately $190,000. This couple is already in a financial hurt locker, and now they are adding a newborn child to the picture. Wanna bet that they'll "have to" have a second child? I've seen it too often. And why did they have to buy a house? (a condo) And then another house? (a townhouse) This is a great example of the real estate pathology that many people still have today. Since the "financial advisor" gave them terrible advice (let me guess, the financial advisor also thinks real estate is a good investment? And has hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt to her name, too? That would explain the horrendous advice to this young couple), allow me to intervene further by offering some sound financial advice for them: 1. Sell your new townhouse immediately 2. Sell your condo concurrently 3. Sell your car / cars and pay off the loans immediately 4. Use any remaining "equity" funds from above sales to pay off any and all debt 5. Rent a nice apartment or home for a couple of years 6. Buy a conservative used car with cash That's really only a beginning but still much better than the article offered for them. This post by Quant HF Mgr originally appeared at Patrick.net.By Edward Chaykovsky The World Boxing Association has issued a purse bid extension for the ongoing negotiations to make a middleweight showdown between middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs. Golovkin holds the WBA's'super title' at the weight, while Jacobs is the'regular' champion. The two sides had until October 10th or a purse bid was going to be ordered. If it goes to a purse bid, the split is 75-25 in favor of Golovkin. The two sides are negotiating the terms for an HBO televise date of December 10th, with the Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden as potentials venues to host the fight in New York City. WBA President Gilberto Mendoza Jr. extended the purse bid deadline, according to information provided to the Los Angeles Times. As BoxingScene.com previously reported, Jacobs' handlers have filed a request to modify the purse bid monetary terms to a 60-40 split. Golovkin's promoter, Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, made a request to the WBA for an immediate purse bid, but the sanctioning body would rather see both sides reach a deal and extended the purse bid date. “If they can reach an agreement by Oct. 12, we just ask for contracts,” Mendoza said. “If they can’t, I’ll call for a purse bid within 10 days [Oct. 22] and we’ll then release what we decided. They don’t know right now. Honestly, it’s a good fight for the sport and I’m trying to be fair with Jacobs and Golovkin,” Mendoza said. Should the fight go to a purse bid, it was create an interesting situation - because Golovkin is contracted to HBO, while Jacobs fights under the Premier Boxing Champions banner and Showtime. Jacobs has no problem with fighting Golovkin on HBO. But if Jacobs' manager/adviser Al Haymon wins the purse bid and wants to place the fight on a network outside of HBO's scope - will HBO allow it to happen or will Golovkin be forced to vacate his title. “We are definitely interested and will aggressively pursue,” Golovkin-Jacobs, Showtime Executive Vice President Stephen Espinoza told The Times in a text message Friday.Literally so many possibilities ran through my head. THIS WAS THE LAST ONE I CONSIDERED. /too much fanfic // not-so-secretly wished it was steve/bucky Edited at 2013-06-12 06:18 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link I was expecting Natasha and Bucky. Reply Parent Thread Link That was my second and more logical/that-would-actually-happen thought. And then I remembered I really don't think they'd spoil something like THAT if it were to happen in the film. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The only reason I clicked on the link wa in the futile hope that it was Steve and Bucky :/ Reply Parent Thread Link I don't even know why I thought for a second that it could possibly be Steve/Bucky but that's definitely who I expected to see. The internet has ruined me. Reply Parent Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link SAME. As much as I dislike Sharon, dnw him with BW. Maybe they're just ~tricking the enemy~ or something. lol. Reply Parent Thread Link OH SHIT Reply Thread Link gross Reply Thread Link I can ship it Reply Thread Link do they really have to shoehorn in this romance. Reply Thread Link haven't you heard? the female character only exists as a romantic interest. God forbid black widow has her own storyline or smth Reply Parent Thread Link there is no romance, they're clearing on the run and trying to mix in with the crowd. Reply Parent Thread Link I really hope that's the case Reply Parent Thread Link Mte, they're basically pulling an Inception here. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link That's what I think too I'll still read the fanfic tho, no lie Reply Parent Thread Link WELP UM uh not sure how to feel Reply Thread Link no ty Reply Thread Link The fuck? Not Bucky? WHY IS STEVE NOT KISSING BUCKY? Reply Thread Link M F T E. Reply Parent Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link MFTE Reply Parent Thread Link ikr i really don't mind nat/steve BUT Reply Parent Thread Link Definitely preferable. Reply Parent Thread Link doesn't see Bucky & Cap eagerly clicks post, hoping to see Bucky & Capdoesn't see Bucky & Cap Reply Thread Link Is it true Reply Parent Thread Link lol mte Reply Parent Thread Link lol right Reply Parent Thread Link mte whoops Reply Parent Thread Link lol ikr Reply Parent Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link LOL same It'll probably be nothing anyway but I was excited for 5 seconds Reply Parent Thread Link Considering the way they are dressed, I am going to assume they are being chased and they kissed so that whoever is chasing them is throne off their trail. Reply Thread Link yeah that was my first thought at well. i'm not worried in any way about them hooking up. Reply Parent Thread Link I spelled thrown wrong. I was looking at the Game of Thrones post below. I am ashamed. :C Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Yep. That's what I thought, too. Reply Parent Thread Link yeah from the short description given above it sounds like that would fit Reply Parent Thread Link yeah I just posted a comment along these lines lol Reply Parent Thread Link Obviously, but it was more fun making the post like this. ;) Reply Parent Thread Link I hope you're right! Reply Parent Thread Link yeah ia Reply Parent Thread Link IA. But still, they're kissing! :D This movie is everything I wanted (so far) Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, that's what I was thinking too, especially with that description. Reply Parent Thread Link that's the only logical explanation. Reply Parent Thread Link yeah that's what i figured out too Reply Parent Thread Link that's what I'm assuming Reply Parent Thread Link MTE. Definitely looks like hiding out, not making out. Reply Parent Thread Link I hope to god that's whats happening cause if not I'm super disappointed. It's like I don't know who anyone is anymore. Reply Parent Thread Link Why would you ruin it for me :( Reply Parent Thread Expand Link You're probably right. 10bux says Steve had to run home and work off a chubby after that Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I really hope so Reply Parent Thread Link yep- definitely smooching for cover purposes. Reply Parent Thread Link i hope you're right omg Reply Parent Thread Link It's a diversion! Reply Parent Thread Link Sometimes I wonder if things like that are weird for them, like, they've known each other for 10 years. this is probably what fans are least concerned about at the moment though Reply Thread Link okay good. idk i would be like, "uhh can we hug?" Reply Parent Thread Link I ALWAYS wonder this during kissing scenes, I can never really enjoy ~romantic scenes~ because all I can wonder is how awkward it was filming that Reply Parent Thread Link I never saw that "Nanny Diaries" movie they did together but I think they played a couple in it, so a scene like this is probably not as awkward as it could be haha. Reply Parent Thread Link um. Cutfail. The entire thing is showing in front of a cut. gg Reply Thread Link Not for me though. So I don't know what LJ is doing... Reply Parent Thread LinkAn interview with Sheikh Hussein Al-Kheshen Translated by Manal Samhat The brutal operations carried out by extremist Islamic groups have led to the resurfacing of the Islamic penal system, with Muslims, before others, widely criticizing these acts deemed as offending to Islam and contradicting to its spirituality. Among the said penalties included in the system is the penalty of killing the apostate, especially that many countries, such as Sudan and Mauritania, have issued this penalty lately against a number of people, including the young Mauritanian writer, Muhammad Sheikh Wild Muhammad. In the light of these events, we made an interview with His Eminence, Sheikh Hussein Al-Kheshen, in which we asked him several questions on the matter, knowing that he will soon publish a book that handles the issue of apostasy at length. Following is the text of the interview: Should the apostate be killed?! Q: You have conducted a research on the issue of apostasy in which you concluded that there is no such thing as killing the apostate, would you explain more, especially that there is almost a consensus among the Muslims on killing the apostate? A: After looking into the main legislative and doctrinal reference in Islam, the Holy Quran, we came to notice that it does not include any reference to the judgment of killing the apostate, although it did point out to the issue of apostasy in several Ayahs. The issue of apostasy, from the Quranic point of view, can be summed up in the following two points: First: The Quran lacks any reference to the judgment of killing the apostate. As much as the issue is a matter of trial, considering that many cases of apostasy took place at the time when the Quran was revealed, and although many Ayahs talk about apostasy, yet they point out to the apostate’s punishment in the Hereafter, whereby Allah does not guide him or replaces him with other people or other repercussions caused by apostasy, we did not find any text that stipulates killing the apostate. In this regard, I would like to cite a few Ayahs: “He who disbelieves in Allah after having believed, not he who is compelled while his heart is at rest on account of faith, but he who opens (his) breast to disbelief-- on these is the wrath of Allah, and they shall have a grievous chastisement” (16:106), “On the day when (some) faces shall turn white and (some) faces shall turn black; then as to those whose faces turn black: Did you disbelieve after your believing? Taste therefore the chastisement because you disbelieved” (3:106), “Surely, those who disbelieve after their belief, then increase in unbelief, their repentance shall not be accepted, and these are they that go astray” (3:90), “How shall Allah guide a people who disbelieved after their believing and (after) they had borne witness that the Messenger was true and clear arguments had come to them; and Allah does not guide the unjust people” (3:86) and: “Whoever from among you turns back from his religion, then Allah will bring a people, He shall love them and they shall love Him, lowly before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers” (5:54). Second: Some might say that there is a reference in the Holy Quran to refuting the punishment of killing the apostate, for some Quranic Ayahs insinuate that man cannot be killed except in two cases, and they are: the case of retribution or [spreading] mischief in the land”. The justification of killing someone is [slaying] a soul in exchange of other or [spreading] mischief in the land, for Allah says: “Whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men” (5:32). There are other Ayahs to this effect. Q: But who can determine what mischief in the land is, for sometimes, a revolt against a corrupt regime might take place with the aim of changing it, and it goes without saying that the regime will deem such revolt as [spreading] mischief in the land? A: This is a different topic of research. The mischief-maker in the land or the so-called warrior is the one who raises his sword against people and turns into a highwayman or someone who causes unrest and anxiety in the society by causing insecurity or seeking to overthrow the regime and change it by force and arms… etc. Such a person deserves punishment in all laws, even in secular ones, and no one might even think that such a person is not worthy of a punishment, even if it reaches the level of killing. Q: What about the Ayah: “There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error”, does it not negate the punishment of killing the apostate? A: Research has led me to the conclusion that this Ayah is fit to confirm what I mentioned earlier that the Quran includes references that insinuate the negation of killing the apostate, because killing, as established by customs, is a form of compulsion. Therefore, threatening a person in case he changes his religion is a form of compulsion exercised on him to force him to remain on his previous religion, whereas the Ayah says that there is no compulsion in religion. There could be some objection as to how I deduced this conclusion from this Ayah, but I have answers to all such problematic issues. Q: Is this Ayah considered abrogated? A: This kind of Ayahs cannot be abrogated, for they are Ayahs whose causes have been explained, and therefore they can only be abrogated by abrogating the causes. The fact that there is no compulsion in religion is annexed to the cause that “truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error”, so abrogating it shall mean that the right is no longer distinct from error, and this cannot be accepted. So, this Ayah is not abrogated to say the least. Moreover, the opinion which says that this Ayah is not abrogated has become known now, and it is generally accepted. The ruling regarding the apostate in Hadiths Q: As you have explained, the Quran did not stipulate killing the apostate, but what about the Sunnah? There are certain Hadiths that the Muslims rely on to justify killing the apostate, and perhaps the mostly renowned is the following Hadith narrated on the authority of the Prophet: “If someone changes his religion (Islam), then strike off his head”. A: This is one of the Hadiths attributed to the Messenger (p.), and it is narrated in Al-Bukhari’s “Sahih” and other sources. It is mentioned in the Hadith that Ali burned a group of people, and this act reached Ibn Abbass, who said: “Were I in his place, I would not have burnt them, for the Prophet says that ‘no one punishes with fire except the Lord of the Fire’ and I would have killed them - instead of burning them - for the Prophet says: ‘If someone changes his religion (Islam), then strike off his head’”. However, in my opinion, this Hadith is not authentic (reliable) for two considerations: First: The Sanad (chain of authorities) of this Hadith brings about doubt, for its narrator, “’Akramah”, was one of the Kharijites who opposed Ali (a.s.), so his narration cannot be reliable or trustworthy. Second: The content of this Hadith cannot be accepted, for is it possible that Imam Ali (a.s.) is not aware of a legitimate issue that the Prophet (p.) expressed, which is that “no one punishes with fire except the Lord of the Fire”, for Ibn Abbass, who is the student of Imam Ali (a.s.), to come and say that Ali has gone against the Messenger?! This increases our suspicion. Therefore, this cannot be accepted for it was not proven that the Imam has actually burnt someone. Indeed, there are other narrations resorted to by both the Sunnis and the Shiites in the matter of killing the apostate, but most of them, if not all, are subjected to discussions with regards to their chain of authorities or implications. It is worth noting that when we want to derive a ruling by Allah and in His Name relying on a narration, we should take several criteria into consideration. First: The Sunnah should be established; i.e. the Hadith should be true and authentic, and here one narration is not enough, for one circumstantial narration, even if its Sanad is proved to be reliable, is not enough - according to some jurisprudents - which is the right opinion to rely on when issuing a religious ruling, especially in matters pertaining to blood. Rather, a narration should be reliable and narrated by several chains of authorities and narrators so as to be deemed trustworthy, and one would be assured that it is actually on behalf of the Prophet (p.) or one of the Imams (a.s.). Second: The narration should contradict neither the Quran nor the Sunnah. On the other hand, we ought to understand what does apostasy mentioned in the narrations mean: does it mean apostasy from Islam or apostasy (revolt) from the Islamic system. There are indications in the narrations to the second possibility. This has been discussed at length in the book catering for this research, and which we ask Allah to enable us to publish soon, Allah willing. The philosophy of the penal system Q: Does the Quran overrule the Sunnah? A: The Quran always comes in first, and it is narrated in a Hadith: “Whatever you are informed of as said by us, compare it to the Quran; if you find it in conformity with it, then follow it, if not, then ignore it”. Therefore, if we conclude from the Quran that there is no justification for killing except only in the cases of retribution and [causing] mischief in the land, and if we accept the idea that killing the apostate is an act of compulsion in religion, then this will constitute, at the very least, a negative element that prevents trusting narrations. Moreover, we have come to notice that some narrations that handle the issue of apostasy are fit to negate the ruling of killing the apostate, and this too constitutes a negative element that prevents trusting the narrations on killing. Another point that ought to be discussed here with regards to the issue of apostasy and other similar issues that necessitate punishment is that supposedly we do admit these narrations, [a question cannot but be asked here]: was the judgment issued by the Prophet (p.) or the Imam (a.s.) in this regard an instantaneous and circumstantial measure or a legislative ruling? Can we say, and I am not being conclusive here, that these limits (punishments), specifically the punishment of apostasy, were instantaneous punishments or legislative punishments to which applies the rule “the Halal of Muhammad is Halal until the Day of Judgment and the Haram of Muhammad is Haram until the Day of Judgment”? Perhaps, we can find in the narrations several evidences which prove that this was an instantaneous sentence and not a legislative one. Actually, this is backed by the philosophy of the penal system, for this system does not aim at retribution or revenge, but at preventing man from committing crimes and trespassing the law. We all know that the human societies are advanced even in their penal systems for it is aimed at reforming the society, and the closer the society is to savagery and nomadism, the more it is in need of a strict penal system, for man cannot be reformed except by the law. On the other hand, the more civilized, advanced and urbanized the society is, the better it is to alleviate the punishment. This is what we learn from the Holy Quran, whereby Prophet Jesus (a.s.) addresses the Jews, saying: “And to make lawful to you part of what was (before) forbidden to you” (3:50). The law of Prophet Moses (a.s.) was strict and firm, for the Children of Israel were uncivil, so reforming them required a strict and firm penal system. Following Prophet Jesus (a.s.) came Prophet Muhammad (p.) to say: “I was sent with the tolerable Shariah”, and this is the meaning I want to apply to the penal system. Q: Who is entitled to apply the penal law? A: There are narrations which say that the punishment is in the hand of the Imam, and the Imam is the symbol of authority. If there is no such authority, punishments cannot be executed, for such things cannot be left up to ordinary people, for that would create chaos and disorder. What is needed is a just legitimate authority. Executing punishments offend the image of Islam Q: Why is there a consensus among the Muslims on the issue of punishments and the necessity of executing them, and for which they offer justifications without taking into consideration the human developments and that executing punishments in this way offends the image of Islam? A: I believe that the issue of apostasy is one of the topics that ought to undergo a comprehensive Ijtihadi research in the light of the legal texts and the objectives of the Shariah, especially that we are in an age where executing these punishments result in reactions by some Muslims, let alone non-Muslims of different religions and human rights organizations… etc. Many Muslims are raising their voices in protest against some forms of punishments that are executed in the Islamic world, such as stoning and the like, and we ought to convince them of this penal system, but I believe that the justifications offered by a group of intellectual scholars to justify killing the apostate are not convincing. Some mentioned that killing the apostate aims at protecting the religion and people’s beliefs, for allowing apostasy will shake these beliefs… I believe that such justifications are not conclusive, for Islam is not that weak at the level of the arguments and proofs it provides to feel that it should be protected by force and beheading people. Whether we feel it or not, they are justifications that embody the belittlement of Islam and suggest that its arguments are weak. Moreover, it embodies taking the Muslims lightly, for I do not believe that [limited] cases of apostasy here and there will drive the Muslims to collectively abandon their religion or doubt their beliefs. Thousands of Christians abandoned their religion, yet this did not lead to the end of Christianity which rather survived and persisted strongly, and so did Islam. The justifications of killing apostates are not conclusive, and they embody the belittlement of Islam and suggest that its arguments are weak. I also believe that this logic of justification might not be of any help to those jurisprudents who adopt the ruling of killing apostates, for someone might raise a problematic issue and say: If your justification to killing apostates is protecting the people’s beliefs, then some might say that killing apostates will enhance the tendency to [follow] hypocrisy, for many, out of fear of being killed, might adopt disbelief therein and reflect Islam on the outside. And hypocrisy, in some of its features, might be far more dangerous and worse than disbelief, for a disbeliever will constitute a clear and declared enemy, while a hypocrite will hold grudges and scheme plots against Islam from the inside, and this will lead to bigger damage than the damage caused by the disbeliever who announces his disbelief and revolt against Islam. Therefore, I do not believe that the logic of justification is good enough to justify the punishment of the apostate; rather, we ought to look for the evidence to find out: is there conclusive evidence on killing the apostate or not? We can say: what is certain in the implications of the narrations on killing the apostate has to do with the apostate whose apostasy is accompanied with revolting against the general order, and not the apostate whose apostasy only reflects his non-conviction in one of the principles of religion. Developing the Islamic penal system Q: What about developing the Islamic penal system and reconsidering it in the light of the secular law? A: I believe that there is a possibility to develop the penal system in Islam, and I believe in the legitimacy of all the questions brought up from within the Islamic circle with regards to the issue of stoning for example, and they are all questions that are not out of the context of the known rules of deriving Fatwas, for there is nothing that stands in the way of putting up for discussion the issue of the instantaneousness of the punishment of the apostate or stoning the adulterer/adulteress. Moreover, such questions ought to be handled in a scientific manner away from the psychological pressures created by the media or the pressures exerted by many states and organizations. As such, the possibility of developing the other acts of punishment can be brought up, and actually some jurisprudents did propose something in this regard which was deliberated in the Hawzas under the question: Can we replace some disciplinary punishments with financial penalties (fines), for it is not preconditioned that the punishment be physical in all cases? I believe that there are indications in the texts that support the possibility of coming out with a conception that allows developing the penal system in Islam in lots of its details, yet not comprehensively. One of the most important elements that is useful in this regard is the attempt to perceive lots of the connotations in the penal system as instantaneous and circumstantial measures that can be replaced with other things. We are concerned with asking questions and thinking in a new way that does not go out of the context of the known mechanisms of understanding the religious texts. Some might see my propositions and words as unusually bold, but I believe that I can theorize for them through the recognized mechanisms of Ijtihad. In this context, a question might be raised: What is the purpose of the penal system? Indeed, it is not meant to torture people and retaliate upon them. The penal law in the Islamic legislation, just as in other laws, is a deterrent force that aims at maintaining stability, organizing the society, preventing chaos and putting an end to crime and whatever the Shariah deems Haram. Therefore, if there are any other means that realize this goal, besides physical punishment, why do we not adopt them? In the same sense, today if we notice
easy to get close to one. They spend most of their day sleeping. Hunting groups such as Safari Club International maintain that hunting lions helps conserve them. They promote the positive effects of hunting in African communities. They argue that "hunting plays a role in raising the value of the African lion and discourages poaching". Dr Smart said that well-regulated trophy hunting could be of net benefit for lion populations. "What is clear is that overall the trophy hunting must be carefully regulated, otherwise it casts the whole trophy hunting industry into ill-repute," she said. "There is a payback for communities if we can do it in a regulated way. However unpleasant people find this, this can be a good conservation technique." She stressed that habitat destruction and illegal poaching were even bigger threats to the lion population. In a statement to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Palmer expressed regret. "I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favourite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt... I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion," he said. The Washington PostThe Grand Mosque and the Kaaba in the holy city of Mecca. AFP More Chams taking the trip of a lifetime A record number of Cambodian Muslims are undertaking the expensive – and arduous – journey to Mecca to take part in the hajj this weekend In the days before she set off for the holy city of Mecca, 57-year-old Moe Vansi busily prepared a supply of rice and vegetables, home comforts in a foreign land. She brushed up on her Islamic law and endured rounds of vaccinations. “She almost cried when she got on the plane,” said her son Meas Sokeo, a smartly dressed NGO worker who paid for her trip, one of the five pillars of Islam that all Muslims must complete, after saving up for seven years. More than 1,000 Cambodian Muslims are among the crowds in Saudi Arabia this weekend to perform the hajj, walking between the hills of Safa and Marwah, kissing the Black Stone and drinking from the Zamzam Well. Some 2 million faithful from all over the world converge on Mecca each year for the ancient pilgrimage, which began on Thursday and will last until the sighting of a new moon. “Hajj” means “effort” in Arabic. And it is, as well as a spiritual effort, a physical one. Navigating crowds hundreds of thousands strong in baking heat, perils range from heatstroke to injury from pebbles hurled at towers symbolising the devil. For Cambodian pilgrims, most of who speak neither Arabic nor English, and many of who are in their old age, the experience can be fraught. A Muslim leader accepts a symbolic foam cow in Veal Khmom village. Scott Howes “Last year, we lost two. They have not been found,” said Nazy Saleh, president of the Cambodian Muslim Media Center. The elderly pair are believed to have wandered away from their group and gone missing. At least two more elderly participants died. Each year, Saleh goes to Phnom Penh airport, where crowds of Cham Muslims gather to see off friends and family. “When they fly they might feel sick – sometimes it is their first time to board a flight,” he said. “They are very surprised.” But despite the risks and expense, the number of Cambodians making the pilgrimage is on the rise. “There are around 1,000 hajjis this year; if [some] were not stuck, maybe more than ever,” said Saleh, referring to a group of more than 100 who were stranded in Kuala Lumpur last week. “There are some problems with visas because of the new regulations,” said Saleh. “[Saudi Arabia] plans to have a quota. Next time, there will be 1,000 people from Cambodia only. Because in Mecca, if you open to everyone, there are too many.” Sokeo’s mother was among the stranded group, though she has now made it to Mecca. She was lucky. “Some of them already spent $3,200, but they could not get a visa,” Sokeo said. “If Allah blesses us, we can go.” Muslims who want to complete the hajj have two options: apply for sponsorship or cough up the money to pay for the trip, usually as part of a package tour lasting 40 days and costing upwards of $3,000 a head. Saudi Arabia, one of the Arab states that exert a strong influence on Cambodia’s 500,000-strong Cham Muslim community, funds some 40 hajjis each year. Not only are the air tickets paid for but, the government issues free passports. Selections are made by the local authorities, and most of those awarded are to government and NGO employees, according to Saleh. Cham Muslim men outside a mosque in Veal Khmom village, Tboung Khmom province. Scott Howes “Nepotism is there, but it is small,” said Farina So, head of the Cham Oral History project at the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). As incomes rise, many are choosing to pay for a private trip, she continued. “The increased need for spirituality; the negative effect of globalisation – with development, people commit a lot of sins, and they want to get it off,” she said. Dozens of Facebook photos posted from last year’s hajj showed Cambodians in the ancient city: groups of men dressed in white, holding signs in Arabic. “In the past, maybe six years ago, you could not see the real hajj, but now it’s everywhere [online] encouraging people to go,” So said. For those who do not make the trip, there is consolation in the celebrations that will take place this weekend in Cham communities to mark the festival of Eid-al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, which coincides with the end of hajj. On Tuesday morning, in Veal Khmom village, Tboung Khmom province, a crowd of hundreds of villagers gathered as Malaysian donors handed over a stack of foam cut-out cattle to symbolise the gift of 184 sacrificial cows. “If they were real cows, it would have been a bit dangerous,” Chea Sopgara, minister for Rural Development, who presided over the ceremony, told the crowd. Tomorrow flesh and blood counterparts will be sacrificed as Muslims commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son on God’s command. San Nary, 27, said she hoped one day to make it to Mecca. “I saw many people in my village going to hajj, and they came back and brought good deeds. However, Muslims need to have much money to go there. If they don’t have money, they are not allowed.” Reflecting on her own trip, 55-year-old Sos Thai Chaol said: “I will never forget what I did there. I’ll always remember what I did inside the buildings of Mecca with so many good people.”Finally rode the 339 all the way down the whole route from the lay-by on Grove Green Road Leytonstone to its terminus at Shadwell Station. This is one of London’s newest bus routes (if not the newest) and only a few months old already a classic, riding the byways to the Highway. Truth be told I was nearly put off by the 51 minute travel time, I reckon I could walk it in just over double that – but it was my dedication to the topographical tradition that compelled me to stick with it. Some people might think it odd for a father of two to make a video recording the ‘highlights’ of a bus journey through east London, but I see this as being like the early films of the 1900’s – the phantom rides shot from the front of trains and trams trundling down high streets – although I had to shoot this one out of the side window. Imagine watching it in 100 years when most of this will be under water.rosiesredcheeks Sun 10-Dec-17 17:08:21 Me and my ex have recently started seeing each other again after still been sleeping together the last couple of months and I found out he'd actually slept with 6 other girls since we broke up (3 months ago) but anyway we built a bridge and got over it. And decided to be exclusive again. He said he regret all of it and I believed him. I stayed at his on Friday night and in the morning realised I'd forgotten to pack my tights. He then handed me a pair of skeleton Halloween tights and told me to wear them. He said they belonged to his housemate. Obvs I said I think I'll just go without. I didn't mention it or think much of it then a few hours later I realised the Halloween tights belonged to that of a one night stand (I'd seen her instagram after stalking my ex's social media and she was wearing the skeleton tights on Halloween) I was mortified. I went absolutely mad at him when I realised I was beside myself with fury. Why the fuck would you give someone a pair of tights to wear belonging to your one night stand???? He seems to think "sorry" is acceptable enough and said I was overreacting. I am mortified. How is this okay???“Looping” cannabis sales is a problem, and some say the tech behind Bitcoin can prevent it. All photos by Taryn Nation On Thursday, Dec. 14, the Denver Police Department shut down 26 cannabis operations licensed under Sweet Leaf, one of Colorado’s largest dispensary chains. The raids led to the arrests of 13 budtenders, who were charged with allegedly “looping” weed sales in violation of state law. Looping is selling marijuana to customers beyond allotted limits. The owners of Sweet Leaf weren’t mentioned in Denver P.D.’s arrest records, nor were they mentioned in the department’s public statements released last Friday, according to The Cannabist. As of press time, all 11 of Sweet Leaf’s dispensary locations in Colorado are temporarily closed, and the company’s cultivation and processing facilities are suspended while the investigation (and pending audit from the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division — MED) is underway. Sweet Leaf location on W 38th Ave. in Denver, CO; closed for business. WTF Happened? In Colorado, recreational weed customers may purchase up to 1 oz. of flower (or, for edibles and concentrates, the equivalent in THC-milligrams) per transaction. State law limits adults 21 and over to possessing only 1 oz. of bud at a time. Under Amendment 64, anyone legally in possession of weed can give it away to another adult 21 or over, so long as the transfer doesn’t involve trading cash. In theory, a person could walk into a dispensary, buy 1 oz. of weed, take it outside, give it to their buddy, then walk back into the store and purchase another ounce. Some pot shops have assumed that a “transaction” resets once the customer leaves the store. If the customer returns to the store, even that same day, they’ve initiated a new transaction. A new transaction permits the sale of another ounce, and so on and so on. What a so-called looper did with the ounce was on the looper, not the seller. In Sweet Leaf’s case, an undercover cop returned to the store that same day and bought more, often from the same budtender, multiple times. According to Denver P.D., the sting operation against Sweet Leaf took place over the span of a year, and they claim an undercover detective returned as many as 16 times to a single location in a day. Some budtenders allegedly made multiple 1 oz. sales to the same customer two or more times a day. But Is Looping Illegal? Warren Edson, a cannabis attorney based in Wheat Ridge, CO, has been closely following this “what is a transaction?” issue. During a phone call with MERRY JANE, he cited a position statement from the Marijuana Enforcement Division dated May 22. The statement was made in response to an attorney’s inquiry requesting a clear definition for “a single transaction”: The Division will seek administrative action against licensees attempting to circumvent the statutory and rule requirement imposing the limitation of one ounce per transaction of Retail Marijuana. Sales that are structured as multiple, stand-alone transactions may be viewed by the Division as an attempt to evade quantity limitations on the sale of Retail Marijuana, resulting in recommendation for administrative action. [Ed. Note: emphasis added] “It’s really confusing, because [MED] just changed the regulations again,” says Edson, referring to revisions that were adopted in November. “Both sets of rules are pretty ambiguous. If you’re just a poor budtender, how’re you supposed to know?” The rule change regards section R402.C of the retail marijuana regulations. The original rule reads: A Retail Marijuana Store and its employees are prohibited from selling more than one ounce of Retail Marijuana flower or its equivalent… in a single sales transaction. Yet changes to the rule, adopted Nov. 17, 2017, made an addendum to the original: A single transaction includes multiple Transfers to the same consumer during the same business day where the Retail Marijuana Store employee knows or reasonably should know that such Transfer would result in that consumer possessing more than one ounce of marijuana. This is where confusion arises: until recently, pot shops had only the MED’s posted rules to go by, which state 1 oz. caps per sales transaction. MED’s position statement regarding “a single transaction” came nearly six months after Denver P.D.’s first visit to Sweet Leaf, which took place in early December 2016. The addendum wasn’t adopted by the MED until a month after Denver P.D.’s final undercover visit to Sweet Leaf, which the department’s affidavit lists as Oct. 5, 2017. MED’s updated rules, which go into effect January 1st, 2018, include a narrower definition of “single transaction” and the weight limits, but Edson says the newest regulation is still somewhat vague. Which begs the question: were budtenders and their supervisors aware of what the MED considered a transaction – and, therefore, knowingly looping – prior to November? Elizabeth, whose real name has been changed to protect her identity, worked as a budtender for another chain dispensary in Colorado from 2014 to 2015. She claims the industry was fully aware of what constituted looping since recreational weed sales began in January 2014. “It was kind of bad,” she says. “I had heard before I got on board that the looping had no limit. Lots of people came in and out to buy ounces.” Initially, her dispensary encouraged its employees to loop as a way to maximize sales, but the managers eventually banned the practice a year into her employment. “It was pitched as a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ thing,” she recounts. The incentive for budtenders to loop were bigger tips, which she says could fetch as much as $8 per looped ounce. “When you have a dispensary with multiple budtenders,” says Edson, “how are you supposed to keep track? You’re not supposed to keep track” of sales to specific customers. Amendment 64 only requires presentation of an ID to prove a customer’s age; weed stores are not required to record personal information about a customer. Notice of suspension from city of Denver at Sweet Leaf location. Blockchain May Offer a Solution Blockchain, the encrypted technology that powers cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, may provide a solution to looping. For years, cannabis companies have eyed blockchains as a way to store value (read: money), since many national and state banks refuse to manage accounts for still federally illegal marijuana businesses. Besides storing and tracking monetary transactions, blockchain can act as a digital chain-of-custody system for marijuana inventories, too. Conventional seed-to-sale tracking systems like METRC in Colorado allow authorities to trace the movement of weed products within the industry. However, METRC tracking stops at the point-of-sale, when the weed enters a customer’s hands and leaves the dispensary. The customer’s name isn’t attached to the sale. Vetting customers is the responsibility of budtenders and ID checkers at the door. Besides, if someone really wanted to circumvent the rules, they could simply buy an ounce at Dispensary A, then drive over to Dispensary B across town and buy another ounce. There’s no system in place to trace who buys what, when, or where. Michael Kramer believes blockchains could prevent looping while taking the burden of memorizing everyone’s IDs off budtenders. Kramer is CEO of 420 Blockchain, a cannabis tracking system company based in Boca Raton, Florida. 420 Blockchain is based on Augusta High-Tech’s Framework Hyperledger running on the Google platform, and they just launched beta tests in California and Rhode Island, with Kramer expecting the full-fledged system to go online sometime in the next month. “Blockchain is an irrefutable ledger,” Kramer told MERRY JANE by phone. “It can never be changed. It can never be hacked.” He says blockchain technology can prevent shady pot shop employees from scoring quick, dirty kickbacks. “We can put in provisions that prevent looping,” he explains. Transactions on 420 Blockchain can follow “permissions,” which set specific parameters for purchases or transport of weed products. Permissions don’t require human guidance; they’re guided and ensured by the blockchain itself. For example, a driver’s license would be scanned at the dispensary, recording the customer’s name and purchase amount. Permissions could automatically assess weight limits based on the types of products sold (flower, concentrate, edible, topical, etc.), then approve or decline the sale. Additionally, the blockchain would lock into a statewide (or hypothetically, even a nationwide) network, so a customer would not only be capped from looping at one dispensary location, but any and all dispensary locations for the day. “The blockchain will know if I go into any other [dispensary], that I already bought my allotted amount,” Kramer continues. “The fact that legacy ERPs” — or enterprise resource planners, like METRC — “aren’t tracking [customer purchases with blockchain].... I just don’t understand that,” says Kramer. He sees 420 Blockchain eventually coordinating with legislators and regulators to balance the concerns of protecting customer privacy while ensuring weed products aren’t diverted to black markets or across state lines. “We can trace down every penny to every gram,” he says. “Every transaction is recorded.” The Debate Continues On social media, members of Colorado’s cannabis community have taken sides, either in support of Sweet Leaf and its employees under the “ounce-per-transaction” interpretation, or others backing the busts under the “ounce-per-day” banner. Regardless of which position Coloradans sympathize with, some feel that slapping felony charges with potential jail time on Sweet Leaf’s budtenders is too extreme, even if they did break the law. A fundraiser and gift drive will take place Saturday, December 23 to support the hundreds of Sweet Leaf employees and their families in lieu of the company's state-enforced shutdown just before Christmas. A separate GoFundMe campaign was also started to assist with the budtenders’ attorney fees.Audio: Christopher Capozzola speaks with Ryan Warner U.S. Army Rangers training at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., in 2014. (U.S. Army photo courtesy Spc. Steven Hitchcock) The website for the United States Selective Service System says registering for the draft is plain and clear: "It’s What a Man’s Got to Do. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s the Law." And while no one has been drafted into the U.S military since the 1970s, men ages 18 to 25 are required to register in the event the military needs them. Now, Colorado U.S. Reps. Mike Coffman, and Jared Polis, a Republican and Democrat respectively, have introduced a bill to do away with the agency. They argue it's costly and unnecessary. Another bill in Congress would require women to sign up along with men. We speak with Coffman and Christopher Capozzola, a professor of history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.By Sabina Idayatova Azerbaijan Sumo Federation hosted an international sumo tournament including athletes from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Sri Lanka and Jordan. Head coach of Azerbaijan team, Secretary General of Sumo Federation, International Judge Rufat Ismayilov informed about this on November 26. "Prizes were awarded in the absolute weight category, in which the weight of the athletes did not matter," Ismayilov said. One of the leaders of the Georgian team Levan Berianidze, whose weight is 150 kg, become a champion after a persistent and fascinating match. In the final round, he defeated Azerbaijani athlete, World and European champion Namig Sadikhov In the semifinals Sadikhov (weight 85 kg) defeated a world championship medalist from Georgia Aftandil Tsertsevadze (weight 215 kg), who eventually shared the bronze pedestal with Azerbaijani athlete, winner of the European Youth Championship Amiraslan Ahmadov.A California man who spent over 30 years behind bars for a murder he didn't commit has finally been set free. Andrew Leander Wilson had maintained his innocence since his arrest in the 1984 murder of 21-year-old Christopher Hanson, who was stabbed to death in a late night attack in Los Angeles. Watch: Man Who Served 27 Years in Prison for Rape and Murder Was Framed by Police With the help of the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent, those decades of tenacity paid off Wednesday when a judge ordered the 62-year-old's release. The decision came after Deputy District Attorney Erika Jerez said in a Superior Court ruling that there were errors in the case against Wilson. Judge Laura Priver expressed her gratitude to the DA’s office and Wilson then reportedly thanked the judge. “You are welcome, Mr. Wilson," the judge replied. The following day, when he was reunited with his family members as a free man outside the downtown Los Angeles jail, Wilson said he felt no bitterness. Wilson hugged and kissed members of his family as news crews clamored to capture the emotional moment. "Those are my sisters right there," he said. "I’ve got a lot of sisters and brothers." Cameras continued to roll as Wilson walked away, smiling while arm-in-arm with his family members. Wilson plans to travel to St. Louis to spend time with his 96-year-old mother, Margie Davis, according to The Associated Press. Davis spent decades working to right what she knew was her son's wrongful conviction. Read: Exclusive: Although Court Says Woman Was Wrongfully Convicted of Killing Son, Her Ex Believes 'She Killed Him' "I wrote letters to the governor, to the police, to the Justice Department. I wrote to everybody over 30 years,” she told the wire service. “The system we’re living in, you never know what’s going to happen. But I never gave up." The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has said it will not re-try Wilson. Watch: Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for 31 Years Gets Just $75 for His TroubleThe United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the lower chamber of the United States Congress, along with the United States Senate, commonly known as the upper chamber, are the two parts of the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. Like its counterpart, the House was established by the United States Constitution and convened for its first meeting on March 4, 1789 at Federal Hall in New York City. The history of this institution begins several years prior to that date, at the dawn of the American Revolutionary War. The Continental Congresses [ edit ] The First Continental Congress was a meeting of representatives of twelve of Great Britain's seventeen North American colonies, in the autumn of 1774. The Continental Congress sent a list of grievances to King George III. When the King failed to respond, and the American Revolutionary War began in April 1775, the Second Continental Congress was convened—this time with thirteen colonies in attendance. A year later, on 4 July 1776, the Continental Congress declared the thirteen colonies free and independent states, referring to them as the "united States of America." This was not a formal name, however, so "united" was not capitalized in the Declaration of Independence, "States" being capitalized only because all nouns were capitalized in English before the Industrial Revolution. The Second Continental Congress continued in office while the War for Independence continued, producing the Articles of Confederation— the country's first constitution— in 1777, which was ratified by all of the states by 1781. Articles of Confederation and new Constitution [ edit ] Under the Articles of Confederation, the Congress of the Confederation was a unicameral body in which each state was equally represented, and in which each state had a veto over most action. States could, and did, ignore what did pass. The ineffectiveness of the federal government under the Articles led Congress to summon the Convention of 1787. One of the most divisive issues facing the Convention was the structure of Congress. James Madison's Virginia Plan called for a bicameral Congress; the lower house would be elected directly by the people, and the upper house would be elected by the lower house. The plan drew the support of delegates from large states such as Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, as it called for representation based on population. The smaller states, however, favored the New Jersey Plan, which called for a unicameral Congress with equal representation for the states. Eventually, a compromise, known as the Connecticut Compromise or the Great Compromise was reached; one house of Congress (the House of Representatives) would provide proportional representation, whereas the other (the Senate) would provide equal representation. The Constitution was ratified by the end of 1788, and its full implementation was set for March 4, 1789. 18th century [ edit ] The House of Representatives began work on April 1, 1789, when it achieved a quorum for the first time,[1] with 59 members elected from 11 states. In 1790, North Carolina and Rhode Island elected representatives (see: 1788 and 1789 United States House of Representatives elections), bringing the total count of representatives to 65.[2][3][4] In the 1st United States Congress, Frederick Muhlenberg, a Pennsylvania Lutheran minister and politician, was the first Speaker of the House. 19th century [ edit ] The early 19th century was marked by frequent clashes between the House of Representatives and the Senate. For most of the first half of the 19th century, a balance between the free North and the slaveholding South existed in the Senate, as the numbers of free and slave states were equal. However, since the North was much more populous than the South, it dominated the House of Representatives. In 1825, new Speaker of the House Henry Clay also officially announced that he and his followers would separate from Andrew Jackson and form the National Republican Party. Clay lost to Jackson in the 1832 presidential election and moved to the Senate. Historical graph of party control of the Senate and House as well as the Presidency [5] During the Civil War, the key policy-maker in Congress was Thaddeus Stevens, as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and as Republican floor leader. He took charge of major legislation that funded the war effort and revolutionized the nation's economic policies regarding tariffs, bonds, income and excise taxes, national banks, suppression of money issued by state banks, greenback currency, and western railroad land grants.[6] Stevens was also one of the major policymakers regarding Reconstruction, and obtained a House vote of impeachment against President Andrew Johnson (who was acquitted by the Senate in 1868). Hans Trefousse, his leading biographer, concludes that Stevens "was one of the most influential representatives ever to serve in Congress. [He dominated] the House with his wit, knowledge of parliamentary law, and sheer willpower, even though he was often unable to prevail."[7] Historiographical views of Stevens have dramatically shifted over the years, from the early 20th-century view of Stevens and the Radical Republicans as tools of big business and motivated by hatred of the white South, to the perspective of the neoabolitionists of the 1950s and afterwards, who applauded their efforts to give equal rights to the freed slaves. The Democrats were a weak minority from 1861 to 1874, then made a major comeback in 1874 by winning 93 seats held by the GOP and becoming the majority. The Gilded Age was marked by close balances in the House, with the parties alternating control. Between 1860 and 1920 the average tenure of House members doubled from four to eight years. This number reflects the growth of "congressional careerism." The House began to develop a more stable culture, sessions of the House became longer, and members of the House began to specialize in specific areas of policy. Power was decentralized from the Speaker of the House, and seniority nearly assured advancement within the House. The increasing importance of the federal government, an increasing acceptance of lengthy congressional service, and (after 1896) a decline in the partisan competitiveness of congressional districts all contributed to the growing length of the average term of House members.[8] 20th and 21st-centuries [ edit ] House of Representatives 1900-48 The early 20th century witnessed the rise of party leadership in both houses of Congress. In the House of Representatives, the office of Speaker became extremely powerful, reaching its zenith under the Republican Joseph Gurney Cannon. In particular, committee chairmen remained particularly strong in both houses until the rules reforms of the 1970s. On November 7, 1916 Jeannette Rankin was elected to Montana's at-large seat in the House of Representatives, becoming the first female member of Congress.[9] In 1973 Speaker of the House Carl Albert appointed Felda Looper as the first female page in the House of Representatives.[10] After the beginning of the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Democrats controlled the House from 1931 to 1994, with two exceptions (1946 and 1952), as the New Deal Coalition was successful. In terms of legislation, however, the Conservative coalition usually blocked liberal legislative proposals, except in 1964-65 when President Lyndon Johnson had the majorities to pass his Great Society proposals. The most important leader was long-time Democratic Speaker Sam Rayburn. The Republicans under Newt Gingrich returned to a majority in the election of 1994, as part of the Republican Revolution that gave the party both houses and a majority of governorships that year. The Democrats gained 30 seats in the 2006 elections, regaining control and electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker. They strengthened their control during the 2008 elections, gaining an additional 21 seats. However, the Republicans took 63 seats in the 2010 elections, the largest seat change for any election since 1948. Republican control of the house remained until the 2018 elections. Number of Representatives [ edit ] Size of House of Representatives 1789-2009 The 435 seats of the House grouped by state Congress has the power to regulate the size of the House of Representatives, and the size of the House has varied through the years in response to the admission of new states, reapportionment following a census, and the Civil War.[11] Year 1789 1791 1793 1803 1813 1815 1817 1819 1821 1833 1835 1843 1845 1847 1851 1853 1857 Representatives 65 69 105 141 182 183 185 187 213 240 242 223 225 227 233 234 237 Year 1861 1863 1865 1867 1869 1873 1883 1889 1891 1893 1901 1911 1913 1959 1961 1963 Representatives 178 183 191 193 243 293 325 330 333 357 386 391 435 436 437 435 In 1911, Congress passed the Apportionment Act of 1911, also known as 'Public Law 62-5', which capped the size of the United States House of Representatives at 435 seats.[12][13] Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii were each granted one representative when they first entered the union. During the next reapportionment, the size of the House was again limited to 435 seats, with the seats divided among the states by population, with each state getting at least one seat. By the 2000s, the U.S. population had more than tripled since the 1911 expansion of the House to its current 435 seats; accordingly, proposals began to be made by commentators such as George F. Will, Robert Novak, and Paul Jacob to further increase the size of the House.[14] One such proposal, the Wyoming Rule, calls for adding enough members to Congress to reduce the population of the average Congressional district to the population of the least populous state's smallest district; in 1990, this would have resulted in a total House size of 547. References [ edit ] American National Biography (1999), contains biographies of all politicians no longer alive. (1999), contains biographies of all politicians no longer alive. Alexander, De Alva Stanwood. History and Procedure of the House of Representatives (1916) Alva Stanwood Alexander&dcontributors=De%20Alva%20Stanwood%20Alexander online edition (1916) Alva Stanwood Alexander&dcontributors=De%20Alva%20Stanwood%20Alexander online edition Barone, Michael, and Grant Ujifusa, The Almanac of American Politics 1976: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts (1975). (1975). Davidson, Roger H., and Walter J. Oleszek, eds. (1998). Congress and Its Members, 6th ed. Washington DC: Congressional Quarterly. (Legislative procedure, informal practices, and member information) , 6th ed. Washington DC: (Legislative procedure, informal practices, and member information) Roger H. Davidson, Susan Webb Hammond, Raymond W. Smock, eds; Masters of the House: Congressional Leadership over Two Centuries Westview Press, 1998 online edition Westview Press, 1998 online edition Galloway; George B. History of the House of Representatives (1962) online edition (1962) online edition Green, Matthew N. The Speaker of the House: A Study of Leadership (Yale University Press; 2010) 292 pages; Examines partisan pressures and other factors that shaped the leadership of the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; focuses on the period since 1940. (Yale University Press; 2010) 292 pages; Examines partisan pressures and other factors that shaped the leadership of the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; focuses on the period since 1940. Hunt, Richard. (1998). "Using the Records of Congress in the Classroom," OAH Magazine of History, 12 (Summer): 34–37. , 12 (Summer): 34–37. MacNeil, Neil. Forge of Democracy: The House of Representatives (1963) popular history by a journalist (1963) popular history by a journalist Robert V. Remini. The House: The History of the House of Representatives (2006) standard scholarly history (2006) standard scholarly history Ritchie, Donald A. (1997). "What Makes a Successful Congressional Investigation." OAH Magazine of History, 11 (Spring): 6–8. , 11 (Spring): 6–8. Wilson, Woodrow. (1885). Congressional Government. Julian E. Zelizer. On Capitol Hill: The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences, 1948-2000 (2004) (2004) Julian E. Zelizer. ed. The American Congress: The Building of Democracy (2004), essays by leading scholarsGet the biggest Aston Villa FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Aston Villa club director General Charles Krulak has backed the club to avoid relegation and stated that to do so they must summon the spirit of the US Marines. Villa sit on eight points and on the back of a dismal run that has left very few with any real belief that they can avoid the Championship. However, the former Gulf War commander, board member and ally of Randy Lerner doesn't see things like that. Speaking to The Sun, Krulak, 73, said:“I faced way bigger 'losing battles' than this — and won them. You can’t tell me this is impossible. Three wins in a row and we are back in the mix. That’s what Randy believes and what everyone at the Villa believes. The day you don’t believe is the day you quit. “Let’s just look at Desert Storm. It was 4am and we were standing next to minefields separating Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. There were trenches filled with gas, massive artillery ready to rain down on us and the threat of chemical attack. My next in command looked at me and said, ‘How are we gonna get through this?’ Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now “I said, ‘We’re gonna do it, we’re gonna go through this like a knife through butter’." Krulak goes on in the interview to say that the club must never give up and that Randy Lerner shares these beliefs because his father was in the US Marines. He also states that Randy Lerner is 100% behind beating relegation and supporting his manager.“Any woman who is sure of her own wits, is a match, at any time, for a man who is not sure of his own temper.” – Wilkie Collins Contents: 1.) Introduction 2.) Male Ignorance 3.) Insecurity: A Basis for Feminine Indignance 4.) Cause & Effect vs Solipsistic Blame Attribution 5.) The Invalidity of Female Emotion & It’s Frustrative Affectation 6.) Emotional Endurance 7.) In Closing 1.) Introduction: You do not argue with women when you wish for them to comprehend, comply or agree. You cannot argue against woman’s feelings, only manipulate them. Argument necessitates reason, but reason is ineffectual in conflict with women. In non-political
called for military discipline from the cabinet ranks to confront the "dangerous enemy" of Mr Corbyn. In an interview with LBC Radio, Mrs May urged ministers to "accept collective responsibility". Asked whether there would be any punishment for those who'd leaked private conversations, she said there was "no such thing as an unsackable minister but at the moment the team is together and we're getting on with the job of delivering what we believe that British public want us to do".3D Inverted Pendulum Swing-up and Catch with a Crazyflie Quadcopter The specific task presented in this project is the swing-up of a ball hanging from the bottom of the quadrotor and then catching the ball in a basket on the top of the quadrotor (i.e. the drone must successfully complete the “Bilbo Catcher” game). This task is important because it is a highly visual demonstration of the dynamic capabilities of modern quadrotors, and gives insight into advanced control strategies that can be adapted to other complex tasks. This project is decomposed into three major control challenges: (1) a trajectory tracking Controller, (2) a swing-up trajectory generator, and (3) a ball-catching controller. The control problem is decomposed into several parts depending on the state of the hybrid dynamical system. The first major step is the development and implementation of an effective trajectory tracking controller. The main challenge and novelty in this work is the formulation of the trajectory generation problem as a sparse nonlinear optimization problem. Using this framework, an optimal swing-up trajectory is generated. Then, when the string loses tension and the hybrid dynamics of the ball switch to a ballistic model, the controller switches into a ball catching mode, detailed below. Position Control This control system is a series of cascading PD controllers. At the highest level, a global position setpoint is given (or generated by a trajectory generator) to a position controller, which uses PD position control to produce a desired orientation and thrust of the quadrotor. This desired orientation is then passed to a PD controller that regulates the quadrotor attitude through three torques around the quadrotor body axes. These three desired torques and the desired thrust is then passed to a motor controller that translates them into rotor velocities using the transformation detailed in the system model section. Swing-Up Trajectory Generation Optimal trajectory generation methods are utilized to generate realistic a swing-up trajectory for the quadrotor system. Direct collocation is used to generate full state trajectories of both the quadrotor and the ball, as well as nominal inputs to generate these state trajectories during swing-up. This trajectory optimization framework is able to quickly and effectively find swing-up trajectories for the quadrotor. The nonlinear optimization problem was solved using Matlab’s fmincon, and generally solved in under ten seconds. String Length Optimization One freely tunable physical parameter of our system was the length of the string used to suspend the ball. In order to find the optimal string length, a brute-force optimization was solved. String lengths were varied from 0.1 meter to 0.4 meters in 0.01 meter increments, and for each string length a nominal swing-up trajectory was generated and simulated. These trials were then evaluated according to the following objection function: Where u is the actuator effort, x is the full state, and t_a is the time the ball spends above the quadrotor during swing-up. The t_a parameter was included because it was observed during testing that the swing-up catch success rate was directly correlated to the amount of time the quadrotor had to catch the ball. In other words, the longer the ball is above the quadrotor, the longer the quadrotor has to respond and reach the catch position. According to this cost function, the optimal string length was found to be 30 cm, which was used in hardware testing. Swing-Up Dimensionality Reduction For effective hardware implementation, the full 16 dimensional state trajectory generated by the direct collocation algorithm were projected onto a one-dimensional control parameterization. This is believed to be valid because the direct collocation algorithm produced trajectories that were inert in most quadrotor states. The pendulum excitation was produced by oscillations in the sagittal plane. To reduce the dimensionality of the trajectory tracking problem, these optimally generated oscillations were fit with a one-dimensional sinusoidal function. A sine wave with the fitted amplitude and frequency is used as the reference trajectory for the physical system. This low-dimensional trajectory was tested in simulation with the following results: Ball Catching The second major design challenge is the development and implementation of a controller capable of catching the swinging load. To do this, we forward-predict the ball trajectory at every time step, giving it the ability to effectively deal with unmodeled disturbances. In order to forward-predict the location of the ball, it is treated as a ballistic mass with negligible air resistance. Current velocities of the ball are approximated using a first-order backward difference derivative approximation, and the filtered using an exponential moving average filter with an alpha value of 0.1: The forward predicted ball location is then commanded as a position setpoint to the quadrotor. This behavior can be seen in the following image, which was generated with actual test data. The current ball location is shown in white, and the predicted ball location is shown in magenta. Switching Manifold A central component of successful ball-in-cup behavior is effective switching between control phases. This is accomplished through a succession of switching conditions. At every time step in the swing-up phase, the maximum height location the ball will achieve during that swing is calculated through simple energy balance formulas: Once the maximum predicted z height reaches a user-defined threshold, which in our case was defined as 80% of the maximum pendulum length, the system prepares to switch into the ball-catching control mode. This prediction can be seen in the following image, which was generated using real test data. The predicted ball height is shown in magenta during swing-up. When the controller switches to ball-catching mode, the predicted ball ballistic trajectory location is then shown. Implementation Special thanks to Lawrence Papincak, who lead the team in getting the simulated results implemented on the actual crazyflie hardware. An overview of the system architecture he put together is shown here: Results The above image demonstrates the harmony achieved between our constrained trajectory optimization (top right in 3D, lower right in 2D) and our implementation (top left real video, bottom left RVIZ view), despite idealized dynamical assumptions and dimensionality reduction of the generated trajectories. This system was capable of achieving ~40% success rate, a great achievement considering we went from no quadcopter experience to this in a single semester. Another fun by-product of the controls and system work detailed above was intuitive quadcopter control through ball position tracking:Gone in 60 Seconds Theatrical release poster Directed by H. B. Halicki Produced by H. B. Halicki Written by H. B. Halicki Starring H. B. Halicki Eleanor Marion Busia Jerry Daugirda James McIntyre George Cole Ronald Halicki Markos Kotsikos Music by Ronald Halicki Philip Kachaturian Cinematography Jack Vacek Edited by Warner E. Leighton Distributed by H.B. Halicki Junkyard and Mercantile Company Release date July 28, 1974 ( ) (United States) (United States) Running time 105 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $150,000[1] Box office $40 million Gone in 60 Seconds is a 1974 American action film written, directed, produced by, and starring H.B. "Toby" Halicki.[2] It centers on a group of car thieves and the 48 cars they must steal in a matter of days. The film is known for having wrecked and destroyed 93 cars in a 40-minute car chase scene. A total of 127 cars were either destroyed or damaged throughout the entirety of the film. [2] It is the basis for the 2000 remake starring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. Plot [ edit ] Maindrian Pace is a respectable insurance investigator who runs an automobile chop shop in Long Beach, California. He is also the leader of a professional car theft ring, who steals and re-sells stolen cars; using the vehicle identification number (VIN), engines, parts, and details (such as parking decals and bumper stickers) sourced from legitimately-purchased wrecks. As an insurance industry insider, Pace does have one small idiosyncrasy: All vehicles stolen must be insured. Pace is approached by a South American drug lord who offers $400,000 in exchange for the theft of 48 specific vehicles, to be delivered to the Long Beach docks within five days. The list includes limousines, semi-trailer trucks, vintage cars, and exotics; rendering the order difficult to fill within the time limit. Nevertheless, Pace is confident that the order can be filled by the March 2, 1974 deadline. Mapping out a basic strategy, the thieves scout out their vehicular targets; all of which have been given female code names. The plan goes smoothly – with even some of the more eclectic vehicles acquired with relative ease – but obstacles mount. Chief of these difficulties is a yellow, 1973 Ford Mustang, code named "Eleanor." The first "Eleanor" they come across is occupied; they locate this car again but stealing it results in a chase as its drunken owner pursues Pace. A second "Eleanor" is acquired seemingly without issue. Further tension enters into the picture when a white Cadillac – stolen as part of the order – is found to contain several kilos of heroin stashed in its trunk. Pace's brother-in-law, Eugene, sees the heroin as a profitable side business; Pace disagrees, viewing the heroin as a threat to the security of the operation. Against Eugene's vehement protests, Pace does not relinquish the heroin, and has the Cadillac and its contents burned at a remote location – unbeknownst to Eugene. The theft of all 48 vehicles is soon completed, but the second "Eleanor" is discovered to be uninsured within hours of delivery to the docks. After pleas from fiancée Pumpkin Chase, Pace agrees to return it – only because he is aware of a third match for "Eleanor" at the International Towers in Long Beach. At the same time, Eugene learns of the Cadillac's fate and attempts to start a brawl; ultimately leaving the office in a rage. Gone in Sixty Seconds 1971 (as 1973) Ford Mustang Sportsroof from the 1974 film Pace prepares to steal the third "Eleanor", unaware that Eugene has anonymously tipped off the police. As a result of the tip-off, two detectives (Butch Stockton and Phil Woods) in an unmarked Mercury corner the disguised Pace as he exits the International Towers. A 40-minute car chase (in which 93 vehicles are destroyed) ensues, covering six California cities from Long Beach to Carson. Eluding the police with speed and driving skill, Pace keeps from being caught by police – but not without causing irreparable damage to the car. Pace is now desperate; police blockades and surveillance surround the areas. Pace spots another "Eleanor" Mustang pulling into a car wash. Realizing an opportunity, Pace drives the abused Mustang up to the wash entrance, leaves it with the staff, and then dupes the owner of the fourth Mustang (under the guise of being the manager of the car wash). After a quick license plate swap and removal of his disguise, he subsequently leaves the car wash with the intact Mustang. Meanwhile, the duped owner is inquiring with the manager of the car wash as to the whereabouts of her Mustang – and faints at the sight of the wrecked car as it exits the wash bay. The police, spotting the wrecked Mustang, quickly descend upon the scene to arrest the manager of the car wash, who matches the description of Pace. The film ends as Pace clears a police roadblock, driving the fourth "Eleanor". Production [ edit ] Gone in 60 Seconds is classified as an independent film. H. B. Halicki wrote, starred, directed, produced and even did his own stuntwork in the film. In a contemporary context, the portions of the film preceding the chase sequences are generally seen as on par with a period B-film. Halicki employed family and friends (instead of professional actors) to play parts in his movie to keep the budget low. The characters depicted as being members of the emergency services were actual police officers, firemen, or paramedics. The then-mayor of Carson, California, Sak Yamamoto, also appears as himself. All of the police cars damaged in the film, the garbage truck that overturns, three fire trucks (including two waiting for the cars to clear, and another one stopping to put out a fire) were bought at city auction by Halicki in 1972, for an average price of $200 each. Everything sat in an empty lot for over a year until production began in 1973. The fire trucks seen on the Vincent Thomas Bridge during the main chase were real Long Beach FD units on their way to an actual emergency call. The "crash" staged for the film blocked both lanes, preventing the trucks from proceeding until the cars were cleared. Halicki asked the camera crew to film them in case he found a place and time to fit the shots into the movie. There was no official script, apart from several pages outlining main dialog sequences. Much of the action/dialog was improvised and ad-libbed by the cast and crew as they went along. This caused many problems for the editor, Warner E. Leighton, who never knew what footage was being dumped on him or where in the movie it belonged. In the DVD audio commentary, he described the script for the construction site scenes of the main pursuit as a piece of cardboard with a circle on it. Halicki pointed at it and said, "That's the dust bowl. We went around it twice. There's your script." The pursuit is the longest car chase (40 minutes) in movie history and takes Pace through five cities as he attempts to lose police. Nearly every civilian vehicle seen in close proximity to the main chase (especially in downtown Long Beach) was owned by Halicki. This resulted in several cars appearing multiple times in the 40-minute sequence. The intact "Eleanor" used for beauty shots and the white Ford used by Pace and Stanley can be seen parked in a few Long Beach sequences. Locations [ edit ] The workshop scenes at Chase Research were filmed at Halicki's real-life workshop. Occasionally, filming would stop for several days so he could repair cars to earn money and continue production. The building on the waterfront where the vehicles were apparently stored was only used for the outside shot of the building. The final jump was filmed at 190th Street and Green Lane in Redondo Beach, California. Real accidents [ edit ] In one scene at the construction area, a patrol car roars up a hill in pursuit and overturns. This was not planned; the driver inside was nearly crushed when the siren "can" on the roof caved the roof in. The scene was left in the finished film. J.C. Agajanian Jr., who plays a detective in the roadblock sequence at Torrance Mazda Agency, was almost killed when Halicki missed his mark, hitting one of the unmarked Plymouth Belvedere[3] patrol cars, sending it careening towards Agajanian, who missed it by quick reflexes and luck. The near collision was left in the film and is very apparent. The scene where "Eleanor" is rear-ended by a Cadillac Eldorado on the northbound Interstate 110 at the Carson Street exit, and spins into a light pole at 100 mph was a real accident. Halicki was badly hurt and filming was stopped while he recovered. According to people on the set, the first thing Halicki said when he regained consciousness was, "Did we get coverage?" Likewise, the film's opening scene captures the aftermath of a real-life train derailment that was not part of the original shooting script; when Halicki heard about this, he wanted to incorporate it into the film. From the part in the scene when Elanor comes to a stop after hitting the light pole, the cut-scene edit when the detective in chase sticks his head out of the passenger window and says, "He just hit a damned light pole", the scene immediately following was 3 weeks later. Halicki finished the rest of the film in a full leg cast and several broken ribs. Stunts [ edit ] The Ford Country Squire station wagon that flips during the earlier night-time chase in Torrance was overturned by six men lifting it up from one side. The film was later skip-framed to create the desired effect. The garbage truck that overturns was pulled by cables attached to two tow trucks. The cables attached to the top of the truck are clearly visible as it topples. To achieve the effect of cars sliding into each other at Moran Cadillac, an oil slick was placed under the tires of the first car to assist it in sliding. According to the commentary track on the DVD, the film company owned the first two Cadillacs in the row; the remainder were the dealer's. When it came time to do the stunt, the oil trick worked too well – many of the agency's own Cadillacs were badly damaged. Halicki had to purchase all of them. The jump scene at the end of the chase is notable and set the standards for a number of subsequent pictures. Acting as the climax to the lengthy chase sequence, the "Eleanor" jump managed to achieve a height of 30' over a 128' distance, a feat rarely attempted today without CGI or a gas-driven catapult (as was used to jump the General Lee in the 2005 film remake of "The Dukes of Hazzard)." Halicki compacted ten vertebrae performing this jump. The injury was not serious, although director of photography Jack Vacek claims that Halicki never walked the same again. General public as extras [ edit ] With the exception of a few cast extras, the bulk of the bystanders in the movie are the general public going about their business. This caused several incidents wherein people assumed a real police pursuit was in progress, with many trying to help the accident "victims". For example in the scene at the Carson Street off-ramp, where the two cars collide after Maindrian drives against traffic, a pedestrian can be seen in the background shouting angrily at the passing police cars for not stopping to help the occupants. Much of the crowd at the gas station, where Harold Smith is pulled over after the nighttime Torrance chase, were part of a real biker gang who verbally abused the police officers "arresting" the actor and demanded they leave him alone. Ronald Halicki, the director's real-life brother who played Corlis Pace in the film, operated the crane that lifted "Jill", the red Challenger, to its fate in the car-crusher at the junkyard. "In" jokes [ edit ] When Maindrian is first telling Atlee about the new contract, a message on the blackboard behind them says, "Sgt. Hawkins called about Vacek case" — a reference to director of photography Jack Vacek. The license plate of the Rolls-Royce outside the airport reads, "HBH," the initials of the film's star/director/writer, H. B. Halicki. When Pumpkin tells Maindrian that they have to give "Eleanor" back because the car is not insured, Maindrian reads the owner's address from a newspaper: 18511 S. Mariposa Ave, Gardena. This was, in fact, Halicki's home address at the time. Early in the film, when the boys are stripping down the Challenger, they are conversing about how Atlee became a "professional". Atlee says, "Butch Stockton was a professional and he got caught." Butch Stockton is the driver of 1-Baker-11 in the film. In 1977, a follow-up of some sorts, titled Double Nickels, was released featuring most of the cast and crew from Gone in 60 Seconds including Jack Vacek, Ed Abrams, George Cole, and Mick Brennan, who would work for Halicki in his next two films, The Junkman and Deadline Auto Theft. Tony Syslo was the same cinematographer who later worked on those films, as well. Halicki received a special thanks credit in the film. Cast and crew [ edit ] Actor Role H.B. "Toby" Halicki Maindrian Pace Marion Busia Pumpkin Chase Jerry Daugirda Eugene Chase James McIntyre Stanley "Sage" Chase George Cole Atlee Jackson Ronald Halicki Corlis Pace Markos Kotsikos Uncle Joe Chase Christopher J.C. Agajanian Himself Gary Bettenhausen Himself Parnelli Jones Himself Terence H. Winkless Lyle Waggoner's Car Cleaner Butch Stockton 1-Baker-11 Detective (Driver) Phil Woods 1-Baker-11 Detective (Passenger) Wally Burr Male Police Dispatcher Hal McClain Himself (K-Fox announcer) Jonathan E. Fricke Himself (K-Fox interviewer) J.C. Agajanian, Jr. Light Blue Unmarked Detective Sak Yamamoto Himself (City of Carson mayor) Edward Abrahms Harold Blight Smith Edward Booker Lowrider Anthony Cole Lowrider Michael Cole Lowrider Mark Cole Lowrider Home video releases [ edit ] In 2000, Denice Shakarian Halicki and her business partner Michael Leone, under the banner Halicki Films, released the 25th anniversary remastered edition on DVD and VHS to American viewers. This special remastered edition contained a restored digital print of the film from the original 35mm masters, however all of the original music was replaced, due to rights issues, as were the sound effects and some dialog was even modified. *The original version had been released on video in the early 1980s, twice, by Full Throttle Video and again by Media Home Entertainment. This is deemed a collector's item and goes up for a lot of money online. In May 2005, a Region 2 DVD was released in Europe. The pre-release version of the movie can be seen (albeit in still frame form) on the 25th Anniversary DVD. By accessing the hidden "Easter Egg", one can watch an older version of the film, which contains many deleted scenes in the film's first half. At this time it is unknown whether this version will ever be released to the public in full form. In the Speed Channel broadcast of the movie, a 2002 documentary, hosted by Denice Halicki, is shown before the beginning of the film. The documentary described the production processes of the movies produced by H.B. Halicki as well as his life. On October 16, 2012, Denice Halicki and Leone, under the banner Halicki Films, released the Gone in 60 seconds DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. It includes a rare interview with Lee Iacocca. The original VHS release was on the Media Home Entertainment label in 1984. Other releases followed in 1989 again by Media Home Entertainment but the significance was that it had HI-FI audio. In 1990 Video Treasures released the last VHS version to include the original soundtrack. This release was on LP duplicated tape and did not include HI-FI audio. All other releases were released as SP mode tape as some sleeves had a SP mode sticker on the front of the jacket. The 48 cars stolen in the film [ edit ] Locations seen in film See also [ edit ]Who else has found mom facebook groups to be more hurtful than helpful? Why do you think moms are so judgmental in these groups? There are groups for things like breastfeeding support, natural/holistic parenting, babywearing, and several other generic groups where you can go to vent about all things parenting. They're mostly private or closed groups, so no one else can see them but the members of the group.At first I thought I had struck a gold mine when I joined. I can now connect with people who have similar goals, values, and mindsets as my own. I can ask questions that I am too afraid to ask my facebook friends or I can simply tell the groups things I know won't resonate with my other mom friends.But soon I started to see a pattern. Whenever I had a concern or wanted to ask an opinion on a choice I was making, I wasn't just getting help. I was getting sanctimonious responses that made me feel bad. I noticed that instead of people answering questions, they wanted to include their two cents about others' lifestyles and choices. It was often hard to differentiate between those who meant well and those who didn't.Here is the basic structure of a mom group thread:1. Answer to question2. Answer to question3. Answer to question4. Answer to question + Why are you choosing to partake in the irrelevant detail?5. The irrelevant detail is none of your business, although she shouldn't have included it in the post.6. I think it's awesome that she does that irrelevant detail! Go you!7. Answer to question8. You guys are all idiots. The answer is obviously ___9. You are clearly the idiot, look at your profile picture!10. Wow, I can't believe how much prejudice there is in this group, I'm leaving!!11. 17 more people partake in the irrelevant dramaYou see, the "specialty" groups are always going to be extreme. It's one way or the highway. If you are in a natural/holistic parenting group and you vaccinate, you will be asked several times why you even joined the group. And even if it's not a specialty group; the bigger the group, the more chance there is that there's going to be drama. Don't even get me started on how time consuming they can be. When I put my daughter down for the night, I would grab my phone and scroll through the feeds of these groups and just read all the nonsense. It was like watching a reality tv show. And finally I decided that I could be using that time so much better. I could be reading, or working on a craft, or learning a new language.So I quit all of these groups. I then joined some small groups where I knew there'd be a good energy. I made sure they were under 200 people. I want all the spaces in my life to be positive and encouraging. Now that I have less facebook groups to run to, if I have a mom question, I will be more inclined to reach out to real life mom friends as well as my own mom.LEGENDARY comedian Jerry Lewis was rushed to the hospital just before he was due on stage to hand Tom Cruise a prestigious Friars Club award. The 86-year-old entertainer collapsed with low blood sugar just before he was to take the stage in front of hundreds at a star-studded gala at the Waldorf Astoria in New York today. Lewis was due to be honoured with the Applause Award, and to present Tom Cruise with the Friars Club Entertainment Icon Award. Chairman of the Friars Foundation Ambassador Joseph Zappala told the crowd that Lewis had fallen ill shortly before the event and had been taken to the hospital, but was expected to recover. Accepting his award, Cruise later told the crowd, "I am sorry Jerry couldn't be here tonight, but I know he is going to be fine." It is believed Lewis was later released from the hospital and was resting at a Manhattan hotel room. Performers at the event, emceed by Alec Baldwin, included Bill Hader, Cuba Gooding Jr, Bebel Gilberto, Corinne Bailey Rae, Robin Thicke and the cast of Broadway's Rock of Ages. Cruise, who attended with his son Connor and daughter Suri, also said he was honoured to receive the Friars Club Entertainment Icon Award, the club's highest honor which has previously only been awarded to three recipients - Douglas Fairbanks, Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra. Reps for Lewis could not be reached last night and the Friars Club declined to comment. Read more at theNew York Post. Originally published as Comedian Jerry Lewis rushed to hospitalSoon-to-be-a-dad Michael makes a last ditch effort to save his longtime but addicted friend Chris from a foreseeable drug related death. Visiting Chris and handcuffing him to an exposed plumbing pipe, Michael forces his buddy into detox, but while watching over his friend he also discovers that all is not right within the territory Chris has drifted into. Situated on Indian Reservation land, the area seems to attract a number of strange people. Someone or some thing has a longtime interest in recording activities in the area, all captured on a variety of recording devices (CDs, film, phonographs, etc.). Michael comes to understand he's been pulled into the latest "story" of an unseen entity, one with a grizzly resolution projected for him and his pal unless they can possibly work out their own agreeable alternate ending. Written by statmanjeffThe personal fortunes of just 782 of the world's wealthiest people could power half the world—Africa, Latin America, and "most of Asia"—with 100 percent renewable energy within 15 years, according to a new report to be published Monday. Broken down by continent, it would take the wealth of just 53 rich people to power all of Africa, and a mere 32 prosperous people could plug in the vast majority of Latin America. "Our world faces two destructive and entwined crises—growing inequality and climate change. The time has come to address them together." —Sam Cossar-Gilbert, Friends of the Earth International Though the analysis from Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), a copy of which was shared with Common Dreams ahead of its release next week, does not argue "that the wealth of these particular individuals can or should be directly used to drive the needed energy transformation," the figures do reveal "a gross injustice" when it comes to global inequality that should serve as "a shocking and stark reminder that the finance for an energy transformation is certainly available." However, the report points out: "The political will to drive the transformation is, on the other hand, shockingly absent," as evidenced by "weak pledges of emission reductions" issued ahead of COP21 climate change negotiations scheduled to begin later this month. "This report is a wake up call for policy makers and governments," said FOEI program coordinator Sam Cossar-Gilbert. "Our world faces two destructive and entwined crises—growing inequality and climate change. The time has come to address them together." A recent UN assessment found that emissions pledges made by member nations for the upcoming COP21 climate talks in Paris represent just half of what they need to be to keep warming under the 2°C threshold. But groups including Greenpeace and Oxfam, as well as individual governments, are trumpeting the power of renewables to help reach global targets. Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency recently announced that renewable energy comprised nearly half of the world's power generation capacity in 2014, marking what it called a "clear sign that an energy transition is underway." "Business as usual is now longer an option. We need an energy revolution." —Dipti Bhatnagar, FOEI SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts Yet the call from FOEI "involves not just changing the energy source from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but a deeper transformation including democratic ownership of renewable energy resources." As Dipti Bhatnagar, FOEI climate justice and energy coordinator, declared: "Business as usual is now longer an option. We need an energy revolution." For example, the report suggests that "many parts of the world can and should leapfrog large transmission grids altogether, opting for energy independence with local renewable generation and storage in micro-grids." As John Farrell wrote for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance earlier this year, "[t]his approach works best not only because it marries authority and responsibility, leaving communities in charge of their own fate, but because it is a political strategy that builds a movement for more ambitious and rapid change in the energy economy." And it's a way to combat both global warming and worldwide inequality, crises that FOEI sees as deeply intertwined. "Climate change is a symptom of the dysfunction of the current system, especially the way that we produce, distribute, and consume energy," the report reads. "An energy system that fails to provide for billions of people now is clearly a major cause of catastrophic climate change and sky-high levels of inequality, all at the same time."Adolf Loos Ornament and Crime The human embryo goes through all the phases of animal life while still inside the womb. When man is born, his instincts are those of a newborn dog. His childhood runs through all the changes corresponding to the history of mankind. At the age of two he looks like a Papuan, at four like one of an ancient Germanic tribe, at six like Socrates, at eight like Voltaire. When he is eight years old, he becomes conscious of violet, the colour discovered by the eighteenth century, for until then violets were blue and purple-fish were red. The physicist today points out colours in the spectrum of the sun that have already been named, but whose comprehension has been reserved for future generations. The child is amoral. So is the Papuan, to us. The Papuan kills his enemies and eats them. He is no criminal but if a modern man kills someone and eats him, he is a criminal or a degenerate. The Papuan tattoos his skin, his boat, his rudder, his oars; in short, everything he can get his hands on. He is no criminal. The modern man who tattoos himself is a criminal or a degenerate. There are prisons in which eighty per cent of the prisoners are tattooed. Tattooed men who are not behind bars are either latent criminals or degenerate aristocrats. If someone who is tattooed dies in freedom, then he does so a few years before he would have committed murder. The urge to decorate one's face and everything in reach is the origin of the graphic arts. It is the babbling of painting. All art is erotic. The first ornament invented, the cross, was of erotic origin. The first work of art, the first artistic act, which the first artist scrawled on the wall to give his exuberance vent. A horizontal line: the woman. A vertical line: the man penetrating her. The man who created this felt the same creative urge as Beethoven, he was in the same state of exultation in which Beethoven created the Ninth. But the man of our own times who covers the walls with erotic images from an inner compulsion is a criminal or a degenerate. Of course, this urge affects people with such symptoms of degeneracy most strongly in the lavatory. It is possible to estimate a country's culture by the amount of scrawling on lavatory walls. In children this is a natural phenomenon: their first artistic expression is scribbling erotic symbols on walls. But what is natural for, a Papuan and a child, is degenerate for modern man. I have discovered the following truth and present it to the world: cultural evolution is equivalent to tbe removal of Ornament from articles in daily use. I thought I was giving the world a new source of pleasure with this; it did not thank me for it. People were sad and despondent. What oppressed them was the realization that no new ornament could be created. What every Negro can do, what all nations and ages have been able to do, why should that be denied to us, men of the nineteenth century? What humanity had achieved in earlier millennia without decoration has been carelessly tossed aside and consigned to destruction. We no longer possess carpenters' benches from the Carolingian period, but any trash that exhibited the merest trace of decoration was collected and cleaned up, and splendid palaces built to house it. People walked sadly around the showcases, ashamed of their own impotence. Shall every age have a style of its own and our age alone be denied one? By style they meant decoration. But I said: Don't weep! Don't you see that the greatness of our age lies in its inability to produce a new form of decoration? We have conquered ornament, we have won through to lack of ornamentation. Look, the time is nigh, fulfilment awaits us. Soon the streets of the town will glisten like white walls. Like Zion, the holy city, the metropolis of heaven. Then we shall have fulfillment But there are some pessimists who will not permit this. Humanity must be kept down in the slavery of decoration. People progressed far enough for ornament to give them pleasure no longer, indeed so far that a tattooed face no longer heightened their aesthetic sensibility, as it did with the Papuans, but diminished it. They were sophisticated enough to feel pleasure at the sight of a smooth cigarette case while they passed over a decorated one, even at the same price. They were happy with their clothes and glad that they did not have to walk about in red velvet pants with gold' braid like monkeys at a fair. And I said: look, Goethe's death chamber is more magnificent than all the Renaissance grandeur and a smooth piece of furniture more beautiful than all the inlaid and carved museum pieces. Goethe's language is finer than all the florid similes of the Pegnitz Shepherds1. The pessimist heard this with displeasure and the State, whose task it is to retard the cultural progress of the people, took up the fight for the development and revival of ornament. Woe to the State whose revolutions are made by Privy Councillors! A sideboard was soon on show in the Vienna Museum of Arts and Crafts called 'The Rich Haul of Fish', soon there were cupboards called 'The Enchanted Princess' or something similar, relating to the ornament that covered these unfortunate pieces. The Austrian government takes its task so seriously that it makes sure that puttees do not disappear from the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. It forces every civilized twenty-year-old man to wear puttees instead of knitted hose for three years. For every government still labours under the supposition that a nation on a low standard is easier to govern. All right, then, the plague of ornament is recognized by the State and subsidized by State finds. But I look on this as retrogression. I do not allow the objection that ornament heightens a cultivated man's joy in life; I do not allow the objection: 'but what if the ornament is beautiful...' As far as I am concerned, and this goes for all cultivated people, ornament does not give zest to life. If I want to eat some gingerbread, I choose a piece that is quite plain, and not in the shape of a heart or a baby
japes, rolling deep in the bants with the lads on a Friday, it’s probably legit. At the complete opposite end of the first-person game spectrum, Croteam have also been working on Serious Sam 4. Last we heard, Jonas Kyratzes and Verena Kyratzes had signed up as writers for it. You might remember them from the Lands of Dream games, and Jonas wrote on Talos too. It’s nice that they’ve become super-pals with Croteam."Vulnerable Cyborgs: Learning to Live with our Dragons", Mark Coeckelbergh (university); abstract: Transhumanist visions appear to aim at invulnerability. We are invited to fight the dragon of death and disease, to shed our old, human bodies, and to live on as invulnerable minds or cyborgs. This paper argues that even if we managed to enhance humans in one of these ways, we would remain highly vulnerable entities given the fundamentally relational and dependent nature of posthuman existence. After discussing the need for minds to be embodied, the issue of disease and death in the infosphere, and problems of psychological, social and axiological vulnerability, I conclude that transhumanist human enhancement would not erase our current vulnerabilities, but instead transform them. Although the struggle against vulnerability is typically human and would probably continue to mark posthumans, we had better recognize that we can never win that fight and that the many dragons that threaten us are part of us. As vulnerable humans and posthumans, we are at once the hero and the dragon. Bostrom has written a tale about a dragon that terrorizes a kingdom and people who submit to the dragon rather than fighting it. According to Bostrom, the “moral” of the story is that we should fight the dragon, that is, extend the (healthy) human life span and not accept aging as a fact of life (Bostrom 2005, 277). And in The Singularity is Near (2005) Kurzweil has suggested that following the acceleration of information technology, we will become cyborgs, upload ourselves, have nanobots in our bloodstream, and enjoy nonbiological experience. Although not all transhumanist authors explicitly state it, these ideas seem to aim toward invulnerability and immortality: by means of human enhancement technologies, we can transcend our present limited existence and become strong, invulnerable cyborgs or immortal minds living in an eternal, virtual world....However, in this paper, I will ask neither the ethical-normative question (Should we develop human enhancement techniques and should we aim for invulnerability?) nor the hermeneutical question (How can we best interpret and understand transhumanism in the light of cultural, religious, and scientific history?). Instead, I ask the question: If and to the extent that transhumanism aims at invulnerability, can it – in principle – reach that aim? The following discussion offers some obvious and some much less obvious reasons why posthumans would remain vulnerable, and why human vulnerability would be transformed rather than diminished or eliminated...However, to focus only on a defense or rejection of what is valuable in humans would leave out of sight the relation between (in)vulnerability and posthuman possibilities. It would lead us back to the ethical-normative questions (Is human enhancement morally acceptable? Is vulnerability something to be valued? Is the transhumanist project acceptable or desirable?), which is not what I want to do in this paper. Moreover, ethical arguments that present the problem as if we have a choice between “natural” humanity and “artificial” posthumanity are based on essentialist assumptions that make a sharp distinction between “what we are” (the natural) and technology (the artificial), whereas this distinction is at least questionable. Perhaps there is no fixed human nature apart from technology, perhaps we are “artificial by nature” (Plessner 1975). If this is so, then the problem is not whether or not we want to transcend the human but how we want to shape that posthuman existence. Should we aim at invulnerability and if so, can we? As indicated before, here I limit the discussion to the “can” question. Breaking down the potential improvements: Physical vulnerability Not only could human enhancement make us immune to current viruses; it could also offer other “immunities,” broadly understood...However, the project of total vulnerability or even overall reduction of vulnerability is bound to fail. If we consider the history of medical technology, we observe that for every disease new technology helps to prevent or cure, there is at least one new disease that escapes our techno-scientific control. We can win one battle, but we can never win the war. There will be always new diseases, new viruses, and, more generally, new threats to physical vulnerability. Consider also natural disasters caused by floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and so on. Moreover, the very means to fight those threats sometimes create new threats themselves. This can happen within the same domain, as is the case with antibiotics that lead to the development of more resistant bacteria, or in another domain, as is the case with new security measures in airports, which are meant as protections against physical harm by terrorism but might pose new (health?) risks. Paradoxically, technologies that are meant to reduce vulnerability often create new ones. This is also true for posthuman technologies. For example, posthumans would also be vulnerable to at least some of the risks Bostrom calls “existential risks” (Bostrom 2002), which could wipe out posthumankind. Nanotechnology or nuclear technology could be misused, a superintelligence could take over and annihilate humankind, or technology could cause (further) resource depletion and ecological destruction. Military technologies are meant to protect us but they can become a threat, making us vulnerable in a new way. We wanted to master nature in order to become less dependent on it, but now we risk destroying the ecology that sustains us. And of course there are many physical threats we cannot foresee – not even in the near future. Material and immaterial vulnerability Consider computer viruses. Here the story is similar to the story of biological viruses: there are ongoing cycles of threats, counter-measures, and new threats. We can also consider physical damage to computers, although that is much less common. In any case, if we extend ourselves with software and hardware, this creates additional vulnerabilities. We must cope with “software” vulnerability and “hardware” vulnerability. If humans and posthumans live in an “infosphere” (see for example Floridi 2002), this is not a sphere of immunity. Perhaps our vulnerability becomes less material, but we cannot escape it. For instance, a virtual body in a virtual world may well be shielded from biological viruses, but it is vulnerable to at least three kinds of threats. First, there are threats within the virtual world itself (consider for instance virtual rape), which constitutes virtual vulnerability. Second, the software programme that provides a platform for the virtual world might be damaged, for example by means of a cyber attack. This can lead to the “death” of the virtual character or entity. Third, all these processes depend on (material) hardware. The world wide web and its wired and wireless communications rest on material infrastructures without which the web would be impossible. Therefore, if posthumans uploaded themselves into an infosphere and dispensed with their biological bodies, they would not gain invulnerability and immortality but merely transform their vulnerability. Bodily vulnerability Minds need bodies. This is in line with contemporary research in cognitive science, which argues that “embodiment” is necessary since minds can develop and function only in interaction with their environment (Lakoff and Johnson 1999 and others). This direction of thought is also taken in contemporary robotics, for example when it recognizes that manipulation plays an important role in the development of cognition (Sandini et al. 2004). In his famous 1988 book on “mind children” Moravec argued that true AI can be achieved only if machines have a body (Moravec 1988)...Thus, uploading and nano-based cyborgization would not dispense with the body but transform it into a virtual body or a nano-body. This would create vulnerabilities that sometimes resemble the vulnerabilities we know today (for instance virtual violence) but also new vulnerabilities. Metaphysical vulnerability With this atomism comes that atomist view of death: there is always the possibility of disintegration; neither physical-material objects nor information objects exist forever. Information can disintegrate and the material conditions for information are vulnerable to disintegration as well. Thus, at a fundamental level everything is vulnerable to disintegration, understood by atomism as a re-organization of elementary particles. This “metaphysical” vulnerability is unavoidable for posthumans, whatever the status of their elementary particles and the organs and systems constituted by these particles (biological or not). According to their own metaphysics, the cyborgs and inforgs that transhumanists and their supporters wish to create would be only temporal orders that have only temporary stability – if any. Note, however, that recently both Floridi and contemporary physics seem to move toward a more ecological, holistic metaphysics, which suggests a different definition of death. In information ecologies, perhaps death means the absence of relations, disconnection. Or it means: deletion, understood ecologically and holistically as the removal out of the whole. But in the light of this metaphysics, too, there seems no reason why posthumans would be able to escape death in this sense. Existential and psychological vulnerabilities This gives rise to what we may call “indirect” or “second-order” vulnerabilities. For instance, we can become aware of the possibility of disintegration, the possibility of death. We can also become aware of less threatening risks, such as disease. There are many first-order vulnerabilities. Awareness of them renders us extra vulnerable as opposed to beings who lack such an ability to take distance from ourselves. From an existential-phenomenological point of view (which has its roots in work by Heidegger and others), but also from the point of view of common sense psychology, we must extend the meaning of vulnerability to the sufferings of the mind. Vulnerability awareness itself constitutes a higher-order vulnerability that is typical of humans. In posthumans, we could only erase this vulnerability if we were prepared to abandon the particular higher form of consciousness that we “enjoy.” No transhumanist would seriously consider that solution to the problem. Social and emotional vulnerability If I depend on you socially and emotionally, then I am vulnerable to what you say or do. Unless posthumans were to live in complete isolation without any possibility of inter-posthuman communication, they would be as vulnerable as we are to the sufferings created by the social life, although the precise relation between their social life and their emotional make-up might differ...For example, in Houellebecq’s novel the posthumans have a reduced capacity to feel sad, but at the cost of a reduced capacity to desire and to feel joy. More generally, the lesson seems to be: emotional enhancement comes at a high price. Are we prepared to pay it? Even if we succeed in diminishing this kind of vulnerability, we might lose something that is of value to us. This brings me to the next kind of vulnerability. Ethical-axiological vulnerability We value not only people and our relationships with them; we are also attached to many other things in life. Caring makes us vulnerable (Nussbaum 1986). We develop ties out of our engagement with humans, animals, objects, buildings, landscapes, and many other things. This renders us vulnerable since it makes us dependent on (what we experience as) “external” things. We sometimes get emotional about things since we care and since we value. We suffer since we depend on external things...Posthumans could be cognitively equipped to follow this strategy, for instance by means of emotional enhancement that allows more self-control and prevents them forming too strong ties to things. If we really wanted to become invulnerable in this respect, we should create posthumans who no longer care at all about external things – including other posthumans. That would be “posthumans” who no longer have the ability to care and to value. They would “connect” to others and to things, but they would not really engage with them, since that would render them vulnerable. They would be perfectly rational Stoics, perhaps, but it would be odd to call them “posthumans” at all since the term “human” would lose its meaning. It is even doubtful if this extreme form of Stoicism would be possible for any entity that possesses the capacity of valuing and that engages with the world. ' Relational vulnerability' /' Conclusion: Heels and dragons ' The only way to make an entity invulnerable, it turns out, would be to create one that exists in absolute isolation and is absolutely independent of anything else. Such a being seems inconceivable – or would be a particularly strange kind of god. (It would have to be a “philosopher’s” god that could hardly stir any religious feelings. Moreover, the god would not even be a “first mover,” let alone a creator, since that would imply a relation to our world. It is also hard to see how we would be aware of its existence or be able to form an idea about it, given the absence of any relation between us and the god.) Of course we could – if ethically acceptable at all – create posthumans that are less vulnerable in some particular areas, as long as we keep in mind that there are other sources of vulnerability, that new sources of vulnerability will emerge, and that our measure to decrease vulnerability in one area may increase it in another area. If transhumanists accept the results of this discussion, they should carefully reflect on, and redefine, the aims of human enhancement and avoid confusion about how these aims relate to vulnerability. If the aim is invulnerability, then I have offered some reasons why this aim is problematic. If their project has nothing to do with trying to reach invulnerability, then why should we transcend the human? Of course one could formulate no “ultimate” goals and choose less ambitious goals, such as more health and less suffering. For instance, one could use a utilitarian argument and say that we should avoid overall suffering and pain. Harris seems to have taken these routes (Harris 2007). And Bostrom frequently mentions “life extension” as a goal rather than “invulnerability” or “immortality.” But even in these “weakened” or at least more modest forms, the transhumanist project can be interpreted as a particularly hostile response to (human) vulnerability that probably has no parallel in human history....Furthermore, this paper suggests that if we can and must make an ethical choice at all, then it is not a choice between vulnerable humans and invulnerable posthumans, or even between vulnerability and invulnerability, but a choice between different forms of humanity and vulnerability. If implemented, human enhancement technologies such as mind uploading will not cancel vulnerability but transform it. As far as ethics is concerned, then, what we need to ask is which new forms of the human we want and how (in)vulnerable we wish to be. But this inquiry is possible only if we first fine-tune our ideas of what is possible in terms of enhancement and (in)vulnerability. To do this requires stretching our moral and technological imaginations. Moreover, if I’m right about the different forms of posthuman vulnerability as discussed above, then we must dispense with the dragon metaphor used by Bostrom: vulnerability is not a matter of “external” dangers that threaten or tyrannize us, but that have nothing to do with what we are; instead, it is bound up with our relational, technological and transient kind of being – human or posthuman. If there are dragons, they are part of us. It is our tragic condition that as relational entities we are at once the heel and the arrow, the hero and the dragon. Before criticizing it, I'd like to point to the introduction where the author lays out his mission: to discuss what problems cannot "in principle" be avoided, what vulnerabilities are "necessary". In other words, he thinks he is laying out fundamental limits, on some level as inexorable and universal as, say, Turing's Halting Theorem. But he is manifestly doing no such thing! He lists countless 'vulnerabilities' which could easily be circumvented to arbitrary degrees. For example, the computer viruses he puts such stock on: there is no fundamental reason computer viruses must exist. There are many ways they could be eliminated starting from formal static proofs of security and functionality; the only fundamental limit relevant here would be Turing/Rice's theorem, which is applicable only if we wanted to run all possible programs, which we manifestly cannot and do not. Similar points apply to the rest of his software vulnerabilities. I would also like to single out his 'Metaphysical vulnerability'; physicists, SF authors, and transhumanists have been, for decades, outlining a multitude of models and possibilities for true immortality, ranging from Dyson's eternal intelligences to Tipler's collapse to Omega point to baby blackhole-universes. To appeal to atomism is to already beg the question (why not run intelligence on waves or more exotic forms of existence, why this particle-chauvinism?). This applies again and again - the author supplies no solid proofs from any field, and apparently lacks the imagination or background to imagine ways to circumvent or dissolve his suggested limits. They may be exotic methods, but they still exist; were the author to reply that to employ such methods would result in intelligences so alien as to no longer be human, then I should accuse him of begging the question on a even larger scale - of defining the human as desirable and, essentially, as that which is compatible with his chosen limits. Since that question is at the heart of transhumanism, his paper offers nothing of interest to us.Q: Hello, Ira. Miami's potential starting five of Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside is being ranked as one of the best for this coming season based on name recognition, and, rightfully so. But if Miami inserted Gerald Green into the starting lineup at small forward, it would give the Heat the spot-up shooter needed that is capable of knocking down shots and is comfortable drifting to the corner and waiting for passes from Dragic and Wade when they drive and kick. Yes, Bosh will provide needed outside shot-making and hopefully he and Dragic will have excellent chemistry on pick-and-roll/pop opportunities. But do the Heat really want their starting power forward hovering around the arc on most possessions? Deng is Miami's best wing defender but I believe that a second unit of Mario Chalmers (if he is still on the team at the start of the season) or Tyler Johnson along with Luol Deng, Amar'e Stoudemire, Josh McRoberts or Chris Andersen (if he's still around, also) would be exciting. I know I didn't add anyone at backup shooting guard, and that's because it's the one position that Miami has not clearly solidified in my opinion (a shooter like J.R. Smith, Nick Young, O.J. Mayo or Kevin Martin would be the perfect complement to such a unit but no one of their caliber who is cost effective will be coming, so moving on). It would allow the Heat to get the most out of Deng's cutting and moving without the ball on offense, because Dragic and Wade both drive to the lane and look to finish, dish to a big man or pass out to a shooter. And, Deng's hustle will allow the second unit to continue to follow the tone of pushing the ball that Dragic will usually set at the outset of the game. Do you think Miami will consider such a move and do you think Deng would be receptive? Even if moved to the bench, Deng could still end up playing more minutes than Green. And, just like Ray Allen on the Heat's 2013 championship team and the 2014 team that lost in the Finals, he could still be one of the five on the floor when it's winning and closing time. -- Nikki. A: First, I think you need Deng's defense in the starting lineup. Otherwise, you're putting even more pressure on Wade at his advanced age. And I'm not sure you can cast yourself as a contender if you are starting Gerald Green. Green's best asset is his streak-scoring ability, something best injected off the bench. If anything, Deng is holding the starting position until Justise Winslow is able to take over. Honestly, it sure seems like the Heat's starting lineup is set in stone. And, to be honest, for a team that has been lacking so much continuity, there is plenty to be said about going into camp with a set plan in place. Q: Hi, Ira. James Ennis is walking a thin line going into training camp. He has shown promise, but hasn't really ever settled in and of course had a bad summer league, whatever that is worth. Personally I think if he improved his ballhandling to the point that he could get through defenders consistently, and had a more accurate 3, he'd be a very valuable asset to any NBA team. What does he have to do in training camp and what factors have to fall in his favor so the Heat guarantee his contract on the eve of the season? -- Jose, Miami. A: Hit 3-pointers. Display upgraded ballhandling. Defend like someone looking to become an NBA defensive stopper. He appears to have the tools. Now he also has the pressure to produce. And, as you and others have stated, the clock is ticking. Q: If Mario Chalmers gets traded, then who will be Goran Dragic's backup at point guard? No one seems to be talking about that much. -- Timmy. A: It would have to be a veteran point guard who would be signed as the minimum. I doubt you could go into a season with Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson as the primary depth to Goran. Veteran point guards like Nate Robinson, Ish Smith, Luke Ridnour and John Lucas III remain available, as do point guards who have spent time overseas.OMA Emirates Group has announced the creation of the OMA Emirates FinTech Fund with a corpus of $23 Mn. The fund looks to first focus on digital payments-specific startups, with a broader scope for other startups in the hotly contested fintech sector. The fund will deploy $3 Mn of the total corpus in payments-focussed startups that have been in operation for less than 12 months. The $20 Mn will be invested in other kinds of companies in the fintech space. Commenting on OMA Emirates’ move to set up a fund in Indian fintech, Niranj Sangal, Group CEO of the OMA Emirates Group said, “OMA Emirates is predominantly a financial technology company. We are firm believers that innovation is the key today and that it is stepping stone for any company. Keeping this in mind, the payments space, particularly in India has evolved with several remarkable innovations. Nearly 60 to 65% of Indian startups having tremendous potential to produce a great product cease operation primarily due to lack of funds. With the OMA Emirates FinTech Fund, we aim to aid such fintech startups which we believe will be a credible asset to OMA Emirates.” According to an official statement, OMA Emirates will provide support in terms of technology, R&D, practices and Go-to Market strategy. It is focussed on growing and developing fintech startups in addition to providing capital support. The OMA FinTech Fund will commence investments in India shortly, according to the same statement. An Overview Of OMA Emirates Group’s Forays In Indian Fintech A division of Al-Owais Group and based out of UAE, OMA Emirates Group is a fintech company that provides digital payments solutions. Some of these solutions include card printers and embossing products, payment terminals for card payments, wireless payment terminals and mobile payments terminals, thermal printers and multi-feeders etc. It claims to be operating in over nine countries, with a presence in Eastern Europe, APAC and Africa. The company mainly caters to clients in the BFSI space, retail, oil & gas, telecom and more. It counts prominent names such as Bank of Sharjah, HSBC, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi as clients, among others. A few months after demonetisation gave a huge boost to the vertical, especially in digital payments, OMA Emirates entered India with the acquisition of Gurugram-based Mobiswipe. This development occurred in February 2017. MobiSwipe is a payments enabler for merchants to facilitate payments via credit and debit cards through its mobile application. At the time of the acquisition, Suresh Santhanaramakrishnan, Director and Joint CEO, MobiSwipe said, “With the recent demonetisation announcement by the Government…the mobile payment market is witnessing a surge and MobiSwipe’s acquisition by OMA Emirates will definitely give it the right impetus to grow. Alongside, this acquisition will ensure that MobiSwipe makes the right international progress.” The OMA Emirates fund seems to be a natural extension of this school of thinking. Niranj Sangal reiterated India’s position in the global space by listing all the pivotal changes that have taken place over the last two years such as digital wallets, mPOS, NFC-based payments, BHIM, Aadhaar Enabled Payments Systems etc. “Consumers today are becoming increasingly accepting of digital methods. This further boosts innovation and has resulted in a fairly large number of new age entrepreneurs entering the sector with an aim to provide the next breakthrough solution. This reiterates the fact that India has a tremendous scope and will continue to evolve in the FinTech sector not limited only to payments,” he added. Keeping these points in mind, OMA Emirates FinTech Fund will look to invest in those companies in the financial technology sector that have breakout potential. But, the company will also back innovation in existing products and services depending on the national and international presence of the investee company. Fintech On Fire: Indian Startups Have Good Reason To Bank On VC Fund Investment According to a Google and Boston Consulting Group report, fintech in India is forecasted to touch $500 Bn by 2020. In fact, the Government of India is even more optimistic, with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad estimating that digital payments, in particular, has a potential to reach $50 Bn over the next few years. With such promising figures and a lot riding on the market, a number of firms, both foreign and India-based have created separate funds to cater especially to the startups in this space. The SBI launched a dedicated $30 Mn dedicated fund for fintech startups in July 2016. Called the IT Innovation Fund, the fund will provide assistance of up to INR 3 Cr to a firm registered in India for promoting their business innovations using technology in financial services. On the other hand, global financial consultancy giant Nomura announced the Voyager-Nomura FinTech partnership, and a $100 Mn global fund, in April 2017. In the same month, YES Bank chief Rana Kapoor’s daughters announced the launch of a $15.5 Mn fund and a fintech accelerator under the aegis of the Indian School of Management and Entrepreneurship (ISME). The Category 1 AIF (Alternative Investment Fund) will function independent of the parent company and cater to early-stage startups. A prominent VC investor in India, SAIF Partners has recently closed an India-focussed $350 Mn fund which will focus on early and late-stage startups in various domains including fintech. 35North Ventures has also received a nod from the Securities and Exchange Board Of India (SEBI) to launch a $20.8 Mn fund for early-stage startups in fintech, agritech, consumer tech and healthtech segment. In addition, according to Inc42 Datalabs, H1 2017 saw fintech emerge as one of the two hottest sectors in the Indian startup ecosystem, along with ecommerce. In terms of the amount being invested, fintech sector topped the charts – with about $2 Bn funding and the ecommerce sector stood second with $1.9 Bn. The second half of 2017 seems to be going strong for these startups too, with the emergence of one more fintech fund – the OMA Emirates FinTech Fund.by Jason Gilbert \| @YahooTech LOS ANGELES -- Sharing your Netflix account with a friend or lover who has dramatically different taste in movies than you do? Soon, there will be no need to worry about getting your Netflix recommendations all mixed up with theirs. Netflix will allow subscribers to set multiple user profiles on a single account starting later this summer, according to Netflix VP of Product Innovation Todd Yellin. Now in testing but expected to launch by the end of August, the service will either five or six (that's still up in the air) different users store their taste preferences on one account, so that Netflix's data engine can serve up personalized recommendations for family members or roommates sharing a single Netflix subscription. The company is showing off a prototype of the multiple profiles here at the E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles. When you fire up Netflix -- and you've elected to enable multiple profiles -- you'll be met with a start screen that shows avatars for the different users of your accounts. You click on the avatar of the person that's using the account, and you'll be taken into that user profile, with preferences and recommendations unique to that person's viewing history. Yellin showed Yahoo News a prototype of the start screen, with different avatars for different members of a single family; he stressed, however, that the look and feel of the screen is still in testing, and that the final product could appear differently when rolled out later this summer. Netflix will still only allow two users to stream on the same account simultaneously. The multiple profile feature is for separating recommendations and social sharing to each individual family member or roommate. Also in the works for Netflix is a remote control feature that will power on your television and allow you to control your Netflix app via iPhone or Android through your Wi-Fi connection. Netflix, along with YouTube, is working on convincing television manufacturers to implement a technological standard that allows this technology to work on all TVs, and an executive hopes that the standard will be universal in two to five years. Netflix's multiple user profiles have been in beta testing for several months. If all goes according to plan, the feature will roll out to all Netflix subscribers by summer's end.Google Earth Mash-Up Shows Best Areas for Renewable Energy Projects April 1st, 2009 by Ariel Schwartz You might think that renewable energy developers have few problems convincing towns to let them move in. But things can get surprisingly tricky when it comes to wildlife protection, according to a new map from the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Audubon Society. The Google Maps mash-up shows which renewable energy project locations are likely to provoke a fight based on the location of wilderness areas, areas where roads are banned, national parks, wildlife refuges, areas under consideration for wilderness protection, and areas that lack legal protection but contain endangered species. The map is a useful primer for companies, but inspection of the sites is obviously required to find out if development is suitable. While the NRDC’s mash-up is mainly intended for alternative energy developers, it is also useful for oil and gas prospectors as well as potential coal mine installations. As the NRDC’s website notes, “Knowing the location of sensitive lands is the first step toward ensuring that new projects and new transmission lines are built in the right way.” You can check out the map here.Consider, for a moment, the task of your razor. It must cut down a dense forest of coarse, stubborn hairs, and do it (ideally) in one pass. The hairs grow in every conceivable direction—including back into the skin—to dodge the blade’s advances. No matter. Each hair should be razed as close to its root as possible, but without damaging the soft, pliable surface from which it grows. Photo credit: Flickr user centralasian via Creative Commons. It’s a fool’s errand, really. But there’s a way for the razor to win. First it needs to slice into the hairs with a very thin, very sharp blade, and make the cut as effortless as possible. Then it needs to ease whatever friction might occur between the skin’s surface and the metal that passes over it. The design of the razor should be able to traverse small bumps, square jaws, thin upper lips, and fleshy corners under the chin. It can be done! But it’s taken nearly the entire history of man to get it right. Let’s just say, we’ve come a long way since removing hair with clamshells and shark’s teeth. The earliest shaving tools, described in cave drawings, employed a kind of catch and pull method, piercing the hair’s tough outer layer before forcefully breaking off the rest. Ouch. Shaving tools became more sophisticated for the Egyptians in the 4th millennium BCE, when razors made from solid gold or copper were used to liberate citizens of their unwanted manes. The face-scrapers likely evolved from flaying knives. One edge of the metal was sharpened on a crystalline whetstone, and they were handled either by gripping the blade’s blunt back edge or with a small handle attached to one side. Photo credit: Flickr user brianjmatis via Creatives Commons. Gold and copper, though, are pretty soft to be standing up to stubble. To build a better razor, we needed tougher materials—tougher materials that just weren’t available yet. It wasn’t until 2000 BCE, when humans learned to pull iron from ore, that tools became eligible for an upgrade. Shavers switched to iron around 1000 BCE. To give you a sense of how comfortable the experience was, some people preferred to pumice their face with volcanic rock as a hair-removal alternative. The story of the modern razor really begins with King Camp Gillette and his safety razor in 1903. Gillette was a salesman, and the straight razor really began to bother him. For one, it was hard to use on a train. And when they got dull enough, the only way to sharpen them was to take them to a barber, which was a drag, especially if your work is on the road. Sharpening the blades wouldn’t be an issue, thought Gillette, if one could only swap the blades out. It would require a complete razor redesign, of course, but Gillette was confident enough in his idea to take it on. What he came up with was a double-edged blade made of thin metal and cut from a template. The blade could be snapped into a base atop a handle. Overtop of the blade was a plate—the “safety” part of the razor—that guarded the blades from sinking into the skin. His invention was a hit, and we've made plenty of improvements since. Image Credit: US Patent Office Today Gillette’s blades are thinner than a surgeon’s scalpel and coated in a diamond-like carbon film with a telomer coating that ups the blade’s strength and decreases the friction over cheeks and around chins respectively. Blades are given individual suspension systems, a lubrication strip that leads the mission, and a “fin guard” that pulls back the skin to give the blade more intimate access. It sounds like pampering compared to shark’s teeth, but there’s still a lot of pressure to innovate. Razors are a $30 billion industry worldwide, and a lot of people want in. They plan to do it with better materials. Image credit: US Patent Office In 2010 a German company called GFD thought they might pull a reverse-Gillette and make blades that would remain sharp for years. GFD was already in the business of super-sharp cutting tools, and they thought they might transfer their expertise to razor blades. Their creation was a tungsten carbide blade coated with a synthetic diamond film. After being sanded down by plasma, GFD’s creation was only a few atoms wide at its leading edge, so sharp that when the journalist Cyrus Farivar tested the blade three years ago, he recalled that just grazing his arm hair sliced off the hair’s tips. And then in the fall, the University of California at Davis announced that an electrical and computer engineering professor, named Saif Islam, had come upon a promising blade by accident. Islam’s team was working on etching solar cells from silicon wafers, which involved creating tiny vertical walls emerging from the wafer’s top. The process produced some duds, but upon further inspection, Islam realized that those mistakes turned out to be breakthroughs. The misfit walls were very thin and very sharp, just a couple of atoms across at their sharpest point. Moreover, the blade’s toughness is stronger than metal, and approaching what you’d expect from a diamond blade. Mount the blades and add a handle, thought Islam, and the university experiment could be spitting out smoother faces in no time. That’s the goal, anyway. Islam’s new company Nano-Sharp is beefing up their business plan in a start-up in a university incubator at the school’s college of engineering. Photo credit: Flickr user Cookiemonster via Creative Commons. The hair, for what it’s worth, seems fairly immune to all the high-tech bullying. Its outer-layer, made of tiles of flattened cells, will continue to put up a good fight, no matter how many times it’s been severed. The hair will just grow back, forever egging us on to attack it with the sharpest, strongest, smoothest hair-hacking tool scientists can dream up.There are 12 Syrians on Nauru, and all have fled the same conflict as the 12,000 to be welcomed to Australia. But they will remain in a hellish limbo 'We suffer the same as them': the trauma and despair of Syrians detained on Nauru In early 2013 Jafar Fakher and his five sons fled Damascus. The city was under heavy shelling. His eldest, Muhammad, then 23, and twins Ahmed and Mahmood, then 19, did not want to fight for the regime of Bashar al-Assad, nor for the militias, as their homeland descended deeper into the civil war that has now killed more than 200,000 and displaced more than 11 million people. The Syria crisis must end Australia's intense domestic focus on refugees \| Fred Chaney Read more Jafar, now 48, ran a money exchange and electronics shop. He started receiving threats that his elder sons would be kidnapped for ransom, or taken and forced to fight. Like millions of others he and his sons fled for their lives to neighbouring Lebanon. But Jafar had to leave more than his home and possessions behind. His wife has severe asthma and could not make the journey. She remained with his 91-year-old father, the family hoping fate would somehow provide a way for them to reunite. Jafar, Muhammad, Ahmed, Mahmood, then nine-year-old Salar and seven-year-old Salam flew to Indonesia and paid a people smuggler to reach Australia, winding up in the Christmas Island detention centre in July 2013 before being sent to Naur
in-form Tosaint Ricketts and Jozy Altidore away on international duty, Hamilton is likely to get his first MLS start of the season on Saturday at the New England Revolution. After a strong stretch of form last season, including nine straight starts in the summer of 2016, Hamilton has been pinned to the bench for much of 2017. It is through no real fault of his own, as Toronto FC boasts what is likely the deepest and most talented pool of attackers in MLS. That means anyone not named Altidore or Sebastian Giovinco is going to have to fight hard for their minutes. With Jozy away, this stretch of games is Hamilton’s chance to force coach Greg Vanney to play him more. Not only that, but TFC might need him to step up while others are missing. In just over a month’s time, Altidore and Ricketts will both likely be representing their respective countries at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Hamilton will be at national team camp next week, but is unlikely to make the team. The Canadian Championship has already provided Hamilton with a couple of starts this season, and his lone MLS appearance was sandwiched in between. He hasn’t quite made the splash he did last year when he scored a pair of goals against Montreal in the home leg of the Canadian Championship semi-final, but he’s done well. “I always say that I’m out every day [training] with guys that are all pushing for spots,” said Hamilton after Wednesday’s win over Ottawa. “We all try to push each other. When our chance comes we are usually ready.” The biggest improvement that Hamilton appears to have made to his game is his ability to combine with other players. He has two assists in his three appearances and helped set up an Ottawa Fury own goal as well. It’s a strong stretch of form, but now it is about keeping it going in whatever minutes Vanney gives him. Last year Hamilton exploded for three goals in his first five MLS starts, but only managed one assist in his next eight appearances. “The biggest thing for Jordan is just consistency [and] working within the structure of the team to do things,” said Vanney on Wednesday. “To continue to be dangerous and create opportunities as we connect off him.” He also reminded the media that while Hamilton has been with the team for a while - five seasons now, to be exact - he’s still only 21. He is still the youngest player on the first-team roster by almost a full year. It is another young player, however, that might be the biggest threat to Hamilton’s minutes. At 22, Ben Spencer has already earned plenty of praise from Vanney and looked solid in his first career start against Columbus Crew. That being said, Hamilton outperformed Spencer in just 31 minutes in that same match. Hamilton did come in for “garbage time” with TFC already in a commanding lead, but managed a goal and a beautiful assist while the Reds only had 10 men. It was proof that despite very infrequent minutes, Hamilton remains a player more than capable of contributing at the MLS level. With at least three more years before he likely reaches his prime, it is evidence that he still has a bright future ahead of him. Eventually, he’s going to need more playing time in order to further his development, whether that is in Toronto or elsewhere. But for now playing alongside quality players like Altidore and Giovinco appears to be improving his game. The next couple of months will be his chance to prove how far he has come.More than one-third of public oil companies globally face bankruptcy, according to a new Deloitte report that paints a fairly gloomy picture of the U.S. shale patch as it struggles to survive under mountains of debt. The Deloitte report—the first high-profile report on the current financial situation of global oil and gas companies—surveyed 500 companies and found that 175 are facing “a combination of high leverage and low debt service coverage ratios”. “[…] nearly 35 percent of pure-play E&P companies listed worldwide, or about 175 companies, are in the high risk quadrant,” Deloitte noted, adding that the situation is “precarious” for 50 of these companies due to negative equity or leverage ratio above 100. “Stock prices of some of these has already dipped below $5, making them penny stocks. The probability of these companies slipping into bankruptcy is high in 2016, unless oil prices recover sharply, a large part of their debt is converted into equity, or big investors infuse liquidity into these companies.” Related: A Home-Battery System that Could Rival Tesla Reports about the growing numbers of bankruptcies among U.S. shale producers aren’t new, but the Deloitte findings reinforce the picture. “More than 80 percent of U.S. E&P companies who filed for bankruptcy since July 2014 are still operating (Chapter 11) under the control of lenders or the supervision of bankruptcy judges,” according to Deloitte. “However, the majority of these Chapter 11 debt restructuring plans were approved by lenders in early 2015, when oil prices were $55-60/bbl. Since then, prices have fallen to $30/bbl, and hedges at favorable prices have largely expired, making it tough for existing Chapter 11 bankruptcy filers to meet lenders’ earlier stipulations and increasing the probability of US E&P company bankruptcies surpassing the Great Recession levels in 2016.” Shale producers amassed huge debts that they are now struggling to service in the oil price downturn. Related: Oil Price Rally Comes Undone As U.S. Crude Inventories Build According to AlixPartners, these debts totaled $353 billion for U.S. and Canadian energy companies at end-2015. To compare, Deloitte puts the combined debt of those 175 bankruptcy-threatened companies at more than $150 billion, nearly half of the total for US and Canada. That’s a lot of debt that needs servicing or restructuring. Unfortunately, things in the industry are so bad that the usual solutions don’t work as effectively as they normally would. For starters, demand for E&P assets is at best moderate. Then there are the banks, which used to have a soft spot for energy companies when oil was selling for over $100 a barrel. Now that it is hovering around $30, the soft spot is gone and lenders are trimming their energy investment portfolios. Related: Electric Car War Sends Lithium Prices Sky High Private equity firms are one alternative source of finance for the troubled industry players. Deep capex cuts are another. The efficiency of both options, however, is questionable. Banks, the IEA, and the IMF have warned that oil prices could reach $20. Iran is back on the international market and planning to raise production to pre-sanction levels (around 4 million bpd in 2011.). The world’s number one and two producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia, have made a deal to freeze output at current levels, but these levels are record-highs for both countries, so a freeze is unlikely to take care of the glut quickly enough. And it’s not going to happen anyway. All this spells doom for that unfortunate one-third of producers. There is one alternative to bankruptcy—sector consolidation—although the problems with consolidation are similar to the problems with asset sales. Few energy companies are in a position to make acquisitions right now. What’s left? Continuing the optimization of everyday operations. Operating efficiencies are constantly being improved, mainly in the shale patch but also outside it. Costs for 95 percent of U.S. output have fallen below $15 a barrel, says Deloitte. It seems all that is left for the troubled E&Ps is to continue pumping and keep hoping the storm will eventually subside. Not a fascinating prospect, by all means, but the most realistic one. By Irina Slav of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:Gyrozetter Mech Designer Fumihiro Katagai Working On Xenoblade Chronicles X By Ishaan. December 15, 2014. 1:31pm In today’s set of Xenoblade Chronicles X tweets, executive director Tetsuya Takahashi continued to introduce more of the art talent working on the game. “As the introduction of artists will continue for some more time, [my] tweets might feel a little monotonous, but I wish to present as many of them as possible, so please bear with me,” Takahashi said. “Today, I present Mr. Fumihiro Katagai and RARE ENGINE,” he continued. “During the development of Xenoblade Chronicles X, we end up thinking, ‘Oh, if we had this, it would be even more interesting’ in the case of many things. I think getting people to join in after the direction of the game has already been decided for the most part is difficult, but I’m very grateful that they accepted the invitation.” RARE ENGINE has worked on games like Sega’s Sengoku Taisen and on illustrations for Square Enix’s LORD of VERMILION Ⅲ ~Ver.3.0 Illustrations GUREN~ art book, among other projects. You can find his blog here, although it hasn’t been updated in a while. Meanwhile, Fumihiro Katagai is an anime mecha designer that has worked on Gyrozetter, Space Dandy, Chaika: The Coffin Princess, and Code Geass: Akito the Exiled. You can find his Twitter here, and check out some of his work for Gyrozetter below.BY: Follow @LizWFB The federal government spent $13.5 million on cars and SUVs it has no idea whether it needs, according to a new audit from the Government Accountability Office. The report found that government workers also billed taxpayers $2.5 million for vehicle upgrades such as heated seats and video entertainment systems. The watchdog group found that the government spent $1.6 billion to purchase over 64,000 new vehicles between 2011 and 2015, at an average cost of $25,600. The majority of purchases were made by five agencies, the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Justice, and Interior. The GAO found that some agencies are failing to keep track of whether vehicles are used. For instance, the Customs and Border Protection agency could not determine if 81 percent of its vehicles were used in 2015. Over 1,800 CBP vehicles were driven less than 12,000 miles that year, the minimum mileage required by Homeland Security to justify purchasing a vehicle. By contrast, the Navy was able to account for all of its 3,652 vehicles reviewed in the GAO report. The GAO concluded that between just two agencies, the CBP and Natural Resources Conservation Service within the Agriculture Department, the government spent $13.5 million on depreciation and maintenance costs for vehicles that neither agency could say were used. "Federal agencies spent about $3.4 billion in fiscal year 2015 to keep and operate almost 450,000 federally owned vehicles," the GAO said. "Each federal agency is responsible for determining utilization criteria and assessing vehicle utilization." "While these costs may not equal the cost savings agencies derive from eliminating underutilized vehicles, without corrective action, agencies are incurring expenses to retain vehicles without determining if they are utilized," the GAO said. Federal agencies also billed taxpayers for questionable upgrades for cars and trucks. The government spent over $2.5 million on upgrades that the GAO could not determine were necessary for the agency's mission, as required by federal guidelines. Upgrades included heated or leather seats, remote keyless start, powered seats, and video entertainment systems. "In analyzing these options, we were not able to determine if six of these types of options were related to safety, efficiency, economy, suitability, or administrative functions," the GAO said. Six vehicles had video and sound systems installed worth over $3,000 each, totaling $18,524. Heated or leather seats cost an average $1,300 per vehicle, totaling $49,476. Some upgrades were justified, the GAO said, such as a $167,427 souped-up truck the Army uses for recruitment. The Ford pickup is equipped with leather, heated, and cooled captain chairs, DVD and MP3 players, a Sirius radio, chrome door handles, custom head lamps, and polished aluminum 22.5-inch wheels. Army officials told the GAO the truck has been a hit at more than 100 events and is one of the most requested assets in its fleet. The truck was purchased to replace six Hummers.In Minnesota’s Lakes Country, what we sometimes call “Up North,” the people have various degrees of knowledge of the land and its wildlife. Cabin people and campers visit briefly and may learn in detail the workings of a particular lake or patch of forest, but are usually poorly informed of the true nature of the landscape. People with “lake homes” (seasonally used cabins on steroids owned by people who live elsewhere) may spend more time in Lakes Country but actually know less about it than campers might because having central heating and air conditioning, a paved driveway, and big-ass SUV tends to isolate one from Nature’s tooth and claw, as it were, even if one spends more time than others in proximity to the wild lands. People who live year round in Lakes Country would be expected to have the best understanding of the landscape on which they live, but knowledge does not really seep into one’s brain from mere propinquity (well, sure, maybe a little) and as skeptics we know that many people over-estimate the value and extent of their own knowledge and understanding that comes from categorical association and undervalue the importance of purposeful learning and research. The thing is, landcapes by their nature often bias human understanding, especially forested landscapes. Here is an example. Beyond the fringe of forest flanking a typical road is a lot more marsh and bogland, and for that matter, lake surface, than the average visitor can even see, and thus, more than she or he realizes. Across all of lake country, about 50% of the land is covered with lake surface or some sort of wetland (marshland in forest being the most common) but within lakes country this is unevenly distributed so there is much more than this percentage in some areas. This semi-randomly chosen satellite view of a part of Cass County that I’m pretty familiar with demonstrates this phenomenon nicely: A bit of Cass County, Minnesota, showing wetlands not visible form the road. As you drive along the road shown here, you see woodland on either side. You don’t see the two lakes shown here from any point along the road and you don’t see any of the marsh flanking the river. The road actually follows along the river for about a half hour drive you never see it except at one point where it crosses, but even there the river is not labeled with a sign so it could be easily missed flowing under the small bridge. You see, the roads in northern Minnesota are placed to avoid the marshes and wetlands and, of course, the lakes, and conditions are good for the growth of trees along the roadside. Cabins are placed on high ground (usually), as are boat launches. You can drive up to Lakes Country with your boat in tow, launch it and spend the entire day on a lake, stay at a cabin for a night and go home without ever actually seeing a swamp or marsh up close and with the any wetland that comes within several hundred meters of you almost always screened by trees. If someone asked you how much marsh and how many bogs there are up in Lakes Country, you might quite honestly say “Some, I guess, but it is mostly forest. And, there are nice lakes. I caught a few 5 pound bass on one of those lakes just now!” You might be lying about the fish, but you would be telling what you think is the truth about the landscape. But you would be wrong. People who either live in the north country or who hunt there may have a much better idea of the landscape, although I must say that hunters also use the roads I mentioned and rarely go that far from them to their blinds, so they may have a biased sense of the extent of wetlands. Of course, anyone who can read a map or interpret a satellite photo, or read a book or a website would know about the extensive wetlands. What I’m talking about here is what a person would come to think if all they did was observe the biased subsample of the world around them. But knowledge isn’t just about what is there, the facts, the basis statistics, all that. It is also about how things work. For example, cormorants, a large-fish eating bird that literally swims underwater in pursuit of its piscine meals, have been “making a comeback” (meaning there are more and more of them now after an historical decline). There are scientists and wildlife managers who are not too concerned about the occasional cormorant flock nesting up on this or that lake, but the Outstaters who live in Lake Country generally dislike the predatory bird because they eat the fish we humans might otherwise catch. It looks like a simple case of interspecies competition. In such cases, when one of the species is humans, it often leads to emotional resentment and eventual local extinction because we humans tend to act like babies about these things, yet we are heavily armed. The truth is, a fish eating predator that only consumes fish in a narrow and small size range will increase the size of the fish humans catch (because the fish are also competing with each other for resources and space to grow!) so a certain amount of mid-range culling by birds is a good thing. Also, wolves. Minnesota is the only one of the Lower 48 that has always had a native wolf population, although the Europeans and Euro-Americans that moved into Minnesota in the 19th and early 20th century did their best to exterminate them completely. There are plenty of people here in Minnesota that want to exterminate the wolves today. The wolves are regarded as dangerous because they have lost their “fear of man” and therefore can gobble us up. Plus they eat the deer, which we hunt. So, again, that interspecies competition thing pertains. The fact that more people are attacked by Otters (about once a year) than wolves (basically, never) and that most areas of the state have way too many deer does not seem to play into folk’s opinions about wolves any more than beneficial culling by fish eating birds plays into their attitudes about cormorants. These are two of a larger set of misconceptions that the people who “should” know better seem to hold. There are other issues, such as management of each of the several invasive plant and animal species, shoreline management, runoff and erosion problems, building construction, land clearance, deer herd management, moose herd management, game birds, raptor conservation, etc., which we could discuss. There is a thread that follows through some of these misconceptions: competition for resources or, in this case, game. That may well be the primary explanation for people who should know better getting it wrong. But, there is another thread which one could argue is about as important; The DNR. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has scientists and managers tasked with managing both the state’s wildlife and the state’s hunting and fishing related resources (these are overlapping but slightly different things). Here is the rule of thumb that seems to apply: If the DNR says something, believe the opposite to be true. The reason I say this is because if you talk to a person who either lives in Lakes Country or spends a lot of time there, and the conversation gets to cormorants or wolves or anything else related to hunting, fishing, wildlife, wetlands, or lakes, you will will hear people tell you that the DNR’s position is X and the Lake Country resident’s position is Y. It is more than a little obvious. The role of the DNR’s understanding of things shapes the opinions of Lake Country denizens much like President Obama’s positions shapes GOP policy. Now, if the DNR came out and said “ok, we were wrong, let’s exterminate the wolves” that would not turn all these folks into tree-hugging wolf lovers, but I am pretty sure they would still find fault with the DNR’s policy, how it is implemented, or their data. Let me be blunt. It is the case, I think, that the average Minnesotan who lives in or heavily uses the natural resources of the North Country holds a steady and predictable disdain for those very resources, and that is mainly why they don’t like the DNR. Northern Minnesotans want to “enjoy” the natural resources in a Libertarian fashion without interference from the “outside” (the DNR is seen as an outside force), even if they are destroying those resources at the same time. The role of DNR policy in anti-nature attitudes is not to direct people’s opinion, but to give it the specific details helpful to implement it. For example, at the moment, there are posses forming up as we speak to illegally hunt out wolf packs in certain areas where the DNR claims there are only wandering wolves, or at least, that is the stated intention of many. The residents claim that there are active packs living in these areas and the DNR says no, there are not. So, not liking wolves is one thing, but creating a detailed and disdainful program of dislike where you actually pull the trigger and kill something may require some direction and in the absence of knowledge (the average person living or frequently visiting the region can not know the distribution of the wolves or observe the dynamics of the fisheries in the absence of scientific methods and instruments) one can simply watch for direction, bizarro backwards direction, from the DNR. The DNR says there are no packs here, so we will go and find the packs and exterminate them before they exterminate us. The average person living full or part time up north loves the idea of having a home or cabin on a remote piece of land, enjoys the clarity of the lakes, and in general appreciates the natural setting. But most land owners will only do what is well known as the “right thing” on their property if there is a serious chance of getting caught or if they are tricked into it by some county or state program to “encourage” landowners to wreck the lakes they live on less quickly. I would be very surprised if more than a few percent (to be safe, say, 10%) of the residential cabin or lake home properties in the Lakes Country have zero or near zero violations of code designed to protect the lakes and nearby natural landscape they are on. That is a guess, and I may be very wrong; the biases I suggest that mis-shape people’s understanding of the landscape may well pertain to my understanding of development in the region. Still, I’m sticking to my story as a testable hypothesis. The human presence in northern Minnesota is ruining the lakes and the landscape, which were previously severely damaged by the unfettered cutting of trees by an out of control lumber industry. (The two largest cities in Minnesota are Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and they sit next to each other in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Those two counties combined are about 10% larger in land area than all the old growth, unlogged forest in Minnesota combined.) Very few acres of Minnesota is truly “wild” in that it has not been logged over, and the density of development around the thousands of lakes grows unchecked. People are building cabins that require a 100 foot or longer dock across marshland to reach water deep enough to put their noisy gas guzzling speedboat on lakes that are already pretty full of people. The lakes nearest the Twin Cities are, in some cases, continuous manicured lawn with suburban-style homes surrounding an increasingly turgid infilling body of water. The giant white pine, of which virtually none are left, provided along with brick the structure for the late industrial development in the regions’s cities. Urban wealth moved to the suburbs for all the usual reasons, and now two generations later the affluent leftovers of a period of growth and development have returned to take or sully what is left. And sometimes I think I’m the only person who sees this happening.King Armory contacted TTAG and asked if we’d like to review their KA-1222A muzzle brake/flash hider. As there are just way too many options from way too many manufacturers to review them individually, the project quickly escalated into doing a bit of a “shootout” with muzzle devices from multiple companies. Hopefully we’ve achieved a decent mix of well-known units from well-known manufacturers as well as some from smaller shops that many folks may not be familiar with. Basically, the intention here is to highlight a variety of muzzle device options — we gathered 35! — state my blunt opinion on machining, fit/finish, and utility plus any items of note, along with relevant stats. Since many of these devices specifically claim to reduce recoil I created a test rig to measure just that, and a winner has been declared... EDIT: This is the first test I did, but it hasn’t been the last. The second 5.56 muzzle brake test is HERE, the third is HERE, the first 5.56 flash hiding test HERE, the second 5.56 flash hiding test HERE, and the first.308 brake test HERE. You may also be interested in the AR-15 Drop-In Trigger Roundup HERE. These tests are expensive, but I’d love to do more. I’ve purchased air pressure sensors designed to log blast waves so we can compare the amount of concussion each muzzle device generates, and these will be used in test four. But I have a lot of brakes to round up for that and the funding is low. I also want to do another AR-15 trigger roundup (component triggers this time) and a couple of flashlight roundups (tactical and gun-mounted). Please consider supporting this sort of testing via my Patreon page. As a Patron you can also get free stuff, join live streams, gain early access, and more. Recoil Testing First, a quick note: not all of these muzzle devices are brakes/comps, or were otherwise designed to mitigate recoil. For some that is the primary goal. Some balance recoil management with flash hiding, and some have no recoil reduction consideration whatsoever (e.g. dedicated flash hiders or a linear compensators). For most brakes and comps, felt recoil reduction is only one goal anyway, with the other primary benefit being the reduction of muzzle movement in any other direction. The slow-mo footage for each device in the following video does show some noticeable differences in up/down muzzle movement as well as flash, but this test was specifically designed for measuring recoil — rearward energy. Keep in mind that we’re also talking about the fairly minor recoil of.223/5.56 here, and many prospective purchasers will put recoil reduction at the bottom of their list behind other considerations like reducing flash and concussion. With my gas piston AR-15 strapped in a rest and the gas block turned to “off,” which means the action remains locked shut and 100% of the gas going out the muzzle, I proceeded to “sled test” all of the muzzle devices plus control measurements of the bare muzzle and a standard A2 birdcage. The results were surprisingly repeatable and consistent. In fact, the average of the extreme spreads — difference between shortest and farthest result — for everything in the test (including bare muzzle and A2, which were the least consistent of all) was only 0.1943 inches. Seven brakes did multiple shots with the exact same result each time. For the record, I measured in 1/16-inch increments and chose not to round when converting that to decimal measurements later. With all of that said, our recoil reduction winner is…drum roll please… Precision Armament’s M4-72 Severe-Duty Compensator! With this bad boy on the muzzle, the test rig slid back an average of 2.4375 inches. With a bare muzzle, it slid 9.175 inches. That’s a 73.84% reduction for you folks keeping score at home. I was going to force y’all to watch the video to see the results (you know, I make like three cents every time the video ad is clicked), but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Also, thanks to TTAGer NotoriousAPP’s awesome data skillz and willingness to help out, we have not only my boring tables but also some cool charts to show as well. Click any of these (or any other photo in the write-up) to see them full-size: Muzzle Devices Listed alphabetically. All stated weights and dimensions are as measured by me. I noted many obvious errors on manufacturers’ sites so chose not to blindly trust their info across the board. AAC BLACKOUT 51T Muzzle Brake: Clean machining and a low gloss nitride finish make for an attractive brake that doubles as a fast-attach mount for AAC sound suppressors. It’s a good looking and effective two-chamber brake. Plenty of fire and side concussion. If one has no use for the suppressor attachment feature and isn’t drawn to it for its unique looks, there are smaller and lighter options. Also available for 7.62. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: 17-4 Stainless Steel Finish: Nitride coated Length: 2.025″ Diameter (at largest point): 1.136″ Weight: 3.59 oz MSRP: $150 AAC BRAKEOUT 2.0 Compensator: The BRAKEOUT is supposed to combine the best features of a conventional muzzle brake along with excellent flash suppression. It’s sort of a single-chamber brake but, instead of a port on each side, it has three small ports. Each is angled rearwards and matches up with one of the gaps between the three flash hiding tines. Machining is very crisp and precise, and the finish looks great (it’s either a higher gloss nitride or AAC’s “SCARmor”). AAC says it’s “the best of both worlds in a truly compromise-free design,” and I think it looks great but it was far from the best brake and both slow-mo shots showed some fire and flash. It also does “tuning fork” just a little bit (the tines ring). Also available for 7.62. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: unknown (AAC website doesn’t state) Finish: unknown Length: 2.677″ Diameter (at largest point): 1.139″ Weight: 4.625 oz MSRP: $125 ALG SCB (Single Chamber Brake): ALG is, loosely speaking here, like the “budget” arm of Geissele, and it doesn’t disappoint on the MSRP for this brake. A clean and simple single-chamber brake with a port on top for reducing muzzle rise, nice machining, and an even and good looking semi-gloss nitride finish. It’s light, small, and was decently effective at reducing recoil for a single chamber brake. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: 4140 Steel Finish: Black Nitride Length: 1.63″ Diameter (at largest point): 0.94″ Weight: 2.03 oz MSRP: $35 Amazon.com AR15.223 1/2×28 Competition Muzzle Device Brake: For whatever reason I’ve treated this as a “generic” Amazon.com product and have filed it under “A” for Amazon in all cases. My sincere apologies to Field Sport, the manufacturer, but to avoid confusion I’m sticking with the “A” thing here. The price fluctuates up and down on Amazon a bit, but it was $16.45 shipped when I purchased it a few months ago and it has been in the $16-something range until today (at the time of writing, it’s $17.03 with Prime shipping). It’s the clear budget winner in this shootout! Despite the low price, recoil reduction performance was very good. Machining has flaws like burrs and nicks. Phosphate finish is not particularly even. No wrench flats for installation means you’ll have to stick a tool through one of the ports to torque it down. Some grittiness in the threads. All that said, it performs well and should be plenty durable. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: Heat treated high quality steel Finish: Phosphate Length: 2.757″ Diameter (at largest point): 0.909″ Weight: 4 oz MSRP: $19.50, but the going rate is $17 or less including shipping Ares Armor EFFIN-A Compensator MKII: “Coolest packaging” wasn’t a category I had in mind, but were it part of the shootout Ares Armor would have won hands down with the prescription bottle that the EFFIN-A comes in. The humor on the label was a nice touch, but it’s actually a really great way to package a small part like this regardless — especially one that comes with extra parts like the EFFIN-A does. Machining is very nice, black oxide finish is okay. This compensator can be tuned by the end user by inserting any number of the included set screws into any of those threaded holes. They do “bottom out” in the holes so they can be torqued down, too. If you want to reduce muzzle climb and dust signature you can plug the holes on the bottom. If something about your rifle’s action makes the muzzle move left, you can plug a hole or more on the right. Basically, you have some control over how much and where the gasses are jetting out, thereby controlling the way those gasses move the muzzle around. For the purposes of the recoil test I left it wide open, and it ended up right near the middle for recoil reduction. However, the vast majority of muzzle devices that mitigated recoil more than the EFFIN-A also exhibited significantly more concussion and more flash. Usually dedicated compensators concentrate on up/down/left/right muzzle movement much more than recoil abatement, and the ability to tune the EFFIN-A to your firearm and ammo could prove really effective. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: Steel Finish: Black Oxide Length: 2.079″ Diameter (at largest point): 0.866″ Weight: 2.94 oz MSRP: $99.95 Battle Comp Enterprises Battlecomp 2.0: The Battlecomp is definitely a known quantity, so it had to be included here (even if Vuurwapen Blog hates its guts). It’s popular because it’s small, light, an effective compensator, and a decent flash suppressor. Machining is good. Black oxide finish is standard. Yeah, it may actually overcompensate like Vuurwapen mentioned — you can see the barrel bending downwards in my slow-mo footage as well. This will depend on barrel length and ammo choice, though. It did reduce recoil by the largest amount of any dedicated compensator (no “brake” style ports) in the test. Of course, this may be due in part to it pushing the test rig down onto the table hard enough to literally flex the barrel downwards, thereby increasing the friction between rig and table. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: 17-4PH heat treated stainless steel Finish: Bead oxide Length: 1.755″ Diameter (at largest point): 0.866″ Weight: 1.81 oz MSRP: $165 Bravo Company USA BCMGUNFIGHTER Compensator MOD 1 – 5.56: Designed to reduce muzzle rise, flash, noise, concussion, and recoil. I must say that I think the design with the internal cone is pretty cool. Machining has only minor imperfections, and only if you’re looking for them, and the finish is very nice. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: Stainless steel Finish: unknown (not mentioned on BCM’s website) Length: 2.169″ Diameter (at largest point): 0.862″ Weight: 2.75 oz MSRP: $94.95 Black River Tactical Covert Comp 5.56: Alphabetically the first linear compensator in the test here. Linear comps are designed to redirect all of the blast, pressure, and as much of the noise as possible forwards, away from the shooter and anyone next to him or her. Most of them attempt to reduce flash signature as well, and the Covert Comp claims all of these features plus recoil reduction. I got a bit of flash out of it on one shot and it definitely didn’t reduce recoil, but the machining is top notch and the gloss Melonite finish is really nice. It’s most certainly very pleasant to stand next to compared to most of the other things in this test. It’s the smallest and lightest of the linear comps tested here by far. Covert Comps are available in fluted or smooth exterior designs and in multiple thread pitches to suit many calibers. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: Tungsten Enhanced Chrome-Moly Steel, through hardened Finish: Melonite Length: 1.95″ Diameter (at largest point): 0.866″ Weight: 2.51 oz MSRP: $59.95 DPMS Miculek Compensator: Designed by Jerry Miculek and manufactured by DPMS, the Miculek Comp is a simple and inexpensive (“street price” is ~$39) 3-port muzzle brake. Although I think the design is much more of a brake, it does effectively compensate for muzzle rise with a simple design feature also found on some other brakes in this test in lieu of top ports — the top (or “top strap,” if you will) is narrower than the bottom, which means a bit more gas expands upwards than downwards. As a brake it certainly excels, landing it a third place finish in the recoil reduction test with multiple shots coming in at exactly 3.00″, which equates to a 67.67% reduction in recoil compared to a bare muzzle. For the price the machining is fine. The parkerized-like (DPMS doesn’t specify on its website) finish isn’t so hot aesthetically. Also available for 7.62. Click here to jump to its point in the video. Material: unknown (steel of some sort, presumably) Finish: unknown (appears parkerized) Length: 2.07″ Diameter (at largest point): 0.922″ Weight: 3.25 oz MSRP: $49.99 FERFRANS CQB Modular Muzzle Brake plus CRD: This system from FERFRANS combines a 3-port muzzle brake with their quick detach CRD, or Concussion Reduction Device. Run the bare brake when you’re looking for the best recoil and muzzle rise compensation, and add the CRD when
the university doesn’t comment on personnel matters. Under state law, employers do not have to accommodate medical marijuana use in the workplace, but it’s unclear whether they can bar employees from using medical marijuana outside of work. When asked for clarification on the law, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Health said in an email that the department has “no comment beyond what is stated in the law.” DeZarn said he met with representatives from human resources Tuesday to go over potential accommodations the university could make for him through the federal Americans for Disabilities Act. He said he was told that for now, he should not show up for work. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.In many American cities, the landlords are increasingly Chinese. Big institutional Chinese investors who want global real-estate portfolios typically look for trophy projects in cities like New York, Los Angeles and London. Just this month, Hilton Worldwide agreed to sell its flagship Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City to a Chinese insurance company for $1.95 billion—the steepest price tag ever for a U.S. hotel, brokers say, although it isn’t the highest on a per-room basis. But Chinese investors with smaller war chests want to be seen as international property players too, and they have their eyes on other cities. Over the past two years, more have sought to invest in offices and hotels in inland cities such as Chicago and Houston in the U.S., and Madrid and Frankfurt in Europe, according to a recent report by property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield. “Chinese investors are distributing their investments across the whole country, not only focusing on selecting assets in prime locations…but also paying more attention to cities with lower prices and greater potential,” said James Shepherd, Cushman & Wakefield’s head of research for Greater China. The consultancy compiled a list of the top 10 U.S. states for Chinese investment. Though the top spots are no surprise—New York, which claims the top spot with more than $6.7 billion in investment, has a lead of more than $5 billion over runner-up California—others are less obvious. Texas, which comes in at No. 4, benefits from Houston, which has become more familiar to Chinese investors in recent years. The country’s state-owned behemoth China Petrochemical Corp., known as Sinopec, has operations there, and the city gained recognition with Chinese investors with the help of former Chinese basketball star Yao Ming, who played for the Houston Rockets. --Esther Fung. Follow her on Twitter @estherfung _____________________________________ Also popular on China Real Time now: Why China May Avoid a U.S.-Style Property Crash ‘Rule of Law’ or ‘Rule by Law’? In China, a Preposition Makes All the DifferenceBeloved Platform Manager Steffon Williams View Full Caption WILLIAMSBURG — He was the light at the end of the tunnel. Straphangers at one of the Brooklyn's busiest subway stops bade farewell Friday to their beloved platform conductor, who they said helped young kids safely navigate their way onto the crowed train and made sure that elderly riders and pregnant women found seats. Steffon Williams, 35 will be transferred to Queens Plaza after Friday because another worker with more seniority requested the stop, the MTA said, despite a petition with hundreds of signatures and a social media campaign, begging for him to stay. Though Williams had worked at Bedford Avenue for less than a year, he'd already managed to work his way into the hearts of riders who say he brought comfort and a smile in one of the most stressful moments of the day, they said. "Commuting to work is the first thing we do every day," said Emmy Burns, 37, who'd posted fliers at the station with news about Williams' departure and started the hashtag #BringSteffanBacktoBedford (though his name is misspelled). "He just makes everybody happy. He goes above and beyond," Burns added. Straphangers showed up Friday bearing gifts of red roses, apricot jam and freshly baked cakes. They gave Williams hugs and fist bumps and even let trains pass so they could have an extra moment to say goodbye. "There's been people that have replaced him for vacation and stuff and all they do is stand there," said Nancy Maloney, 53, who always urges her 12-year-old daughter to "go to Steffon, he'll help you on the train," when she rides alone. "It can be scary for a kid because it's so crowded," she said. "He just brings a really comforting, happy atmosphere to the place. You know you're going to get on the train and if you don't everything's going to be OK." Fourth grader Maria Riker started a petition that garnered hundreds of signatures. "Steffon's nice, he always helps me on when it's crowded," Maria said. "He keeps me from getting squished." Maria's mother sent the petition to Williams' boss at the MTA, though the transfer was ultimately decided by the Transit Workers Union, they learned. The TWU confirmed that requests by senior members take priority. "If I had my say, I would retire at that job, that's how much I love working at Bedford," Williams said, adding that he'd try to get back to the station at the next lottery in several months. "I'm excited to go to work. I've never had that before." The notoriously miserable L train commute, which even inspired a graphic novel, is a reliably claustrophobic experience at the Bedford Avenue stop, the last stop before Manhattan. About 27,000 use the station on an average weekday, according MTA statistics from last year. Straphangers often have to wait for several trains to pass before they can jam their way into a packed train car. "We've lived here since 1999. There's never been an MTA worker [like him]," said Elizabeth Riker, Maria's mother. "This platform gets so crowded, you get afraid. Sometimes we joke you need a snorkel." When Williams broke the news to a train of commuters earlier in the week just before they pulled away from the station, "everyone in the train went, 'Oh my God!,'" said Maloney, who was riding on the train at the time. "Strangers just said to each other, nobody can replace him, who's gonna replace him?" Williams said during his 13 years on the job, he's always taken a more proactive bent compared to many others who, "hide in a corner, they disappear. They kill time, stare." "You gotta take action," he said. "There's kids, elderly, there's a lot of pregnant women that have to wait in line. It shouldn't go down like that." One time he'd even managed to save a woman from getting her leg clipped off by a train, after she'd slipped and fallen with her leg was dangling into the tracks, he said. "I scooped her up, I don't know where I got the strength," he said. "She only got a little nick instead of her whole leg coming off." And though he's brought his positive attitude to stations all over the city, since his first day at Bedford Avenue last July, something felt different, he said. "I'd get goose bumps every day," he said, adding that right away he felt a connection to parents, kids and commuters of all stripes at Bedford Avenue. "Wow, maybe this is somewhere where I belong." Just before 9 a.m. towards the tail end of the morning rush on his last day at the station, signal troubles stalled a train on the track and commuters had to evacuate while the issue was resolved, cramming the platform. "When the train's out of service it's a whole other ballgame," said Williams, before nudging his way through a throng of commuters. "This is where the real work starts."Since the Warriors grabbed their first NBA title in 40 years in June, NBA teams have undergone a number of changes over the summer break. NBA.com will evaluate the state of each franchise in the month of September with a look at 30 teams in 30 days. Today's Team: Sacramento Kings \| All 30 Teams Who's gone: Nik Stauskas, Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Ray McCallum, Andre Miller, Derrick Williams Who's new: Willie Cauley-Stein, Rajon Rondo, Marco Belinelli, Caron Butler, Seth Curry, Kosta Koufos Summertime and the living is easy. This was definitely not the 2015 motto of the Kings. The summer was anything but easy in Sactown. No, the forecast was stormy with a touch of thunder and the mood was downcast, for the most part. It is all because of a headstrong coach and franchise player who let their disagreement(s) get totally out of hand. It was George Karl vs. DeMarcus Cousins, or at least that was the perception, fair or not, and it suffocated everything else the Kings accomplished and didn't accomplished this offseason. Rather than get together and hash it out, Karl and Cousins kept their distance for too many days, which only heightened the issue. To recap: Cousins accused Karl of trying to get him traded, Karl denied that, and mostly inexperienced GM Vlade Divac tried to play referee and peacemaker. By mid-August there seemed to be a truce and conversation resumed among the two. Truthfully, Cousins and Karl are fortunate to have each other, and they'll need each other this season. Why shouldn't they embrace that instead? Perhaps they will, in time. Meanwhile, the Kings hope to shed the notion of them being a chaotic, combustible team that will slapstick their way through the season. Either this team is built to do exactly that, or we've been terribly misled by the offseason and the personalities on the roster. Make no mistake; there are characters on the Kings. Start with Cousins and Karl, then add their two biggest offseason pickups, Willie Cauley-Stein and Rajon Rondo. Hey, if this works, then who cares about tempers and quirks and petty feuds? But that's the key: If this works. Anyway, Sacramento used its lottery pick on Cauley-Stein, who's more of a natural center but will slot at power forward next to Cousins. Cauley-Stein brings little offensively at the moment; his footwork and shooting are still in the developmental stage. But he's a superb shot-blocker and willing rebounder and can elevate the Kings' defense almost immediately. Vlade Divac Talks Kings Vlade Divac stops by to talk about the Sacramento Kings' offseason. In order to give the front line a favorable height advantage against most teams, Divac also signed seven-footer Kosta Koufos, who played for the Grizzlies last season but also played for Karl in Denver, where he had his best seasons. The addition of Koufos was widely applauded and now the Kings have a three-Goliath rotation at center and power forward, all 26 and younger. Divac took a chance on getting Rondo, who's now a level below that of elite point guards and in his last stop engaged in a falling out with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. Rondo was kicked off the team after that, and saw his value on the free agent market drop considerably. Again, if Rondo was still the Rondo of three years ago, teams would be willing to put up with his enigmatic personality. Also, what does Rondo's presence mean to Darren Collison? Obviously the Kings don't have confidence in Collison as a starter; it'll be interesting to see the dynamic between him and Rondo. Sacramento added a pair of backcourt layers in Marco Belinelli and Seth Curry, both known for perimeter shooting. Belinelli is a much better (and proven) deep threat than The Brother Of Steph, who's finally getting his first legitimate NBA shot but will likely be at the back end of the rotation. Both are replacements for Nik Stauskas, who was weirdly sacrificed (along with a protected No. 1 pick) to get cap room this summer. The smart move was getting Caron Butler; he's clearly on the back nine of his career but will be a good locker room presence, especially on a team with so many iffy personalities. Also, the Kings hired Nancy Lieberman for the coaching staff, making her the second full-time female assistant in the NBA after Becky Hammon. Lieberman has a soothing way about her and connects well with all types of people. So the Kings were hell bent on improving the club and pushing for a playoff spot, and if that meant assembling a potentially explosive mix, so be it. One way or another, they'll be interesting to watch, and the real drama could take place behind closed doors instead of on the court. Should that happen, pencil them in for the draft lottery again, and also expect more changes next summer. Coming Next: Denver Nuggets To check out the rest of the series schedule, click here. Veteran NBA writer Shaun Powell has worked for newspapers and other publications for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here or follow him on Twitter. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.About HTML5 Website Design and Development Services The next generation of modern HTML website design and development services is here, it’s time for your organization to take advantage of the new features and benefits of HTML5 CMS solutions. With new database integration, CMS sites with dynamic pages, and canvas and video features, web HTML5 developers are having a significant impact on the business world. Smart companies are already leveraging HTML5 technology to create competitive advantages in their industries. AllianceTek can show you how embracing HTML5 CMS solutions, HTML5 Web Development, HTML5 App Development can result in tangible benefits for your specific business or organization. We specialize in helping companies make a seamless transition to HTML5 without interrupting workflow or essential business functions. AllianceTek offers facility to Hire HTML5 Developers and Hire HTML5 App Developers for:Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images Floyd Corkins pleaded guilty to storming the Washington headquarters of a conservative Christian group Aug. 15, 2012, because of its opposition to gay rights. Floyd Lee Corkins, the man who shot up the Washington, D.C., offices of the conservative Family Research Council last year, was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday after prosecutors likened him to the Navy Yard gunman. Corkins, 29, pleaded guilty in February to storming the council's headquarters Aug. 15, 2012, because of its opposition to same-sex marriage. The council's unarmed security guard was shot in the arm before he subdued Corkins despite his injuries. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Martin asked for a 45-year sentence, arguing Thursday that the only difference between Corkins and Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis was that the security guard was able to stop Corkins in time. "Mr. Corkins was this close to accomplishing that," Martin told U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts, The Washington Post reported. "He was no less determined than the Navy Yard gunman. He was no less prepared." U.S. Marshal Service Floyd Lee Corkins told the FBI he intended 'to kill as many peopl as possible' at the Family Research Council. The incident came a few weeks after it was reported that the fast-food company Chick-fil-A's charitable foundation had made millions of dollars in donations to organizations fighting efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. The Family Research Council, an evangelical Christian activist group, came out strongly in support of the company. In a sentencing report filed in April (.pdf), prosecutors said Corkins told FBI agents that he wanted "to kill as many people as I could... then smear a Chicken-fil-A [sic] sandwich on their face." It said he was carrying 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches in his backpack, along with a box of 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Corkins told investigators he had been thinking about such an attack for years but hadn't mustered up the courage to go through with it, according to the sentencing report. Then came the news about Chick-fil-A. Corkins said he hoped "to make a statement against the people who work in that building... and with their stance against gay rights and Chick fil-A." "They endorse Chick-fil-A and also Chick-fil-A came out against gay marriage so I was going to use that as a statement," he said, according to prosecutors. Corkins was wrestled to the ground by Leonardo Johnson, the security guard whom he shot in the arm. In court Thursday, the judge told Corkins, "The carnage you wanted did not happen only because an ordinary man showing extraordinary courage stopped you." Johnson, who was joined in court by several colleagues at the Family Research Council, told Corkins: "Although I forgive you, I will never forget. I don't know if I'll ever be the same again." Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.comWelcome to your first step in winning your next board game night. Our very own Ivan Van Norman is here to help you set up that beautiful board game that you just bought at the store or that’s been sitting on your shelf for ages. After all the pieces have been separated, the maps have pulled out of the box, and the instructions dutifully thrown away; let Ivan get you started in this How to Play series. Every great game starts with an amazing first turn. Let us help you get there. On this episode of How to Play, Ivan takes us through the set up and play of the cooperative game Sentinels of the Multiverse. Players take the roles of heroes as they battle a dastardly super-villain in order to thwart their evil plan. Players can choose their heroes or draw them at random, and villains are generally chosen based on difficulty level and player experience. Ultimately, the goal of the game is to stop the villain before their win conditions are reached, but how you do that will be based on your heroes’ powers and abilities. Depending on your team, you may have a mix of support-types and fighter-types, so consider your strategy when heading in to the fray. Have any games you’re interested in learning about? Need help with a bit of setup? Let us know in the comment section below.Russell Street Report Filmstudy The Stages of Grief Offensive Line Model & Notes vs. Vikings, 10/22/17 You have heard of the 5 stages of grief when faced with loss or bad news (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). By survey of social media and message boards, it’s a little different for fans as their football team’s season begins to unravel: Stage 1: Moping over a loss due to a bad call or missed opportunity. This is very similar to denial and I know few if any fans who don’t do this after most close losses. It’s healthy, but you want to minimize the time doing it each week. Stage 2: Complaining generally about scheme and the lack of creativity from coordinators. We have to be mad at someone, dammit. Fire Pees and Mornhinweg. It better be those guys who are responsible, because our players can’t be replaced. Stage 3: Suggesting trades, releases, or acquisitions with no consideration for the practical constraints of league rules or the salary cap. This is bargaining in the purest form and you’ll hear another (I hope) fan say, “If they would just sign Kaepernick, he’d be better equipped to succeed with this line and they can just cut Flacco.” Don’t even bother to engage with that guy; the only thing that will change is your blood pressure. Stage 4: Bemoaning mounting injuries. These are a fact of life in the NFL. Coaches won’t use them as an excuse (until the season is over), because 1) depression is not useful or actionable and 2) no one wants a full-scale investigation of the causes. For fans, it might be the most appropriate stage for the 2017 team, but it’s, well…depressing. Stage 5: Obsessing over draft options during games. In a sense, this is acceptance, but it’s also the stage Browns fans have been in since 1999. Fans here are always at least a little concerned about the value of tanking. There’s football being played. Perhaps you can enjoy it for the competition or solely as a player-development exercise. In any case I have no interest in trying to handicap how the Ravens will draft in 2018 prior to elimination from playoff contention and then only between games. Offensive Line Scoring The Ravens ran 64 scored snaps versus the Vikings (excludes accepted penalties which result in no play, kneels, spikes, and special teams plays that result in a run or pass). Stanley: Ronnie had a difficult matchup against Everson Griffen, who is 3rd in the NFL with 9 sacks. The Vikings edge rusher beat him for 1 sack cleanly (Q4, 15:00). Later, Stanley pushed Griffen past the pocket, but Flacco left his spot and failed to unload before Griffen caught him from behind for a sack/FF (Q4, 1:46). He allowed 2 other pressures (1.5 to Griffen), but otherwise did not allow any other pass rush events or penetrations, and avoided being penalized. He had 3 blocks in level 2 and made his only pull, but he did not register a pancake or highlight. Scoring: 64 plays, 55 blocks, 5 missed, 2 (1 + 2 x 1/2) pressures, 1 sack, 45 points (.70 per play). That’s a C at tackle after adjustment. Hurst: James Hurst has been playing well for 4 weeks now. He was bulled by Griffen for a QH shared with Jensen (Q2, 11:28) for his only pass rush event allowed. He shared a penetration when Joseph penetrated across his face to blow up Collins for a loss of 1 (Q3, 6:11). He had 2 blocks in level 2 and converted 3 of 4 pulls (now 17 of 20 over the last 3 games). He did not have a highlight or pancake as I scored it. Scoring: 64 plays, 59 blocks, 3 missed, 1/2 penetration, ½ QH, 56.5 points (.88 per play). After adjustment that’s a A. Given his last month’s play, Hurst will have a job somewhere in the NFL next season by virtue of the value he brings as a swingman. If he continues at or near his current level of play for the rest of the season, I expect that job will be as a starting guard. I don’t want to minimize the effort required by James to elevate his game, but this must also be cited as a victory for the Ravens coaches Joe D’Alessandris and Greg Roman who have extracted much more than could reasonably have been expected form a patchwork offensive line. Jensen: Ryan got back on track with a solid game. He surrendered a pressure to Joseph on a bull rush (Q1, 9:21). Joseph also bulled him for the QH shared with Hurst (Q2, 11:28). Of his 3 missed blocks, I recorded only 1 as a case where he was beaten and giving ground. He made his only pull, had 6 blocks in level 2, and delivered 1 pancake. His highlight was a gorgeous L2 cut block to take out Barr (Q3, 10:42).While he would normally be entitled to a more significant adjustment with an opponent of Joseph’s quality, I reduced it to.01 due to a handful of low shotgun snaps, one of which was fumbled by Flacco. Lots of scheme issues can’t be corrected in a short week of practice, but this is a mechanical issue he should be able to address in time for Thursday’s game. Scoring: 64 plays, 59 blocks, 3 missed, 1 pressure, ½ QH, 55.5 points (.87 per play). That’s a B with or without adjustment. Eluemunor: Jermaine took a big step backwards after a promising first NFL start. To summarize his negative events: — (Q1, 2:15): He was beaten across his face by Joseph who dropped Collins for a loss of 1. — (Q1, 1:41): He was beaten outside by DT Johnson for a 7-yard sack. — (Q3, 6:11): He was beaten outside when pulling as Collins was again dropped for a loss of 1. — (Q3, 5:36): He was beaten outside by DT Stephen for a pressure shared with Stanley. — (Q4, 1:37): He was beaten by Robison’s spin move for a pressure. He also had a pair of false starts on the final drive. He had 2 blocks in level 2, 2 pancakes, and 3 highlights. The best of his highlights was a level 2 pancake of Barr (Q2, 0:31). Scoring: 64 plays, 57 blocks, 2 missed, 1.5 penetrations, 1.5 pressures, 1 sack, 2 false starts, 39 points (.61 per play). After adjustment, that’s a high F at guard. Howard: Austin turned in a solid performance despite allowing a sack. He was beaten outside by Hunter for an 8-yard sack that forced the first Ravens punt (Q1, 13:41). He also was beaten on bull rushes for pressure once each by Hunter and Johnson. He had 2 blocks in level 2 and 2 pancakes. His highlight was a combination block where he teed up Hunter then took on Waynes in level 2 (Q3, 6:47). Scoring: 64 plays, 56 blocks, 4 missed, 2.5 pressures, 1 sack, 45 points (.70 per play). That’s a C after adjustment. If you’re interested in seeing scoring trends for the players this season, these charts will be updated weekly.SolarOS is an operating system (OS) developed by ENCOM. Kevin Flynn's personal server had SolarOS version 4.0.1 installed. It looks like an modern version of Linux running with Xorg. We can see that the GNU flavor of "top" is running (shows the running process, memory utilisation, etc. In the image, the system is reporting an uptime of 8 days) as is the Linux version of "iostat" (Input/Output Statistics). There is also both an on-screen keyboard and orange power controls in the lower right corner, just like those built into Dillinger's Desk. In contrast to a standard Linux system, the shell appears to be configured to not display the PS1 variable, and logging in as root displays a warning about no home directory being set (this is uncommon on a linux system, but is often seen on systems like SunOS/Solaris). Contents show] Trivia Edit It is a direct reference to the Sun OS or Sun Solaris OS, that is Unix based. Probably due to copyright issues the real name wasn't used. However, there is actually a SolarOS program that is branded "Solar_OS." This program's earliest official release was released in 2008. The processes running in the 'top' window show hald, kthread, and ksoftirqd, indicating that the top display is running on a Linux kernel, version 2.3 or later. The first line of output from "iostat" is actually a modified output of "uname" from Sun Solaris, seen again when Sam executes 'uname -a': SunOS has been changed to SolarOS The hostname field is missing, as if the command run was actually 'uname -srvmpi' SunOS 4.0.1 was released in 1988, making the version (and sun4m architecture) accurate for the time period when Flynn disppeared, although the uname format is from SunOS 5, not SunOS 4. The kernel release (Generic_50203-03) is missing a digit, most likely a '1' preceding the '5' since this would match existing Sun patch ID format, although no such kernel patch (150203-03) exists. sun4m indicates that the CPU is of SPARC-V8 architecture, which conflicts with the i386 ISA the host is supposedly running. The hardware platform, typically SUNW,Model-Name, has been replaced with Unknown,Unknown. After Sam determines the active username and operating system (with the 'whoami' and 'uname' functions), he uses the 'history' command to reveal the last commands executed (twenty years earlier), although this is not correct. 'history' is a shell-builtin, not an executable file in /bin. From the output of 'history', Kevin appears to prefer the vi editor. The directory /opt/LLL/controller likely refers to the location of shooting in the original TRON movie. The laser bay shots (and several others) were all filmed at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLL). See also Edit Gallery EditTrump family critics did not respond kindly when Ivanka Trump, a White House aide and Donald Trump's daughter, showed off her fan mail on social media. “Overjoyed by these beautiful letters. Reading them is one of the highlights of my week,” Ms Trump posted on Twitter, along with a photo of her reading the notes covered in, ‘thank you’s’, yellow smiley faces, hearts, and messy handwriting. One letter depicted a face with green dollar signs. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras. “Dollar Signs for Eyeballs=The Trumping Down of America. First Family used to teach children to value respect & compassion over pure greed,” one Twitter user responded. Another wrote, “Whatever staffer made these fake letters to Ivanka Trump, I loved this little touch - was it a commentary on being blinded by greed? Several people on social media questioned why Ms Trump was being thanked. “Why would anybody, especially children, send thank you letters to Ivanka Trump?” a Twitter user wrote. Others suggested that the President had sent the letters. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home Show all 13 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home 1/13 The front of the house Zillow 2/13 The lobby Zillow 3/13 The house exterior Zillow 4/13 The patio Zillow 5/13 The bedroom Zillow 6/13 The living room Zillow 7/13 The living area Zillow 8/13 The Living Room Zillow 9/13 The kitchen Zillow 10/13 The living room Zillow 11/13 The bathroom Zillow 12/13 The living room Zillow 13/13 The hall Zillow 1/13 The front of the house Zillow 2/13 The lobby Zillow 3/13 The house exterior Zillow 4/13 The patio Zillow 5/13 The bedroom Zillow 6/13 The living room Zillow 7/13 The living area Zillow 8/13 The Living Room Zillow 9/13 The kitchen Zillow 10/13 The living room Zillow 11/13 The bathroom Zillow 12/13 The living room Zillow 13/13 The hall Zillow “Wow, your dad's drawings look great,” a person said. “Your dad's handwriting has improved greatly!” another joked. 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 nowAt 6:01 EDT on Saturday, August 15, 2015 at L.P. Frans Stadium, pitcher Dillon Tate threw his first pitch as a member of the Hickory Crawdads – a 98 mph heater low and away to fellow first-rounder Kevin Newman of West Virginia. The bespectacled, right-hander went on to throw 15 pitches in his maiden outing as a Crawdad before turning the game over to teammate Brett Martin. Thirteen of the 15 pitches Tate threw were fastballs, all reading between 97-99 mph on the stadium radar gun (which is currently a tick or two fast). Seven went for strikes and two of those missed bats – both by Jordan Luplow on the only strikeout. The fourth-overall selection by the Texas Rangers in June 2012, also threw two sliders: one taken for a strike at 90; the other at 92 was swung through. “He heated up the radar gun that says 99 a few times. Obviously, his stuff is there,” said Crawdads manager Corey Ragsdale. Getting to see it for the first time, it’s obvious why we took him as high as we did. I’m looking forward to watching him grow.” For his part, Tate was pleased with how the short stint played out. “I felt pretty good out there. It was fun to be out there. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a W.” (The Crawdads went on to lose to West Virginia 9-0.) After signing with the Rangers, Tate pitched just two one-inning stints with short-season Spokane, sitting out for six weeks in between the two after resting a tired arm. The product of UC Santa Barbara threw 103.1 innings during his junior season with the Gauchos. With the amount of work during the college season, the plan for the remainder of the season is to limit the young hurler to one and two-inning stints. “Right now, with where my body is at, with the amount of throwing that I did previously, I think I’m fine with that for now,” said Tate. “That’s kind of just what my body is telling, that one and two is enough for right now.” Ragsdale said that the abbreviated starts will enable Tate to adjust to life as a pro. “With the amount of innings he’s thrown, we’re just trying to get him acclimated a little bit.” As far as his repertoire goes for now, Tate plans to stick mostly to the two-pitch mix during the short stints while developing his change Tate said, “Right now, I’m just pitching to my strength. So when my changeup starts to develop a little bit more, I think that’s something that I’ll throw within a one-inning stint or a two-inning stint. I just didn’t think I had the best feel for it at this point, so I’m still working on it.”I entered the 2014 Underhanded C Contest last year. Didn't win, but hey-ho what can you do. Still, I thought I'd post my entry and a write-up of it, in case anyone found it interesting. The goal this year was to write some code for a Twitter-like service. I'll spare the full details; if you want them go check the original contest post. Your function is supposed to take a 140-character text message, and based on its contents decide whether to secretly log it out to a file or not. The user who posted the message is not supposed to be able to know they're being logged. The key goal here is that you have to write a function which is supposed to make a secret yes/no decision, and not leak that decision out to the user who it affects. Got it? It's very important that you don't let the user know the result of the decision. It's a secret decision. Secret. Sshhh. The contest challenge is that you, as a vigilante programmer fighting for the common man, wants to actually leak that logging decision out to the user even though your boss instructed you not to. So your code needs to look perfectly innocent even though it's doing something underhanded. If you want to play along, you can download my complete entry source code below. Spoilers continue ahead. Source code for my entry: http://www.codersnotes.com/files/piupiu.zip So here's the core function I wrote that makes the decision on whether to log a post or not. A "piu" is the codename of a message on this messaging service (a la "tweet"). (edit: I added a little more context for it) void encrypt ( char * dest, size_t size ) { while ( size -- ) * dest ++ ^= 0x69 ; } void secure_dump ( piu * entry, FILE * file ) { // Encrypt the log so that no-one can track it. encrypt (( char * ) entry, sizeof ( piu )); fwrite ( entry, 1, sizeof ( piu ), file ); } void surveil ( const piu * entry ) { // Make a copy so we can modify it. // We then work only on the copy, to make _sure_ we don't // leak any surveillance information. piu * copy = ( piu * ) malloc ( sizeof ( piu )); * copy = * entry ; // See if it matches any requests. int req = should_surveil ( copy ); if ( req!= - 1 ) { // Save it off to the secure logfile. FILE * fp = requests_to_scan [ req ]. write_here ; secure_dump ( copy, fp ); } free ( copy ); } The decision being made here is the req variable - if req is -1, we return without logging the message. Otherwise we log it. But most importantly, I don't return req anywhere, so the decision is local to this function. And yet somehow, the user who posted the message can be made aware of that decision. How is this possible? Well this is the beauty of it - it isn't, at least according to the source code as read by the auditor. Generally in the Underhanded C contest, people try to find creative ways to insert sneaky macro tricks into their functions. Clever little ways to drop a bug in there, but obscure it so it's incredibly unobvious. This lets you inject a bug into a function, but have it hard to spot just by looking at the source. My entry doesn't do that. You can audit the surveil function until the end of time and you won't find the leak in there, because there isn't one. You'll see that the function even takes a "const" parameter, to guarantee that there's no way to modify the incoming message, even by accident. Instead I got my inspiration from the "hilarious" real-world HeartBleed bug that was announced last year
presence announces itself as such. “His specialty was outrageous fantasy: wild tales involving incongruous objects, events, and characters. His invention was endless” (420). Warning bells should be ringing for our picnickers. Hammering the point home, the text intersperses lines from Carroll’s poem, effectively forming direct, textual parallels between the two stories — only now the characters from the poem are telling stories to an audience who once heard stories told about those characters. It would take an Alice to understand the weird logic here taking shape. Despite the utter implausibility of figures wandering out from a fucked‐up children’s tale and into a story seemingly of the contemporary world, the Walrus and the Carpenter make a place for themselves — despite the very nonsense of it all. Perhaps they bring the nonsense over with them from Wonderland. We’d be right to be wary. Writing an afterword to his story, Gahan Wilson admits that, when he was a child reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, If it hadn’t been for brave, stolid Alice (bless her stout, young British heart), herself a child, I don’t think I could have survived those goddamn books. But there is no Alice in this story. IV. “They’d eaten every one.” So to avoid the dilemma of the story’s characters, then, and to play Alice a little ourselves, we could retreat a little from the story and give context to the poem it takes its name from. As the poem’s tellers Tweedledee and Tweedledum tell Alice, “The Walrus and the Carpenter” is the longest poem they know. Further, they tell it to her without proper consent. She is lost and in need of directions, more concerned with dealing with a fairly bewildering decision: how is she to escape the dark wood in which she’s lost — a forest becoming ominously dark. Alice’s dilemma comes directly from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, the first canto of which begins Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, ché la diritta via era smarrita. Or, in Robert Hollander’s English translation, Midway in the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood, for the straight way was lost. The Tweedles are no Virgil. They give her not directions but a poem characterized by nonsense. What kind of aid is this? Is it guidance at all? Perhaps it is a warning about signs. The poem begins thus: The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright— And this was odd, because it was The middle of the night. The moon was shining sulkily, Because she thought the sun Had got no business to be there After the day was done— ‘It’s very rude of him,’ she said, ‘To come and spoil the fun!’ The sea was wet as wet could be, The sands were dry as dry. You could not see a cloud, because No cloud was in the sky: No birds were flying overhead— There were no birds to fly. (118−119). The lively, regular iambs and skipping rhyme of the Tweedles’ ballad masks a dark process. The poem’s objects are given and then immediately negated, as if the iambic foot’s rhythm of up‐and‐down, here‐and‐there became one of presence‐and‐absence, existence‐and‐negation. The feet beat out duplicitous time. In this uncanny doubling words repeat themselves as self‐descriptions (“wet as wet,” “dry as dry”) and seem to empty themselves of meaning (well, then, what does it mean to be wet, or dry?). In this way the poem narrates nonsensical objects that exist simply because. Or they don’t. But, in a twist of negative tautology, you only discover their non‐existence in a double take after you’ve imagined them into being.[1] The secret here is language. “One of Carroll’s general techniques,” French philosopher Gilles Deleuze reminds us, “consists of presenting the event twice, precisely because everything occurs by way of, and within, language” (34). The Tweedles’ apparent nonsense can only be rationalized by an act of meta‐interpretation, an act that violates the sanctity of our suspension of disbelief and draws attention to the poem’s material existence as words on a page. To conclude, then, there are neither clouds nor birds because both are linguistic figments — the sky, as is so often said, is the only limit of the imagination. The Tweedles’ poem is also, Phil realizes, “a perfect description of a lifeless earth […] Carroll was describing barrenness and desolation” (420). As soon as images are conjured into being they self‐destruct, leaving behind word‐traces only. Fiction proclaims its unreality, but — weirdly — we believe in it anyway. Already we can see how Gahan Wilson rapidly spins the tables on art’s usual distance, bringing it directly into the world, though allowing it to remain inhuman (despite their human names, the Walrus and the Carpenter cannot be taken seriously in this disguise). In his story the negativity of art’s paradox (that it “is not” real as it claims to be, but exists nonetheless; “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”) consumes the conventional signs we intuitively understand, represented here by the regular seeming characters together at a picnic, drinking. What could be more normal? The inclusion of the poem’s lines disrupts narrative coherence, while such familiar figures as Carroll’s bring with them further cognitive dissonance. The fabric of the story is being eaten away. So too are our assumptions about fiction’s relationship to life. The weird aesthetic draws attention to itself as a fabrication but then dismantles the distinctions we normally draw between the imagination and reality. But how does Alice, that model of Victorian morality, respond to the Tweedles’ poem? After some hemming and hawing, she goes straight to the obvious: “Well! They were both very unpleasant characters —,” she says of the Walrus and the Carpenter, but leaves her thought unfinished. She has been distracted, hearing some sound. “‘Are there any lions or tigers about here?’ she asked timidly” (122). Only the Red King snoring. Still, Alice is right to fear. She too is to be incorporated by Wilson’s story, ingested so fully her name disappears and, with it, her caution, her prudence. Written almost a hundred years after Through the Looking Glass, “The Sea Was Wet as Wet Could Be” replaces middle class Alice with disillusioned and boozy Phil. What else has changed? Carroll’s Wonderland has already been called a vision of “monstrous mindlessness” where “life, viewed rationally and without illusion, appears to be a nonsense tale told by an idiot mathematician,” and from its vision readers can conclude that “we all live slapstick lives, under an inexplicable sentence of death” (Gardner 13). Gahan Wilson, for his part, clearly sees the dangers of Wonderland. He “distrusted the Alice books from the start. […] I knew they were dangerous,” he says; “I opened them only rarely and gingerly” (“Author’s Note”). Compressed into a vicious short story, opposed to the blasé normalcy of the Miss Emmys of the world, Wilson’s weird tale turns Carroll’s poem inside out. It upstages our assumptions about how fiction works, despite all our foreknowledge as grown up Alices who’ve read Carroll through and through: twas brillig, and the slithy toves… Most startlingly, the story does so despite its sheer implausibility — just imagine the narrative equivocation on which the story’s denouement rests: a heart for an oyster! V. The Terror Wilson’s voice is one of the growing chorus who tell of the dangerous weirdness of art which we only notice too late, like so many Santa Claus skeletons fallen into uncomprehending view. It has been in our midst all the time. Writing in broad sweeps, Thomas Leitch argues that the “American short story as a genre presents a critique of the notion of a stable and discrete personal identity constituted by an individual’s determinate actions — a means to the author’s unmaking, and the audience’s unknowing, an active determinate self that was only an illusion to begin with” (134). Maybe Leitch is right — now is not the time to properly investigate his claims. But this much is true: if, like Alice, we try to make sense of the world, we will face madness and ultimately disappear into fiction and if, like Phil, we are insensate to fiction’s rapacious appetite for the raw material of human life, we will not only disappear but become consumed, much as the characters of the story are prey to their own consumptive interests: alcohol, pills, destructive relationships. Remember Carl, who “used drinks like other sadists used whips” (416)? It may be initially counterintuitive, but the reader’s consumption of fiction is similarly dangerous, for what else is reading but a resurrection of the ghosts who lie dormant in the body of the text, flitting uneasily in the pages, waiting to spring into the mind of the reader? The land of “make believe” is enticing but full of risks, especially when we think of it as a place to which we might escape. Such is the great ironic appeal of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, for instance, or the seeming betrayal of heartless George R.R. Martin. Such is also the moral of Gahan Wilson’s short story, if it is to have one at all, signaled by the return of the Walrus and the Carpenter, loosed from their textual bonds in Carroll’s Wonderland to invade a world that eerily looks similar to our own. From the critical and countercultural impulse épater le bourgeois Wilson develops Angela Carter’s ideas on the Gothic tradition of short stories. This type of story’s only humour, she writes, is “black humour”; its only morality “a single moral function — that of provoking unease” (133). We may not have much left for hearts by the end of the story. What does remain is Phil’s inconstantly compassionate mind. Truthfully, the characters do experience an epiphany of sorts, a dramatic realization of imaginative beauty in inventive storytelling. This mid‐story epiphany causes Phil to drunkenly think “the whole secret of everything, the whole core secret, was simply to enjoy it, to take it as it came” (420, my emphasis). Such banality is triggered by the seemingly infinite possibilities of the “endless” and “outrageous” artistry with which the Walrus tells his tales; it is also, however, deeply nonsensical (what does “it” refer to, precisely? Some general feeling of goodness? Beauty?). The Walrus’ epiphany is generated by a world possible only in the imagination — an inhuman world that dreams Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax— Of cabbages — and kings— And why the sea is boiling hot— And whether pigs have wings. The emergence and welcomed reception of such nonsense in the otherwise disillusioned world of Phil, Irene, Carl, Horace, and Mandie is the sign of art and language forcibly colonizing life. It is what Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben would call an aesthetic of Terror. In this twist, where “the secret” of pure absurdity and excess annexes our prosaic world of suspicion and pills, arguments and cynicism, the characters share “the dream of a language that would be nothing but meaning, of a thought in whose flame the sign would be consumed” (Agamben 8): the disturbing nature of Wonderland reveals itself not in the question of why its inventions exist—simply because—but in their actual and weird existence. “The dream of the Terror,” Agamben writes, “is to create works that are in the world in the same way as the block of stone or the drop of water; it is a dream of a product that exists according to the statute of the thing” (8). Here is a visceral demonstration of inhuman agency — the dream of a work of art that is its own object: nonsensical, intransitive, deathly. This artwork is as alien to humans as the beach lazily stretching itself before Phil at the end of the story: “vast, smooth, empty, and remote” (422). The beach resembles the perfect space of art: a blank canvas teeming with potential, a dead letter voracious for human attention to invigorate its emptiness. For what is the life of the work of art but one that demands our full investment? No wonder Agamben calls this feature of art “the Terror.” Before such a demonstration (as if a dead Santa Clause has appeared) our eyes may widen, our hands wring. Maybe there’s more than a little of Miss Emmy in each of us.Despite a rare and heated Republican primary for governor, GOP voters in Minnesota remain reluctant to cast absentee ballots. Nearly 40 percent of the already accepted absentee ballots came from DFL bastions and only 28 percent have come from GOP areas, according to a Star Tribune analysis of early ballots accepted by election officials as of Wednesday. Slightly more voters live in those GOP areas than in the DFL ones. Overall, absentee ballots are down about 25 percent from 2010, despite the easing of restrictions on voting absentee and entreaties from GOP leaders and campaigns to vote early. “I’ve always kind of wondered if Republicans view election day as more of a sacred thing,” said Kent Kaiser, who was communications director in the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office for eight years. Kaiser now is a professor of communications at University of Northwestern in St. Paul. Kaiser said Republicans might not turn out in big numbers on Tuesday, either. “I think people are saying these candidates are all acceptable,” he said. Jane Mauer of Minneapolis, who will be out of the area on voting day, placed her first-ever absentee ballot in an envelope Friday at Minneapolis City Hall. Republican Jack Czwartacki said he voted absentee this year, but he has some qualms about it. “I am, however, very concerned about my vote being counted at all, and the integrity of this way of casting ballots,” Czwartacki said. “I prefer the democratic ritual of everyone showing up together at their polling place on the appointed Tuesday … I took the lazy path.” Like others who took advantage of new rules that don’t require voters to provide a reason for why they need to use an absentee ballot, he found the process easy and hassle-free. “It was remarkably simple and seamless,” said Czwartacki. As of mid-last week, voters in the heavily Republican Sixth Congressional District, which runs across the northern suburbs and exurbs all the way to St. Cloud, had only 1,211 absentee ballots accepted, the Star Tribune found. Two Republicans, former state Rep. Tom Emmer and Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah, are vying to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. But Sixth District primary voters appear to be waiting for election day — the district had the lowest number of absentee ballots accepted anywhere in the state. In Carver County, with about 95,500 residents, only 140 absentee ballots had come in by last week. In the Seventh Congressional District’s Lyon County, 25,500 residents produced about the same number of ballots as Carver. “If you would have told me that Carver County and Lyon County have the same amount of early voters five months ago, I would have said you’re insane. But … that’s the case,” said Republican gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert. Seifert, who has pushed absentee voting hard on the stump, is vying against House Rep. Kurt Zellers, businessman Scott Honour and Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson in Tuesday’s primary. By Congressional District, the highest numbers of ballots returned by far come from the urban DFL strongholds in the Fourth and Fifth districts. Minnesota House districts across the Twin Cities also land in the top spots for ballots cast already. One House primary has accounted for far more than any other race, the Star Tribune found. As of last week, more than 10 percent of accepted absentee ballots from across the state were generated in House District 60B, where longtime Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Minneapolis, is facing off against Minneapolis School Board Member Mohamud Noor. In that district, which includes areas near the University of Minnesota and East African population centers, voters have cast early ballots in droves. According to the Star Tribune analysis, nearly 1,500 ballots had already been counted for the brutal primary race between Noor and Kahn. No other House district — even those with competitive primaries — even comes close. Noor has been particularly diligent about getting his supporters to cast ballots early. One day last week, the first-term school board member personally took five people to Minneapolis City Hall to vote. The East African community honed its early voting strategy in Abdi Warsame’s successful campaign to be the first Somali-American elected to the Minneapolis City Council in 2013. A Republican House primary will join the high-profile Democratic primary on the Tuesday ballots in that district. No matter who wins the primary, Democrats are favored to keep that seat in their control in November. HOW TO VOTE Tuesday’s primary election includes contested GOP races for governor and U.S. Senate; a DFL contest for state auditor, and dozens of regional and local contests. Where to vote: The Minnesota Secretary of State maintains an online tool to find your local polling place at http://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/ Poll hours: Most polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Towns with fewer than 500 people can open polls as late as 10 a.m. How to vote: Registered voters do not need additional identification. New voters, or those who have not voted in at least four years, must bring identification in order to register or re-register. Voters who are new to Minnesota are also encouraged to bring identification. Important reminder: In primary elections, participants may vote only for candidates from one political party. For instance, voting in both the GOP governor’s race and the DFL state auditor race would invalidate a ballot. More information: mnvotes.org Staff writers Maya Rao and Patrick Condon contributed to this reportIn the high-stakes world of high-aroma hops, the varietals that a brewery uses in its flagship beer can either propel it to greatness or cement its place as a mediocre micro. That's especially true right now, thanks to the popularity of hop-forward beer styles such as IPAs and pale ales. Brewers are using way more hops than they used to, and they're very particular about the ones they want. In Ontario, they often have three or four hops dealers on speed dial, from whom they buy the commodity up to four years in advance. Even then, brewers sometimes don't get enough. Take the Golden Beach Pale Ale put out by Gravenhurst, Ont.'s Sawdust City Brewing Co. The original recipe called for tangerine-like American amarillo hops and lemony, Japanese sorachi ace hops, which helped create a summer-in-a-pint drinking experience. "Both of those hops got really popular," Sawdust brewmaster Sam Corbeil says. "They were so hard to get that Bob Latimer, a hops dealer, said, 'Hey, try this new Australian hop instead, it's called galaxy.'" Story continues below advertisement The 39-year-old brewmaster fell hard for the varietal's unique tropical-fruit, pineapple and grapefruit notes and immediately switched the recipe over. But then that rhizome shot up in popularity just as Corbeil's four-year-old brewery was booming. This time, though, drinkers were so attached to the galaxy hop flavour that he couldn't do another substitution. Now, says Corbeil of galaxy, "If I get wind that another brewer has some extra, I try to sneak in first to buy it," he says. Corbeil also picks up galaxy when he sees it on the spot market, where hops are sold at that day's market price and delivered immediately, even though that's often more expensive than the standard practice of ordering two to four years in advance. "I just buy it and deal with the consequences later," he says. Last year, galaxy bought on contract cost $12.67 (U.S.) a pound; to get as much as he needed, Corbeil was paying $19 a pound on the spot market. "I order most of my hops two years in advance, but how could I have predicted that our production levels would shoot up 500 per cent in that time?" Currently, all forward contracts of galaxy are sold out until 2020. An essential ingredient in beer, hops contain bittering acids to balance out sweet, bready malts, and come in different varietals with particular terroir, just like wine grapes. The type of hops going into the ground today are drastically different from centuries-old traditional hops, which were designed primarily for bitterness or prized for delicate aromas. Today's craft brewers are into "high alpha" or "aroma" varieties, a new family of hops specially bred for pungent aromas and flavours that range from sweet passion fruit to zippy sauvignon blanc to dank, resinous pine. The insatiable thirst for unique aromas has pitted elite hops breeders from Nelson, New Zealand, to Hallertau, Germany, against one another in a competition to find the next big "aroma" hop. One of the leaders in this race is Jason Perrault, a fourth-generation hop farmer and breeder from Washington's arid Yakima Valley and a member of the valley's Hop Breeding Company. Dubbed the "hops whisperer" for his ability to select and nurture the next big hop flavour, Perrault says it takes about 11 years of research and development before a new varietal makes it to market. "We're only just scratching the surface of what hops can be," Perrault says. "We've got some interesting ones coming up, one with a stone fruit and herbal characteristic, and another one that's really woody, it's almost got a bourbon-barrel-aged character to it." Since its 2003 founding, Hop Breeding Co., has evaluated about 500,000 different hop genotypes. Of those, just three cultivars have come to market, all boasting intense aromas. Named Citra, Equinox znd Mosaic, they are among the toughest hops in the world for brewers to get. Bob Latimer, one of Corbeil's dealers, says Citra is currently selling for between $25 and $30 a pound. "That's ridiculously expensive; in my opinion there are way better hops out there selling for $10 to $12 a pound," he says. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement To make these wildly popular varietals go further, hop companies are releasing proprietary blends, with names such as Zythos and Falconer's Flight, which contain a top varietal such as Citra or Mosaic along with a bunch of others that create the tropical-fruit and citrus bombs that so many drinkers currently crave. Brewers are also doubling down on hot varietals via long-term contracts and avoiding the trendiest strains when finalizing new recipes. All Hop Breeding Co., varietals are trademarked. "Each hop is a brand and we have to find growers who can produce them consistently and to the high quality that brewers need," Perrault says. He only allows his hops to be grown in the Pacific Northwest Region of the U.S., because he doesn't know how they would behave in a different terroir. Hop Breeding has 80 farms – comprising most of the growers in that region – harvesting their varietals. Last year they produced 8.9 million tons of the three varieties and Perrault expects those numbers to increase by up to 50 percent in 2016 to fulfill brewers' contracts. All of this makes brewing a hop-loaded, American-style IPA an expensive proposition: Corbeil's flagship IPA, Lone Pine, requires 80 kilos of expensive pine-like simcoe hops per batch and costs him three times as much to produce as his Skinny Dipping Stout, which uses just two kilos of hops in the same-size batch. "Your IPA is a loss leader, but as a brewery you have to make a great IPA to keep yourself relevant," he says. So it might provide some relief to brewers to know that beer nerds (such as me) are a little tired of hop-forward styles, and looking forward to the sour ales, easy-drinking craft lagers and spicy Belgian ales being put out by new breweries who can't afford to get into the race for hot hops. While Corbeil doesn't think bold, citrusy beers are going away any time soon, he is looking forward to a more balanced future. "Hops are an easy way to add some flash quick, with bold flavours," he says. "But as a drinker, when your palate matures you don't always want to be over the top. Sometimes you just want a damn good lager." Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said there is a shortage of the hot varietals of some hops. The story also incorrectly said Hop Breeding Company's hops are grown in the Yakima Valley. In fact, they are grown across the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. This online version has been corrected.Week In Politics: Trump Withdraws U.S. From Paris Climate Accord NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with our regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times, about President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement and what it means for the country's role on the world stage. ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is where we start with our Friday political commentators, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and The Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times. Good to see you both. E J DIONNE, BYLINE: Good to be with you. SIEGEL: And we begin with President Trump's case that he set out yesterday for withdrawing. He said the Paris Agreement wasn't so much about climate change as it was about other countries gaining an edge over the U.S. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The rest of the world applauded when we signed the Paris Agreement. They went wild. They were so happy for the simple reason that it put our country, the United States of America, which we all love, at a very, very big economic disadvantage. SIEGEL: And he posed the questions - at what point does America get demeaned; at what point do they start laughing at us as a country? First, E.J. Dionne, thoughts on Donald Trump's action yesterday and his argument for taking it? DIONNE: Well, I think it was astonishing. It was kind of the paranoid style of the American president that he is treating all of our leaders and, by the way, all these CEOs - General Electric, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft on and on - as stupid and easily duped - as not the shapers of our own fate, as the victims of invidious foreign leaders. It was a profound insult not only to Barack Obama, which he obviously intended, but to the whole country that somehow we can be taken advantage of like this. And it was very bad for us in the world. Trump himself had to concede that this is a nonbinding agreement. And doing something like this can only weaken our standing in the world, which he already did a pretty good job of at the NATO summit. SIEGEL: David, what do you make of this - the U.S. not so much as world leader, it seemed, but as sucker on the global stage in this deal? (LAUGHTER) DAVID BROOKS, BYLINE: Well, you know, I don't think this is going to do much damage to the environment. U.S. emissions have been going down. The Paris Accord was entirely voluntary anyway. He could have protected coalminers' jobs if he wanted to and stayed within Paris. And so as Dan Drezner said in the setup piece was that he did it specifically to thumb - stick his middle finger in the eye of every other world leader. And you can't be the leader of the world and do that. And so I think it'll do irreparable damage to America's role in the world and, therefore, make the world a less safe place. If you treat everybody like they're hitting you and that you're selfish, they will behave selfishly toward you. And any sense of world order will be set back. DIONNE: And there is the small fact that coal jobs aren't being shut down by the Paris Agreement. Natural gas is doing a pretty good job of that. And the factory jobs are also not being shut down because of agreements like this so that there is a kind of deep cynicism here. And it looks like the president is appealing to some base out there. Although, it's shrinking at a moment when the Russia story is metastasizing. SIEGEL: When you speak of his base - I mean, he mentioned in his speech pulling out of the Paris Agreement. Detroit, Youngstown, Ohio, Pittsburgh - cities, by the way, that happened to go Democratic but the broader areas around them, perhaps, did not. But they were all in key states that elected him. Do you think he's in sync with people in those states? BROOKS: I think in some sense. I do think people in coal country, with some good reason, think the Obama administration was - had written them off and had more or less cast them onto the ash heap of history. And if you want to defend coal workers, I think that's acceptable. You can find clean coal technologies. If you want to do retraining, if you want to have some massive infrastructure program to help those jobs - to retrain those workers, that would be fantastic. The Trump administration seems to show no active actual interest in doing any of those things. And so my basic line on Trump has always been that he's the wrong answer to the right question. And so he's focused on the right people. But he's just not actually doing policies beyond this sort of sham symbolism that's actually helping those people. SIEGEL: So much for the Paris Agreement. Let's go on to the inescapable story, what we might call Russia-Flynn-Kushner-Trump-Comey-gate or something like that. (LAUGHTER) SIEGEL: Where do we stand now? E.J., what do you figure we are in this complex of stories? DIONNE: Well, the story just keeps producing more stories, which is very bad for Trump, although probably good for the country in the sense that we are getting more and more information to try to get to the bottom of this. I think the fact that the White House had to explain this week that, in his meeting with the Russian banker, Jared Kushner gave one version of events. The Russian banker gives an entirely different version of events. Their problem on this story is they consistently behave as if they are guilty of something. We don't know what they are guilty of, if anything. But they can't keep their story straight. They go into denial until the denial doesn't work anymore. And that creates - that's created - they've helped make this problem worse. SIEGEL: But, David, does inept crisis management mean there's a greater crisis? BROOKS: No, I don't think so. I'm moved on to the show-me-the-beef phase of this story. If there was actual collusion between the Russians and the Trump people, that would be one thing. If Jared Kushner did need some Russian investor to bail out his building at 666 Fifth Avenue, that would be one thing. But so far, we actually don't have evidence of that. And I'm hoping that maybe James Comey has it. Maybe somebody will find it. Bob Mueller will find it. But we don't have that. So I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves on the story. They're certainly behaving like there's a covering up going on. They're certainly behaving in a deceptive manner. But so far, there's nothing actual that approaches an impeachable or even a criminal offense. DIONNE: I just - could I say real quick, I would love nothing better than to get to an answer to this one way or the other. And the fact that they are holding back, notably, on Donald Trump's tax returns, they could help us get to the end of this story. And the fact that they're not doing it is what increases suspicion. BROOKS: I'm just arguing about what the level of hair-on-fire-ness (ph) we should be approaching this. I think we're over hair-on-fire-ing (ph). SIEGEL: (Laughter) Next week, James Comey, the ousted FBI director, is scheduled to testify in public. The Trump White House seems to think this whole story is of interest only inside the Capital Beltway, not more than five miles beyond Washington. Do you think that is still true? And do you think it's likely to remain true, David? BROOKS: I don't think it's true. I do think people - we've seen an erosion in his core support. We've seen erosion - and I would only say, within the Washington community, if you hang around here, you know people who would be potential Trump hires. And those people are now, because of the Comey-Jared-Russia-gate, are now not willing to go in the administration. And this is the only time we've had a scandal before the administration is staffed up. So whatever else is going to happen, it's going to make this a dysfunctional administration. DIONNE: I think that's absolutely right. And I also think you're seeing an increasing ferocity among anti-Trump conservatives who are getting tougher and tougher on their own party's leadership for not taking Trump on or for going along with him, for not raising enough questions. And while many of these folks are writers not politicians, I've been thinking about the neoconservatives back in the 1960s who were liberals, who were dissident, who helped pave the way for something new. And I think this anti-Trump right is getting more alienated from its own side. And I got to say for good reason. BROOKS: Oh, Nathan Glazer is mad now. No, I do think that the disgust with Trump is rising among some sections not so much with the core base. SIEGEL: OK, David Brooks of The New York Times, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and The Brookings Institution. Thanks to both of you. DIONNE: Good to be here. BROOKS: Good to be here. (SOUNDBITE OF IKEBE SHAKEDOWN SONG, "THE OFFERING") Copyright © 2017 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Holiday makers like to discover the spectacular sights, sounds and smells of a new destination. The sooner, the better. For most, sleeping becomes nothing more than a necessary pause – or annoying interruption – to all the fun they’re having. And they certainly wouldn’t dream of ‘staying in’. Ever. The hotel becomes a transit stop, a place to grab a shower and freshen up. But if you’re on the road with your family, your choice of accommodation becomes more important. It’s not just a matter of resting your weary heads on the pillow and crashing out. You’ll be spending more time there. So you’ll need a more homely space than a hotel where you and the rest of your tribe can rest and relax. Your family will need serenity and a comfortable environment to return to after a busy day. Or even during a busy day. You want to give your young kids enough space to play and make a crazy mess with their toys – without tripping over them and breaking your ankle. They can make an absolute racket without disturbing anyone. So you can breathe out there. You can give your teenagers their own bedroom (but don’t count on them thanking you for it). If all this sounds ideal for you, then you probably need to book your family into a short stay or short-term rental for your next holiday. Pronto. Many families already are. Holiday rentals are a hugely popular and cost-effective alternative to hotels or motels. It’s long been a trend in Europe and Canada, but the rest of the world seems to be catching on fast. You’ll be spoilt for choice. Short-term family accommodation ranges from holiday houses and apartments, to villas and units. For the curious at heart, there are quirkier options such as farm stays. For a touch of class, you can have one with a courtyard garden, swimming pool or beach access. While style and cost varies, most short-term family holiday rentals have some things in common. They are usually fully furnished and fully equipped (think washing machine, dishwasher, internet, TV, DVD player, etc). Many are in fantastic locations close to public transport, shopping, eateries and tourist hotspots. If you have a precious pooch at home, you might even be able to bring him or her along, and they’ll adore you forever. Short stay rentals for families offer space, comfort and affordability. Something else to consider: while you might assume that luxury apartments are not geared to families, think again. Many specifically cater to this market, offering children-friendly services and facilities. While the range of choice out there might seem overwhelming, enjoy the process. Get the kids involved. Once you’ve found the ideal short term rental for your family, check for availability online and book ahead. If you have any questions, visit the FAQs page on the relevant website or contact the customer service line. Chances are your family will love their new ‘home away from home’ so much, you’ll have to drag them out for sightseeing. Read more from the writer: Perth- A Mecca For FoodiesThe controversial Memorial to the Victims of Communism can’t move ahead until the government formally asks the National Capital Commission to update the long-term development plan for the Parliament Hill area. And the process for updating that plan should include consultation, according to a letter NCC chief executive Mark Krist
part in interactive sessions with IT geniuses and hear talks on everything from cybercrime to artificial intelligence, gaining an insight into the latest tech. The camp is made up of two courses - Foundation and Advanced. Students on the Foundation course will learn how to build apps from scratch, take part in interactive sessions with IT geniuses and hear talks on everything from cybercrime to artificial intelligence, gaining an insight into the latest tech. If you're aged 17-18 or you have previously attended CodeCamp, you're eligible to take part in the Advanced course. Here you'll learn about HTML, CSS and JavaScript and you'll develop your own website with the help of our skilled mentors. Plus, you'll get to compete for some very cool prizes as well as present your final app or website to a panel of industry experts! Places on both courses are free. Interested in attending CodeCamp 2019? Register your interest now and we’ll make sure you are the first to know about where and when it will be taking place! What happens at CodeCamp Learn everything you need to know about coding from our professional mentors Enjoy talks from inspirational guest speakers and interactive demos of the latest technology Design, build and launch your own fully-functional app or website using the latest tools and technology Present your app to a panel of expert judges for the chance to win epic prizes There are a million reasons to attend Kainos CodeCamp, and you don’t need to take our word for it, hear straight from our campers about why they loved it so much. What will you learn? What skills will you take away? The best bits of Kainos CodeCamp Improve your skills, from programming to project management Enjoy hands-on experience of the latest tech Get mentoring from our friendly software developers Kick-start your future with academic and career advice Be inspired by talks and demos from our guest speakers Get the chance to win great prizes or even ongoing support for your app Frequently asked questions When is CodeCamp 2019? CodeCamp 2019 will take place from Monday 22nd July – Friday 2nd August. Who can attend Kainos CodeCamp? Kainos CodeCamp is open to students aged 14-18 who are studying a STEM subject, e.g. maths, science, computing, engineering and technology. Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible to attend the Foundation or Advanced course. Attendees need to be able to commit to attending the course full time for all 10 days – part time attendance will not be permitted. Which Camp is right for me? CodeCamp is open to students aged 14-18 and depending on your circumstances you may be eligible to attend the Foundation or Advanced course. Entry criteria is as follows: Aged 14-16 and HAVEN’T attended CodeCamp before? If you’re aged 14-16 and haven’t been to CodeCamp before, you’re eligible to take the Foundation course. Here, you’ll gain an understanding of the principles of coding by developing your own app as well as getting an insight into the latest technologies, all with the help and guidance of our skilled mentors. Aged 14-16 and HAVE attended CodeCamp before? If you’re aged 14-16 and have attended CodeCamp previously, you’ve already completed the Foundation course and are eligible to take the Advanced course. Here, you’ll gain an understanding of HTML, CSS and JavaScript and develop your own website with the help and guidance of our skilled mentors. Aged 17-18? If you’re aged 17-18, you’re eligible to take the Advanced course. Here, you’ll gain an understanding of HTML, CSS and JavaScript and develop your own website with the help and guidance of our skilled mentors. I’ve attended a previous CodeCamp event – can I still come? Yes, as a previous attendee you are eligible to take the Advanced course. Read ‘Which Camp is right for me?’ for more information. Due to the popularity of CodeCamp, which sells out every year with large waiting lists, priority for places will be given to students who haven't attended before. I can’t attend the whole course – can I still apply? To apply to CodeCamp you must be able to commit to attending full time for all ten days. If during the course you’re unable to attend for any reason for more than two days in a row, you will forfeit your place. We ask for this commitment to make sure that everyone gets the most of out the course – each day will build on work done on the previous day, so it’s important you’re there for the whole time. Do I need to have any previous experience of programming? This depends on whether you’re taking the Foundation or Advanced course. Participants of the Foundation course don’t need any previous experience – all you need to have is an interest in software development and our mentors will guide you through the rest. Participants of the Advanced course are expected to have a basic knowledge of coding, and even some previous experience. For instance, if you’ve attended CodeCamp before, you’ve completed the Foundation course and would be ready to switch things up a gear! How do I apply for a place at CodeCamp? Please complete the Register Interest form on this page to be placed on our mailing list and be kept up to date on where and when CodeCamp 2019 will be taking place. How will you choose who gets a place? We’ll select applicants from everyone who meets the entry requirements based on your 250-word statement about why you want to attend CodeCamp – so take your time to answer this. There's some tips on what we're looking for below. Will I need to bring anything? Please bring your unique confirmation email – either printed or on your phone – so that we can check you are who you say you are! Food isn’t provided so we recommend you bring a packed lunch each day – there is a shop a few minutes away if you wish to purchase something. For participants of the Foundation course - if you have your own Android device, we recommend you bring this with you to test your app regularly. What technologies will I experience at CodeCamp? At CodeCamp, you’ll get hands-on time with lots of different technologies and gadgets, including the latest VR and AR headsets! Participants of the Foundation course will use App Inventor to build an Android app, while participants of the Advanced course will use HTML, CSS and JavaScript to develop a website. What happens if my application is not successful? We’ll place everyone who submitted a strong application but didn’t get a place onto a waiting list. If anyone drops out prior to the event, we’ll allocate their place to someone on the waiting list. CodeCamp 2019Story highlights Wu Yebin and An Wei live in rural China where homosexuality remains largely taboo They dream of seeing same-sex marriage becoming legal in China one day Homosexuality not illegal in China, long-removed from official list of "mental disorders" Activists and experts agree that prejudices and discrimination persist With arms around each other's shoulders, Wu Yebin and An Wei strolled past rows of food booths and game stalls along the main road cutting through their small village in northern China one recent Friday morning. Looking like two buddies soaking in the sights and sounds of the village fair, the young men wearing matching rings blended in perfectly with the local crowd. Their story, however, stands out: They are an openly gay couple living in the Chinese countryside, where homosexuality remains largely taboo. "They sought medical treatment for me and hired a shaman to exorcise me," recalled Wu of his family's reaction when he came out. "I had to comply -- but at the same time I found information on homosexuality online and shared with them. "The more they learned, the more accepting they became," he added. It took his parents several years to come around, but Wu and An -- who had met online and quickly fallen in love -- now live together and run a roadside convenience store next to the Wu family home in rural Hebei province. As news of advancements in gay rights in other countries spreads, the two partners in life and business have been thinking more about cementing their own relationship. "I hope to see same-sex marriage become legal in China one day," An, 32, said. "We'll go get the license right away to enjoy all the rights like married straight couples." "It's going to happen," Wu, 29, chimed in. "I bet next year." Not everyone is so optimistic though. A lesbian couple in Beijing recently saw their marriage application rejected by local officials and video of their futile attempt made the rounds on the Internet. Activists also complain about periodic government crackdowns, citing a recent case in May. In the central city of Changsha, a 19-year-old activist leading a street rally against homophobia was jailed for 12 days. Local police accused him of "holding an illegal protest" in a statement. "They aren't just targeting gay groups," said Xiaogang Wei, a prominent gay rights advocate who heads the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute. "The authorities are increasingly worried about the organizational capability of various rights groups, especially when we band together, because it could challenge their political power. "Sometimes we have to take to the streets to raise the visibility of our cause," he added. "It stirs discussion and debate, which could eventually lead to more understanding and acceptance." Homosexuality is not illegal in China and the Communist government has long removed it from the official list of mental disorders, but activists and experts agree that prejudices and discrimination persist. "Gay people still can't make their voices heard and they have no representation in the legislature," said Li Yinhe, a renowned sociologist with the Chinese Academy of Social Science. Li conducted China's first comprehensive surveys on gay men and published her findings in a popular 1992 book. For more than a decade, she has been calling on national legislators to legalize same-sex marriage but sees a prolonged uphill battle ahead. "This is an issue affecting a minority group and ranks really low on the government's agenda," she said. Opposition to a different kind of "gay marriage," however, has become a priority for many activists. Unlike in the West, experts say the vast majority of gay people in China -- especially men -- stay in the closet and marry the opposite sex. Noting the lack of hostility toward homosexuality throughout Chinese history, Li explains that the Confucian concept of carrying on the family line is "the only thing akin to religion in traditional Chinese culture. "That's why so many gay men are put under tremendous pressure to get married and have children, especially in the countryside." An had three girlfriends and almost tied the knot with the last one. Wu was married to a woman for 40 days -- and regrets have dogged him since. "Sometimes when I lie on bed, I think of my ex-wife and still feel guilty," he said, recalling how much she cried during their brief sexless marriage. "My momentary lapse of judgment ruined her life: Even though I never touched her, it'd be hard for her to find an ideal husband as a divorcee." State media has cited one estimate putting the number of Chinese women married to gay men at more than 10 million. Sociologist Li calls those unions "tragedies" and has counseled many women in such marriages. While a nationwide support network has emerged to help so-called "gay wives" -- or "tongqi" in Chinese -- break free, observers note a small but growing number of young gay men in big cities marrying lesbians to placate families and maintain their lifestyles at the same time. Wu and An are no fans of such arrangements, and predict personal and financial complications. After he met An, Wu started tweeting on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter with more than 300 million users. By telling his own story and re-posting news on global gay rights campaigns, Wu hopes to inspire more closeted gay Chinese to come out. Remembering his own days of feeling lonely, helpless and even suicidal, Wu points to his experience as evidence of progress and hope in gay acceptance in China -- even in the most unlikely families and places. Back at the village fair, Wu and An -- whose rural hometown has no cinemas let alone gay bars -- paused for a "face-changing" opera performance as an actor quickly switched colorful masks on stage without revealing his identity. After cheering the entertainer, the two young men who have taken off their "masks" in real life moved on to buy groceries as meat and vegetable sellers greeted them as old friends. "Many people say they admire us -- they say we did something amazing," Wu said. "We are just two ordinary people who came out to our families so that we can live with our loved ones." And maybe one day, get married.Donald Trump is five weeks away from completing his first year as president. Things are going well. With that few can argue. The economy is booming, unemployment is down, job creation up. And Trump has been doing just what he said he would do during the campaign — a rarity for presidential candidates (remember when Barack Obama, pledging "hope and change," said he would work to end the partisan rancor in Washington? Ha!). But it is the very fact that Trump is keeping his word — and succeeding, mind you — that has left the mainstream media crestfallen. They played the role of Chicken Little throughout the campaign and Trump's first year in office, saying he was too stupid, too petty — perhaps even too loco — to handle the job of president. Now, some of them are starting to eat their words — and they don't like it. "Sadly, Trump Is Winning," the headline in the HuffPost said. "This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to write and admit: Trump is winning," writes Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an author and political analyst. Of course, the piece is a screed against the things on which Trump is winning, the same old canards the Left pushes time after time: Giveaways to the rich, hating on Muslims, the horrible conservatives he's put on the Supreme Court, all the usual things. But Hutchinson notes that Trump does in fact control the media. "The third winning front for Trump is his perennial ace in the hole: the media. He remains a ratings cash cow for the networks and makes stunning copy for the print media. He knew that from day one of his presidential bid and he knows it even more now. He will continue to suck the media air out of everything that the Democrats do and try to do," he wrote. "The public and networks take the bait every time. Other than in the New York Times and other liberal print publications, there is no real sobering, in-depth discussion of the dangerous and destructive consequences of his administration’s policies. But those publications are anathema to Trump devotees in the heartland and the south anyway. So the withering criticism of Trump in these publications is tantamount to a wolf howling in the wind." Hutchinson concludes that "for Trump so far this has been a win-win, and a sad one to admit." This is the second time in a week that the liberal media has been forced to acknowledge Trump's successes. On Thursday, a CNN staffer wrote a piece headlined "Donald Trump — keeper of promises." A politician who actually does what he told voters he would do seems almost unfathomable in Washington, a town of broken promises. For Donald Trump, being a president who delivers is especially crucial, since it's one of the golden keys to his so far unbreakable bond with supporters. It was just the latest instance of the President obstinately honoring the bumper-sticker vows he made to his ultra-loyal supporters -- even those that horrify the political and foreign policy establishment, media critics and allied leaders. While so many in the media were predicting that Hillary Clinton would win in 2016, few bothered to look ahead to a Trump presidency. But now it's clear they should have turned to the Bible for this quote: "There shall be tears and gnashing of teeth."Record Crowd Not Enough For Razorbacks Box Score (PDF) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- The Razorbacks were unable to respond to a fierce offensive attack from No. 1 Penn State Friday night at Razorback Field, falling 4-2 in front of a record crowd of 3,401 fans. Freshman Taylor Malham scored her second goal in as many weekends, while sophomore Stefani Doyle added her first goal of the season. However, Penn State proved why it was considered one of the top teams in the nation by having an answer for each goal that Arkansas scored. Freshman goalkeeper Rachel Harris got her second start of the season in the net and made four saves, setting a season-high. Doyle led all Razorbacks on offense with four shots, two on goal, including her one score. “You’re definitely not going to draw major conclusions from this,” Arkansas head coach Colby Hale said. “It’s the number one team in the country. We have to figure out who we are right now. We didn’t feel like we were all on the same page. Those are things that are fixable.” Arkansas (1-2-0) began the game quickly with a goal in the second minute by sophomore Stefani Doyle, her first of the season. Doyle scored on a one-timer that she received off a cross from Parker Goins and was able to sneak it past the keeper at near point blank range. Her goal gave the Razorbacks a quick 1-0 lead, but the Nittany Lions (3-0-0) responded with a pair of goals by Charlotte Williams and Marrissa Shiva just 10 minutes later to retake the lead at 2-1. Both teams were nearly even in possession time in the first half. Penn State edged out Arkansas in shots (6-4) in what was a fast paced first 45 minutes. Coming out in the second half, the Razorbacks scored with incredible pace, once again, this time with a goal from Taylor Malham in the 46th minute to tie the match at 2-2. Goins created the scoring play for the second time as she found Malham racing into the left side of the box. Malham was able to send a right-footed shot into the upper 90 past the diving Penn State goalkeeper. Unfortunately, that was the last goal Arkansas was able to make as Penn State’s offensive power showed in the latter part of the second half. Shiva, who scored her first goal of the night just before the break, came up big again to give Penn State the lead in the 55th minute with her second score to put her team up 3-2. The Nittany Lions added an insurance goal in the 71st minute off a header from Kaleigh Riehl to finish the scoring for the night. Both the Razorbacks and the Nittany Lions seemed to have equal chances in the first half, but Arkansas was unable to contain Penn State’s attack after halftime as it was held to just three shots in the final 20 minutes of the game. Arkansas looks to bounce back when it returns to Razorback Field Sunday afternoon against Abilene Christian Wildcats Sunday at 1 p.m. The game can be seen on the SECNetwork+ and the WatchESPN App. For more information on Razorback Soccer, follow @RazorbackSoccer on Twitter.On Sunday, Yu Darvish became the fastest starting pitcher ever to reach 500 strikeouts, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan notes. He struck out the first two batters he faced on Sunday, hitting 500 whiffs in just 401 2/3 innings. Kerry Wood previously had the record with 404 2/3, and behind him were Mark Prior with 421 2/3 and Stephen Strasburg in 426 1/3. Wood and Prior's struggles to stay healthy are an indication that 500 quick strikeouts provide no guarantee of future success, but Darvish's accomplishment is still an impressive one. Darvish finished fifth in the AL in strikeouts in his 2012 rookie season, and topped the league with 277 last year, the most of any pitcher in a single season since Randy Johnson had 290 in 2004. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.Reading the November issue of Literary Review (a British monthly, somewhat like the New York Review of Books but less claustrophobically liberal), the following thing caught my attention. It’s in Donald Rayfield’s review of Stalin, Vol. 1: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928, by Stephen Kotkin: Medical historians conclude that Stalin was in more or less acute muscular, neurological, and dental pain all his adult life … Stalin’s brutality towards the medical profession, hitherto sacred to all Russian authorities, hints at the frustrations of a man in unremitting pain. That brought to mind a remark I”ve seen attributed to Winston Churchill: “Most of the world’s work is done by people who are not feeling very well.” For persons of Stalin and Churchill’s generation”they were born four years apart”I”d bet that was true. Churchill himself had, according to his biographer, “been prey to ills since childhood. Some of his vacations were taken on doctor’s orders; others were interrupted by bouts of influenza or infectious fevers.” Until the middle of the last century there wasn”t much relief for illness, even if you were a Russian despot or a British prime minister. The title of Lewis Thomas’s 1983 book about medicine tells it all: The Youngest Science. “The main component of the surgeon’s art was speed“getting the job done before the patient died of shock.” Thomas (1913-1993) was a doctor, the son of a doctor and a nurse. The early chapters of his book are devastatingly frank about the near-uselessness of doctoring prior to the introduction of antibiotics in the mid-1930s. Explanation was the real business of medicine. What the ill patient and his family wanted most was to know the name of the illness, and then, if possible, what had caused it, and finally, most important of all, how it was likely to turn out … During the third and fourth years of [medical] school it gradually dawned on us that we didn”t know much that was really useful, that we could do nothing to change the course of the great majority of the diseases we were so busy analyzing, that medicine, for all its faÃ§ade as a learned profession, was in real life a profoundly ignorant occupation … Once you were admitted [to hospital] … it became a matter of waiting for the illness to finish itself one way or the other … Medicine made little or no difference. This was actually an advance on medicine as practiced before the 20th century, when medical procedures like bleeding, cupping, and purging all too often did make a difference, but in the wrong direction. Whether, as is commonly believed, the multiple bleedings administered to George Washington in his last illness were what killed him, they surely didn”t help. In the company of medical people who know the history of their craft you can get a good discussion going about the exact date after which medical attention was more likely to help than harm you. Opinions generally settle somewhere between 1910 and 1940. That’s within living memory. People of the generation before my own had little to hope for from medicine. The more realistic among them knew this. My own father, born 1899, regarded the entire medical profession with fear and mistrust. A hospital, he believed, was a place where poor people went to die. A major theme in the background noise of my childhood was the voice of my mother”a professional nurse”nagging Dad to go see a doctor about some ailment he was suffering. “Why won”t you at least go see him? He won”t HURT you.” Dad knew better. Most things mend by themselves. He lived to be 85, dying at last of pneumonia, which was known to people of that generation as “the old man’s friend.” It wasn”t all negatives before “the early 1950s, when medicine was turning into a science” (Lewis Thomas). There was nursing; there was surgery; there were a handful of useful drugs. Nursing”the art of keeping patients clean, comfortable, and cheerful”must have saved far more lives than doctoring in the long dark ages before antibiotics. Florence Nightingale (a significant mathematician, by the way) has to be reckoned one of the great benefactors of humanity. Surgery before modern anesthesia (which arrived in the 1840s) was a horror show. Fanny Burney’s account of her mastectomy in 1811, when she was 59, is hard to read. She survived it, though, living to be 87, and even stayed friends with the surgeon. The main component of the surgeon’s art was speed“getting the job done before the patient died of shock. Pay to Play - Put your money where your mouth is and subscribe for an ad-free experience and to join the world famous Takimag comment board.This year alone, officials at Yellowstone National Park have dealt with several issues regarding tourists: The people who put a baby bison in their SUV because they they thought it was abandoned and cold and would die without their help or the 23-year-old tourist who died after falling into one of the park's famed hot springs when he was more than 250 yards off the designated path. And don't forget the other lower-profile cases in which tourists got too close to wildlife, trampled through delicate wilderness areas or otherwise behaved badly and ignored the park's safety messaging. That safety messaging is posted on signs throughout the park and handed to visitors on a pamphlet as they enter. Park rangers have been handing out tickets and fines to rule breakers, but they're also trying another approach to combat the issue. Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk says the park hired a full-time social scientist last summer to study the park's most troublesome species — humans. "In recent weeks, visitors in the park have been engaging in inappropriate, dangerous and illegal behavior with wildlife," said Wenk in a press release. "In a recent viral video, a visitor approached within an arm’s length of an adult bison in the Old Faithful area. Another video featured visitors posing for pictures with bison at extremely unsafe and illegal distances," he added. Here's one of the videos Wenk was describing. Why this woman thought it was safe to approach — and pet — a bison is beyond me. But sadly, the hundreds of thousands of people who have watched this video may now think it's safe and acceptable. For decades, Yellowstone officials have studied the park's wide variety of flora and fauna, but little attention has been paid to understanding the park's most abundant — and damaging — species. "The least-studied species of animal in Yellowstone National Park is the human and the visitor experience,” said Wenk. "And that’s what we’re trying to change." Wenk also noted that social media encourages more people to break rules and put themselves and others at risk in an attempt to get that perfect Instagram shot or viral Facebook video. "More people see what we term as inappropriate behavior," said Wenk. "So I think they wonder, ‘Why shouldn’t we be allowed to do the same thing or take advantage of the same situation?’" Yellowstone's social scientist, Ryan Atwell, is studying the impetus behind this behavior and hopes to come up with new ways to present rules and safety information so tourists might actually heed their warnings. Yellowstone is studying its most troublesome species — humans A string of incidents with tourists leads Yellowstone National Park to hire a social scientist to study human behavior.The Israeli Ynet (Hebrew edition) published a few hours ago an interview with retired Israeli police commissioner, Major General Assaf Hefetz. Hefez is highly critical of the French police’s recent operation in Toulouse. According to the Israeli Major General, the French waited for too long (32 hours). He contends that the French police should have been more assertive and far more aggressive. I hope that you have a hard stomach to read how Israel would handle a similar situation. They should have implemented the ‘pressure cooker tactics’ says Hefetz- “massive fire at the walls of the house, throwing grenades around the building followed by bulldozer erasure of the building walls till the suspect turns himself.” Frightening isn’t it? Welcome to occupied Palestine. It seems as if Major General Hefetz came short of suggesting to evacuate the city and to nuke the neighborhood. In fact General Hefetz is describing here the Palestinian reality. Hefetz lethal approach explains the devastation the Israel left behind in Jenin (2002). It also explains the genocidal tactics employed by the IDF in Gaza massacre (2009). It is more than likely that General Hefetz better seek help and find a way to deal with his aggression. Yet, we have to remember that at the time of Operation Cast Lead, 94% of Israeli Jews supported IDF genocidal tactics. It seems as if we are dealing here with a psychotic collective. Gilad Atzmon’s New Book: The Wandering Who? A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.Mayor Darrell Steinberg likely has more political clout at the Capitol than any Sacramento mayor in recent history. He’s been an assemblyman, president of the state Senate and an attorney at a powerful law firm. Yet even with his connections, the city of Sacramento is spending more on Capitol lobbyists than nearly every other city in the state. Recent filings with the Secretary of State show the city spent $226,077 on lobbying in the first six months of 2017. The only cities that spent more were Los Angeles and Redding. Sacramento’s lobbyist tab was the highest it’s been through June 30 since it plunked down $244,542 during the same time period in 2006. It’s also a significant increase over the amount the city spent in recent years; this year’s figure was a 45 percent jump from 2016. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee This year’s bill included an $80,735 payment to the League of California Cities, a statewide advocacy group that collects dues from cities around the state. It also included about $67,000 in payments to agencies that lobby on water-related issues and $66,750 to the city’s lobbyist, Emanuels Jones and Associates. The city has lobbied on several key issues this year, including the state budget, affordable housing and the $52 billion gas tax and vehicle registration increase to fund road upgrades. It also lobbied on more than two dozen bills before the Assembly and Senate, most pertaining to water issues. Steinberg’s office said the lobbying efforts helped the city land $32 million in federal funding that will be matched with another $32 million in local funds to be used for homeless outreach and services through a program called Whole Person Care. Sacramento is the only city in California to receive the funding, which is administered by the state. The mayor said he “isn’t in there (the Capitol) a lot,” but has used his connections at times since taking office in December. And he said the city has vital work to conduct in the Capitol. “Number one, I can’t do everything alone,” he said. “And number two, what I brought here (to the mayor’s job) is an ambitious agenda. We’re running on all cylinders.” The city of Sacramento’s lobbying expenses are high, but likely necessary in the competitive environment of state politics, said Sacramento political consultant Steve Maviglio. “With a powerful legislative delegation and a new mayor who knows more than just about anyone how to shake the trees in the Capitol to get things done, it is legitimate that taxpayers should be wondering why we’re spending so much on lobbying,” Maviglio said. “But as the saying goes, ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,’” he added. “The capital region is competing with every other jurisdiction for budget money and on policy. The metric needs to be the results these lobbying efforts are getting, and the jury is very much out on that.” Local governments are spending more on lobbying at the Capitol this year than any other special interest group, records show. Cities, counties and special districts spent a combined $24.3 million on lobbying through the first six months of the year, according to Secretary of State data first reported by the Los Angeles Times. The League of California Cities has spent $746,152 on lobbying this year. Los Angeles County spent $745,577, leading all local governments. Sacramento’s total of $226,007 is less than the $375,294 reported on the Secretary of State’s website because the city double-counted some expenditures in its first and second quarter filings. Other governments in the Sacramento region did not appear to make the same error. Local governments and special districts in the Sacramento region have combined to spend more than $1.2 million on lobbying in 2017, records show. Sacramento County, the largest government in the area, has been the biggest spender with a tab of $347,522. While that places the county among the biggest lobbying spenders in the state, that figure is also a significant decrease compared to recent years, figures show. The county reported spending more than $1 million in both 2015 and 2016. Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli said it’s important for the county to participate in conversations at the state level because changes in transportation, land use, water, social services and prison policy can have huge impacts at the county level. For instance, he said health care costs at the county jail began rising after the state shifted responsibility for low-level offenders from state prisons to counties. “Sometimes it’s budgetary, sometimes it’s policy and sometimes it’s requirements that seem innocuous, but then you look and you’ve inherited a new obligation,” he said.Check out the rest of my recipes in the index. It is no secret that Schwarzbier is a bit of a white whale for me (irony duly noted). Dark and smooth with a crisp toasty breadiness, Schwarzbier straddles the line between malty and hoppy while remaining balanced and crushable. Why am I so obsessed? Besides being a noted lagerhead, Schwarzbier satisfies my innate desire as a homebrewer to brew beers that I otherwise would never be able to find “in the wild.” But who am I kidding, really? I love brewing Schwarzbier because it gives me statistically one of the highest chances of advancing to the final round of the National Homebrew Competition 👌. Previous attempts of mine either turned out too roasty, like a porter, or too dry and austere, not even worth a full writeup. But as they say: practice makes perfect and I feel like I am getting really close. Having been interested in performing my own split batch experiments for a while, my wife graciously gifted me a set of three gallon Better Bottles as well as a set of 2.5 gallon ball lock kegs so I could split my typical 5.5 gallon batches. I figured why not kill two birds with one stone? This Schwarzbier is the first of what I hope will be a great many split batch experiments of varying levels of scientific significance. Lager Fermentation Temperature Experiment I think most folks would agree that Marshall and the crew over at Brulosophy have really changed the game when it comes to homebrewing practices. They have done well to show us that there is a wide gap between what the Brewing Lords hath decreed and the “proof of the pudding is in the triangle testing” realities. One aspect that we have jived on for a while now is that lager fermentations are more traditional than practical, most notably it terms of fermentation temperature. Every lager batch I brew I push my temps a bit higher, desperately seeking “the line” where the lager has obviously gone off the rails. To that end, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to evaluate the extreme case of lager fermentation temps and what would happen if I pitched cold and then completely removed temperature controls. Why should the Brü Crew have all the fun? Hypothesis If most off-flavors are generated during the lag and reproduction phases, then cold pitching a large, heathy batch of yeast–ensuring those phases are sufficiently cool–means that later stages do not require rigorous temperature control. Method 5.5 post-boil gallons of the same batch of Schwarzbier will be equally split between two 3 gallon Better Bottles. Both batches will be chilled to 48ºF, oxygenated for 60 seconds with pure O2, and each pitched a decanted 1L starter. One will be held at standard lager temps (a slow ramp from 50ºF to 55ºF before a diacetyl rest) and the other will be placed in my “cellar” (the small space below the stairs) without temperature control (~68ºF this time of year). Schwarz, 2.0 This is Schwarz 4.5 or so, but I never bothered to write the other batches up. My goal was to remain clean and crisp while hitting some moderate bready notes and moderate spicy hop character. I am excited to test out Sterling hops–sometimes described as “Super Saaz”–which I have heard lots of good feedback about. Recipe Details Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV 5.5 gal 60 min 25.2 IBUs 28.2 SRM 1.051 1.015 4.7 % Actuals 1.051 1.013 5.0 % Style Details Name Cat. OG Range FG Range IBU SRM Carb ABV Schwarzbier 8 B 1.046 - 1.052 1.01 - 1.016 20 - 30 17 - 30 2.5 - 3 4.4 - 5.4 % Fermentables Name Amount % Pilsner (Weyermann) 6 lbs 60 Munich II (Weyermann) 3 lbs 30 Blackprinz 12 oz 7.5 Melanoidin (Weyermann) 4 oz 2.5 Hops Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha % Sterling 1 oz 15 min Boil Leaf 11.1 Sterling 1 oz 5 min Boil Leaf 11.1 Yeast Name Lab Attenuation Temperature German Lager (WLP830) White Labs 77% 50°F - 55°F Mash Step Temperature Time Beta 145°F 30 min Alpha 158°F 30 min Mash Out 168°F 10 min Notes Perform mash without Blackprinz, then add it just before lautering (cap the mash). Water profile: Ca 56 \| Mg 6 \| Na 22 \| Cl 93 \| SO4 48 Download Download this recipe's BeerXML file Tasting Notes Follow along with the BJCP guide for Schwarzbier [PDF]. Aroma Cold – Moderately bready malt with some light crackery and coffee
seen on most images of Io available on the internet use exaggerated colors (example), either from the use of filters that pick up light at wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye (example) or by stretching the image to emphasize color differences from region to region (example). Both are quite useful for science as they reveal regional compositional differences that might not be apparent to the naked eye. On my blog and on my Io image website, I have processed Galileo images with limited amounts of color exaggeration added, creating true color images of Io. I have done this by ensuring that the three images that make up each color composite use filters that allow photons in the visible spectrum to reach the camera's CCD (red, green, and violet) and by stretching each image in the color composite the same way. For the latter, this means that each of the three images (per frame if it is a color mosaic) was calibrated so that the pixel values were equal to the intensity of detected photons divided by the incoming flux from the Sun (a value referred to as "I/F") at each effective wavelength. When I converted the data to a tiff format image (for editing in Photoshop), I linearly stretched each of the three images so that the a pixel value of 0 was equal to the I/F of the black sky and 255 was equal to the maximum I/F seen in the RED filter (the brightest of the three color filters, at least for Io). The image of Io against the clouds of Jupiter below was processed in this manner. As long as the images were properly photometrically calibrated, the resulting color images should be as close to true color as I can get without further manipulation of the images. NASA / JPL / UA / color composite by Jason Perry Io Galileo took this two-frame mosaic on March 29, 1998. Galileo took this two-frame mosaic on March 29, 1998. Now you may be asking yourself, "What do you mean 'without further manipulation of the images'? Didn't you just say that you were 'creating true color images of Io'?" As Björn Jónsson points out on his webpage, "Io's color," Galileo and its predecessors, the Voyager space probes, did not carry the necessary filters that would correspond to the Red-Green-Blue color space most commonly used either as channels in Photoshop, as the color space of modern LCD monitors, or the three types of cones in the human eye. Voyager's color filter set included: ultraviolet (effective wavelength of 332 nanometers); violet (402 nm); blue (475 nm); green (564 nm); and orange (589 nm) filters. Galileo's color filter set included: violet (404 nm); green (557 nm); and red (663 nm), as well as: four narrow-band filters that were sensitive to light at near-infrared wavelengths (734, 756, 887, and 986 nm). NASA / JPL / UA / montage by Jason Perry Io through three different filters Strongly colored Io looks very different when viewed through Galileo's different color filters. Being much brighter in red and green than in violet channels results in color composites that make Io look yellow overall. (Galileo had no blue filter.) Strongly colored Io looks very different when viewed through Galileo's different color filters. Being much brighter in red and green than in violet channels results in color composites that make Io look yellow overall. (Galileo had no blue filter.) Now for most bodies that are relatively bland in color at visible wavelengths, like most of Saturn's satellites, the differences between an object's appearance in blue and violet filters would be pretty minor, and so it would make little difference if a violet filter image was used in place of a blue filter one for the blue channel. However, Io's albedo [how much light its surface reflects] changes dramatically from a Galileo violet-filter mean of 0.2771 to a green-filter mean of 0.7443. Thus, the filter used for the blue channel is important as Io's average brightness is strongly dependent on the effective wavelength of the filter. Green and red filters for Galileo, Voyager, and Cassini are centered on either side of another ramp in Io's spectrum, and so they are less dependent on effective wavelength. Voyager's lack of a red filter prevented it from detecting the red color of the Pele plume deposits (instead they appear dark or with a dark, red-brown hue in Voyager color composites). With Galileo color composites, having to use a violet filter instead of a blue one for the blue RGB channel gives Io a strong, yellow hue, when it would likely be more muted. NASA / JPL / Jason Perry Voyager filter response compared to Io albedo The colored lines in this graph show the spectral response of the Voyager ISS camera's filters compared to Io's strongly sloped geometric albedo. The main fact to take away from this graph is that the Voyager camera is most sensitive at wavelengths where Io appears darker, and that the choice of violet or blue filters to use for the blue channel in a color composite will make a big difference in Io's apparent color. The colored lines in this graph show the spectral response of the Voyager ISS camera's filters compared to Io's strongly sloped geometric albedo. The main fact to take away from this graph is that the Voyager camera is most sensitive at wavelengths where Io appears darker, and that the choice of violet or blue filters to use for the blue channel in a color composite will make a big difference in Io's apparent color. NASA / JPL / UA / Jason Perry Galileo filter response compared to Io albedo The colored lines in this graph show the spectral response of the Galileo SSI camera's filters compared to Io's geometric albedo, which is strongly sloped in visible wavelengths but more uniform in infrared wavelengths. The main fact to take away from this graph is that since Galileo lacked a blue filter, so color views tend to be made using the violet filter as the blue channel, where Io is particularly dark, resulting in a strongly yellow overall color to Galileo Io images. The colored lines in this graph show the spectral response of the Galileo SSI camera's filters compared to Io's geometric albedo, which is strongly sloped in visible wavelengths but more uniform in infrared wavelengths. The main fact to take away from this graph is that since Galileo lacked a blue filter, so color views tend to be made using the violet filter as the blue channel, where Io is particularly dark, resulting in a strongly yellow overall color to Galileo Io images. You can see this in the top graphs above. These compare Io's geometric albedo (charted in black in these two graphs) to the spectral responses of color filters used by the narrow-angle camera on Voyager 1 and SSI on Galileo. [The two graphs have different X-axes; Galileo could detect light with much longer wavelengths than Voyager could.] Each colored curve represents the sensitivity of that filter to different wavelengths of light. Both factor in the additional complication of the camera sensor's (CCD for Galileo SSI, vidicon for Voyager ISS-NA) sensitivities. These data were obtained from the calibration reports for the Galileo and Voyager cameras. In the case of the Voyager NAC, both the violet and blue filters are located in the steep spectral slope in Io's geometric albedo. This slope is caused by the absorption of violet and ultraviolet sunlight by sulfur deposits on Io's surface. In Voyager images, this slope means that there is a steep progression in the average brightness of Io from ultraviolet filter images to green filter ones. For Galileo, the violet filter is located near the bottom of this ramp while the green one is located at the base of another slope that results from reddish material in Io's polar regions and near active volcanic centers like Pele. So how do we go about generating true color images of Io from Galileo images? First, I should point out that Galileo images are a better choice for synthesizing true color images since while the SSI camera may not have had an optimal filter set, at least it covered the full range of the visible spectrum, unlike the Voyager camera's vidicon sensor, which prevented it from detecting photons beyond 650 nm, cutting off a sizable portion of the red part of the spectrum. As I said earlier, Björn Jónsson has worked on this problem, and created a method of synthesizing a blue filter by mixing the violet and green filter images. He focused on recreating the overall appearance of Io as seen in blue filter Voyager images. When combining this synthesized blue filter images with the normal red and green filter images, he hoped to create a data set that approximated Io's appearance as it would appear to the human eye. He found that the best results came when blue channel pixel values could approximated as: Blue = 0.61Green + 0.39Violet. While this method seems to produce appropriate results, I am a bit concerned about using the Voyager blue filter for the blue channel. Voyager used a blue filter that I feel was a bit too green and was closer to being a cyan filter. [Compare the filter responses to the third graph, which shows the response of the human light-sensitive retinal cells to light.] Remember just because it is called a "blue" filter doesn't make it so :-) So, what I've done instead is try to synthesize blue (BL1) filter images from Cassini, which is part of the true-color set of filters on the ISS camera system (BL1-GRN-RED). The BL1 filter has an effective wavelength of 455 nm, a bit shorter than Voyager's blue filter. This would better approximate the blue end of the CIE color chart. I used the following equation to mix a percentage of the green and violet filter pixel values to create a synthetic BL1 filter image: Blue = 0.55Green + 0.45Violet. These factors were calculated by finding Io's average geometric albedo at 455 nm (effective wavelength of the Cassini ISS BL1 filter), 404 nm (wavelength for the Galileo violet filter), and 557 nm (wavelength for the Galileo green filter) using ground-based spectral data published by Spencer et al. in 1995 (their data was also used for the Io spectrum in the graphs above). Then, I determined the weighted average between Io's albedo at 404 nm and 557 nm that would equal its albedo at 455 nm. The image below shows the same global color image from March 29, 1998: the version on the left is the original, unstretched version, and the one on the right has had this correction factor applied to its blue channel. The version on the right should approximate a true-color image. Instead of a vivid yellow world, Io appears more subdued, and many white-gray regions on Io appear more pinkish than they did before. NASA / JPL / UA / color composite by Jason Perry A reconstruction of Io's true color The left image is a straight red-green-violet color combination from Galileo. The right image has a blue channel synthesized from blue and green filter images (blue = 0.55green + 0.45violet) and may be a closer representation of the color that Io would appear to the human observer. The left image is a straight red-green-violet color combination from Galileo. The right image has a blue channel synthesized from blue and green filter images (blue = 0.55green + 0.45violet) and may be a closer representation of the color that Io would appear to the human observer. I know I have gone on long enough with this article, but I want to point out a few caveats, just as Björn did. Keep in mind that Io's surface materials have different spectra at visible wavelengths. While most have steep spectral slopes between 350 and 500 nm resulting from sulfur before shallowing through the rest of the spectrum detectable by Galileo's camera, for red materials this steep slope continues on to around 750 nm before shallowing. So the appearance of Io's reddish material would depend on the effective wavelength of the filter used for the red channel. Both the Cassini and Galileo red filters are on the long side of the effective wavelength used for the red channel on most computer LCD's and the red cone in the human retina. This makes reddish materials appear more vivid than they would in real-life, though not quite as muted as seen in Voyager color composites since the human eye is sensitive to longer wavelengths than the Voyager Orange filter even if its effective wavelength is closer to that of your red cones than the red filter on Cassini or Galileo. Creating color composite images from spacecraft data is almost as much an art as science, and how you create them can depend on the image processor's preferences and the purpose of the processing. I tend to prefer not to enhance the data anymore than necessary, and try to stay true to the original data, even if it isn't exactly true color. That said, it has been an interesting journey into trying to create a "true" color Io image. I may have to post a few more examples using the above formula. I also realized that creating "true" color images may be affected by the conversions of the original DN values of the Galileo raw data to I/F (intensity over flux), so stay tuned on this. References Spencer, J.; et al. (1995). "Charge-coupled device spectra of the Galilean satellites: Molecular oxygen on Ganymede". Journal of Geophysical Research 100 (E9): 19,049-19,056. Spencer, J.; et al. (1996). "Io on the Eve of the Galileo Mission". Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 24: 125-190. Geissler, P.; et al. (1999). "Global Color Variations on Io". Icarus 140: 265-282.New Delhi: The BJP government has scrapped membership of Delhi's prestigious golf club for bureaucrats as part of a crackdown on its notoriously work-shy civil servants, a report said Thursday. The memberships had been awarded to a select group of serving and retired bureaucrats by the previous left-leaning Congress government, the Hindustan Times said. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has now scrapped the perk, cancelling memberships for 27 civil servants teeing off from the club's plush greens and mulling the future of another 30. The quota scheme organised by the urban development ministry, which oversees the club's land, was ended after it was found to be in "contravention of rules and regulations," without elaborating. After his landslide election victory last May, PM Modi cracked the whip on civil servants, who were notorious for arriving late, taking long lunches and whiling away afternoons on the golf course. Modi said he was shocked by what he saw in the corridors of power after moving to Delhi. Ministry officials could not be contacted for comment, while the club said it had no comment to make.LGBT picnic in College Station canceled because of online threat Threatening comments left on a social media site prompted officials with an LGBT support group in Bryan-College Station to cancel their annual July picnic. On Wednesday, Mandy Perry, who lives in a suburb of Philadelphia, Penn., noticed that someone had posted an anti-Semitic slur to her page on the Tumblr social networking web site. When she attempted to block the man, Perry saw that he also posted a message about a picnic on July 10 at Brian Bachmann Community Park in College Station that had been planned by the local Pride Community Center. The chilling comment was "Lock and load. Time to get on the news." "I didn't know if it was legit or not. But I can't take a chance, this is legit and not say something," Perry said Sunday. Perry has no connection to the Texas LGBT group that sponsored the picnic but sought them out to inform members about what she saw. "My husband was in the room. He looks at me and says, 'You've got to report this to the FBI.' I didn't know how," Perry said. The recent mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando made it even more crucial to heed the, "If you see something, say something," warning, Perry said. "We need to keep our eyes open and we need to watch out for each other," she said. "I think it's a normal, decent thing to do." Officials with the Pride Community Center said they notified local law enforcement and the FBI about the online threat. "We have no idea where this person is from," said Judy LeUnes, one of the center's board members. "I appreciate it so much that Mandy reached out to us and let us know." Canceling the July 10 picnic was not an easy decision to make. But, the park is popular with children and families, and safety is paramount, LeUnes said. "It just breaks my heart. But, we couldn't take a chance," she said. "The park is very open, and we just did not feel (that) we could protect everyone." Center officials said they intend to reschedule the picnic - and will have security on hand - because of its importance to the Bryan-College Station LGBT community. "A lot of people didn't even know there was an organization such as this," LeUnes said. "We have been embraced by so many people. When we do reschedule, the love will flow."Aerial view of many of the colleges of the University of Oxford The University of Oxford has 38 Colleges and six Permanent Private Halls (PPHs) of religious foundation. Colleges and PPHs are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university, and all teaching staff and students studying for a degree at the university must belong to one of the colleges or PPHs. These colleges are not only houses of residence, but have substantial responsibility for teaching undergraduate students. Generally tutorials (one of the main methods of teaching in Oxford) and classes are the responsibility of colleges, while lectures, examinations, laboratories, and the central library are run by the university. Most colleges take both graduates and undergraduates, but several are for graduates only. Undergraduate and graduate students may name preferred colleges in their applications. For undergraduate students, an increasing number of departments practise reallocation to ensure that the ratios between potential students and subject places available at each college are as uniform as possible. For the Department of Physics, reallocation is done on a random basis after a shortlist of candidates is drawn upon and before candidates are invited for interviews at the university.[1] For graduate students, many colleges express a preference for candidates who plan to undertake research in an area of interest of one of its fellows. St Hugh's College, for example, states that it accepts graduate students in most subjects, principally those in the fields of interest of the Fellows of the college.[2] A typical college consists of a hall for dining, a chapel, a library, a college bar, senior, middle (postgraduate), and junior common rooms, rooms for 200–400 undergraduates as well as lodgings for the head of the college and other dons. College buildings range from the medieval to modern buildings, but most are made up of interlinked quadrangles (courtyards), with a lodge controlling entry from the outside. 2008 saw the first modern merger of colleges, with Green College and Templeton College merging to form Green Templeton College.[3] This reduced the number of Colleges of the University from 39 to 38.[4] The number of PPHs also reduced in 2008, when Greyfriars closed down.[5] Brasenose College in the 1670s History [ edit ] The collegiate system arose because Oxford University came into existence through the gradual agglomeration of numerous independent institutions. Over the centuries several different types of college have emerged and disappeared. Monastic Halls [ edit ] The first academic houses were monastic halls. Of the dozens established during the 12th–15th centuries, none survived the Reformation. The modern Dominican permanent private hall of Blackfriars (1921) is a descendant of the original (1221), and is sometimes described as heir to the oldest tradition of teaching in Oxford. Medieval Halls [ edit ] As the university took shape, friction between the hundreds of students living where and how they pleased led to a decree that all undergraduates would have to reside in approved halls. What eventually put an end to the medieval halls was the emergence of colleges. Often generously endowed and with permanent teaching staff, the colleges were originally the preserve of graduate students. However, once they began accepting fee-paying undergraduates in the 14th century, the halls' days were numbered. Of the hundreds of Aularian houses (from the Latin for "hall") that sprang up, only St Edmund Hall (c. 1225) remains. Colleges [ edit ] The oldest colleges are University College, Balliol, and Merton, established between 1249 and 1264, although there is some dispute over the exact order and precisely when each began teaching. The fourth oldest college is Exeter, founded in 1314, and the fifth is Oriel, founded in 1326. The most recent new foundation is Kellogg College (1990), whilst the most recent overall is Green Templeton College (a merger of two existing colleges in 2008). Women's colleges [ edit ] Women entered the university in 1879, with the opening of Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville College, becoming members of the University (and thus eligible to receive degrees) in 1920. Other women's colleges before integration were St Anne's, St Hilda's and St Hugh's. In 1974 the first men's colleges to admit women were Brasenose, Hertford, Jesus College, St Catherine's and Wadham.[6] By 2008 all colleges had become co-residential, although one of the Permanent Private Halls, St Benet's Hall, did not start to admit postgraduate women until Michaelmas term 2014 and women undergraduates until Michaelmas 2016. Postgraduate and mature colleges [ edit ] Some colleges, such as Kellogg, Linacre, Nuffield, St Antony's, St Cross and Wolfson only admit postgraduate students. All Souls admits only Fellows. Harris Manchester is intended for "mature students" with a minimum age of 21.[7] In 2018 it was announced that a new, non-residential, graduate college of the University, Parks College, would be established using the premises of the Radcliffe Science Library, opening in 2020.[8] Societies [ edit ] Kellogg and St Cross are the only Oxford colleges without a royal charter. They are officially societies of the university rather than independent colleges[9] and both are considered departments of the university for accounting purposes.[10] Private halls [ edit ] The Oxford University Act 1854 and the university statute De aulis privatis (On private Halls) of 1855, allowed any Master of Arts aged at least 28 years to open a private hall after obtaining a licence to do so.[11] One such was Charsley's Hall.[12] Permanent private halls [ edit ] The Universities Tests Act 1871 opened all university degrees and positions to men who were not members of the Church of England (subject to safeguards for religious instruction and worship), which made it possible for Catholics and Non-conformists to open private halls. The first Catholic private halls were Clarke's Hall (now Campion Hall), opened by the Jesuit Order in 1896 and Hunter Blair's Hall (now St Benet's Hall) opened by the Benedictine Order in 1899.[13] [14] In 1918 the university passed a statute to allow private halls which were not run for profit to become permanent private halls and the two halls took their current names.[13] Map [ edit ] List of colleges [ edit ] a b c d The financial statements of Kellogg College and St Cross College, due to them not having Royal Charters, are incorporated into the university's own accounts. List of permanent private halls [ edit ] College and permanent private hall arms and colours [ edit ] Each college and permanent private hall has its own arms, although in some cases these were assumed rather than granted by the College of Arms. Under King Henry VIII Oxford colleges were granted exemption from having their arms granted by the College of Arms; and some, like Lady Margaret Hall, have chosen to take advantage of this exemption, whilst others, such as Oriel, despite having used the arms for many centuries, have recently elected to have the arms granted officially. The blazons below are taken from the Oxford University Calendar[58] unless otherwise indicated. Shields are emblazoned as commonly drawn, and notable inconsistencies between blazons and emblazons (the shields as drawn) are indicated. Each college also has its own colours used on items such as scarves and rowing blades. Notes [ edit ] ^ Brasenose: the blazon of the arms of the gules, two lions passant gardant or, in a chief azure Our Lady sitting with her Babe, crown and sceptre of the second. : the blazon of the arms of the See of Lincoln given here differs from that at Lincoln College; the two forms are simply interpretations of the simpler blazon ^ Lincoln: although the three stags are blazoned as trippant argent attired or they are universally drawn as statant or. See also note on Brasenose above. ^ Nuffield: uniquely among the Oxford colleges the blazon of Nuffield recorded in the University Calendar also describes its crest. ^ Queens: the depiction of the : the depiction of the pierced mullet is quite variable; a mullet of six points is common and the piercing is sometimes indicated schematically. ^ Worcester: although the six gules (red) they are usually (but not always) drawn as sable (black). : although the six martlets are blazoned as(red) they are usually (but not always) drawn as(black). ^ Blackfriars: the blazon used here is that of the sable, a pile inverted argent. : the blazon used here is that of the Dominican Order. Blackfriars also uses their simpler shield, blazoned as ^ Campion: the phrase billets of the Weld used in the Calendar appears to be a misprint for billets of the field. ^ Wycliffe: the blazon used here is simply a description of the shield as usually drawn. Heads of Houses [ edit ] The senior member of each college is an officer known generically as the Head of House. His or her specific title varies from college to college as indicated in the list below. While the Head of House will usually be an academic, it is not uncommon for a person to be appointed who has had a distinguished career outside academic circles. For a list of current Heads of Houses, see Heads of Houses. Until 2004, the President of Templeton was both Head of House and Chairman of the Governing Body. In 2004, the college statutes were amended so that these roles were separated. The Dean was the Head of House until 2008. When the college merged with Green, the Head of the new Green Templeton assumed the title of Principal. The Dean of Christ Church is head of both the college and the cathedral. The President of Kellogg is also Director of the Department for Continuing Education. Academic rankings [ edit ] For some years, an unofficial ranking of undergraduate colleges by performance in Final Honour Schools examinations has been published annually, known as the Norrington Table. As the table only takes into account the examination results for the year of publication, college rankings may fluctuate considerably. Beginning in 2005, the University of Oxford started publishing a list of colleges classified by a "Norrington Score", effectively replicating the Norrington Table. The university claims to have published the results "in the interests of openness". Although the university says that the college listings are "not very significant", the 2005 table is the first Norrington Table with official data and also likely the first to be accurate. Dame Fiona Caldicott, the Chairman of the Conference of Colleges, has said that in previous years some students have used the Data Protection Act 1998 to ensure their results were not published, rendering the unofficial tables inaccurate.[61] Out of the 30 Oxford undergraduate colleges, St John's College has ranked 1st in academic performance in the recent College rankings[62] in the recent past (as of 2018). College rivalries [ edit ] A tradition of the University is a friendly rivalry between colleges. Often, two neighbouring colleges will be rivals, and each college will pride itself in its athletic victories over the other one. Examples include[according to whom?]: See also [ edit ]5 Foods You Should Never Eat As you know, eating the right foods is fundamentally important to your health. Eaten properly, in the right combinations and at the right times, food will provide energy for a healthy, vibrant life. But eating the wrong foods in the wrong way will set you up for weight gain – or even worse. There are five highly common foods often thought of as healthy, which actually work againstyour body and cause you to gain weight. Which foods are they? And why are they so bad for you? Let’s find out… 1. Margarine Regular margarine is commonly based on hydrogenated oils high in omega-6 fatty acids, which when unbalanced by omega-3 fats, lead to inflammation in the body and thus accumulation of fat, particularly in the belly. Hydrogenated oil generates unhealthy trans fats, which persist in these products even if labeled “transfat-free,” due to allowances made for manufacturers. This is bad for your heart, for your organs, and for your body. It won’t help you lose weight, either. The body can’t these burn trans fats the way it does saturated or unsaturated fats, often storing them as fatty tissue. Simply put, regular margarine is never recommended. Margarine was originally developed in the 1800’s to be a lower-cost alternative to butter, and gained popularity during the Great Depression and the rationing of World War II. Many margarine brands marketed themselves as being a healthier choice than butter, and that impression has lasted until today. More recently, spreads based on olive oil, omega-3 fats and other healthier, non-hydrogenated fats have become available. The better options remain the most natural options: butter or coconut oil if you need a hard fat, and extra-virgin olive oil if you need a liquid fat. When in doubt, always choose a natural product over a processed, synthesized one – which brings us to the next food on our list: 2. Artificial Sweeteners Everyone knows refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup add unnecessary calories and gut-busting simple carbs to your food. The obvious choice is a low-calorie sweetener, right? Wrong. Studies have shown artificial sweeteners make it MORE difficult to maintain a healthy weight in two ways: Your brain associates sweet flavors with calories that your body can use for energy. But when your body doesn’t find them in the artificial sweeteners you’ve consumed, your brainworries that calories are scarce and puts your body into starvation mode. Your metabolism slows down, you feel the urge to eat even more, and your body stores the extra energy for a rainy day – as fat.The result? Weight gain. Research has shown that artificial sweeteners disrupt the natural bacterial balance in the gut, a disruption linked to unhealthy metabolism. That’s why we advise steering clear of big-name low-calorie sweeteners. According to current research, they simply do more harm than good. But what’s a person with a sweet tooth to do? Choose natural options, including herbal extracts, such as Stevia and monk fruit, sugar alcohols such as xylitol and erythritol, and the fiber inulin, which actually nourishes your good gut bacteria. These are often available in combination products. Their use has not been associated with serious side effects, and some have even been found to have beneficial properties. It’s a win-win situation! So far we’ve seen how processed, artificial foods upset our body’s natural balance and cause us to gain weight. So let’s go back to the basics. And what’s more basic than… 3. Whole Wheat Bread Wait – what’s wrong with whole wheat? Isn’t that healthy? The short answer is, not necessarily. Unlike “100% whole” grain breads, just “whole” alone on the front of the package often indicates a combination of flours that includes refined flour, which breaks down into glucose very quickly. In fact, there is no significant difference in the glycemic index of white bread and regular whole wheat bread! That means that they both break down into glucose and enter the bloodstream at the same high rate. “100% whole” wheat or grain bread, on the other hand, breaks down more slowly because of its higher content of fiber in its natural state. The more fiber a food has naturally – meaning not added back after being refined out – the more slowly it converts to glucose, and the healthier it is. Does that mean no more sandwiches? Not at all. Simply look for “100%” whole wheat or “100%” whole grain when choosing breads, as this number is associated with a legal standard. Then you can be rest assured that you’re eating the best thing since sliced bread. 4. Conventional Soy Just like refined flour, processed soy removes a lot of the beneficial nutrients from the natural soy and leaves you feeling hungry. Even natural soy can be problematic, because it is often grown in a manner that has been highly modified, which may produce undesirable health effects. Soy is also high in anti-nutrients, which can disrupt absorption of some nutrients and increase the excretion of others. Even worse, soy is sometimes highly processed to mimic meat, which often exposes it to harmful chemical residues that can wreak havoc on your metabolism. Not all soy is bad, however. Be on the lookout for organic soy, especially forms that are minimally processed and/or fermented, like miso, tempeh, and natto, or sprouted, such as specialty tofu. To make things even simpler, join the Trim Down Club to automatically generate healthy, delicious meal plans including a wide variety of your favorite foods while avoiding harmful forms of soy. With the Trim Down Club, you’ll learn to make healthier choices that don’t include… 5. Concentrated Orange Juice Most experts will agree that most common fruit juices are a real “no no” when it comes to weight loss. For one thing, fruit juice is often high in concentrated sugars, and it’s just too easy to overindulge in a tall, refreshing glass. Even juices labeled “pure” and “fresh-squeezed” are nearly always processed in ways that not only destroy the vitamins and involve artificial preservatives, but also often leave out the fiber, concentrating the effect of the naturally high levels of sugar (and any sugars that may be added). And without the fiber found in the natural fruit, concentrated fruit juice often ends up being simply empty calories that your body doesn’t need. The better choice is most often to eat the whole fruit. But if you want to treat yourself or get a concentrated boost of nutrients, choose freshly squeezed or blended juice. That way you’ll get the benefits of the fruit without the disadvantages of processed juices. A better way to quench your thirst is with pure, fresh water or seltzer. 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If you haven’t lost weight within two months and you’re not well on your way to having the lean and healthy body you deserve, simply let us know and we’ll give you a full refund.Advertising Age Player Coca-Cola Freestyle machines have been dispensing well over 100 combinations of carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks for more than three years. But beyond that, the data they're generating is a fountain of marketing knowledge helping the beverage giant shape product offerings for itself and its foodservice customers, said Jennifer Mann, VP-general manager of Coke Freestyle, at the Advertising Age Data Conference Oct. 29. Coca-Cola freestyle vending Freestyle machines have poured more than 5 billion servings and thousands of flavor permutations, Ms. Mann said. A related mobile app that allows people to name and save their favorite combinations and then have Freestyle machines automatically pour them has had more than a million downloads. The dispenser is giving some new life to old brands. "Before Freestyle, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke was available in less than 1% of our dispensers in the U.S.," Ms. Mann said. "Now with Freestyle it's available in every dispenser, and it's become a top-five brand in the afternoon daypart. So there was a huge unmet demand we were able to fill." While the top eight Coca-Cola brands tend to stay fairly consistent from restaurant to restaurant, there's considerable variations in the long tail of brands nine through 150, she said. That's leading chains such as Firehouse Subs to create their own customized co-branded drinks, she said. In a video interview above, Ms. Mann discussed some of the data insights Freestyle is generating.Large, massive structures could be built in space simply by using radio waves that create force fields to move materials and assemble them into various structures. ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - Take one part high-frequency gravitational wave generation, then add in a quantum vacuum field. Now whip wildly via a gravitomagnetic force in a
were more numerous and powerful. Some of the Sybarites managed to flee and founded Sybaris on the Traeis shortly after 444 BC. The request for help from the Sybarites must have been made after the conclusion of the Thirty Years' Peace in the early spring of 445 BC, for it would not have made sense to ask for help while Sparta and Athens were still at war with each other. While Diodorus identifies only one expedition for the foundation of Thurii, Strabo writes that the Athenian and other Greek colonists first lived in Sybaris and only founded Thurii after the expulsion of the Sybarites. Modern scholarship corroborates Strabo's account and identifies two expeditions. In 446/5 BC Athens sent its expedition to reinforce the existing population of Sybaris. In the summer of 445 BC the collision between the two groups led to the downfall of the Sybarites. In 444/3 BC the Athenians and other new colonists then turned the city into a new foundation called Thurii. The city received a new democratic constitution which made provisions for ten tribes, but which did not include the Sybarites. Legacy [ edit ] Unlike Herodotus, Diodorus and earlier ancient Greek writers, later authors from the Roman period denounced the Sybarites. Aelianus, Strabo and especially Athenaeus saw the destruction of Sybaris as divine vengeance upon the Sybarites for their pride, arrogance, and excessive luxury. Athenaeus is the richest source for anecdotes about the Sybarites. According to him they invented the chamber pot and pioneered the concept of intellectual property to ensure that cooks could exclusively profit from their signature dishes for a whole year. They always traveled in chariots, but would still take three days for a journey of one day. The roads to villas in the countryside were roofed over and canals transported wine from vineyards to cellars near the sea. A fragment of the comedian Metagenes he quotes has a Sybarite boasting about literal rivers of food flowing through the city[45] Not only does Athenaeus provide a great deal of examples to show the decadence of Sybarites, he also argues that their excessive luxury and sins led to their doom. According to Athenaeus ambassadors of the Sybarites (one of whom was named Amyris) consulted the oracle of Delphi, who prophesied that war and internal conflict awaited them if they would honor man more than the gods. Later he cites Phylarchus, who would have written that the Sybarites invoked the anger of Hera when they murdered thirty ambassadors from Kroton and left them unburied. He also cites Herakleides as attributing the divine wrath to the murder of supporters of Telys on the altars of the gods. Herakleides supposedly mentioned that the Sybarites attempted to supplant the Olympic Games by attracting the athletes to their own public games with greater prizes. The most direct link between luxury and corruption is evident in Atheneaus' anecdote about the defeat of the Sybarites: to amuse themselves the Sybarite cavalrymen trained their horses to dance to flute music. When the Krotoniate army had their flute players make music the horses of the Sybarites ran over to the Krotoniates along with their riders. Strabo gives the "luxury and insolence" of the Sybarites as the reason for their defeat. Claudius Aelianus attributes the fall of Sybaris to its luxury and the murder of a lutenist at the altar of Hera. Vanessa Gorman gives no credence to these accounts because grave sins followed by divine retribution were stock elements of fictions at the time. Furthermore, she and Robert Gorman point to Athenaeus as the origin of the embellished accounts rather than the historians he cited. He altered details of the original accounts, disguised his own contributions as those of past historians and invented new information to fit his argument that luxury leads to catastrophe. This concept was called tryphé and was a popular belief in his time, at the turn of the 2nd century AD. Peter Green likewise argues that these accounts are most likely the inventions of moralists. He points out the vast natural wealth of the city was the more likely reason it was attacked by Kroton. This association of Sybaris with excessive luxury transferred to the English language, in which the words "sybarite" and "sybaritic" have become bywords for opulent luxury and outrageous pleasure seeking. One story, mentioned in Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language, alludes to Aelianus' anecdote about Smindyrides. It mentions a Sybarite sleeping on a bed of rose petals, but unable to get to sleep because one of the petals was folded over. Archaeology [ edit ] The earliest archaeological exploration in the last quarter of the 19th century failed to find the location of Sybaris. Finding the location was difficult because the site had been buried over time by more than four meters of alluvial sediment from the Crati delta. The location of the city was found only after a massive core drilling project had been undertaken from the early to mid-1960s. The archaeological site is located about 2.5 kilometers west of the present Gulf of Taranto coastline. The excavations were difficult because the human structures lay below groundwater level. It was found that the later cities of Thurii and Copia were built partially above Sybaris. An archaeological museum was built near the site. Notes [ edit ] ^ This article frequently makes use of Athenian archon years which were used by Diodorus Siculus, who is the most important primary source for information on Sybaris. These years ran from July to June. ^ Fiis. By about the eighth century BC, the letter digamma had disappeared in many Greek dialects, so Wiis would become Is because the two i's would be run together. The Greek text on the coins contains the archaic letter digamma. This letter is transliterated as "W" in English, but resembles the English letter "F", which is the reason why the text is also transliterated as. By about the eighth century BC, the letter digamma had disappeared in many Greek dialects, sowould becomebecause the two i's would be run together. References [ edit ] Sources [ edit ]CHICAGO (Reuters) - The number of homicides in Chicago increased 76 percent in January compared to last year as Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s approval rating slumped to a record low in the aftermath of the release of a video showing a white police officer killing a black teen. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (C) participates in a panel discussion on Reducing Violence and Strengthening Policy and Community Trust at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington January 20, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron The nation’s third-largest city usually sees more violence in the summer months but 51 homicides were reported this January, up from 29 in 2015. It was the most January homicides since 2000, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis of police statistics. The total number of shooting victims in the city in January more than doubled to 292, compared to January 2015. The Chicago police said in a statement on Monday that the spike in shootings has been driven by gang conflicts and “retaliatory violence” and that the vast majority of incidents originated from “petty disagreements.” Also on Monday, the Tribune released a poll that found Emanuel’s job approval rating has dropped to 27 percent, the lowest in his administration. This is a drop from 52 percent in late March 2015, before his April re-election. The poll of 985 city voters conducted Jan. 20 to 28 had an error rate of plus or minus 3.2 percent. Three out of four voters said they did not believe Emanuel’s statements about the October 2014 fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald, 17. Emanuel has said he had not seen the video of Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times before the city approved a $5 million settlement to McDonald’s family. The video was released on Nov. 24, 2015, the same day Van Dyke was charged with murder. Protesters have said officials took too long to charge Van Dyke and release the video, and have called for Emanuel’s resignation. In response to the crime increase, Chicago police said that they moved more than 350 police officers and 31 sergeants from foot patrol into vehicles to increase their visibility and mobility, along with conducting targeted raids in problematic areas. The reduction in foot patrols is a reversal of past tactics. In 2013, Chicago police touted the expansion of foot patrols in the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the department’s use of deadly force. Use of force by law enforcement has been the focus of national debate since a series of high-profile fatal shootings of minorities by mainly white police officers.Country / state / territory … drive(s) on the left/right Abu Dhabi (not a country, but capital of the United Arab Emirates) drives on the right Afghanistan drives on the right Albania drives on the right Algeria drives on the right American Samoa drives on the right Andorra drives on the right Angola drives on the right Anguilla drives on the left Antigua and Barbuda drives on the left Argentina drives on the right Armenia drives on the right Aruba drives on the right Australia drives on the left Austria drives on the right Azerbaijan drives on the right Azores drive on the right Bahamas drives on the left Bahrain drives on the right Balearic Islands drive on the right Bangladesh drives on the left Barbados drives on the left Belarus drives on the right Belgium drives on the right Belize drives on the right Benin drives on 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on the right Oman drives on the right Pakistan drives on the left Palau drives on the right Panama drives on the right Papua New Guinea drives on the left Paraguay drives on the right Peru drives on the right Philippines drives on the right Pitcairn Islands drive on the left Poland drives on the right Portugal drives on the right Puerto Rico drives on the right Qatar drives on the right Réunion drives on the right Romania drives on the right Russia (officially the Russian Federation) drives on the right Rwanda drives on the right Saba drives on the right Saint Barthélemy (informally also referred to as Saint Barth’s or Saint Barts) drives on the right Saint Kitts and Nevis (officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis) drives on the left Saint Lucia drives on the left Saint Martin drives on the right Saint Helena drives on the left Sint Eustatius drives on the right Sint Maarten drives on the right Saint Vincent and the Grenadines drives on the left Samoa drives on the left San Marino drives on the right São Tomé and Príncipe drives on the right Saudi Arabia drives on the right Scotland drives on the left Senegal drives on the right Serbia drives on the right Seychelles drives on the left Sierra Leone drives on the right Singapore drives on the left Slovakia drives on the right Slovenia drives on the right Solomon Islands drive on the left Somalia drives on the right Somaliland drives on the right South Africa drives on the left South Korea drives on the right South Sudan drives on the right Spain drives on the right Sri Lanka drives on the left Sudan drives on the right Suriname drives on the left Swaziland drives on the left Sweden drives on the right Switzerland drives on the right Syria drives on the right Tahiti drives on the right Taiwan drives on the right Tajikistan drives on the right Tanzania drives on the left Thailand drives on the left Togo drives on the right Tokelau drives on the left Tonga drives on the left Trinidad and Tobago drives on the left Tunisia drives on the right Turkey drives on the right Turkmenistan drives on the right Turks and Caicos Islands drive on the left Tuvalu drives on the left Uganda drives on the left Ukraine drives on the right United Arab Emirates (UAE) drives on the right United Kingdom (UK) drives on the left United States of America (USA) drives on the right United States Virgin Islands drive on the left Uruguay drives on the right Uzbekistan drives on the right Vanuatu drives on the right Vatican City drives on the right Venezuela drives on the right Vietnam drives on the right Virgin Islands (British) drive on the left Virgin Islands (USA) drive on the left Wales drives on the left Wallis and Futuna drives on the right West Bank drives on the right Western Sahara drives on the right Yemen drives on the right Zambia drives on the leftAdvertisement Murphy Mack and SuperPro racing may no longer be promoting the Masters World Championships in San Jose, but the 2011 SSCXWC promoter still has a full event schedule for 2016, including the last three gravel events that make up the SuperPro Gravel Gauntlet series, as well as to two cyclocross series planned for the fall. The next gravel event is this next Sunday, the 82-mile Rumble in the Ranchlands in Mariposa, Califonia. See the full series details in the press release below: SuperPro Racing announces open registration for the last three in their five-event SuperPro Gravel Gauntlet series. The most prestigious gravel series in the western United States, the Gravel Gauntlet offers events in showcase California settings. Each event features a different ecosystem and is designed from the ground up to combine flowing, top notch riding with spectacular views and varied surfaces. Remaining events are held in the Yosemite foothills (Mariposa), treeless, arid desert hills (Panoche), and the Sierra Mountains (Foresthill). Routes are laid out on backcountry roads to minimize the number of cars that riders will encounter. SuperPro events are known for savory rest stop treats, like hot grilled cheese sandwiches and fresh pancakes. The routes will offer riders two to three well-stocked stops on routes that are typically around 75 miles in length. Some of the events offer a shorter route for riders not wanting to go 75 miles in a single sitting. As always, each ride will feature a fun-filled after-party with a SuperPro-style buffet to reload all those spent calories, and flowing libations for enhanced story swapping with friends old and new. More details on the individual events: A five event series to determine who will be the King and Queen of North American gravel scene. #1: Saturday, February 20th – The Tainthammer – COMPLETED Los Banos, CA. 130 miles of the amazingly worst California Central Valley roads we could find. Horrible pavement, compressed sand, gravel, washboard, potholes, headwinds and a whopping 350 feet of climbing, total. Tainthammer: it’s more than just a clever name. Rumor has it Ted King and Laurens Ten Dam will be in attendance. More info. #2: Saturday, March 5th – Menso’s SLO Ride to Hell – COMPLETED Santa Margarita, CA. California Pro racer Menso de Jong takes you a journey of self-discovery and introspection.* A 75-mile route with massive views, screaming descents, and twists and turns on backcountry mountain tops that will leave you dizzy. Bring the camera for this one as the scenery promises to be spectacular. More info. * Introspection will occur when you’ve been putting out 500w for eight minutes on the first climb with Menso. #3: Sunday, March 20th – Rumble in the Ranchlands Mariposa, CA. A 82-mile rolling route through the Sierra foothills not far from Yosemite Valley. Guitars and Cadillacs, hillbilly music for sure. This is the event featured in the video above. We’ll sling you up and down scenic dirt roads and double tracks, in and out of steep river valleys. You may have to yield to cows. More info. #4: Saturday, April 2nd – Panoche Desert Hills Firebaugh, CA. Mostly dirt double track through treeless, arid desert in the rain shadow of the San Benito Mountain Wilderness. A couple of tiny hike-a-bikes for the weak of leg and gigantic (200 ft +) G-out rollers going down. Spectacular views all the way across the central valley to the Sierra Mountains and less than a dozen cars all day long. Much of the route is closed to motor vehicles. You’ve never been here before, trust us on this. Great food and prizes, SuperPro support. Each ride have will two or three fully stocked aid stations with hot food and beverages and fresh bottles pre-loaded for those of you who only want to mid-air-refuel. More info. #5: Saturday, June 11th – Shevock’s Sierra Surprise Foresthill, CA. Fun Sierra Mountain forest roads and backcountry lakes. Steep pitches here and there so bring low gears and good shoulder knobs. Pine trees, black bears, eagles and badgers abound. More details as they become available. More info. Series Pass & Spring Classic Save money through a series pass here. SuperPro also offers its legendary, mysterious Spring Classic on April 23, 2016.Panic. Confusion. Fear. In the wake of an extraordinarily bad fiscal year for Square-Enix, the publisher, its studios and the Enix division were thrown into a panic-fueled turmoil that led to a confused, secretive new strategy for the embattled company, said recently departed Eidos Montreal founder Stephane D'Astous. And for D'Astous, it was that plan, created in a terrifying vacuum of information internally, that led to his departure. "Obviously our last fiscal year was not exactly a great one," he said. "I think that senior executives at (Square Enix Europe) almost started to panic and it was difficult to know what type of changes we needed to do, and it took a lot of time before some information came out from HQ. "It was unfortunate that the senior staff of the studios didn't really participate in the new strategic plan." D'Astous doesn't contest the need for change. That Square-Enix needed to do something drastic was obvious, he said. "We brought three triple As to the market, and despite that great line up and those great critical reviews we still managed not to respect our financial goals, so that really shook up a lot of people," he said. "When the fiscal results came out official we were all surprised." Square Enix needs to learn how to sell their games, D'Astous says. Square Enix, D'Astous said, "has some things to learn about how to sell their games." "We are in a situation that we have great games that could have sold more," he said. "They need to attack that very, very seriously. Last year was supposed to be a home-run season, but we didn't hit a single home run; maybe a double or a triple, but they weren't home runs. "I think in those situations when people are put into immense pressure they sometimes change." That change seemed to power the way Square Enix Europe and Square Enix went about coming up with a new plan, D'Astous said. "My management style is to have your major players participate in building a new strategic plan," he said. "But that wasn't the case and it was then very hard to have the buy-in of the plan that landed on our desks. It wasn't the way I would have worked." D'Astous declined to comment on the specifics and the nature of Square Enix' plan to save itself, saying only that Polygon should ask Square Enix Europe CEO Phil Rogers. "He is the master planner behind this," he said. "I had difficulty understanding all of the different elements of his plan, so it would not be very logical for me talk about it." D'Astous was willing to talk about how Square Enix got to this point. First, he told Polygon, it's important to know that Square Enix remains a divided company. A sharp separation still exists between Eidos — the publisher behind Tomb Raider, Hitman and Thief franchises, which was acquired in 2009 — and Square Enix, the Japanese publisher giant behind the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series. His take on the problems that are fueling Square Enix's downfall all come from the perspective of a long-time Eidos employee who views the company through that very specific lens. "Square Enix is in a tight spot because there are compromises that are made, investments that are made that should not have been and things that they didn't invest in but should have," he said. "Communication is very lacking." Square Enix Americas, which recently lost its CEO Mike Fischer and hasn't replaced him, is one example of that, D'Astous said. "We had a lot of underperforming titles from that territory for too long," he said. "I think under Mike Fischer, when he was there, there was some experimentation in mobile but it hasn't really lifted off and I don't think it's their mandate to develop games, they're mainly there to publish." As for Eidos, D'Astous said the studios should be fine, though the changing nature of game players worries does mean the company needs to rethink some things. "Eidos always had ups and downs since its birth," he said. "They have great, great franchises. In my book content is king. I know that logic is being challenged right now with new business models and new behavior of consumers, wanting a lot of things free. But there is a future, they just need to adjust because the middle of the road traditional content will not cut it anymore. I'm quite confident in the developer side of things." He was so confident that he spent the last few months trying to get the company to change it's new strategy, telling them that he was going to leave if things didn't change. "It has been in discussion for the last few months," he said. "I've been really communicating my concerns, communicating my suggestions, my recommendations, since March. It has been quite tense." Had Square Enix's leadership worked with the company's head of studios and head of departments to come up with a plan together, D'Astous said he would have stuck around. But the top-down approach left him with no confidence in the company, he said. "Eidos Montreal was my home, blood, sweat and tears, call it what you want, for the last six-and-a-half years." Part of D'Astous' persistence in trying to stick with the company and work with its executives to try and make things work, comes from his deep affiliation with Eidos Montreal, which he founded in 2007 under the Eidos banner. "Put yourself in my shoes," he said. "I like to say I was the father of Eidos Montreal. I was employee one. I worked in my basement for four months before we had an office. "Eidos Montreal was my home, blood, sweat and tears, call it what you want, for the last six-and-a-half years." What makes this sudden departure all the more personally painful to D'Astous is that he leaves without delivering on a promise he made when he opened the studio in 2007. "My first mandate when I opened Eidos, two things I had to deliver was Deus Ex and Thief," he said. Deus Ex: Human Revolution shipped in 2011 to great critical response. Thief remains in development, a game former developers say was mired in internal politics. Though D'Astous has no doubts the game will ship and be well received. "Thief has been a long project," he said. "Some of your articles (about the game's development) were a little bit harsh. If you take into perspective every different element, it was blown out of proportion in some aspect. Every triple A has its up and downs and I guess we were exposed more to the public when we were at the bottom of the barrel. That was a long time ago. "The new team and producer has turned the corner and they're doing a good job. That is one of my biggest regrets, not to be at the head of the studio that would deliver Thief." D'Astous responded to our email seeking an interview almost immediately this morning and answered the phone sounding happy, relaxed: "I'm on vacation right now," he said before we could ask our first question. He followed that up with: "Last Friday was my last official day at Eidos Montreal. It was a long process of making that decision, obviously." You might say that a load has been lifted from his shoulders and he's in no rush to pick that load back up. He has no immediate plans for a new job, not yet. "I swore to my wife and kids I was going on vacation with them until September, so I really need to unplug and take my mind off all of this," he said. "It was a great run. It was my dream job and my goal is to find my next dream."Last November, I had the privilege of being invited—along with President Henry B. Eyring and Bishop Gérald Caussé—to attend a colloquium on marriage and family at the Vatican in Rome, Italy. In attendance were religious representatives from 14 different faiths and from six of the seven continents, all of whom had been invited to express their beliefs on what is happening to the family in today’s world. Pope Francis opened the first session of the assembly with this statement: “We now live in a culture of the temporary, in which more and more people are simply giving up on marriage as a public commitment. This revolution in manners and morals has often flown the flag of freedom, but in fact it has brought spiritual and material devastation to countless human beings, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. … It is always they who suffer the most in this crisis.”1 In referring to those of the rising generation, he said it is important that they “do not give themselves over to the poisonous [mentality] of the temporary, but rather be revolutionaries with the courage to seek true and lasting love, going against the common pattern”; this must be done.2 This was followed by three days of presentation and discussion with religious leaders addressing the subject of marriage between a man and a woman. As I listened to the widest imaginable variety of worldwide religious leaders, I heard them agree completely with each other and express support for one another’s beliefs on the sanctity of the institution of marriage and of the importance of families as the basic unit of society. I felt a powerful sense of commonality and unity with them. There were many who saw and expressed this unity, and they did so in a variety of ways. One of my favorites was when a Muslim scholar from Iran quoted two paragraphs verbatim from our very own proclamation on the family. During the colloquium, I observed that when various faiths and denominations and religions are united on marriage and family, they are also united on the values and loyalty and commitment which are naturally associated with family units. It was remarkable for me to see how marriage and family-centered priorities cut across and superseded any political, economic, or religious differences. When it comes to love of spouse and hopes, worries, and dreams for children, we are all the same. It was marvelous to be in meetings with worldwide presenters as they universally addressed their feelings of the importance of marriage between a man and a woman. Each of their addresses was followed by testimonies from other religious leaders. President Henry B. Eyring gave a final testimony at the colloquium. He bore powerful witness to the beauty of a committed marriage and to our belief in the promised blessing of eternal families. President Eyring’s testimony was a fitting benediction to those three special days. Now, you may be asking, “If the majority felt that similarity of family priority and beliefs, if all of those faiths and religions essentially agreed on what marriage should be, and if they all agreed on the value that should be placed on homes and family relationships, then how are we any different? How does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints distinguish and differentiate itself from the rest of the world?” Here is the answer: while it was wonderful to see and feel that we have so much in common with the rest of the world in regard to our families, only we have the eternal perspective of the restored gospel. What the restored gospel brings to the discussion on marriage and family is so large and so relevant that it cannot be overstated: we make the subject eternal! We take the commitment and the sanctity of marriage to a greater level because of our belief and understanding that families go back to before this earth was and that they can go forward into eternity. This doctrine is taught so simply, powerfully, and beautifully by Ruth Gardner’s text for the Primary song “Families Can Be Together Forever.” Pause for just a moment and think about Primary children all over the world singing these words in their native tongue, at the top of their lungs, with an enthusiasm that only love of family can evoke: Families can be together forever Through Heavenly Father’s plan. I always want to be with my own family, And the Lord has shown me how I can. 3 The entire theology of our restored gospel centers on families and on the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in a premortal life where we all lived as literal spirit children of God our Heavenly Father. We believe that we were, and still are, members of His family. We believe that marriage and family ties can continue beyond the grave—that marriages performed by those who have the proper authority in His temples will continue to be valid in the world to come. Our marriage ceremonies eliminate the words “till death do us part” and instead say, “for time and for all eternity.” We also believe that strong traditional families are not only the basic units of a stable society, a stable economy, and a stable culture of values—but that they are also the basic units of eternity and of the kingdom and government of God. We believe that the organization and government of heaven will be built around families and extended families. It is because of our belief that marriages and families are eternal that we, as a church, want to be a leader and a participant in worldwide movements to strengthen them. We know that it is not only those who are actively religious who share common values and priorities of lasting marriages and strong family relationships. A great number of secular people have concluded that a committed marriage and family lifestyle is the most sensible, the most economical, and the happiest way to live. No one has ever come up with a more efficient way to raise the next generation than a household of married parents with children. Why should marriage and family matter—everywhere? Public opinion polls show that marriage is still the ideal and the hope among the majority of every age group—even among the millennial generation, where we hear so much about chosen singleness, personal freedom, and cohabitation instead of marriage. The fact is that strong majorities worldwide still want to have children and to create strong families. Once we are married and once we have children, the true commonality among all mankind becomes even more evident. As “family people”—no matter where we live or what our religious beliefs may be—we share many of the same struggles, the same adjustments, and the same hopes, worries, and dreams for our children. As New York Times columnist David Brooks said: “People are not better off when they are given maximum personal freedom to do what they want. They’re better off when they are enshrouded in commitments that transcend personal choice—commitments to family, God, craft and country.”4 One problem is that much of the media and entertainment that the world shares does not reflect the priorities and values of the majority. For whatever reasons, too much of our television, movies, music, and Internet present a classic case of a minority masquerading as a majority. Immorality and amorality, ranging from graphic violence to recreational sex, is portrayed as the norm and can cause those who have mainstream values to feel like we are out of date or from a bygone era. In such a media and Internet-dominated world, it has never been harder to raise responsible children and to keep marriages and families together. Despite what much of media and entertainment outlets may suggest, however, and despite the
see my sister chatting animatedly to both Tsuruya and Miss Asahina. You know, if you said to me that my sister would get involved in this, I probably would've deemed you insane. Yet, there she sat. I sighed. What was I getting her into? I knew the answer all too well. However, despite knowing that death is certainly a possibility, my sister still wanted to tag along. I stand corrected. My sister may be stubborn, but I think in this case, the word I'm looking for is "determined". Determined to save Haruhi. Determined to bring a smile back to my face. I sighed again. I think I'm going for the record at this point. In any case, just because I find my sister annoying, doesn't mean I don't care for her. Huh, that also sounds like Haruhi, not that I'd admit it to anyone but myself. Koizumi, Nagato, and Miss Asahina's heads snapped up to the sky. "Huh? What's up, Koizumi?" I asked. Koizumi looked to me, still with that smile on his face. "There's been some sort of disturbance in reality." He explained. "What? Like a closed space?" I asked. "Sort of, but not really." He said. "It feels more like the walls separating alternate realities are being breached." "Alternates realities?" I asked, wondering if I heard him right. "Yes." He answered. "For instance, a world where everything is normal, in other words, the world that Miss Nagato created, or a world where everyone is the opposite gender. The possibilities are endless." "I see. So, do you have any idea why this is happening?" I asked. "It is possible that Haruhi is in such a state of terror that she is subconsciously using her data altering abilities to call others to this world in order to help her. That is what I believe." Nagato answered. You know, that's the second time this week I've heard Nagato only use Haruhi's first name. You think she's trying to alter her speech so as to sound more human? Who knows? "That might just be it." Koizumi agreed. "Okay, so, what do we do then?" I asked. "If our gender-opposite counterparts end up being like us, we could recruit them and almost double our party's size." Koizumi suggested. That could work. I don't want to get my hopes up though. "All righty, so until then, training begins tomorrow at my place." Tsuruya announced. We all nodded in agreement. "The next few days might be interesting." Koizumi remarked. No doubt about that, considering I might end up meeting a female version of myself. I'm already curious as to what she's like. Deciding to dwell on that later, I went to my bike and got on it, my sister in tow. We rode home and changed back into our nightwear after getting there. We bid each other good night and we both went to sleep. No doubt both of us were wondering what the morning will bring.WOW! Source Close To Trump & Special Counsel Says Democrats ‘Manufacturing Crisis’ With Mueller Firing Rumors Sources close to both President Trump’s legal team and the special counsel’s office says the Democrats are “manufacturing a crisis with their drumbeat of warnings about the possible firing of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.” Fox News reports: The sources insisted to Fox News that Mueller is not going to be fired, and the discussion is nothing more than speculation and rumor. Further, they said the legal team has an “excellent” and “very professional” relationship with Mueller and his team. “The fact is [Democrats] have been caught red handed manufacturing a crisis and all the phony allegations,” one source said. Over the past couple weeks, Democratic lawmakers and liberal activists have ramped up warnings about a potential Mueller firing and called for protests to defend the “Republic” if Trump takes that step. Both Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) are among the loudest voices on Capitol Hill pushing the rumor. Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) recently sat down with KQED Newsroom to lament the Republicans’ so-called effort to “shut down,” Capitol Hill’s Russia investigation. Video credit: KQED News When asked why there are no witnesses scheduled for the probe in January, Speier replied, “well, we can read between the lines, I think there is a rush to try and shut this committee investigation down.” “This week was a great example, three interviews simultaneously, one of them actually off the Hill with someone who comes to Washington frequently but wanted to do it now and so we were actually off the Hill doing the interview, had to race back to vote….this is a circus at this point,” added Speier. Speier then went on to claim President Trump wants all Russia investigations to be “shut down.” The California lawmaker then told KQED Newsroom that, “The rumor on the Hill when I left yesterday was that the president was going to make a significant speech at the end of next week. And on December 22nd, when we are out of D.C., he was going to fire…Robert Mueller.” As The Gateway Pundit‘s Cristina Laila reported Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff (D-CA) came unhinged Friday after Mueller, Rosenstein and the team of corrupt hacks took a beating this week in a hearing. I’m increasingly worried Republicans will shut down the House Intelligence Committee investigation at the end of the month. Here’s why: — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 Since March, our investigation has made important progress. We’ve interviewed numerous key witnesses behind closed doors, held public hearings, reviewed thousands of documents, identified new leads — all to understand and expose Russia's meddling and protect our democracy. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 Yet, Republicans have scheduled no witnesses after next Friday and none in 2017. We have dozens of outstanding witnesses on key aspects of our investigation that they refuse to contact and many document requests they continue to sit on. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 It appears Republicans want to conduct just enough interviews to give the impression of a serious investigation. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 Next week, they scheduled critical witness interviews out of state, when we are voting on the tax bill and vital government funding bills and no Members will be able to ask questions, in an effort to squeeze them in before end of year. These witnesses are willing to come to DC. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 Despite our repeated urging, Majority has declined to issue subpoenas in numerous avenues of the investigation, where there's simply no other way to get the information. Some refusals we’ve made public, like witnesses hiding behind nonexistent privileges, many others we haven’t. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 The responsibility to conduct a thorough investigation, or to prevent one, ultimately falls on @SpeakerRyan. I’m concerned he's heeding the calls of Bannon and @POTUS to “DO SOMETHING” by closing down the Russia investigation & opening up another investigation of Hilary Clinton. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 Beyond our investigation, here’s what has me really concerned: The attacks on Mueller, DOJ and FBI this week make it clear they plan to go after Mueller’s investigation. Aggressively and soon. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 By shutting down the congressional investigations when they continue to discover new and important evidence, the White House can exert tremendous pressure to end or curtail Mueller’s investigation or cast doubt on it. We cannot let that happen. — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017 Last week, President Trump denied claims he is planning on firing Mueller. “I can’t imagine there’s anything on [the emails], frankly, because as we said, there’s no collusion. No collusion whatsoever,” the President said. “But a lot of lawyers thought that was pretty sad.” Video credit: euronews (in English)In a sense, Dublin never quite seceded from the British empire, but seems to gaze forlornly across the Irish Sea, writes JOHN WATERS WHENEVER THE events in Dublin of 95 years ago are raised, someone invariably tables a reminder that the Easter Rising had little or no support among the people of Dublin. And indeed, while there are accounts not in accord with this version, there was undoubtedly some vociferous opposition to the Rising, mainly from the wives of men fighting in the war against Germany, and therefore dependants of the British crown. In his 1995 book, The Easter Rebellion, Max Caulfield noted that, as the rebel prisoners were marched away under arrest, they were attacked by working-class women, who pelted them with rotten vegetables and emptied chamber pots over them. In his eyewitness account, The Insurrection in Dublin, James Stephens wrote: “Most of the female opinion I heard was not alone unfavourable, but actively and viciously hostile to the rising. This was noticeable among the best-dressed classes of our population; the worst dressed, indeed the female dregs of Dublin life, expressed a like antagonism, and almost in similar language. The view expressed was ‘I hope every man of them will be shot’.” Because of the odd cultural dynamics nowadays attending these discussions, such accounts are usually presented as reflecting badly on the rebels. There is another perspective: that they reflect badly on Dublin and her citizenry. The Dublin of the time was really just another provincial city of the British empire, bought in body, mind and spirit. It was in hardly any sense a capital city, but an outpost of British colonialism, more connected through governance, economics and culture to the “mainland” than to the country at its back, and unmoored from the Irish nation by virtue of its complicity in the continuing occupation of Irish hearts, minds and territory. With a deliberate, strategic obtuseness, our dominant conversations nowadays seek to depict the Rising as a failed attempt to take power in the capital. But in the minds of its key leaders this was simply the most literal and least potent dimension of their endeavour. The idea that there was a realistic chance of gaining power, especially following the non-arrival of promised troops and munitions from Germany, was about the last thing on anyone’s mind. The point was to reclaim Dublin for the Irish nation by a gesture that would resonate for generations, to redeem Dublin of the sins of its acquiescence in the subjugation of Ireland. In a letter to his mother on the eve of his execution, Pearse wrote: “We have preserved Ireland’s honour and our own. People will say hard things of us now, but we shall be remembered by posterity and blessed by unborn generations.” Pearse insisted the battle they were fighting was not merely against Britain/England, but was a struggle for “the national soul”, compromised and contaminated by centuries of interference and occupation. True independence, he wrote in The Spiritual Nation, “requires spiritual and intellectual independence as its basis, or it tends to become unstable, a thing resting merely on interests which change with time and circumstances”. This is a succinct description of what befell the business end of Ireland under British rule, and remains largely accurate of Ireland today. It is worth recalling that just two of the signatories of the Proclamation, Pearse and Joseph Mary Plunkett, had been born and raised in Dublin. Thomas MacDonagh was from Tipperary, Seán MacDiarmada from Leitrim, and Éamonn Ceannt from Ballymoe, on the border between Roscommon and Galway. The other two, James Connolly and Thomas Clarke, were born outside Ireland. It is pointless trying to arrive at a settled understanding of the Easter Rising in Irish culture unless we reflect deeply on these facts. Nowadays, we think of Dublin as entitled to speak for Ireland, as ruling over the State, albeit today in a certain quasi-democratic fashion. But Dublin is only a small part of Ireland, and by far the least representative part, an administrative capital that has hardly covered itself in glory by the quality of its administration. It is impossible to imagine that, if the capital was Galway or Westport, this country would bear any resemblance to its present condition, which is largely a reflection of Dublin’s confusing influence and control. Dublin may well be the “brain” of Ireland, but this entity is by no means coterminous with the Irish mind. Our Dublin-based, supposedly “national” media are not so much Dublin-centric as Anglo-centric, obsessed with exploring comparisons between Ireland and Britain and promoting British provincialism as the reality of Irish culture. Dublin never responded to the call of the Proclamation, believing itself to have too much to lose. The result, today, is a rather strange town, lacking any significant presence of an indigenous populace or self-generated culture, inhabited and run by people from outside itself, who seem never really to settle or belong but who existentially reject and are rejected by a city with a mind of its own. In a sense, Dublin never quite seceded from the British empire, but seems to gaze forlornly across the Irish Sea as though to a lost lover cast aside in a moment of petulance. In this sense the Easter Rising might reasonably be said to have failed to achieve its primary objective.1 / 2 At a time when millions across Syria are going hungry, the Islamic State (Isis) destroyed hundreds of boxes of US-made "halal" chicken meant for the refugee camps. In the photo report, Isis fighters as well as children are seen throwing boxes labelled "Koch Foods" into fire in Aleppo region. Justifying its action, Isis said it did so because the chicken was "Made in USA". The jihadist group further revealed that the chicken were "slaughtered unlawfully", hence, the boxes containing the meat were set on fire. The boxes shown in Isis' photo report bore the logo of Illinois-based Koch Foods and was clearly labelled as "halal" meat - which means "slaughtered according to Islamic law". This incident has irked many on social media, especially as millions of Syrians are living in abject poverty, plagued by hunger. The situation in Syria is dire as more than 12 million people in the country are in need of humanitarian aid with the civil war in the country entering its fifth year. According to a UN-backed report, the crisis in Syria has plunged 80% of its citizens into poverty, reduced life expectancy by 20 years, and led to massive economic losses that have been estimated at over $200 billion. Twitter Reactions: ISIS degenerates burn tons of chicken meat from US while many Syrians are literally dying of hunger pic.twitter.com/jiHzmTjSYq via @ILNewsFlash — Azad Kurdistan (@mrgoldfink) April 1, 2015 aha ‏@SyTahaZ Death to the infidel chicken! #Syria\|ns are starving, and #ISIS is bragging about destroying U.S. chickens. Blazing CatFur ‏@Blazingcatfur Koch brothers try to poison ISIS with non-Halal chicken Lara Jakes ‏@larajakesFP Fave story today. #ISIS: Never mind the starving Syrians; Death to the infidel chicken! Abu Mohammed ‏@Raqqa_sl1 #ISIS burns chicken slaughtered in islamic way coz it came from #USA while many syrians are died because the hunger Karin Brulliard ‏@karinbrulliardEpisode 9 – Louisville Pinball League Disclaimer: this podcast has some explicit language and you can probably hear a beer can opening in the background. You have been warned. In this episode, we talk with Janet Stevens, Antz Wettig, Jason Bradley, and Chris Renninger of the Louisville Pinball League. The Louisville Pinball League is an official PAPA sanctioned league that goes for 8 weeks. Signups for the next pinball season begins April 8 (plus, there will be a tournament) and the games begin on April 15th. Games are played every Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Zanzabar. Antz: “If you mention this podcast walking in the door, introduce yourself to Antz, Jon, or Vern and I will buy you a beer.” Highlights: Introductions: Janet Stevens; Antz Wettig; Jason Bradley; Chris Renninger The birth of the Louisville Pinball League in 2010 Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom and Pagans Collecting pinball machines “It’s where the fun’s at!” Louisville Arcade Expo The first board of Donkey Kong vs. starting at pinballs Luck vs. Skill in pinball The Chris vs. Janet rivalry begins The Ted Nugent pinball machine The social game of pinball and how it’s a great bar game Tuesday night pinball tournaments and the over-30 and reasonable crowd Rogue tournaments and Rogue League Jason Bradley, the Pinball King of Louisville, and his mythology and trading card Janet’s introduction to the league and her expansive pinball history Janet’s story is interrupted with a brief explanation of how the tournaments work Scheduling of the tournaments Louisville Arcade Expo and how amazing that convention is How handsome Antz is for his age International Flipper Association Billy Mitchell and the King of Kong The rivalry between Janet and Chris heats up! Drew, aka Booski, a member of the league and savant, the flying red tomato and the Vegas National Tournaments Getting robbed in Vegas Transitioning the Kentucky tournaments to Louisville from Cincinnati How players are split up in a tournament Janet meets Richard Shapiro and he gets her into some tournaments, she wins a bunch of them The Outlook Inn’s pinball machines Jason makes the point Antz couldn’t make earlier; beginners can win with some luck against better players The ability to drop out of two games in the league “You can know zero about pinball and still have fun.” Janet invites women to come out to join the pinball league so Team “V” has more support The Team “V” shirt Professional naked photo shoots What someone, particularly women, should do to join the league Antz explains how Zanzabar rolls out the red carpet for pinball players Young folks who want to play should come with a guardian and before 8 p.m. Jason explains some other game types played between league seasons, like pinball golf There is sometimes a 50/50 male to female ratio at tournaments Jason plugs pinballmap.com – if you see a pinball machine somewhere, tell him about it Chris plugs LouisvillePinball.com We discuss drinking beer not drinking beer Janet vouches for the safety of Zbar for women Zbar listed as one of the top 10 arcade bars The growth of pinball bars, the passion behind the pinball machines at Zbar and how it wasn’t the business plan April 8th at 7 p.m. is League Signup; April 15th if the first week of the league The Nerd Louisville bump Listen to the very end to find out who is better, Janet or Chris The Crew: Mike Pfaff Intro / Outro music is The White of Noon by STRFKR, graciously provided with permission by Polyvinyl Records.Share Since Google’s acquisition of Motorola back in February, the Droid expert has stayed quiet about its previous grievances with Apple. But now, according to Bloomberg, Google’s Motorola division has filed a new patent lawsuit against Apple (following Samsung’s lead), opening some old wounds leftover from Motorola and Apple’s long-standing legal disputes. The complaint, submitted to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), names features like location reminders, email notifications, along phone and video players as possible infringements. The complaints target Apple features used extensively in its product line up and given Google’s desire to block U.S. imports of Apple products (Apple manufactures its product line in Asia), a win would strike a major blow. Google seems to have its sights set on Apple destruction. The original patent dispute between Motorola Mobility and Apple was eventually dismissed in court, but Google’s Motorola division isn’t willing to lay it to rest. “We would like to settle these patent matters, but Apple’s unwillingness to work out a license leaves us little choice but to defend ourselves and our engineers’ innovations,” wrote Motorola Mobility in an emailed statement. The official document pertaining to this specific case won’t be available until Monday, so we will have to wait until the weekend’s over to learn the full details. The inevitable battle between Apple and Google may be a whole lot closer than we thought. And it’s nice to know we’ll have more legal battles to obsess over since Apple and Samsung’s recent disputes will soon reach a verdict. FOSS Patent’s Florian Mueller notes that an ITC judge already made a preliminary judgement in the previous Motorola vs. Apple case, arguing that Apple did infringe on one of Motorola’s patent. The final ruling in the original case is expected to be released sometime next week. It’s also important to recognize, as Mueller points out, that if Motorola does achieve a ban on Apple products in the previous lawsuit, the iPad 4G and iPhone 4S would be exempt. Both use a Qualcomm chipset falling outside Motorola’s patent claims. For mobile fans, Monday can’t come soon enough. Do you think Google and Motorola stand a chance against Apple?Image: after STICKGOLD et al., Science LEARNING CURVE. Experts, novices and amnesiacs playing Tetris show different patterns of improvement over seven sessions--patterns that are in part reflected in their dreams. A diversion? Yes. Addictive? Maybe. But a research tool for delving into the purpose of dreaming? In fact, the game Tetris has proved to be just that. Robert Stickgold and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School recently conducted a clever set of experiments in which they used the game to guide the content of people¿s dreams: among 17 subjects they trained to play Tetris, more than 60 percent reported dreaming of images associated with the game. And the researchers found that when and how the study¿s sleeping participants saw these images helps confirm the idea that the brain uses dreaming to reinforce learning. They reported their findings in the October 13 issue ofThe idea that sleep, and in particular dreaming, serves to cement new information and skills in the brain first gained a lot of attention when Stickgold and his colleagues described another set of findings in the March 1999 issue of the. In this set of experiments, they showed that subjects who had slept for six hours or more after learning a new task--in this case, spotting a visual target on a screen as quickly as possible--improved, whereas those who didn¿t sleep on it didn¿t. Moreover, they found that those who improved the most slept for eight hours, with ample time for both slow-wave and rapid eye movement (REM) periods of sleep. Stickgold hypothesized why these sequential phases of sleep were so crucial, describing a two-step process by which memories important to learning were consolidated and integrated in the brain. During slow-wave sleep, the hippocampus--a region of the brain that stores recent, episodic memories about discrete events--replays its files for the neocortex, home to more permanent memories. The communication between the two brain areas at this time is one way, from the hippocampus to the neocortex. During the REM dreaming that follows, though, the flow of information flips, from the neocortex back to the hippocampus. Stickgold suggested that once the neocortex connects the new memories to others in storage, it sends a message back to the hippocampus to erase them. In this latest round of experimentation, Stickgold and his team probed yet a third phase of dreaming--the hypnagogic period that occurs within the first hour of sleep. They studied three different sets of subjects who all played Tetris over the course of three days--playing for two hours in the morning and in the evening on the first day, and for an hour each morning and evening on the following days of the study. Twelve of their subjects had never before played the game. Another 10 were experts who had logged between 50 and 500 hours of Tetris prior to the experiment. And the remaining five were amnesiacs, having no short-term memory due to lesions in the hippocampus. Science Image: after STICKGOLD et al., THOUGHTS AND IMAGES. Reports about Tetris differed depending on when they occurred. Thoughts alone were more common among subjects before sleep, and images were more prevalent after sleep. In all, though, the reports were astonishingly similar. Seventeen of these 27 subjects reported seeing the same images during hypnagogic sleep--namely falling geometric pieces that, if placed properly, rack up points in Tetris. And, interestingly, most of these reports occurred after the second night of the study. This delay suggests to the researchers that the need to learn may in part prod the brain into dreaming. ¿It¿s as if the brain needs more time or more play before it decides, ¿Okay, this is something that I really need to deal with at sleep onset,¿ Stickgold says. In fact, the learning curve for the game--measured by total points earned--was quite different for the three groups. Whereas both the experts and the novices showed considerable improvement, the amnesiacs did not. And this progress was somewhat reflected in the dream reports. The nine novices who were initially worst at the game were the very same who reported seeing falling pieces during sleep onset--suggesting again that the more a subject needed to learn, the more his or her brain reviewed the material. Only five experts saw the imagery. Two of them, however, described Tetris images associated not with the version they played in the lab but with the version they had played on Nintendo machines--a twist that Stickgold attributes to the integrative process. Perhaps most surprising, three of the five amnesiacs described having the same kinds of hypnagogic dreams as the normal subjects. The researchers had assumed that the amnesiacs¿ dreams--especially those during the hypnagogic phase--would have nothing to do with recent events, if they occurred at all, due to the damage to their short-term memory centers. ¿We thought that if there¿s one part of sleep that depends on episodic memories, which amnesiacs lack, it's sleep onset,¿ Stickgold says. But even for these individuals, most of whom did not remember the game from one day to the next and had to be taught all over again, the Tetris dreams seemed to affect their waking behavior. Co-author David Roddenberry, an undergraduate at Harvard, noticed that one of the amnesiacs who didn¿t remember the game nevertheless placed her fingers on the computer keys used in playing at the start of a session. ¿She did not quite know what she was doing and yet she did know what she was doing,¿ Stickgold comments. ¿In a way, this is Freud¿s unconscious--things activated in our brain that are in fact memories that guide our behavior but are not conscious.¿ To try to understand this barrier between waking and sleep, the researchers also compared the differences in reports of images or thoughts of Tetris both before sleep onset and right after. Curiously, thoughts about Tetris not associated with seeing falling pieces were more prevalent before sleep, whereas reports of images were more common during sleep. ¿What was most striking about the data,¿ the researchers write in the Science paper, ¿was the strong similarity in reports from different individuals.¿ All the subjects dreamed of pieces falling and sometimes rotating or fitting into empty spaces--and none reported seeing the picture surrounding the pieces, the scoreboard or the keyboard. "What we¿re really looking at here is the age-old mind-body problem: the mind-brain connection,¿ Stickgold notes. ¿We think of our mind as being ours. But there are real ways in which the brain has a set of rules of its own. We¿re getting an idea of what the brain uses as its rules for picking out cortical memory traces to reactivate and bring into our conscious mind, and we¿re trying to see across wake-sleep cycles how that process happens.¿ That game is far from over.A utility item with baffling instructions and a name you can’t pronounce… It can only be a new product from Ikea. This is the Sladda (which means to ‘skid sideways’ in Swedish) and you can now add it to your kitchen units and wonky stools as you check out of your nearest blue warehouse. It comes flat-packed with its own Allen key and little spanner. As we have come to expect, the instructions have no words just lots of little pictures. It should take about an hour to assemble, but a leg falling off your sofa is very different to a wheel coming loose, so don’t rush it. Reading through various comments it seems people have taken up to five hours to piece it together. Be very clear: this is a flat-pack bike not a folding bike. There’s no question of popping it up and down for each journey like a large and cheap Brompton. The Sladda is a nicely designed bike. It has a frictionless silicon belt drive rather than a chain, which has a 10-year warranty and should be good for 15,000km. The frame itself is guaranteed for 25 years (or until you forget to padlock it to the railings outside your flat). To ride it feels pleasantly smooth. The belt it almost silent. Front disc brakes massively increase your stopping power in the wet. It is unisex and comes in two sizes, but only one colour – a sort of lifeless grey. There are lots of accessories to add if you wish – everything from baskets, guards and lights to a snazzy kiddie trailer. It’s certainly a decent enough bike, but at £450 it’s quite pricey. You could save yourself the faff and worry of putting it together and simply head to your local bike shop instead (ikea.com). Price: £450 Frame: aluminium, 26in or 28in Brakes: front disc Gears: Sram Automatix Darkness falls Facebook Twitter Pinterest Night rider: be safe, be seen As the clocks roll back and the long nights draw in, it’s important to stay visible and take extra safety precautions when out on the bike. The team at Wiggle offer some advice on how to stay safe, dry and comfortable on your evening commute. Light up the night: ensure that you can see and that you can be seen from any direction. White on the front, red on the back. Carry a spare set of lights. Reflect on it: at night and in low light, it’s high quality reflectivity rather than colour that really makes you stand out on the road. Look for garments with Scotchlite reflective prints and logos, like on the new dhb Flashlight collection. Don’t sweat it: avoid heavy clothing and choose a good quality breathable jacket, such as the dhb Highline waterproof jacket, which will keep you warm and dry. Routemaster: check your winter route for good lighting and adjust if necessary. It’s better to extend your journey if it means you are on safer roads. Roll with it: don’t get caught out with a puncture on a cold night. Consider changing your tyres to something more robust, such as the Continental Grand Prix 4 Season. Don’t get in a fix: even with robust tyres punctures can occur. Carry two inner tubes just in case, which can save fiddly fixes by the roadside or consider using self healing tubes, such as the Slime Smart Tube. Be on guard: a simple fix of attaching a rear mudguard to your bike can keep you dryer and cleaner for longer. Don’t get in a flap: wear fitted clothing that won’t obscure lights or get caught in wheels. Fuel up: riding in the cold and wet demands more energy than on a warm day. Make sure you’re adequately fuelled and carry some food with you. Clean up: ensure your bike is in tip-top condition to prevent breakdowns. Keep it clean and get a regular service. Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166 This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that Skimlinks cookies will be set. More information.Just over five minutes into the first game of the 2017-18 NBA season, Gordon Hayward went up to catch a lob pass. The ball sailed out of reach, and Hayward crashed to the floor, dislocating his ankle and fracturing his tibia. Whatever faint title aspirations the Celtics may have harbored for this season ended with that play. The main question now is whether Hayward will be able to make a full recovery, and we likely won’t find out this season. The short-term question is easier to answer, and more urgent: Just how bad is it going to get? To figure out what fans can expect from the remaining 81 games, I used FiveThirtyEight’s revamped CARMELO projections to redistribute Hayward’s 30 or so projected minutes per game to the rest of the expected rotation. As you would guess, the new projection was ugly: 37 wins — 10 less than our initial 47-win prediction for Boston, which was already low compared to the team’s preseason expected win total according to Vegas lines (about 53.5 wins). Forty-seven wins would have been a disappointment; 37 would be a catastrophe, and it would likely mean missing the playoffs. How the Celtics line up without Hayward The Celtics’ projected performance (now that Gordon Hayward is out) based on FiveThirtyEight’s CARMELO player projections PLAYER MIN. PER GAME OFF +/- DEF +/- Kyrie Irving 34.0 3.9 -2.1 Jaylen Brown 29.0 -1.9 -0.7 Marcus Morris 29.0 0.0 0.0 Al Horford 28.0 0.1 1.6 Marcus Smart 34.0 0.5 0.6 Jayson Tatum 26.0 -1.4 -0.7 Aron Baynes 10.0 -2.5 1.1 Terry Rozier 19.0 -0.7 -0.8 Shane Larkin 12.0 -0.5 -1.6 Abdel Nader 5.0 -1.7 -0.3 Guerschon Yabusele 5.0 0.5 0.0 Semi Ojeleye 8.0 -1.9 -1.8 Replacement level — -1.7 -0.3 Team total — -0.1 -1.8 PROJECTED RECORD W L 36.6 45.4 The only halfway comforting thing about this projection for Boston is that a lot of that falloff is wrapped up in conservative projections for two players: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the team’s high-lottery selections from the past two drafts. Tatum is 19 and Brown turns 21 next week, so this isn’t really a surprise, but Hayward’s injury forces Boston to rely on two young players who may not be ready and hope that one or both can grow up fast. It’s probably a reach to expect too much out of Tatum in his first year, but Brown played well at times down the stretch last season and had a few solid appearances during the playoffs. Brown also scored a career-high 25 points in Tuesday night’s loss, flashing to the rim and being a pest on defense. If Boston salvages its season, it will need a lot more games like that. Brown is a polarizing prospect around the league. He had an uneven season in his first year, and he lacks the polish of Tatum, who was the third overall pick in this year’s draft out of Duke. Brown isn’t a great shooter or passer and doesn’t score with the efficiency teams hope for from their peripheral players, but he’s already a capable perimeter defender and the sort of top-shelf athlete who looks at home banging bodies with LeBron on national TV. He has a long way to go, but so did Paul George when he logged a rookie season not so different from Brown’s. Equally important as Brown’s potential is the fact that his projected contribution this season is absolutely terrible, coming in slightly below replacement level (meaning he’s expected to be a little worse than any random free agent a team could sign off the street). Minute to minute, CARMELO believes that he contributes about as much, offensively and defensively, as Knicks’ backup guard Ron Baker. So he wouldn’t have to do much to outperform his expected level. Given how many minutes Brown was expected to play — and how many more he’ll have to take on now that Hayward is out — that projection weighs down Boston’s expected win total considerably. For instance, if Brown were to improve his average offensive and defensive contribution to the level of fourth-year guard Marcus Smart, the team, even without Hayward, would project to win about 42 games. If he improved just a bit more — say, to the level of departed swingman Jae Crowder — that number creeps up to 43 wins. Still not what Boston had in mind coming into this season, but a far cry better than 37 wins and out of the playoffs. How the Celtics line up if Jaylen Brown exceeds expectations The Celtics’ projected performance (now that Gordon Hayward is out) based on FiveThirtyEight’s CARMELO player projections, assuming Jaylen Brown plays as well as Jae Crowder PLAYER MIN. PER GAME OFF +/- DEF +/- Kyrie Irving 34.0 3.9 -2.1 Jaylen Brown 29.0 1.2 0.7 Marcus Morris 29.0 0.0 0.0 Al Horford 28.0 0.1 1.6 Marcus Smart 34.0 0.5 0.6 Jayson Tatum 26.0 -1.4 -0.7 Aron Baynes 10.0 -2.5 1.1 Terry Rozier 19.0 -0.7 -0.8 Shane Larkin 12.0 -0.5 -1.6 Abdel Nader 5.0 -1.7 -0.3 Guerschon Yabusele 5.0 0.5 0.0 Semi Ojeleye 8.0 -
coached with the Lions. Jerry Jaso was actually their paper boy, and Jere and a girlfriend were the ones who dropped the St. Anthony quartet of “Golden Saints” off at the train station, when the four running backs were headed to Cal. Stevens and Jere’s teasing wasn’t just directed at each other, however. The man who had introduced Jere to Dave Boss and the NFL Properties people was an alumni of Phoenix High, who Poly famously defeated 102-0 in 1919 for the Southwest Championship, a fact that the football-mad Wright couple used to kid him about. “I’m not sure he ever realized it was a true story,” Jere laughs. The family’s pride in the logo is a still-living testament to the man who designed it. “Oh, I stop every person I see wearing something with the Bills logo on it,” says Jere. “I always tell them, ‘My husband designed that!’” After retiring following two decades with the NFL, Jere says she doesn’t watch a lot of football anymore. But you can be certain that when the Buffalo Bills take the field this year, she and Wright’s children will be watching. As the Bills begin their 40th season, they’ll do so wearing a logo that bears a little bit of Long Beach with it — and a whole lot of Stevens Wright.This is the second set of #AskFutureSox questions we got from our readers on various social media and discussion forum channels last week. We published the first set on Friday, which you can read here. In this second and final set, we dig into a lot more specific prospects and front office staff, as opposed to higher level viewpoints. Do you project Dylan Cease as a starter or a relief pitcher long term? From what little I've seen, he has punchout stuff, but his control has lapses and durability has been a concern. --'southsidecpa' on White Sox Reddit The stuff certainly looks like the beginnings of a starter's mix - a plus fastball that can hit triple digits, a hammer similarly rated out as plus, and a couple other developing pitches. This despite the lack of innings under his belt, but therein also lies the rub. He did cobble together 93 innings last year (plus Fall Instructs work) while under tight restrictions, and the results were overall quite positive. Certainly he's a starter until he can't be, which rides mostly on his health (though he'll need further improvement in command as well). I wouldn't pretend to be able to predict his medical fortunes. If he can build up to 150+ IP endurance in the next two years, with his stuff and the command improvement likely to come with that time, I'd bet on him being a starter. The backup plan is a late inning reliever. What's Luis Robert Stat Line look like in A ball this year? Also is Rutherford expected to bounce back from the Year he had? --Barry Baker (@barrybaker8664 on Twitter) I am never comfortable projecting minor league stat lines, and certainly not for a guy who has never played stateside ball. But I do think people who see him blazing through full season leagues may need to tone down the expectations a bit. He's super-talented but needs some time, and I'd expect him to spend most of his 2018 in A-ball. On the second topic, the short answer is yes. Blake Rutherford struggled far more in the second half last year than was expected. But he's still got the tantalizing tools, and will open 2018 as a 20-year-old and still below league average age. There is every reason to believe he rebounds. How far he bounces, and whether or not we start to see some power translation, are open questions. Are there any former Braves int'l prospects that are newly free agents that it would be worth the #WhiteSox tossing their $300k spending limit at this offseason --Section 108 (@fromthe108 on Twitter) For those unaware, the Braves were hammered with major penalties for greater-than-usual corruption in Latin American amateur signings. One of the results is a group of a dozen Braves prospects are now free agents and able to re-sign with another team. Most players will get less this time around than they got when originally signing, but guys like Kevin Maitan won't bottom out either. So focus on the names around the bottom of the payscale ladder, and that's where the Sox could strike. As of this time, the White Sox have about $1.1M left to spend in the current period, but are limited to a max of only $300k per player. If the Sox don't pick off one of those players, look for them to trade much or all of their remaining cap space for prospects this offseason. I'm interested in what you guys think about Ian Clarkin. I know hes had injury issues but from the little i've heard he was healthy in 2017. If so he feels under rated to me? What am I missing? I like his profile and being a lefty helps. If you have any insight on Basabe's 2017 I'd be interested in that as well. His base stats are just straight up bad. His average and power look pitiful on paper. Any idea what happened in 2017 and how much optimism there is for him going forwards? --'Neat_On_The_Rocks' on White Sox Reddit The White Sox clearly believe in Clarkin's ceiling, so much so that they added him to the 40-man roster despite that he's never pitched above High-A. A left-hander with a mix of three pitches that project to be MLB average is definitely valuable, and his relatively healthy 2017 showed increasing fastball velocity resulting in solid numbers. Despite the injuries, he's not dramatically behind the age curve, and he will need to increase his innings load substantially in 2018 to continue down the starter path (to this end, he pitched in Fall Instructs after the regular season). He should be among the team's top thirty prospects, albeit on the back end. Basabe is a tough read at this point. Going into 2017, a few analysts felt he could make his way into some MLB top 100 prospect lists within a year. Instead, he scuffled badly, and battled some minor injuries. To call back to an earlier question, while 2018 isn't exactly make or break for a 21-year-old who is now on the 40-man roster, he does have a lot to prove. The combination of tools in hit, speed and raw power have not diminished and still hint at that very high ceiling. But he will need to see some substantial translation to results on the field this coming season. In short I wouldn't read a ton into his 2017 numbers, especially when he was nagged by injuries, but that statistical focus should come more into play in 2018. Does Will Kincanon have a chance to move up in Sox Top 30 prospects next year? What's his upside? --Luc McDowell (@lucmcd17 on Twitter) What is the status of Victor Diaz and do you think he has any chance to figure in the Sox plans down the road? --SoxSteve on SoxTalk I do love me some lesser-known relief prospects. It is rare for bullpen arms in the minors to be among the top thirty prospects in a deep system, because even if they are very good, their projected impact is smaller than that of starters or position players. Exceptions are usually reserved for elite arms like Zack Burdi and Thyago Vieira. That said, the former Indiana State Sycamore was given an over-slot bonus in the 11th round for a reason. Kincanon has a sinking fastball that runs low-to-mid-90's and has touched 97, along with two offspeeds that various evaluators have seen as flashing above average looks. Because command and consistency are lacking, he probably won't be a fast-mover, but his ceiling is that of a late inning major league reliever. And here's another reliever, this one able to break triple digits. Diaz was ranked by some at the back end of the team's top thirty prospects coming into 2017, but he battled shoulder soreness and other ailments throughout the year and pitched just 12 innings. There's a lot of risk in the profile, but you never give up on that kind of velo and movement, so he'll get his chance in 2018 to re-track himself. Will Matt Cooper be back in 2018? --Donaldo on SoxTalk On this one I'll just say... keep an eye on this site in the next week or two for an update. Do we have good coaches for developing guys in place? --Rich Fesi on Facebook This was a sore point around the White Sox for years - a perceived lack of player development being a root cause of the team's inability to "graduate" successful prospects. These complaints have nearly disappeared in the last couple years though, due in part to players like Tim Anderson succeeding in the majors, but also the overall improvement of talent on the farm. The Player Development side of the house has seen a lot of changes during the rebuild, including Chris Getz taking over that department from Nick Capra. Some of the roving instructions, managers and coaches have changed as well. Any of the old tropes can be thrown away, and the new staff certainly can't complain about what they've been given to work with. The next two years will tell us a lot. Is Eloy the besss, da besss, or some combination of the two? --witesoxfan on SoxTalk You be the judge. Thanks everyone for all the great questions. We should do this again sometime. Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.About We believe that the virtual reality belongs to everyone. The Open DoVision is a plug-and-play open-source virtual reality headset with native support for VGA, HDMI, and AV starting from 99$. Plug-and-play Have you ever dreamed of playing the game in an immersive environment while the game don't support your headset? Open DoVision can be a mouse simulator that maps your real world movement to the cursor in your computer, which enables you to just plug in two cables and start gaming. What if the game you want to play don't even have virtual reality functionality at all? By putting on a replacement part, Open DoVision transferred to a private cinema... Now you really play ANY games with Open DoVision. Of course if you are tired of sitting, just lean on the sofa and enjoy your favorite film. Open-source The source is the first thing you need to make something brilliant out of original Open DoVision. Thus we have all our source codes of firmwares for Open DoVision at GitHub and all 3D-print-ready model at Thingivers. Extensible The idea of extensibility was built into Open DoVision from the very beginning. It is super easy to reprogram the sensor board and add cool function to it. A quick example is that after changing few line of code, you can lean your head to control the mouse (great neck exercises!). General The Open DoVision has three major components: Screen & Controller Board Sensor Board Cases & Lenses These separate components can work without each other. Just plug in the USB cable and one of the HDMI, VGA, and AV cables. Than enjoy the virtual realty! The Open DoVision will be recognized as a mouse input, so it is compatible with any virtual reality games that use mouse as a input. By changing a few parts of the Open DoVision, you will get a personal cinema which allows you to not only watch films but play any games that don't even have a virtual reality functionality! We call it Open DoVision CE. Remember that the Open DoVision will always be a open source project available for everyone. So: Please leave a comment if you got any ideas about the Open DoVision. All the Open DoVision below are 3D-printed prototypes of the final product, using a Ultimaker Original and printed at lowest quality. Electronics The Open DoVision comes with a 7 inch, 720p LED display. Not suitable for ultra-high graphic performance, but best for explorers. All the LED display needs a controller board to work, we use the most universal controller board we can find. It translate the HDMI, VGA, AV, or even the TV signal (I don't think anyone would use that though) to the standard LED signal. We also have a little signal converter which convert the standard LED signal to the non-standard signal used by the screen. The separation of the converter and the controller board ease the process of changing the display. You can find the signal converter for you screen and use you own screen. The sensor board has a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a CPU, and an on-board debugger. Right, you can debug your embedded programs on the board and monitor the memory change. The sensor board has 256 KB Flash and 48 KB RAM letting you do whatever you what. Plastics The cases have their own titles: The plastic case of the Open DoVision is designed to be 3D print ready. Feel free to add your own parts into it! Of course you will get fine matted plastic case from the factory! We have Lens Fixers that support lenses with different size. Software The sensor board is truly versatile, it can be a mouse, a HID, and whatever device you want to. It can communicate with computer through standard human-input-device protocol, serial port, and other customized USB protocol. Of course we offer all the well commented code related with walk-through to help you. We have a HID example to show you how easy it to send and receive data through HID protocol. And a small computer program to show you how to communicate with the sensor board using HID libraries. As a open source project, we update all of our firmwares for the Open DoVision to the GitHub Repository. usb-mouse - Make the Open DoVision a flying mouse usb-hid - Make the Open DoVision a hid that send and receive data from the PC The usb-mouse project is designed to give you a brief overview of the Open DoVision. And let you enjoy games that are not designed to be 3D rendering ready. The usb-hid includes a little PC applet to show you how to communicate with the Open DoVision Use Because the Open DoVision can be a mouse, all the games in the computer that support the side-by-side stereoscopic rendering are to some extent compatible with Open DoVision. We also offer you with a alternation for the T1, which gives you the ability to play the games that even do not have virtual reality at all. Feel free to use the screen or the sensor board of the Open DoVision in your own awesome project! Reward Each Open DoVision comes with plastic cases, lenses, a screen, a controller board, a sensor board, power adopter, USB cable, LED cable, VGA cable, HDMI cable, and a quick start book. We are adding more and more interesting stuffs to the Open DoVision. $99 - 1x Open DoVision. - 1x Open DoVision. $199 - 2x Open DoVision. - 2x Open DoVision. $299 - 3x Open DoVision. - 3x Open DoVision. $399 - 4x Open DoVision + Spacial flash driver with full documents for backers only. - 4x Open DoVision + Spacial flash driver with full documents for backers only. $499 - 5x Open DoVision + Spacial flash driver with full documents for backers only + First free access to our next product. - 5x Open DoVision + Spacial flash driver with full documents for backers only + First free access to our next product. $599 - 6x Open DoVision + Spacial flash driver with full documents for backers only + Permanent first free access to our new products! We will provide you with more useful information soon. And if you have any suggestions or complaints please let us know. You can always email us at kailangfu@gmail.com ヾ(○゜▽゜○) Or leave a comment in any of our blog, YouTube Channel, or twitter.Harold Camping expected a spectacular death. He thought he would see horses and towering flames. Instead Harold Camping fell down at home last month at the age of 92 and never got up again. Judgment Day is upon us, the radio evangelist proclaimed a few years ago, setting May 21, 2011 as the date. All across America, billboards became Camping advertisements for Apocalypse. “Cry mightily unto GOD for HIS Mercy” was one suggestion, “Joy to the World” claimed another. All across the nation, there were Americans who laughed, and those who readied themselves. Camping’s believers stopped paying their credit cards, quit their jobs, said farewell to friends. Some spent their life’s savings in preparation for the End — some spent it on the Rapture campaign itself. When Judgment Day did not come, Camping tried to assuage believers. “Please forgive me, America!” a new billboard read. “I was terribly wrong about … May 21, 2011. There is forgiveness in those who trust in Jesus Christ.” Then he said that he had gotten the timing wrong and that the End would, in fact, happen in October. But October passed the same as ever and then Harold Camping had a stroke. By that time, accounts of thousands who had mistakenly given up their Earthly existence came pouring through the news. “Yet though we were wrong,” wrote Camping in a letter to his Family Radio Family, “God is still using the May 21 warning in a very mighty way.” Look at the millions and billions of people who heard the message of Christ’s imminent return, Harold Camping wrote. And he would still come, Camping assured us. Reporters and Average Joes expressed outrage at Camping’s Rapture campaign. Camping’s followers were treated in the media as ridiculous and occasionally as tragic, Camping as a fraud and a heretic. The whole thing is an anomaly, the American media told the world, America is not like this. But America is like this, and it always has been. America is a nation rooted in Apocalypse. The very foundation of the nation is tied to the End Times. Apocalypse is in America’s DNA. When the Puritans stepped out into the bitter wilds of New England they brought with them the forecast of annihilation. These exiles came to America not to delight in religious freedom but to ring in the last of days. “The Judge draws nigh, exalted high upon a lofty Throne,” wrote Puritan poet Michael Wigglesworth. Amidst the throng of Angels strong, lo, Israel’s Holy One! The excellence of whose presence and awful Majesty, Amazeth Nature, and every Creature, doth more than terrify. … Before his Throne a Trump is blown, Proclaiming th’ Day of Doom: Forthwith he cries, Ye Dead arise, and unto Judgment come. No sooner said, but ’tis obey’d; Sepulchers open’d are: Dead Bodies all rise at his call, and’s mighty power declare. In the mid-19th century, William Miller’s obscure Millennialist movement became a national campaign. His prophecy that Christ would return to Earth around 1843 or 1844 came to be known as the Great Disappointment. Some of Miller’s followers went to live with the Shakers (who didn’t need to wait for the new Millennium as they believed it had already come) and the rest formed an entirely new religion and called themselves Adventists. David Berg told us the End would come in 1973 and Pat Robertson guaranteed that 1982 would bring “a judgment on the world”. Reverend Bill Maupin from Tuscon, Arizona preached of a rapture that would happen on June 28, 1981. 50 Arizonians gathered at Maupin’s house to be “spirited aloft like helium balloons.” There is one thing that unites all of these Apocalyptic Americans. They do not see America as a place to create a new civilization. They see America as a place to settle into a wilderness of the soul. • In 1693, Magister Johannes Kelpius got on a boat to the New World. Kelpius was not going to America to make a new life for himself. He was going to watch life end. The young Transylvanian was just 22. Behind him, Kelpius left a comfortable life of academic excellence and a prominent clerical family. With him, Kelpius took a profound faith and a small band of fellow believers. Johannes Kelpius boarded in London and headed to the new Province of Pennsylvania across the sea. In his Diarium, Johannes Kelpius recorded details of the journey. Like most ocean voyages back then, the experience was hell: lost anchors, devouring winds, a battle with a French vessel. Upon the open seas, Johannes Kelpius thought about home, and about exile. Earlier that year, the young scholar had fallen under the spell of Johann Jacob Zimmerman, a prominent astronomer and scholar. Zimmerman had lost his position as Lutheran minister in 1685 due to his habit of criticizing the state church and, moreover, his insistence that the Apocalypse would occur in the autumn of 1694. His radical Chapter of Perfection sect read sacred scripture alongside works of astrology and numerology, the Kabbalah and the writings of Jakob Böhme, a German shoemaker and mystic. After working out the numbers, Zimmerman thought that America — in particular the city of Philadelphia, a sparsely settled refuge at the edge of the forest — would be the best place to experience the Apocalypse. Indeed, the whole American project seemed to Zimmerman a practical invitation to the End Times. In the secluded woods surrounding Philadelphia, Zimmerman’s Pietists would live in celibate simplicity, anxiously waiting for “that happy day,” wrote follower Johann Gottfried Seelig, “which when its new Earth swallows all that forementioned Floud and where its glorious Sun causeth all other Stars and Phoenomena to disappear, no Night succeeds it, but that the Night is swallowed up in ye Day, Darkness into Light, Death into Life, Judgment into Victory, Justice into Mercy, all imperfect Metals into Gold, and Gold itself is refined seven times, and all Churches and Virgins comprised into the one Dove …. the Sons of God will shout for joy as they did in the Beginning, when God was all in all, as he will be all in all, when again the Earth hath found its beginning.” In the New World these Philadelphia mystics would become known alternately as The Hermits of the Wissahickon, The Hermits of the Ridge, The Mystic Brotherhood, The Society of the Woman in the Wilderness. Just before they were about to set sail from Rotterdam, Johann Jacob Zimmerman died, leaving Johannes Kelpius leader of the Society. Johannes Kelpius gathered his followers about him and said goodbye to his European home forever. A few weeks later, floating between future and past, Kelpius quoted a passage from Seneca in his diary: I cannot go beyond my country; it is the one of all; no one can be banished outside of this. My country is not forbidden to me, but only a locality. Into whatever land I come, I come into my own: none is exile, but only another country. My country is wherever it is well; for if one is wise he is a traveler; if foolish an exile. The great principle of virtue is, as he said, a mind gradually trained first to barter visible and transitory things, that it may afterwards be able to give them up. He is delicate to whom his country is sweet; but he is strong to whom every single thing is his country; indeed he is perfect to whom the world is exile. Johannes Kelpius was never looking for a home in America; he was looking to make himself homeless in the world, and in doing so, ready himself for heaven. • We are taught that America began as a home for exiles — but what does that really mean? The words “home” and “exile” are as seemingly opposed as two words could be. For Johannes Kelpius, those coming to America to make it into their home were missing the point. Kelpius saw America as temporary and transitory, a mere pit stop between the world and a more eternal Home. Kelpius’ Apocalyptic approach to life does not seem conducive to building monuments or governments or making sure credit card debts are paid. And yet, it is interesting to note that the first mission of Kelpius and his monks when they came to Philadelphia was to build an Hermitage of stone. Though they intended to live there in solitude, the monks — respected scholars in Europe with training in medicine, science and music — found their lives immediately entangled with the small community of settlers around them. In the great hall of the Hermitage, they held public nondenominational religious services twice a day. The monks built a schoolhouse for the children of settlers and were consulted for medicinal cures. They offered all of their services for free and refused to trade for profit. In the evenings, the Monks of the Wissahickon would meditate and look through the telescope they had erected on the roof of the Hermitage. They followed the stars and waited patiently for all their efforts to be destroyed. The impulse behind the building of Johannes Kelpius’ Hermitage is the same impulse that compelled Camping’s Family Radio to spend one hundred million dollars on billboards. Both are temporary monuments that hold inside them the tension between Earthly works and oblivion. That tension is always present for Americans who live life in the shadow of the Apocalypse, reminiscent of something the poet Issa once wrote, that the world is a world of dew “and yet, and yet…” No matter how developed America gets, for Apocalypticists she will always be a wilderness.• 21 January, 2014This article was written on an older version of FileFront / GameFront Formatting may be lacking as a result. If this article is un-readable please report it so that we may fix it. Posted on February 25, 2013, CJ Miozzi Crysis 3 Performance Issues Caused by… Rope Physics? While it was expected that Crysis 3 would melt PCs, on release, players were reporting strange framerate drops, even on SLI’d GTX 680s. While initially believed by some to be caused by glass windows, Crysis 2 modder MaLDo has uncovered evidence of the true cause of the performance hit. “The real problem are the moving ropes,” he writes on his blog. “Sounds weird, right?” MaLDo goes on to post several screenshots depicting a framerate drop of nearly 30 FPS when a rope is moving versus static. Hopefully, Crytek will be able to patch this issue shortly. Be sure to check out this comparison video between the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Crysis 3. via PC GamerTelevision and commercial production crews are back in Los Angeles amid an uptick in production across the city. But as more shoots occur on downtown bridges and San Fernando Valley boulevards, Los Angeles residents are pushing back. Complaints about filming were up nearly 20 percent this year, compared with 2013, according to Film L.A., the nonprofit that oversees production and issues permits. All told, the agency responded to 3,268 complaints in fiscal year 2015. Gripes about a loss of parking made up a quarter of the complaints, said Film L.A. representative Philip Sokoloski. The frequency of filming and late filming hours also ticked off residents, he said. The tug-of-war between neighborhoods and production crews comes as Los Angeles officials celebrate the industry’s return, helped most recently by $330 million in taxpayer subsidies offered annually to the film and television industry. But as production jobs come back, so do complaints about city blocks swamped by trailers and production equipment. In Encino, crews filmed at a house for two weeks over a three-week period, said resident Marc Gerber. The nonstop production prompted Gerber and other neighbors to seek a meeting last month with City Councilman Paul Koretz to complain. “Basically, it’s this neighborhood invasion,” said Gerber, citing the noise and film crews. In Hancock Park, there are “lots of complaints, more than last year,” said Cami Taylor, film liaison for the Hancock Park Homeowners Association, who said a persistent issue is intrusive lights from nighttime shoots. In return for the constant shoots in Hancock Park, the HOA asks productions to donate money to the association to pay for neighborhood upkeep. On-location television production shoots spiked in the third quarter of 2015, helped by the new round of subsidies, which went into effect this year. Since 2012, filming is up 7 percent, according to Film L.A.’s Sokoloski, so more shoots can mean more complaints. Film L.A. also has increased resources for neighborhood outreach, so “we view the resulting increase in complaints received as a measure of outreach success,” Sokoloski wrote in an email. Encino’s Gerber wants more oversight, however. He points to a local law that restricts filming to “infrequent” use and questions whether that ordinance is being followed. “We’re not against the shoots because a lot of us work in the film industry,” said Gerber, who spent 40 years in the entertainment industry and is now retired. “We just want oversight.” Such oversight would come from Film L.A. and City Hall, which contracts with the nonprofit. In an email, Koretz spokesman Paul Neuman said the shots at 4411 Noeline Ave. were deemed acceptable, but his office had worked with Film L.A. and locals to mitigate effects from the production. The work at the house included shoots for “American Horror Story” and a DirectTV spot, Gerber said. “Obviously, we’ve been very actively reviewing and monitoring this matter, as we do with any such film site when a complaint has been received,” Neuman wrote.In case you missed it at the end of last week, we posted a news story for Drew Estate’s only entirely new brand they are releasing at the show—the Nica Rustica. It is only being released in one size, a 6 x 52 Parejo, and is packaged in 50-count display boxes, each box including two bundles of 25. According to the cigar spec sheet, the Nica Rustica “is a medium to full bodied smoke – it is blended to be rustic – un-polished, un-refined, for hard core tobacco lovers.” Described by Jonathan Drew, the cigar is not as strong as a Liga Privada and the profiles are different enough to differentiate the two brands from each other. The packaging of the cigar is quite interesting as well. The box is made to look like an old wooden crate, continuing with the rustic theme, and features an image of El Brujito on the lid. We went into this in a little more detail in the news story: The artwork for Nica Rustica is made to pay homage to Estelí by using the image of El Brujito, which is displayed prominently throughout the box. El Brujito, which translates into witch doctor or the shaman, is an image found on a rock that dates back to pre-Columbian times that shows a shaman, the earliest known users of tobacco in Estelí. Here is what the box looks like: Unlike the Undercrown which was somewhat of an alternative blend to the Liga Privada line, the Nica Rustica is a new creation with different tobaccos throughout. Having written about the different tobaccos used in the news story, Charlie had this to say: For those thinking this is Liga Privada wrapper on a different filler, it’s not. The company primarily uses Connecticut Broadleaf Darks for Liga Privada, although the Feral Flying Pig uses mediums, but the difference is much further than the name. Because of the broadness in classification in Connecticut, broadleaf by the same name can be two very different leaves, something the company think will be evident with the diversity in color and roughness of the wrapper for Nica Rustica. The news story goes into much more detail about the tobacco, so I highly suggest reading the rest of the article. Speaking of tobacco, during this year’s Cigar Safari, Drew Estate was handing out test blends of the Nica Rustica that was the supposed finalized blend. Between the time the test blend was handed out and the actual production blend there were some changes made. Nicholas Melillo, Drew Estate’s executive director of tobaccos, wasn’t happy with the profile of the cigar, so he switched some of the Jalapa viso out for Estelí viso and arrived at the new finalized blend that has gone to production. Here’s what the Cigar Safari test blend looks like next to the production release: e Cigar Reviewed: Nica Rustica Nica Rustica Country of Origin: Nicaragua Nicaragua Factory: La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Mediums Connecticut Broadleaf Mediums Binder: Mexican San Andrés Negro Mexican San Andrés Negro Filler: Nicaragua Nicaragua Size: 6 Inches 6 Inches Ring Gauge: 52 52 Vitola: Toro Toro MSRP: $6.95 (Box of 50, $347.50) $6.95 (Box of 50, $347.50) Release Date: August 2013 August 2013 Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production Regular Production Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 4 The Nica Rustica is visually exactly what the company was going for with a rustic feel. The almost yellow-aged looking band, a bit of a rough wrapper, the slightly imperfect pigtail cap and the covered foot all add to the rustic, aged look. As far as the wrapper, it is a deep, rich dark chocolate brown that has a slightly rough feel to it. It is so oily and rich though, that it almost overcomes the texture to make it feel soft. The wrapper’s aroma has a rich barnyard sweetness mixed with cocoa and some minor nuttiness. A singular note of dry cocoa bordering on milk chocolate is so strong it drowns out anything else on the cold draw. The first third starts off immediately with billowing smoke enveloping everything around me. Rich notes of cocoa with an earthy nuttiness bring exactly the flavor profile I’m expecting at this point – rustic and bold. There is a sweetness to the profile as well, though nothing too cloying. The light grey ash has a brownish tint to it and holds on until about three quarters of an inch. The draw is good—loose, but not too loose—which allows for the Nicaraguan filler to billow smoke long after I’ve taken a draw from the cigar. Towards the end of this third a minor spice note has developed as well, which mixes well with the cocoa and nutty notes. Continuing on to the second third we see more of the cocoa and nuttiness, though the spice has developed into a deeper, richer spice than before. In the background I’m starting to get a little bit of caramel and that continued sweetness in the profile as well. The overall burn has been excellent, and though not razor sharp all around, it has burned even and hasn’t required any touch ups despite smoking in some noticeable wind. The caramel continues to develop, while the nuttiness, cocoa and spice still being the dominant flavors in the lineup. The final third of the Nica Rustica sees the caramel develop into more of a salted caramel flavor, while the overall profile is still a slightly sweet cocoa with some spice leading the mix. About halfway through the final third the cocoa starts shifting to more of a dark chocolate note. Burn, draw and ash all continue to be spot on, going to show the construction of the cigar is solid. Savory spice continues to enrich the entire profile, with the dark chocolate, nuttiness, and salted caramel making for a great bouquet of flavors. Final Notes: The Nica Rustica is supposed to be a medium to full-bodied smoke with a strength that is lighter than the Liga Privada line. I would agree completely with this statement, placing the cigar at a near-full body and a mild to medium strength. Six years ago at the 2007 RTDA, Drew Estate launched Liga Privada in much the same way: One size and sold in cabs of 48. The following year saw more sizes added to the line, making it easy to speculate that there is a strong possibility for Nica Rustica to end up with more than one size choice in the future. Just to be clear, this is a review of the production version. The ones given out prior to IPCPR were a different blend. Unless you are in Vegas right now or work for DE, you probably haven’t smoked this Nica Rustica. The other major traditional release for Drew Estate at IPCPR 2013 is the MUWAT KFC. The type of Connecticut Broadleaf used on the Nica Rustica is also used on the Feral Flying Pig. Having said that, the Connecticut Broadleaf Mediums used on the Nica Rustica and Feral Flying Pig are not interchangeable, as they are different grades of the same type of tobacco. Melillo thinks the cigar will actually get a spicier over the course of the next two months because of the aging of the heavy leaf in the blend. For this cigar, Drew Estate not only buys the entire tobacco plant, but buys entire farms of the tobacco too. Because of this reason, it allows Drew Estate to have a major say in how these farmers raise the tobacco. The prerelease we have is a bit thicker than the production version. As for the wrapper color variation, that’s something you are going to see within boxes as the company believes it adds to the rustic feel. This is the third consecutive year that Drew Estate has had a major release tied to Estelí. 2011 saw Undercrown, 2012 Herrera Estelí. Drew Estate somewhat has a history of announcing new cigars earlier in the year, with the “hopes” of having them at the trade show, but never any concrete commitment. Examples of this being the Dirty Rat, L40, Herrera Esteli, and to some extent Undercrown. This has certainly also applied to the Nica Rustica. The largest reason behind this is that the extreme length of time between when these cigars are announced and the trade show, it allows for a myriad of potential issues to could crop up. When you talk to people about Nica Rustica before the show, many people have assumed that this will be a limited release. This will be a cigar that should be easily and readily available at stores that carry Drew Estate products. And I ask you, what’s the last bad cigar Drew Estate made? This will
students, it is now used by anyone willing to give the company a bit of personal information. After that’s done you can join the social network and connect with just about everyone you’ve ever met. The social networking giant is not without its issues, however. As Facebook literally runs out of new users to recruit, it has us wondering — Is it set to be the next Myspace as frustrated users move onto the next big thing? There are some clear reasons why it’s time to go… Facebook is a huge target It is no secret that Facebook has a massive amount of data. Contact, financial, and personal information is stored on the company’s servers, and with 1 billion identities behind all that, it is a serious target to hackers. In the past, the service has had to contend with various scams, phishing schemes, and likely an inordinate amount of spam. As the service grows, it is likely that such tactics will only increase in addition to a resurgence of direct attacks as hackers attempt to get at user information stored in Facebook’s databases. A Facebook data breach would essentially be the holy grail of hacks. The attackers would have access to sensitive personal information as well as a great deal of data to sift through in order to create more efficient password crackers based on patterns (one reason why randomly generated pass phrases from a password manager are a good idea). Network effect gone wild Along with the security aspects, the sheer amount of users and data flowing through the service has become overwhelming for many users. Despite the new Timeline profiles and beefed up filtering options in the news feed, friends are inundated with posts from status updates and application spam notifications. If you are in a group of friends, Facebook will even happily flood the home page with conversations between other people that do not even involve you, at least if you are not on top of your filtering efforts. Basically, at some point, there is just too much data to sift through, and people will get burnt out by the service as Facebook becomes less fun and more like work (that you aren’t getting paid for, mind you). At least, personally, I’ve stopped using Facebook for anything besides PMs, and the only thing keeping me doing that much is that it is easier for my family to use Facebook messages and IMs than to use email. A quick scroll through my news feed quickly reminds me why I stopped regularly checking in. Obligatory friending/liking/sharing With 1 billion users, you are now able to connect to family, friends, and everyone at your school or within your organization. Myspace was the go-to place years ago, but was overtaken by Facebook as it represented thing that seemed more exclusive. Your parents and co-workers (as great as they are) were not on it yet, so you were able to be a bit more relaxed with conversations and opinion sharing. Now the cycle is repeating, as everyone in your life moves over to Facebook to connect with you. In that respect, Facebook has lost a lot of its initial appeal and luster. Slower moving and more corporate When Facebook was a younger service without shareholders to please, it seemed like a more flexible company. Facebook was able to try out new things, quickly roll out new features, and re-invent itself to innovate and keep users happy. Flexibility does not seem to be a trait of Facebook anymore, however. The company’s last big news was Timeline and then their purchase of up-and-coming photo sharing service Instagram… six months ago. Yes, Facebook seemingly figuring out a good formula for keeping — and monetizing — users is a good thing for (stock ticker symbol) FB but that doesn’t mean it’s the best for users. And there is a good deal of competition out there with Google+, Twitter, and an overhauled Myspace that is attempting to woo users back with touch friendly UI (OK, maybe that’s a less serious threat, but at least they are trying new things). Granted, these services are not quite ready to take on Facebook, but they are innovating and it is only a matter of time before users start taking notice. Along the same lines was Diaspora, which ended up being a spectacular failure, but not before garnering a huge amount of attention. Facebook is the social networking giant today, but it’s possible that it’s grown too large to sustain itself. Is the social networking cycle due to come around again or has Facebook’s size and war chest mean that it’ll be on top for the foreseeable future?Resiniferatoxin Heat Above peak Scoville scale 16,000,000,000 SHU Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is a naturally occurring chemical found in resin spurge (Euphorbia resinifera), a cactus-like plant commonly found in Morocco, and in Euphorbia poissonii found in northern Nigeria.[1] It is a potent functional analog of capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers.[2] Biological activity [ edit ] Resiniferatoxin has a score of 16 billion Scoville heat units, making pure resiniferatoxin about 500 to 1000 times hotter than pure capsaicin.[3][4] Resiniferatoxin activates transient vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) in a subpopulation of primary afferent sensory neurons involved in nociception, the transmission of physiological pain.[5][6] TRPV1 is an ion channel in the plasma membrane of sensory neurons and stimulation by resiniferatoxin causes this ion channel to become permeable to cations, especially calcium. The influx of cations causes the neuron to depolarize, transmitting signals similar to those that would be transmitted if the innervated tissue were being burned or damaged. This stimulation is followed by desensitization and analgesia, in part because the nerve endings die from calcium overload.[7][8] Total synthesis [ edit ] Figure 1. A partial synthesis of a resiniferatoxin derivative based on the method put forth by the Wender group of Stanford University. This partial synthesis shows how to create the three-ring backbone of RTX A total synthesis of (+)-resiniferatoxin was completed by the Wender group at Stanford University in 1997.[9] The process begins with a starting material of 1,4-pentadien-3-ol and consists of more than 25 significant steps. As of 2007, this represented the only complete total synthesis of any member of the daphnane family of molecules.[10] One of the main challenges in synthesizing a molecule such as resiniferatoxin is forming the three-ring backbone of the structure. The Wender group was able to form the first ring of the structure by first synthesizing Structure 1 in Figure 1. By reducing the ketone of Structure 1 followed by oxidizing the furan nucleus with m-CPBA and converting the resulting hydroxy group to an oxyacetate, Structure 2 can be obtained. Structure 2 contains the first ring of the three-ring structure of RTX. It reacts through an oxidopyrylium cycloaddition when heated with DBU in acetonitrile to form Structure 4 by way of Intermediate 3. Several steps of synthesis are required to form Structure 5 from Structure 4, with the main goal of positioning the allylic branch of the seven-membered ring in a trans conformation. Once this conformation is achieved, zirconocene-mediated cyclization of Structure 5 can occur, and oxidizing the resulting hydroxy group with TPAP will yield Structure 6. Structure 6 contains all three rings of the RTX backbone and can then be converted to resiniferatoxin through additional synthesis steps attaching the required functional groups.[9] An alternative approach to synthesizing the three-ring backbone makes use of radical reactions to create the first and third rings in a single step, followed by the creation of the remaining ring. It has been proposed by the Inoue group of the University of Tokyo.[11] Toxicity [ edit ] Resiniferatoxin is toxic and can inflict a chemical burn in microscopic quantities. The primary action of resiniferatoxin is to activate sensory neurons responsible for the perception of pain. It is currently the most potent TRPV1 agonist known, with ~500x higher binding affinity for TRPV1 than capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot chili peppers such as those produced by Capsicum annuum. Animal experiments on the rat suggest that, in humans, ingestion of 1.672 g may be fatal or cause serious damage to health.[12] [13] It causes severe burning pain in sub-microgram (less than 1/1,000,000th of a gram) quantities when ingested orally. Research [ edit ] Sorrento Therapeutics has been developing RTX as a means to provide pain relief for forms of advanced cancer.[14][15] The nerve desensitizing properties of RTX were once thought to be useful to treat overactive bladder (OAB) by preventing the bladder from transmitting “sensations of urgency” to the brain, similar to how they can prevent nerves from transmitting signals of pain; RTX has never received FDA approval for this use.[4] RTX has also previously been investigated as a treatment for interstitial cystitis, rhinitis, and lifelong premature ejaculation (PE).[15] See also [ edit ]There’s only a couple of months left in 2016, and very soon, around January, we’re going to start looking at all the slots released during the year and decide upon the three best slots of 2016. In order to reward the best of the best, we play through dozens of the most popular slots that came out, judging each and every single one of them on multiple parameters, including, but not limited to, graphics, RTP, bonus games, winnings, smoothness of animation, theme/license, music and sound. Yes, you heard right – music and sound. While many gamblers like to play slots with the sound turned off, and maybe while listening to their own music, we here take great effort to examine every single aspect of a slot when comparing it to all the others. And honestly? Believe it or not, the music can make or break a slot when it comes to whether or not it receives an award. Now, before you take out your torches and pitchforks, allow me to make a few things clear. First of all, yes, music is very important. Slots are, after all, entertainment – just like movies, TV shows, videogames, plays… They do have a narrative. They aim to create an atmosphere. Sure, that doesn’t apply to all of them, of course, there are some (like “Reel King”) which are very simple in nature and seek to emulate the traditional fruit machines, which don’t have a particular theme, characters or story. But most slots today aren’t like that. “The Avengers” tells the story of a team of superheroes that, despite being drastically different, come together to defeat a common threat. “Aliens” tells a story of isolation, where death (in the form of an alien threat) may come from any corner. “Cashapillar” tells the tale of a cute little caterpillar on his own adventure in animal world. Each of these has a very distinct tone it’s trying to achieve through its characters, tone, graphics, and yes – music. And for those of you who don’t believe that music can be important in setting a tone, try watching the same movie scene with different music and tell me if it doesn’t feel entirely different each time. Now, with that said, it’s important to note that a slot is not a movie or a TV show. Setting a tone is NOT what it sets out to do. As a result, things like the bonus games, payouts and overall playability of a slot will always be more important than its music. However, we do look at a slot as both a complete experience and as the sum of its parts, and no matter how you look at it, music plays a role in that, even if some would say a small one. So at the end of the day, if you have two slots which are absolutely excellent, stellar, perfectly made, but one has put a whole ton of effort into its music while the other just has some kind of generic melody, well… The former is going to take the award home. that’s just how it works. Not everyone can have first place, and we don’t give out participation awards. Some might call that cheating or unfair, but we’re not looking at slots as a hobby. We’re looking at them as a piece of media, with all of the elements that comprise them. And important or not, music is just one such element. To deny that fact is ridiculous.Think back to the last time you spent two years working on a project. Most of us find it hard to stay focused on a task for more than two hours, but graphic designer Scott Modrzynski dedicated himself to recreating every single character that ever appeared in the Uncanny X-Men comic book series. Fully embracing the “X” in X-Men, Modrzynski’s site, Unnecessarily X-Essive, features a staggering lineup of X-shaped caricatures of characters pulled from the 545 issues of Uncanny X-Men that ran from 1963 to 2011. And we’re not just talking mutants, the site also includes all of the minor characters appearing in every issue, from random civilians to police and military personnel. Advertisement So what made Modrzynski decide to dedicate two years of his life to this monumental undertaking? Initially he didn’t intend to go so deep into the rabbit hole, but it sounds like he could be the ultimate completist. “I got the idea a few years back when I had done something similar with WWF wrestlers,” he says. “I never intended for it to take so long, but once I get going, OCD kicks in, and found myself going back to older issues to add the most minor of characters I had previously skipped.” During this odyssey, Modrzynski gained a greater appreciation for Marvel comic book artists like Dave Cockrum and John Byrne, and the immense creativity and diversity of characters they brought to the series. But as he worked his way through the Uncanny X-Men, Modrzynski found Marvel’s dedication to originality eventually dwindled: “The attention to character detail—Wolverine is really short, Colossus’s square jaw—began to sag in the ’80s, and fell off a cliff in the early ’90s, as artists homogenized the appearance of everyone.” Despite those disappointments, Modrzynski still thoroughly enjoyed this project, and found that reading through the Uncanny X-Men archive was like breaking open a time capsule full of countless wonderful memories from throughout his life. Just be aware, you might need to set aside two years yourself to fully load and browse this exhaustive gallery. Advertisement [Unnecessarily X-Essive]This page can’t load Google Maps correctly. Do you own this website? OK Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “There are millions of Americans who suffer from asthma, or their kids do,” Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said in an interview. “The American people are entitled to know whether their health is at risk based on the amount of ozone in the air.” A final rule is due by October 1. The EPA’s proposal turned a years-long cold war into a hot one. Tightening the rule by just 5 ppb could cost certain industries billions of dollars a year to better rein in ozone-causing emissions. Those pollutants come from a variety of activities that make modern society tick. Car tailpipes. Power plants. Factories. Refineries. Natural gas wells. Paints and other consumer products. Whenever the EPA proposes new ozone standards, the pushback is rapid. The National Association of Manufacturers said the rule would be “the most expensive regulation ever imposed on the American public.” A U.S. Chamber of Commerce official testified in January that the proposal could cause “potentially devastating economic and employment impacts.” The American Petroleum Institute insisted that the current standards already protect public health. Businesses haven’t made the same arguments in Canada, which has a voluntary 63-ppb standard. Much of that country has reduced ozone levels below the range under consideration here. But the statements from American industry — especially predictions of economic devastation — echo every U.S. ozone battle for the past four decades. Not every old argument has been resurrected. No one seems to be seriously suggesting this time, as the American Petroleum Institute did in the 1970s, that the major polluters are trees. But now, with ozone well below where it was in those years, trade groups and some states say future reductions will be far more difficult. “What we’re bumping up to in the West especially is … we get things in from California, we get a lot of tropospheric ozone coming in from Asia, and so if EPA puts that ozone level down towards 60 ppb, we could wipe out all human activity and we still would have pretty high ozone,” said Kathleen Sgamma, vice president of government and public affairs with the Western Energy Alliance, an oil-and-gas industry group. McCabe said the EPA doesn’t ask high-ozone communities to stop growing and will work with areas that have unique challenges. The National Association of Clean Air Agencies, which represents the officials in 41 states and 116 localities who handle ozone efforts, endorsed a tighter standard this year. But the last time the EPA considered taking this action, it was staved off by intense lobbying. There’s plenty of that going around again. Fourteen of the companies and groups that consistently lobbied Congress, the EPA or both on ozone in the past two years have publicly stated their positions on a tighter standard. Only two — the lung association and the League of Conservation Voters — are for it. The rest — business interests, largely trade groups representing manufacturers and energy firms — are against it, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of federal disclosure data. “We absolutely at this point are urging the EPA and anybody else who will listen to us to keep the current standard,” said Ross Eisenberg, vice president of energy and resources policy at the National Association of Manufacturers, which hears about regulatory delays and high expenses from members in ozone “nonattainment” areas. “At a time when … we’re having a manufacturing comeback largely because of energy, this just seems like the wrong way to go.” A stricter standard could affect almost every state. The EPA says 358 counties had ozone levels in recent years that would violate a 70-ppb rule, about two-thirds of which are out of attainment with the current standard. At 65 ppb, the number rises to 558 counties. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA can freeze federal highway funds and impose other sanctions on areas that exceed health standards. But regions need only to submit plans and take steps toward achieving goals. McCabe said she expects many communities will be able to push their ozone below the threshold just by reaping the benefits of already enacted federal rules. A major one is a 2017 change in fuel standards. “As my lungs got worse, the high ozone would affect them more and more. It would be like going outside on a subzero day — my lungs would just freeze up.” – Daniel M. Dolan-Laughlin, a retired railroad executive Daniel M. Dolan-Laughlin, a Chicago-area resident who has testified in favor of clean-air regulations, said high ozone made it increasingly hard for him to breathe as his lung disease worsened. He received a double lung transplant in 2011. Even now, he wears a mask if he must go out when ozone levels climb. Courtesy of the American Lung Association Ozone isn’t something most people worry about. It’s confusing, for one. Up in the stratosphere, ozone is good, creating a layer that protects against ultraviolet radiation. It’s the stuff down at breathing level that’s bad, irritating the lungs and — research suggests — inflaming the blood vessels. On top of that, it’s invisible. Only when it mixes with particle pollution does it pop into view as smog and offer a visual cue that something’s wrong with the air. But Daniel M. Dolan-Laughlin pays close attention to ozone levels near him. He’s had to ever since chronic obstructive pulmonary disease began making everyday activities difficult in the 1990s. “As my lungs got worse, the high ozone would affect them more and more,” said Dolan-Laughlin, a retired railroad executive who lives in a suburb of Chicago. His disease made it increasingly hard to breathe, forcing him into early retirement in 1994 and later onto oxygen from a tank. Even with the oxygen, he couldn’t go outside when ozone levels rose. “It would be like going outside on a subzero day,” he said. “My lungs would just freeze up.” Dolan-Laughlin received a life-saving double lung transplant in 2011. Now he can walk up stairs without pausing every few steps to gasp. He’s climbed several mountains, in fact. But he won’t go out on bad ozone days without a mask. Dolan-Laughlin, who has testified at EPA hearings in favor of a variety of clean-air rules, hopes the agency will tighten its ozone standard. “I’m a strident capitalist,” he said, “but I’m also an environmentalist just out of common sense.” Dianne LaFaver, a teacher who lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, an ozone-challenged region, also wants a tighter standard. LaFaver’s daughter, 22-year-old Laura Day, has asthma. Before Day left the area for college, her mother twice had to rush her to the emergency room on high-ozone days. “She hadn’t been exercising, which was the normal trigger,” LaFaver said. “She hadn’t been stressing herself. We were just in the car. … At the emergency room, they were saying they were having lots of visits.” Dr. Alfred Munzer, a lung-disease specialist who retired last year from Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland, saw 40 years’ worth of patients affected by ozone. There were the asthma attacks triggered by it — ozone causes spasms in the respiratory tract — and the infections that cropped up a day or two later because the pollutant interferes with the lungs’ ability to cleanse themselves, he said. “There really is, as far as I know, no really safe level of ozone,” said Munzer, a former president of the American Lung Association. The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that children are more susceptible to ozone’s effects because their bodies are still developing. The EPA’s proposal, the group said in November, is “long overdue.” Pumps suck in air through this funnel atop an air-monitoring station in Roosevelt, Utah, to test for ozone levels. Jamie Smith Hopkins/Center for Public Integrity The politics of ozone That’s also the message coming from the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee Ozone Review Panel, whose 20 scientists and doctors are largely drawn from universities. Last year panel members unanimously recommended tightening the ozone standard. While they said a range of 60 to 70 ppb would be better than the current threshold, they warned that the upper end might not “protect public health with an adequate margin of safety.” The panel unanimously recommended the same range in 2006, under President George W. Bush. And in 2008 and 2011, for good measure. The panel considered the science. Out in the wider world, politics took over. Though the EPA can consider only public health when it sets the standard, not factors such as cost, the agency disregarded its advisory committee’s recommendation in 2008 and lowered the threshold from 80 ppb only down to 75. The EPA reconsidered the matter after Barack Obama was elected president. But following industry lobbying, he blocked the agency from setting a lower level in 2011. Obama said he didn’t support a change at that time, given that the standard was due for reconsideration in 2013. And he emphasized “the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty, particularly as our economy continues to recover.” Then and now, business groups and key Republicans in Congress have contended that a lower standard would be too costly and difficult. “EPA’s proposal … will lower our nation’s economic competitiveness and stifle job creation for decades,” U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe said in a statement in November. Now chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he plans to hold hearings about the standard. Air-quality officials in some states see a tighter standard differently — as a welcome relief. Maryland is one example. Despite its ozone controls, the state had some of the highest concentrations in the East from 2011 to 2013, according to the most recent data from the EPA. That’s because on almost all bad ozone days, the air already violates current standards as it crosses into Maryland, said Tad Aburn, director of the state’s Air and Radiation Management Administration. He wants to see upwind states reduce their smog, so he favors a stricter standard. “It’s really a regional problem,” he said. An unexpected location Air-quality field tech Mike Natchees traveled a wide-open stretch of road one drizzly January morning, past sagebrush, pump jacks and a gas flare burning like an oversized birthday candle. His goal: a shed-like structure atop an unpaved hill. Inside, devices measure how much ozone is in the air. A tanker winds around a road on land overseen by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Oil and petroleum-waste trucks are a common sight in the Uinta Basin, but the agency says it’s taking many steps to reduce traffic and other oil-related emissions. Jamie Smith Hopkins/Center for Public Integrity That air is in Ouray, Utah, part of the Ute tribe’s 4.5-million-acre reservation. Cattle and wild horses probably outnumber the cars going by. “Occasionally we see antelope out here,” said Preston McDonald, the tribe’s head of air-quality data analysis. The reservation, along with wide swaths of federal land and small towns, makes up the Uinta Basin in northeast Utah. The mountain-encircled region sits far from urban areas. Population in the largest city, Vernal, barely tops 10,000. Yet the region has an ozone problem. Not in the summer, but in the dead of winter. Ozone has to be cooked into life by sunlight, which is usually too weak in the winter to produce much photochemistry. But reflection off snow gives the basin’s sunlight an extra kick. Snow cover also causes temperature inversions that keep polluted air from rising out of the basin. In such conditions, volatile organic compounds from thousands of oil and gas sites across this region drive ozone way up. In 2013, an inversion-heavy year, the eight-hour average ozone level in Uintah County — spelled with an “h,” unlike the basin — exceeded the standard on 54 days. Concentrations spiked as high as 142 ppb, according to EPA figures. That’s “code purple,” the worst category for air pollution warnings. Los Angeles County in California, by contrast, had 59 days that exceeded the standard that year, none of which were code purple. The problem came to light in 2009 after a settlement between the EPA and an energy company operating on Ute land brought air monitors to the area, including the one in Ouray. The state kicked in money to study the problem. So did the Western Energy Alliance, federal agencies and other groups. The studies determined that the oil and gas industry’s volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are the big contributor. Annual emissions in the basin are on par with the VOCs spewed from 100 million vehicles driven thousands of miles each, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study. “What might need to be done … and whether it would put the stranglehold on our oil and gas industry and shut it down, or whether just a little bit can make a big difference, are questions that are open still,” said Seth Lyman, a basin ozone researcher who heads Utah State University’s Bingham Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center. Seth Lyman, executive director of Utah State University’s Bingham Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center, is a key ozone researcher in the Uinta Basin. He’s based in Vernal. Jamie Smith Hopkins/ Center for Public Integrity The state of Utah requires stricter emission controls at new oil and gas sites than it did several years ago and passed regulations last fall to phase in retrofits of older, leaky equipment. “VOC emissions should be reduced pretty dramatically … as things tighten up,” said Brock LeBaron, the state’s deputy director of air quality. The environmental group WildEarth Guardians argues that those efforts aren’t sufficient, given the problem’s scale, and contends that all levels of government are falling down on the job in the basin. Many wells are on federal land. The EPA has also declined to designate the area in violation of current ozone rules. (Its decision hinges on the fact that much of the past ozone data comes from monitors run by companies, not the government.) WildEarth Guardians sued over the matter in 2012 and awaits a ruling. Several weeks ago, WildEarth’s Jeremy Nichols drove from Vernal to a wildlife refuge in Randlett, pointing out pump jacks and the tanker trucks that continually travel to and from the basin. “It’s dangerous, the scale and pace of development,” said Nichols, the group’s climate and energy program director. “You’re seeing that with the air-quality issues. I mean, Vernal has a big-city ozone problem?” It’s a place that in some ways looks as small-town as it is. A bubblegum-pink fiberglass brontosaurus grins at motorists above Vernal’s welcome sign, one of many local nods to the fossil-studded Dinosaur National Monument nearby. But it’s also a town with 19 hotels and motels. Its glassy library and other high-end public buildings are different sorts of monuments than the pink dinosaur, ones that speak to years of oil-related taxes and royalties. The owner of a juice and smoothie bar put up a miniature oil rig outside his business with a sign that seems to sum up the local sentiment: “I (heart) Drilling!” A miniature rig beside the main drag in Vernal, in Utah’s Uinta Basin, stands as one business owner’s thumbs-up to drilling. Jamie Smith Hopkins/Center for Public Integrity Oil and gas is the biggest employer in this county, according to state data. The industry directly accounts for about a fifth of the jobs here, and Uintah County Commission Chairman Michael McKee says it rises to half if you add in the ripple effect. “You take any community, state or region with those dynamics, it’s important that we protect our jobs,” he said. “It’s also important that we have clean air and clean water and a good environment.” Still, McKee sees a tighter ozone standard from the perspective of a job threat, one that looms as the region heads into an oil bust. Plunging prices prompted layoffs here and the fear of more. McKee said officials are working on the ozone problem, but he doesn’t see how the basin could meet a tighter standard. While the area doesn’t get inversions every winter — McKee described the air as often “pristine” — compliance is judged based on a three-year average of each year’s fourth-highest daily reading. Inversion years go awfully high. Utah State University studied asthma-related hospital visits and didn’t see an impact from the area’s high-ozone days, McKee added. Lyman, whose center wrote that study, is quick to insert a cautionary note: Unlike Atlanta, central New Jersey and other urban areas where studies have found links, the basin has a tiny population. That makes it difficult, if not impossible, to jump the bar of statistical significance. “We think there certainly is an impact, but exactly how it compares to summertime urban ozone is probably never going to be found out because there’s just not enough people here,” Lyman said. Ozone, at least, is quiescent this winter. Warm temperatures have kept snow from piling up, warding off an inversion. U.S. manmade nitrogen oxides emissions Created with Highcharts 6.2.0 Vehicles Vehicles Industrial uses Industrial uses Other Other Cars and o… 39% Cars and o… 39% Construction, boats, etc.: 21% Construction, boats, etc.: 21% Electric utili… 14% Electric utili… 14% Fuel comb… 10% Fuel comb… 10% Other industrial uses: 10% Other industrial uses: 10% Other: 6% Other: 6% Source: Center for Public Integrity analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates. U.S. manmade volatile organic compound emissions Created with Highcharts 6.2.0 Vehicles Vehicles Industrial uses Industrial uses Other (including agriculture) Other (including agriculture) Cars and other highway vehicles: 15% Cars and other highway vehicles: 15% Construct… 14% Construct… 14% Petroleum- related industries: 17% Petroleum- related industries: 17% Solvent use: 20% Solvent use: 20% Other: 13% Other: 13% Other: 21% Other: 21% Source: Center for Public Integrity analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates. But the VOCs are still here, millions of cars’ worth, ready to react when conditions are right. Stephanie Howard and Megan Crandall, both with the federal Bureau of Land Management in Utah, drove through the Pariette Wetlands area in the basin on a recent afternoon, explaining what the agency is doing to reduce emissions from ubiquitous oil and gas equipment. Steps include eliminating VOC-heavy evaporation ponds and pressing operators to replace leaky valves. At the same time, the bureau is reviewing whether to allow more than 8,500 additional oil and gas wells in the region, double the number now under its jurisdiction. Leonard Herr, an air resources specialist for the Bureau of Land Management in Utah, knows that poses a tough question: Can total emissions be reined even as sources multiply? He’s optimistic about that. And he doesn’t view a tighter ozone standard as a looming disaster for the basin. “Nonattainment and failure to meet the standards after that isn’t the end of the world,” he said. “Just look at L.A. It’s been nonattainment almost my whole adult life, and it’s not a barren wasteland of economic development.” The cost debate When the EPA sets its ozone standard, the Supreme Court ruled in 2001, the Clean Air Act mandates that only one factor be weighed: what the best available science shows people can safely breathe. Some members of Congress want to change that. Among the flurry of ozone bills submitted last year was the industry-supported “Clean Air, Strong Economies Act,” which would have required the agency to consider cost. It also would have barred a new standard from taking effect until 85 percent of counties failing the old standard fixed their air. The companion bills, sponsored by U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., in the Senate and U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, R-Texas, in the House, didn’t get put to a vote last year. The bills were referred to committees that are now both headed by Republicans opposed to tighter ozone standards, which could give the measures new life if reintroduced as planned this year. The National Association of Manufacturers’ Eisenberg characterized the effort as a way to give the EPA more flexibility, though he acknowledged that the group hasn’t spent much time considering how that might affect public health. “We’re certainly hoping to have that discussion,” he said. What’s more evident to manufacturers is the business impact when a community tips into ozone nonattainment. They must more than offset any pollution added if they want to expand or build something new, Eisenberg said. That could mean buying pricey credits on the emissions-offset market or shutting down another pollution source, he said, so more often manufacturers simply go elsewhere. The EPA argues that the value of its proposal outweighs the expense because medical care and missed work days from ozone-triggered health problems add up fast. The agency estimated the benefit of a 65-ppb standard at $19 billion to $38 billion a year beginning in 2025, when it expects most of the country would meet that tighter threshold, compared with an estimated $15 billion in annual costs. Trade groups say the negative impact would be far higher. A study for the National Association of Manufacturers suggests a 65-ppb standard would cost the U.S. economy $140 billion a year. The effects would include fewer jobs, higher electricity costs and restricted fossil-fuel production, the study says. The Congressional Research Service weighed in last fall to declare the impact too far off to estimate. Ozone rules usually have deadlines that are years, even decades, into the future, and they often spur new, less expensive pollution technology. “Aside from some statutorily mandated compliance measures, states — not EPA — decide what sources will be regulated and how stringent the controls will be,” the nonpartisan think tank added in its issue brief. “Often, industry can choose how to comply.” Given that, the actual cost of past ozone reduction would be useful to know. But those numbers don’t seem to exist, despite all the effort spent trying to estimate them in advance the past 40 years. The EPA, working with economists, did put a price tag on the expense of reducing all the pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act. Their $22-billion-a-year tally for 1973 to 1990 was less than half the annual amount the American Petroleum Institute projected in 1979 for the cost of reducing ozone alone. Ozone timeline 1971 First ozone standard First ozone standard enacted in the U.S., a year after Congress passes the Clean Air Act and President Richard Nixon launches the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1975 Auto makers take action Major auto manufacturers release cars with catalytic converters, a device that will substantially reduce pollution leading to ozone. 1970s New standards face pressure Pressure mounts on the EPA over its 80 parts-per-billion ozone standard, with both the Carter administration’s inflation-fighters and industry groups calling for it to be loosened. 1979 EPA yields, loosens standard The EPA raises its ozone threshold to 120 ppb. 1997 Back to 80 ppb The EPA tightens the ozone threshold back to 80 ppb over industry warnings that bans of barbecues and lawnmowers could follow. 2001 Supreme Court steps in The U.S. Supreme Court rules that, counter to industry groups’ wishes, the EPA must consider only what is safe to breathe when it sets its ozone standard, not cost. 2006 EPA considers tougher standards With research showing harms from lower amounts of ozone, the EPA’s independent scientific advisory panel on ozone unanimously recommends the standard be tightened to a level between 60 and 70 ppb. 2008 New standard prompts criticism EPA sets the ozone standard at 75 ppb, drawing a rebuke from its advisory panel that the level “fails to satisfy the explicit stipulations of the Clean Air Act that you ensure an adequate margin of safety for all individuals.” 2010 Obama
emissions and pumped underground, although this technology remains unproven. Leading climate scientists like this approach to dealing with China's rising coal consumption. "There's a whole range of things that can be done; we should try to deploy coal gasification," said Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations-affiliated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The World Bank in 2003 offered a $15 million grant from the Global Environment Facility to help China build its first state-of-the-art power plant to convert coal into a gas before burning it. The plan called for pumping combustion byproducts from the plant underground. But the Chinese government put the plan on hold after bids to build the plant were higher than expected. Chinese officials have expressed an interest this spring in building five or six power plants with the new technology instead of just one. But they are in danger of losing the original grant if they do not take some action soon, said Zhao Jian-ping, the senior energy specialist in the Beijing office of the World Bank. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Another stumbling block has been that China wants foreign manufacturers to transfer technological secrets to Chinese rivals, instead of simply filling orders to import equipment, said Anil Terway, director of the East Asia energy division at the Asian Development Bank. "The fact that they are keen to have the technologies along with the equipment is slowing things down," he said. Andy Solem, vice president for China infrastructure at General Electric, a leading manufacturer of coal gasification equipment, said he believed that China would place orders in 2007 or 2008 for the construction of a series of these plants. But he said some technology transfer was unavoidable. Western companies could help Chinese businesses take steps to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, like subsidizing the purchase of more efficient boilers. Some companies already have such programs in other countries, to offset the environmental consequences of their own carbon-dioxide emissions at home, and are looking at similar projects in China. But the scale of emissions in China to offset is enormous. For all the worries about pollution from China, international climate experts are loath to criticize the country without pointing out that the average American still consumes more energy and is responsible for the release of 10 times as much carbon dioxide as the average Chinese. While China now generates more electricity from coal than does the United States, America's consumption of gasoline dwarfs China's, and burning gasoline also releases carbon dioxide. An Insatiable Demand? The Chinese are still far from achieving what has become the basic standard in the West. Urban elites who can afford condominiums are still a tiny fraction of China's population. But these urban elites are role models with a lifestyle sought by hundreds of millions of Chinese. Plush condos on sale in Shanghai are just a step toward an Americanized lifestyle that is becoming possible in the nation's showcase city. Far from the Wu family in rural Shaanxi, the Lu Bei family grew up in cramped, one-room apartments in Shanghai. Now the couple own a large three-bedroom apartment in the city's futuristic Pudong financial district. They have two television sets, four air-conditioners, a microwave, a dishwasher, a washing machine and three computers. They also have high-speed Internet access. "This is my bedroom," said Lu Bei, a 35-year-old insurance agency worker entering a spacious room with a king-size bed. "We moved here two years ago. We had a baby and wanted a decent place to live." Advertisement Continue reading the main story For millions of Chinese to live like the Lus with less damage to the environment, energy conservation is crucial. But curbing that usage would be impossible as long as China keeps energy prices low. Gasoline still costs $2 a gallon, for example, and electricity is similarly cheap for many users. With Chinese leaders under constant pressure to create jobs for the millions of workers flooding from farms into cities each year, as well as the rapidly growing ranks of college graduates, there has been little enthusiasm for a change of strategy. Indeed, China is using subsidies to make its energy even cheaper, a strategy that is not unfamiliar to Americans, said Kenneth Lieberthal, a China specialist at the University of Michigan. "They have done in many ways," he said, "what we have done."Pink Paint Rain (Short Story) 6StringMercenary Blocked Unblock Follow Following Mar 24, 2017 Written in a Guy Ritchie style frame + a “Heat” tribute. 2013 (pre-7/16 DPD) The First Night As the late August afternoon sun hits Keith’s downtown window at an angle, the heat isn’t direct but still manages to radiate on the inside. Holding the iPhone and feeling the sweat layer building between his ear and the glass, he tries to concentrate on what his Mom is saying. She’s very happy for his chance to live and work in a place like downtown Dallas, but still expresses safety concern about being out late on the streets. “You’re not going to get a bicycle are you?” “No Mom, either I’ll drive from the parking garage to like Trader Joe’s up the street or one of the choices in Uptown.” “That’s where a lot of the great brunch places are right?” “Right, fancy, lots of gay community and big money fashion influence which is why I’m not living there. Just not my scene Mom, same for a lot of the night events here — I’ve got money for taxi cabs. That also means no drinking and driving.” “You better watch that drinking — and quit smoking will you?” “Ok Mom, there’s a lot to unpack and I think Peanut is hiding somewhere, this place isn’t huge but still.” Keith turns from the window to survey the boxes stacked on top of his limited furniture, and thinks he sees a dark tortoiseshell tail poking out somewhere. “Aww, poor kitty, well Dad and I love you and if you need us to drive in just give notice because it does take a while from out here. A copy of a key to the place would be nice too.” “Sure thing, I did put you two on the approved entry list with the office as well. Love you lots and talk to you later!” Waving the phone momentarily to get the big red End Call button up, he made sure the connection was done before wiping the beads of sweat and streaks against his right thigh, letting the clean khakis take care of business. Keith catches his reflection in the window, and through it, the skyline view from his place towards the South and East, and feels a quick sense of pride. With the new Omni Hotel’s light show visible — recently turned pink for the Mary Kay Cosmetics 50th Anniversary celebration in town — but also the traditional sights like the lit sphere of Reunion Tower, it took time to earn this view. For a generally modest, career minded late twenty-something originally from a redneck town out way past Fort Worth, he felt a quick rush of satisfaction for getting to this point, doing it the honest way, and looking the part by being in good health and nice clothes. There were loans to pay off, but if this kind of success could keep up, things might be worth the stress. For now, unpacking would feel excellent, he thinks, heading over to put his phone in a speaker dock and play the most recent Radiohead album. The First Weekend Coming in just after 9:50 PM, Keith feels beat and drags himself inward, not even breaking stride as he drops his keychain onto the entryway table with a bit of a crashing jangle. Once he gets to the couch and sets down his bag, off come the shoes, the shirt, and that’s when Peanut arrives from wherever to start rubbing on his leg and ask for food; Keith actually looks forward to talking at his cat with the frustrations built up from work. Peanut is a good listener when hungry. “London pulled a scam on our team, it was really gutsy and dumb at the same time — we’re not in the business of doing their analysis, we’re not qualified for that anyway! They know we take care of formatting and presentation and help structure language and make graphics, but their work? No way…” While it’s late, Keith knows that the job pays well enough to get him a nice place within walking distance now, afford the nice TX Whisky from Fort Worth he measures and pours into a glass, slowly adding ice on top to cool and keep from splashing any out. “It’d be different if we had support from up top, you know? Somebody who would come down on these people, I mean it’s simple,” Keith says, still in the middle of being wound up about the day. “Just take one or two of them and send an email with a public shaming or lecture that their behavior is an example of what not to do. It’s like these people who give me trouble do so because they know they can get away with it. Doesn’t matter a thing to them that they’re pushing a ton of stress toward me, does it?” Whisky in hand, he digs out his phone and puts it on the speaker dock. Having come home late almost every day, he’s been able to have The Daily Show on live as he showers and settles down. John Oliver is the host in residence while Jon Stewart is out making a film, and even after a couple weeks, Keith is trying to figure out if he likes the result or is just indifferent. Peanut tries to walk in front of him to prevent a clear path to the couch. “Oh, food for you, that’s right.” Over at the tall pantry cabinet, he reaches up into the higher shelves to get a can of soft food for Peanut, who is a picky eater. Twice a day, one brand, about 6 different flavor selections, that’s it. Leaning over to open the can and put it in the bowl, he hears a noise from the street, a high pitch type of engine gunning it in neutral, revving up and dropping fast, splashing the buildings with sound that reverberates through windows and even the TV background noise. Finished serving feline dinner, Keith turns off the living room light and walks over to the window to get a look at the source. A motorcycle, the sport bike type, lime green, high intensity xenon blue headlamp, probably a Kawasaki customized even more than what Keith could see, but he knew at once it is the source. When the light changes, the big green machine rolls ahead, with the rider getting just enough momentum to pull the clutch into neutral for more revving between lights. Keith shakes his head, it was just like the guys with their Harleys when they’d go play pool, or when in a summer parade like July 4th, but at least that was during the daytime and it was easy to tolerate occasionally. The Kawasaki made Keith wonder if there would be more cars and show-offs, like Porsches or jacked up Ford F-250s with big growls, but he felt like he already knew the answer. Most places downtown use the Valet system, but there’s still enough street parking to watch the place fill up around some of the better music places or the one Jersey Shore style dance club. Moving downtown meant learning in advance where the monthly shooting was likely to occur and just not be there; but dealing with the noise from the one Kawasaki managed to hit Keith when he was looking for a focus for his frustration and anger from work — he found it. Next Month on a Saturday “So how many different motorcycles did you have?” Keith asks Ollie. “Over time there were four, three sport bikes and my last one was a cruiser style with a high-performance engine, so it was a lot of fun. Now I’ve got a three year old VW GTi.” Keith nods along as the bartender at Torchy’s Tacos hands Ollie his draft Deep Ellum Brewery beer, the mid-day light cutting through the dark amber. Both with full glasses, they clink a “Cheers” and sit back to enjoy the first couple tastes of the crisp and big flavors. “Yeah, this is why I like having a car again though,” Ollie said, “because riding a motorcycle and having alcohol really don’t mix. Between the perspective that cars don’t see you and therefore are oblivious to killing you, dulling senses, reaction times, adding arrogance or reducing balance are all negatives to avoid. Just a couple beers like these would mean I’d wait a while and drink water to get my skills back.” “So that’s life with a motorcycle, but not really a hobby right? Is that different?” “Right, the people who ride for fun are usually a lot more bold when they get in a group. I liked to go on weekend morning rides out about 30 minutes from here, where there were great roads and no traffic; a convoy of like 10 bikes riding kind of hard but on good behavior is what it’s about. Those stunt-type groups are crazy — they try to stop traffic on freeways, on that new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge — so they can drag race and do wheelies and burnouts. Basically they’re jackass teenagers.” “Not your scene?” “Not at all, plus they give others a bad name. I think that’s why I enjoyed the cruiser style a lot more toward the end — people didn’t think I was trying to race through traffic, so it felt a little different.” “You’re not joking, I’ve been in my new place about a month now, and I guess it’s a summer thing, but the sport bike groups come through Friday and Saturday nights for like a few fly-by passes, but they’re not flying by, they’re slowly rolling through revving their engines as much as they can.” “How many are there?” “At the peak I think about 30, they kind of move about in this mass so I couldn’t keep track. Once it gets more than 20 the sound volume just goes way up.” Ollie’s brow crinkles as he tries to imagine the noise and then what it could be like in downtown. “Have you used a decibel meter? You can get an app on your iPhone that does a decent job. Enough to convince the cops it’s a problem.” “I’ve watched the cops actively avoid the motorcycle mass — it’s like they know they’re outnumbered so they stick to a patrol routine where the groups can roll through pretty much untouched,” Keith shrugs before taking a sip of beer. “Oh, wow, yeah that’s tough.” “Yeah, it’s been one of those things that I want to do something about, but don’t see any practical solution like with authorities. I bet people have reported it for years. I don’t think they’re interested in changing their route.” “Well,” Ollie says with a suspicious grin, “what if we gave them a sign that they’re not welcome to come through anymore, and strongly motivate them to change their route?” Keith’s quiet desperation in his chuckle showed just a bit of optimism within skepticism. “Right, we just convince 30 motorcycle tough-guys in helmets and some riding gear that we’re going to muscle them out of downtown. I’m impressed at your ambition.” “What if I told you I had an idea that turns the tables on them — that all of a sudden, having 30 people on motorcycles in helmets and riding gear becomes a liability?” “Like a trap?” “Mmmhmm,” Ollie says over a long sip, “still have your paintball gear back out with your parents?” The Next Day A low growling V8 sound comes from around the corner as the well-cared for mid-1980s silver GMC pickup slowly turns left. Ollie in the passenger seat sees Keith on the sidewalk, standing by an empty parking spot with a meter. Ollie points this out to the guy driving, Rex, another friend from the old town. Keith feeds some quarters into the meter, enough to hit the 2 hour maximum, and Ollie and Rex get out of the truck. While Ollie looks comfortable in shorts and a Bermuda shirt, Rex’s bigger frame, almost pro linebacker size, never seems able to tolerate the heat, even as a Native Texan. Behind sunglasses he still squints all the time. “You’re both wearing walking shoes. Great.” “I wonder how long they’ll keep doing their rides after the fall turns into winter,” Keith continues, knowing Rex was representing the Harley Davidson gangster contingent who hates sport bike riders for a lot of reasons. If asked, by about the third reason his temper gets going and it’s best to change the subject or leave. Rex also has a history with Ollie and Keith when it comes to paintball, a type of activity lots of different guys out in the rural areas could enjoy, a mix of hunting and teamwork and playing war, it made a lot of friendships outside of high school that have stuck around well into adulthood. Walking to the main two-way street, Keith points toward the East, “This is their main drag, my window being about two blocks down there. As you can see, the building heights around here slap that noise everywhere up and down the corridor.” “Lots of restaurants around here,” Rex says, “are they open late?” “Some, but almost none have a patio presence — people have to come outside to smoke, but even then, they are crammed into little roped off areas.” “Why did you pick this intersection?” Ollie asks, noticing the side street they parked on is a one-way, crossing the two-way. “This is where they like to turn left, use this side street, then take the one-way back toward Deep Ellum and loop around again if they feel like it. They’re used to stopping here I think, and there are two buildings here that will really help the strategy.” Keith gestures with his head upward, toward each side of the street. Rex and Ollie look and notice what the benefit of the intersection really could be — two parking garages, each on top of shops below, giving the five to ten levels of parking a very high angle to look down on the street…not easily accessible. “It’s prime firing position downward.” “Oh, nice,” Ollie says, “three on each side maybe? These guys wear helmets right? I don’t want to have the paint going too fast and actually break skin or possibly even knock somebody out. If somebody falls and hits their head and dies that’s going to really pull in the heat — manslaughter at least.” “I think we can test the velocity before doing this,” Rex says, “it’s Keith’s idea so we can shoot at him to make sure it won’t be lethal, right Keith?” “Fair enough,” he says, rubbing the top of his head thinking how much that will hurt in the name of safety consciousness for potential victims. “If we’re going to be raining a paint assault from three to six guys, I mean I think they’ll get the point they’re not welcome, we don’t want fatalities.” “Yeah once they get out of here I don’t think they’ll be coming back soon,” muses Ollie, now studying the left turn and if the motorcycle crew would prefer to go straight down the road for escape. “As long as the momentum of the paintballs ain’t so harsh as to knock anybody over, and even hitting bare skin wouldn’t leave more than a light bruise like being pinched by a toddler, I think we’ll be fine.” “There is a chance one or more from the back will try to come up the garage at us Keith, I’m ok with everything so far but what’s the escape?,” Rex questioned. “I’m not interested in doing the Hollywood Bank Robber thing and trying to shoot my way out with a paintball gun when one of those motorcycle guys, probably several, have actual guns. You are keeping this in mind right?” “Yeah Rex, I’m still worried that one of them in the front might have the idea to shoot back with live ammo, but there’s one thing the cops around here do take seriously, and that’s pistols and alcohol. They will genuinely swarm, knowing this area is home to consistent gunplay and it makes them look bad. This is one thing that calling in an anonymous tip, just this one time, can help address.” “You mean like having the cops frisk them in the street?” “Pretty much, that’ll piss them off enough to keep with their cruise in protest and realistically the cops will only check out the first section if the call sounds serious enough, so yeah, I’ve got a burner phone in mind for that.” “Nice, but about escaping?” Ollie wondered, “I mean are we going to do this in swim trunks and t-shirts or deck out in some tactical soldier dress-up to get psyched?” “I’m thinking more of a covert mentality, Professional with a built in outfit change, but overall, head-mask to hide face, button down shirt, dress slacks, black running shoes and Nike gym bag. The car will have been parked early in the morning by a friend, so all you do after the rain making is dump the gear in the trunk, get rid of the slacks over the shoes to reveal the surf shorts underneath, put on an Affliction t-shirt and stupid ball cap, then try and take a back exit. Maybe even go up a couple floors and cross over to a different building, then exit that way.” “That’s gutsy, if it takes too long one of the motorcycles could be up in time to catch us,” mentions Ollie, looking like he’s nodding his head and counting how many seconds it would take for one of the bikers to figure out the entrance and race on up, “if just one of them already knows the garage, then they’d be on us like nothing.” “Would you rather be in a car leaving the scene? That’d be really obvious Ollie, I think three guys in a car going into a swarm of angry bees would be attention getting.” “Ok Keith, I still say this escape part needs a bit more planning, I’d almost rather hide in the back of a panel van or the trunk of a Lexus or something.” “You think you can fit in the trunk of any brand of car with Rex?” Keith asks suspiciously. “Like I said, Keith, more planning needed.” One Week Later, a Saturday Night at 11:30 PM The flashing blue and red lights up the street are a great sign; Keith confirms via text message to the other team that through the binoculars he can see the cops checking over the first group of sport bikers. By asking them to remove their helmets and show no guns present, the cops are generally frustrating a group that was having fun just minutes before. When the lights stop, the engines come back to life; again they gently roll in a pack of about 25, clogging traffic and revving with a vengeance. They are smooth and predictable. Looking the part all decked out in running gear, almost to the point of being a caricature of a jogger — headband, white ear buds, bright yellow shoes, sunglasses at night — a friend of the team hits the crosswalk request button to flip the light to red at the target intersection, and it works as planned. The leader of the pack rolls to a stop and the jogger merrily prances up to the guy, hands him a piece of paper, and then sprints away, taking a shortcut between buildings that not even a motorcycle could fit through — he was gone. The message the lead biker read was simple: “DON’T COME HERE ANYMORE.” With his helmet tilted down, the first shot hit him on the back somewhere in the shoulder blades. Bright pink paint. Stunned, looking upward with a tilt of the head was a bad idea, as the next shot hit just enough of the facemask to splatter pink paint all over his visor. The direct hit started a percussive symphony of gas powered semi and fully automatic paintball guns, full blast and drowned out by the revving motors. People on the street had no idea why the motorcycle riders started twisting and jolting around — the revving got quieter, but then the sounds of motorcycles falling over could be heard. The rapidness of the firing and the staggered triggering kept a steady stream relentlessly spraying the motorcycle group. More cycles started falling over as the riders couldn’t plant their feet with any traction on the road. The precision of the semi automatic shots contrasted with the duo of high speed fully automatic gunners, the continuous splattering of paintballs on the blacktop like torrential rain drop explosions of pink mist, making escape in any direction seem impossible. Within thirty seconds, the assault stopped. The street was almost quiet. Helmets were coming off and the shouting began, but the firing squads were retreating quickly and trying not to stumble from the throbbing bolts of adrenaline over heavy breathing with each step, knowing the police sirens would be coming soon. Running through Keith’s mind was the message they all memorized and were thinking in union: Get to the checkpoint and by then all exits will be clear. An Hour Later The front desk security at Keith’s building are the ones who allow guests in, and they always prefer to have a heads up when expecting any number of people beyond two. Giving a plausible reason helps, and it’s best to be at home when company starts arriving — having them wait in the lobby is possible, but not preferable. Coming home sometime after 1 AM, Keith and Ollie were carrying Joseph A. Banks shopping bags and looked tired. “Hey Trent, yeah I left you a voicemail this morning about a few of my cousins dropping in later tonight; did you have a chance to hear that?” Trent looks up from the computer monitor, probably watching the pool patio security camera, but he was alert enough to grunt and give a thumbs up. He may have been drinking again. “Yeah you can spot them easy because they like Affliction t-shirts, catch you later.” The Next Morning “Do we know how many? I mean look at this, had to be at least four right?” wonders Detective Todd Nelson, holding the manila folder and examining the pictures taken by the crime scene unit shortly after the assault. Nobody was injured other than a couple bruises and sprained joints from slipping and falling. With the cops up the street and having checked over the motorcycle group based on an anonymous tip about guns and booze, the team last night did a good job taping off the shooting gallery aftermath long enough to get plenty of evidence and then re-open the street for the rest of the night. Nobody bothered to clean up the paint, so cars had cut tracks through the pink sludge, adding streaks of black rubber by the morning when Detective Nelson showed up. Thumbing back to the write-up, witness accounts allege at least five, but not more than ten. The shooters got help from a runner who delivered the message to the lead guy, the one who got hit five times before they moved on to mowing down the rest, and these were accurate experts. Only one side of the road got painted, and it’s painfully obvious the teams were prepared and in the parking garages. The write-up mentions no trace of them from the suspected firing positions, and that area patrols didn’t identify any suspicious persons or stashed bags or really any trace of the crew. Poof, gone. Studying in his imagination and lost in thought, the occasional downtown resident would walk by with a dog or a Starbucks, take a look at the paint on the street and not even bother asking Detective Nelson why he was there. Looking again at the write-up, he began to wonder the same himself. Whatever went down, it’s not like these guys were sloppy. They even played the Saturday night shift into being their frisking team, and there are hundreds of stores online to buy pink paintballs, so what are the odds on this? At the end of the file, he sees one final sentence with a heavy underline: “Leader of motorcycle group feels traumatized by the experience and said they will probably not return to this area for a very long time.”An unidentified man is seen hitting a fence in a 2003 episode of the show 'COPS.' [YouTube] The New York Police Department used 12-year-old footage from the reality show COPS to illustrate what it called the effects of synthetic marijuana Gothamist reported on Wednesday. The video was shown during a press conference on Tuesday concerning what Police Chief William Bratton described as a rash of encounters with people using what he repeatedly called “weaponized marijuana,” including a brand known as K2. While officials mentioned that the footage was taken out of New York state, it was reportedly not made clear that it originated from a 2003 episode of the show set in Des Moines, Iowa. It showed an unidentified man being taken into custody while naked and allegedly under the influence of PCP, after punching through a wooden fence. Lori Lavorato, one of the officers seen arresting him, told Gothamist that he was not arrested for PCP possession, and that he had no drugs with him at the time. A spokesperson for the department said the footage was shown during the press conference “to depict the type of behavior sometimes associated with ‘excited delirium syndrome,’ a condition caused by use of PCP, K2 and methamphetamine, among other drugs. But when asked about documented connections between synthetic marijuana and the condition, the unidentified spokesperson said he was “not a doctor.” Officials also showed video allegedly filmed in Brooklyn showing another nude man slapping the pavement and yelling as police approached. The unidentified spokesperson told Gothamist that officials “never, ever said that it was K2 that the people [in the videos] were on.” However, the videos were reportedly emailed to local news outlets with K2 being used as both the file name and subject line. Watch the footage, as posted online, below.The company took $3bn in global retail sales for Star Wars merchandise in the first quarter this year, boosted by the release of Star Wars: the Force Awakens in December. CEO Bob Iger stopped short of predicting whether Star Wars would do as well as Frozen merchandise sales over time, but said product sales had done well even in markets where the film had been less popular. He pointed out that with new film Rogue One arriving this year, and the seventh and eighth Star Wars episodes due in 2017 and 2019, sales would likely remain strong. Speaking during an earnings call, he said: "[While] I don't want to predict that it's going to be a steady state, [we think] that we're not seeing something aberrational right now; what we're seeing is the establishment of an old franchise, but at a much higher level in terms of global interest and sales." Popular merchandise on sale around Star Wars: the Force Awakens includes Hasbro’s Millennium Falcon model and lightsabers, Lego’s Command Shuttle and figurines, and Sphero’s BB8 robot. The film was released on 18 December 2015, and became one of the biggest-ever box-office hits globally, grossing $900m in the US and more than $2bn globally. The release of Star Wars: the Force Awakens helped Disney to record earnings for the quarter of $2.9bn, up from $2.2bn over the same period last year. Revenue for the quarter came in at $15bn, up from $13bn in 2014.Ever since the ceasefire, UK doctors have been travelling to Palestine to treat people who have been hurt in bomb attacks. The things they see every day shock them, but the work they do is too important for them to stop It doesn’t sound like a dangerous journey: ten-year-old Weam Al Astal was walking back home from her grandfather’s house by her father Mohammed’s side. The distance was just 40m and dozens of her cousins were playing on the Gazan street outside their home. But as the pair approached, they heard the children shout in terror. A drone fired a missile overhead. The resulting explosion threw the pair to the floor, and Mohammed heard his daughter screaming. “I lost my leg! I lost my leg! Father, come and help me!” Six months on from the conflict in which more than 2,000 Palestinians and 73 Israelis lost their lives, tales such as Weam’s are far from uncommon. But for the British doctors who helped treat her, such cases are still a shock. Every month since the ceasefire was declared in August, a small group of up to six orthopaedic and plastic surgeons from the UK has been travelling to the devastated city for a week at a time to help save the limbs of those caught up in the attacks. So far they have seen more than 180 patients and carried out more than 50 operations as well as helping to train local staff, provide medical equipment and help increase the capacity of the hospitals. Naveen Cavale, a plastic surgeon from King’s College Hospital in London, says he was initially worried about travelling to Palestine just weeks after a ceasefire was declared. “I hadn’t done anything like this before,” he says. “I was scared. Would there be bombs? Were we on the bad side of town? The crossing from Israel to Gaza is intimidating in itself – there are lots of cameras and a mile long tunnel-shaped cage you have to walk through.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Weam Al Astal, pictured two days after she had an operation on her leg in al-Shifa Hospital. Photograph: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos/DFID But once in the city’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, the team was struck by the resilience of the doctors and patients such as Weam, whose left leg was amputated, but whose right leg was eventually saved. “What was so impressive was how brave she was,” says Graeme Groom, 61, an orthopaedic surgeon from King’s. “She came to the clinic and smiled.” Medical help is sorely needed in Gaza. More than 11,000 Palestinians were said to be injured in the conflict, and Cavale says that on 31 July the hospital – which has only 583 beds – had to cope with 200 new patients arriving, all with terrible injuries. “That would be two months’ work in a big hospital like King’s,” the 46-year-old surgeon says. “They literally had to patch people up and get them out to make room for the next lot.” Sometimes the injuries are so severe they are beyond our help. Groom says the number of injured children has horrified the team and their Palestinian colleagues. “If we contemplate the shattered lives – it’s appalling. You see small children whose families have been killed and who are being looked after by more distant relatives, and who are also living with injuries. Sometimes these are so severe they are beyond our help. “The doctors here are professional, but if you talk to them they say every time they see one of these children dead, or dismembered, or blown into bits, they see their own children. I think that’s the most distressing thing.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dr Naveen Cavale, a specialist plastic reconstruction surgeon from King’s College Hospital, London, performing an operation in al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza. Photograph: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos/DFID Many patients with limb injuries, who would normally be kept in hospital, were sent home during the conflict, and told to return when the situation was calmer. Others were transferred to better-resourced hospitals in places such as East Jerusalem or Egypt. Today the hospitals in Gaza are still struggling to cope with a lack of resources, equipment and specialist training in fields such as plastic surgery. On top of this, many doctors – as well as cleaners and other hospital staff – have not been paid for nine months because of a political dispute. But with the help of specialist British doctors from the charity Ideals, which provides medical and social help to victims of conflict, funded to the tune of £700,000 by the department for international development through the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, many Gazans with shattered limbs are finally being treated. I suddenly found myself flying through the air. I found my leg bent to one side and shattered One of the first patients Cavale saw was 24-year-old Abdullah Habeed, who had been on his way to pick up his marriage certificate so he could wed his fiancee, Iman, when he was caught in an air strike. “I suddenly found myself flying through the air. I found my leg bent to one side and shattered. I lost consciousness and when I came round I was in hospital. I was in intensive care for 17 days.” Most of the bones in Abdullah’s left arm were shattered, and he fell on unexploded shell fragments that shattered his pelvis. He was left with a gaping semicircular wound in his left thigh with the blood vessels and bone visible. By the time the British doctors saw him, he had been in hospital for a month but was refusing to allow his leg to be amputated in the hope he could be transferred abroad and his limb saved. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Graeme Groom, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon from King’s College Hospital in London, examines Abdullah’s arm. Photograph: Abbie Trayler-Smith/Panos/DFID The Palestinian doctors were unsure on what to do, but Cavale says it was clear any delay could prove fatal. “He was lucky his vessels hadn’t burst and he hadn’t bled to death. We told him he would die unless he had an amputation, and the longer he waited the more likely this would be.” Under advice from the British specialist trauma team, Palestinian surgeons amputated Abdullah’s leg and today, although he has to use a wheelchair, he is looking forward to his future with his wife. But Cavale says conflict-related injuries have not stopped. With schools, hospitals and Gaza’s infrastructure – including a power plant – hit by Israeli air strikes, problems continue. More than 100,000 people have been left homeless and many more are without electricity, so there has been an increase in burns cases as families turn to open fires for warmth or cooking. Even as recently as last week the British doctors were given a grim lesson in what their Palestinian colleagues have to cope with. Three young cousins had found a small, unexploded shell or bullet, and when they threw it against a wall it exploded leaving them all with terrible stomach and chest injuries that could have been fatal. The oldest, a 14-year-old, lost his hand but was saved, along with his two three-year-old cousins. Cavale says his experience has taught him not just about the “futility of armed conflict”, but a respect for local doctors in Palestine. “They are doing an amazing job.” • This article was amended on 3 March 2015. An earlier version referred to “power plants” being hit by Israeli air strikes. This has been amended to power plant. Israel denies targeting the plant.Shocker: The U.S. Postal Service fucked up. How this could have happened is beyond me, especially given the current political climate, but whatever. Here’s the deal: The USPS unveiled it’s “Maya Angelou Forever” commemorative stamp at a ceremony on Tuesday. It was a star-studded ceremony, with Oprah Winfrey, First Lady Michelle Obama, and…well, a bunch of other people I don’t recognize. Anyway, as you can see, this was the stamp: Here’s the problem: “On April 6, Lonnae O’Neal reported in the Washington Post that the prominent quote on the stamp
and fields, etc. Download in Printable format Algebraic Topology by Allen Hatcher A Topology Primer by Klaus Wirthmüller Infinite-dimensional Lie Algebras by Iain Gordon Notes on the course Algebraic Topology by Hal Sadofsky This list is expandable. If you know any other book on Algebra which is available online for free, then please give a few seconds and put that into the Comment-Box below, with the link. (It supports basic HTML and Markdown writing.)Flickr user royluck In a city where nine in ten drive to work, the answer could reshape the future. HOUSTON—Once every two weeks or so, in the six months after Houston's first light rail line opened in 2004, a car crashed into the dazzling fountain that flanks the tracks downtown. In the first year of operation, the light rail was involved in 67 collisions. Folks took to calling it the Wham-Bam-Tram. Some drivers never learned to coexist with the newcomer at all, opting instead for parallel side streets. With its lush lawns, large floor plans and sprawling footprint, Houston is a famously spacious city. But the roads never seem wide enough. Ten years later, the city is in the midst of a second burst of light rail expansion. Five additional miles of track opened in December; two new lines are set to follow later this year. At the center of Greater Houston, a metro area the size of Massachusetts, two-dozen miles of track may not seem like much. (Even some supporters of the project refer to it as the "toy train.") Yet in America's fourth largest city, light rail remains a political and cultural flashpoint far out of proportion to its modest size. Series The Future of Transportation Go To opponents, it is a prime example of government waste — a vanity project flawed not only in its execution but in its aim of enabling Houstonians to travel without cars. Houston's sprawling size is coupled with a year-round average high temperature of 80 degrees, which critics say make walkable design a pipe dream. Congressman John Culberson, who represents West Houston in Washington and is light rail's chief political adversary, recalls a 19th-century saying that still explains the local love for cars: A Texan will not walk if he can ride a horse. "People's attitudes haven't changed," he says. "You are dead in the water in Houston if you don't have a car." But the people themselves have changed — no American metro has grown faster than Greater Houston over the last quarter-century, making it one of the most diverse areas in the United States — and they might be taking the city with them. Stephen Klineberg, co-director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, divides Houston's history into three periods: the sleepy streetcar town, the city structured by the freedom of the automobile, and the metropolis yearning for freedom from the automobile. "There's a vision: retail downstairs, residents upstairs, shade trees, sidewalk cafes," says Klineberg. "This is, in general, a city self-consciously reinventing itself for the 21st century." At the core of this Houston 3.0 vision runs the light rail, offering a glimpse of a city where not driving can be a choice rather than a burden. In a city where nine in ten people take a car to work, it's a future not everyone thinks is possible. • • • • • In 2003, after two decades of defeats, Houston voters approved the construction of a five-route Metro rail system. The Main Street (or Red) line, which opened in 2004, gives access to a laundry list of Houston attractions: downtown, three sports complexes, theaters, museums, Hermann Park, the zoo, the Texas Medical Center, and several transit centers that process tens of thousands of suburban bus commuters. On the average weekday in 2013, the Main Street line recorded 39,000 boardings, making it by some measures the third-busiest light rail system in the United States (behind Boston and San Francisco). The latest wave of expansion began in December, when a 5.3-mile extension of the Red line pushed into the city's Northside neighborhood. The East End and Southeast routes are under construction now and set to open, at least in part, later this year. By the end of 2014, the map of light rail in Houston will resemble the letter "K." But the future of the other two rail lines is murky. The westernmost line will be constructed as a bus rapid transit line funded by value capture; the system's crucial East-West connector, the Richmond Line, is stalled awaiting funding. Despite this expansion of rail transit, Houston remains, in the popular imagination, the archetypal American city of the automobile era. It's said there are 30 parking spaces per person here, and for a time in the 1980s, Houston's West Loop was the busiest stretch of freeway in the world. The architectural critic Reynar Banham likened Houston's speculative fervor to a "real-life Monopoly game." Hip families in Reagan-era Austin would put a bumper sticker on their car that was a kind of spiritual predecessor to "Keep Austin weird": "Don't Houstonize Austin!" Cities are changing fast. Keep up with the CityLab Daily newsletter. The best way to follow issues you care about. Subscribe Loading... All this is mythic, like the architect's campfire story of Houston as unplanned free-for-all. In fact, Houston's core neighborhoods grew around a 90-mile streetcar system, and the city has a higher WalkScore than Austin. "Houston is amazingly more progressive and more concerned about things like quality of life, walkable neighborhoods, and bike infrastructure than people realize," says Susan Rogers, a professor of architecture at the University of Houston. The light rail project rides that same wave of interest in car-free life. "Rail used to be a negative word around this town," says Tom Lambert, head of Houston's Metro transit agency. "It's not anymore." • • • • • On a recent Thursday morning, the kind of crisp, sunny day that maximizes transit ridership, I went downtown to meet Christof Spieler, a Metro board member and vice president at Morris Architects. Ebullient and nearly omniscient on the subject of downtown development, Spieler lives in a nearby apartment building and takes the train to work. He'd be a perfect advertisement for transit-oriented Houston if he weren't also, in an official capacity, one of its spokesmen. "One of the things that makes me happy is seeing the amount of street activity," says Spieler, as we pass a park a block from the tracks. "If you had come here fifteen years ago, you wouldn't have seen it." In the 1980s, more than a third of downtown Houston was surface parking. But the resurgence began in the '90s, "as if Houston had stretched out so far that its sprawl began doubling back on itself," wrote the architecture writer Joel Barna in Rice's Cite magazine. Three professional sports teams moved downtown between 2000 and 2012, and the area's first grocery store opened in 2010. Pedestrians aren't yet a fixture — many still use the 95-block underground tunnel network (old habits die hard) — but cranes and jackhammers certainly are. As we rode the Red Line north then south, past the Main Street Square fountain, once so visceral a symbol of car-rail conflict, past striking street sculptures and medians planted with tulips and daffodils, Spieler ran through the roster of developers and restaurateurs who have settled along the tracks. We passed the transfer points where the system's second and third lines will branch out toward residential neighborhoods to the east and southeast. The train car filled up as we headed south, through midtown (itself making a comeback) and towards the Texas Medical Center, an employment center by itself the size of downtown Cleveland. "Half of all the people are saying, 'I want an alternative to total dependence on the automobile.' " From the inside of a train car, it can be hard to perceive the extent to which the city's entire transit network lies in the ripple effect of light rail. The train lines will operate in concert with both the local bus network, in the process of a much-awaited redesign, and a park-and-ride bus system reputed as one of Houston's best-kept transit secrets. These commuter buses have a 10 percent share of Houston transit trips (versus 15 percent for light rail), but they're limited by a lack of connections inside the Loop, the city's primary ring road. Light rail will function as "the spines that funnel the bus system together," says Spieler, and greatly increase the appeal of a carless commute in Houston. As light rail makes its first forays into Houston's residential neighborhoods, there are grander hopes as well. The history of Houston is one of westward movement facilitated by roads, rubber tires, and a landscape void of natural obstacles. As many people live in the hundred square miles west of the Loop as inside the Loop itself. But the light rail system, in the most optimistic projections, should slow that centrifugal growth, enabling dense, mixed-use corridors in central Houston. Nearly half of new housing permits in Houston were issued inside the Loop in 2012, though the area is home to only 450,000 of the city's 2.1 million people. Every two years, on the Kinder Institute's Houston Area Survey, Stephen Klineberg asks which type of neighborhood Houstonians would prefer to call home: single-family residential or mixed-use. The percentage of Houstonians opting for the latter has hovered near 50 percent since 2007, and nears two-thirds among Houstonians living inside the Loop. "Half of all the people are saying, 'I want an alternative to total dependence on the automobile,'" Klineberg says. • • • • • Few people are more skeptical of that vision than Paul Magaziner. When I met him at a hot dog chain on Richmond Avenue, a few miles west of downtown, sheaves of documents on Metro were piled high on the table, destined for the office of the district attorney. Hounding Metro is practically a second job for Magaziner. He claims to have been responsible for alerting the Federal Transit Administration to the agency's Buy America violations (part of the deal to buy light rail cars from Spanish manufacturer CAF). He estimates, conservatively, that he has spent 5,000 hours working to expose the organization's shortcomings. Even for a transit agency, Metro inspires an unusual degree of antagonism. In the late '80s, a general manager had to promise that Metro harbored "no grandiose ideas about eliminating the automobile." A series of unforced errors — including the Buy America scandal — has not helped matters. Allyn West, the assistant director of communications for the Rice Design Alliance and a former real estate reporter, described local opinion of Metro as follows: "If they did something right, it was the exception that proves the rule. And if they did something wrong, it was 'Here come the wolves.'" Magaziner introduced me to two other members of his wolfpack, Daphne Scarbrough and Sam Akers. All three have been small business owners along Richmond for years and were united by a common pursuit: preventing the construction of light rail on their street. Richmond Avenue, the route for Metro's major East-West line, is widely perceived as the keystone of Houston's five-line rail plan. It's currently in limbo for lack of funding; Rep. Culberson (whom Magaziner calls "our guardian angel") has inserted language into the appropriations bill barring federal money for rail on Richmond Avenue, over the opposition of fellow Houston GOP congressman Ted Poe, property owners, and local residents. Many people in Houston doubt it will ever be built. "They're hoping they can get people out of cars and force them to walk and bike." The opposition that Magaziner and company harbor for Metro goes far beyond the Richmond rail plan. One complaint is that the transit agency has abandoned bus riders in the pursuit of rail. It's true that bus ridership has fallen by 25 percent since 2006 (Metro blames a bus network that hasn't been updated in decades). Another is that Metro has spent its budget surplus building light rail. This too is true (Metro contends that spending its money on transit improvements is its mission). Generally, Magaziner and company feel Metro has misplaced its priorities, and see light rail as part of a municipal mission creep to make Houston more like Portland. "They're hoping they can get people out of cars and force them to walk and bike," says Scarbrough, who sued Metro in 2007 over the Richmond Avenue plan. (Her claims have been largely dismissed.) "You have your anti-car people. We have planners working for the city who say, 'We look forward to the day we can not give you a permit for a garage inside the 610 loop.' " Magaziner pointed to Scarbrough: "You're sitting across from someone who will be dead before she lets rail be built on Richmond Avenue." • • • • • Even as Metro planners struggle to change the status quo, the Texas Department of Transportation works frantically to preserve it. Texas spends twice more on new road construction than any other state. Greater Houston spends $330 per capita on roads, most of the ten largest U.S. metros. The granddaddy of recent Houston road projects is the $2.8-billion expansion of the Katy Freeway, Interstate 10 heading towards San Antonio. This 23-mile highway widening cost more than twice the initial estimates for the 73-mile, five-line light rail system. It is Culberson's signature achievement. When I visited Culberson's office in Washington, D.C., he urged me to compare the spectacle to that of light rail on Main Street. Drive downtown, he instructed, and "look at what they've done." Then I could drive his "ideal solution" to the region's transportation problems. Leaving Houston, the Katy Freeway is indeed a magnificent spectacle: at 18 lanes, it is as flat and wide as a river. Big box stores, office complexes and subdivisions line its banks. Twenty-five miles from downtown, its onramps soar to connect with a recently completed segment of the Grand Parkway, Houston's fourth ring road, which may one day form a 180-mile circle around the city. For now, the Katy Freeway appears to have taken the sting out of the West Houston commute. According to a 2013 report from the Texas Transportation Institute, the wider road cuts 14 minutes from the average peak-direction afternoon commute. But transit advocates believe this improvement is temporary, and that Houston's mind-numbing traffic will eventually overwhelm the city's current transportation system. If there's a starting point at which Houston will slow the self-perpetuating cycle of road construction, it is somewhere far beyond Katy. "Houston is a vehicle town." Could the alternative emerge at the center of this sprawling region, like a diamond formed under great pressure? An early testing ground for transit-oriented Houston will be Near Northside, where the Main Street line extension opened in December. No part of that line looks as much like the rest of Houston as this neighborhood. Brick bungalows sit in the shade of live oaks and pecans; rain-stained concrete strip malls crouch behind long parking lots. Wandering this neighborhood, now a ten-minute train ride from downtown, I came across Del's Ice Cream, a small shop one block from a brand-new light rail station. Owner Delfina Torres has a front row seat for Houston's transit experiment, but she has doubts. "Houston is a vehicle town," she says. "They love their cars. It's going to be a long way coming to a city with less driving and more walking." Though it is now a direct light rail trip from her home to the Houston Rodeo, eight miles away, she says she can get there and back faster in her car. Top image: Flickr user royluck. This article is part of 'The Future of Transportation,' a CityLab series made possible with support from The Rockefeller Foundation.Photo credit: The Goldwater By now most everyone is fully aware that Facebook had a tumultuous time this week over its “anti-semitic” advertising system which allowed those purchasing ads to target individuals who are considered “extremists” by the mainstream. Facebook had allowed those who were considering buying advertisements to focus on individuals who expressed interest in the topics "Jew hater," "How to burn jews" or "History of 'why jews ruin the world’” as a stereotype on the world's largest social media platform. Due to the controversy, there has been massive backlash against Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg, who are claiming that the labels were generated through algorithms automatically and not at the fault of human intervention. After grassroots <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-enabled-advertisers-to-reach-jew-haters">investigative journalism from ProPublica this week,</a> the ability to target “Jew Haters” as a means of profit was discovered. It's quite ironic that Facebook would itself be using such derogatory phrasing, considering that <a href="https://m.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10103969849282011?pnref=story">the CEO or Facebook Mark Zuckerberg posted a long rant about hate speech</a> earlier this summer on the platform. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https:%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fzuck%2Fposts%2F10103969849282011&width=500" width="500" height="262" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true"></iframe> Zuckerberg said that <i>”There is no place for hate speech in our community”</i> while simultaneously profiting from the very terms which he claimed aren't allowed on the platform. I would say it would be a sense of hilarious irony, except that Facebook would likely have banned or censored an average user for saying exactly what the company did for profit. Why everyone should be outraged however, is that across even start-up tech platforms there is a vicious attempt from both registrars and internet service providers to cut off or completely shut down websites which promote the Constitutional Right to Free Speech. Yes even <i>”hate speech”</i> is protected by the Constitution; but we now can see the full hypocrisy of the tech behemoths who censor wrongthink while making money off of it at the same time. <div style="width:100%;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;"><iframe width="360" height="202" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a6YUP-s9shM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> While Facebook has offered an apology, it's clearly not enough to suffice for their ploy to shut down the Constitution via censoring anyone who pursues an ideological stance outside the marxist ideals Facebook promotes. So by Facebook’s own suggestion, users should be able to engage in hate speech and then apologize too right? Wrong. If you try it you'll be banned. People are now demanding to know what Facebook has done with the cash they've made off the debacle? The total profits of Facebook are enormous, with more than $1 billion per each quarter of the year in advertising revenue alone as well as a whopping 1.2 billion monthly active users on the site. Very few people realize that Facebook is more than just a social networking site, but it's a political influencer and a shrewdly run corporation, which worth more than $100,000,000,000.00 overall. Yes, that's over one hundred billion dollars. So if Facebook has been profiting off anti-semitic hate speech, why aren't they giving the money back? Why aren't they donating it to charity? Why is “what's good for thee not good for me” for Facebook? Facebook is fully funded by the advertising it sells to companies and individuals who wish to target differing sects of people. It is also what's often referred to as a “honeypot”, which means that they data mine and harvest specific traits and clicks of their users and then stereotype them into various categories depending upon how they surf the site. The company heavily relies upon continued growth in the number of its users to increase profits, and has become the world's largest monitoring service which <i>learns</i> about the interests of humanity as well as having the ability to reliably target all of those users according to their interests. Facebook has been responsible for the development of some of the world's most advanced algorithms for profiling its users, but using them to excise antisemitic, extremists and others who would be considered politically incorrect from its social networking platform could slow their profits. So yes, Facebook is making money off of the very ideas that Mark Zuckerberg has long since claimed is not welcome in the site. The bottom line is, Facebook is so greedy that they refuse to hand over that cash or donate it to a charity. Mark Zuckerberg, who many suggest may run for President, is essentially promoting hate speech and anti-semitism. The irony if such is mind boggling to say the least. Source: https://antisemitism.uk/facebook-apologises-for-allowing-advertisers-to-target-antisemites-but-will-it-now-target-them-and-what-will-it-do-with-the-profits/ —<i>[email protected]</i> <i>On Twitter:</i> <a href="https://www.twitter.com/IWillRedPillYou">@IWillRedPillYou</a> Tips? Info? Send me a message!Designing an OQPSK demodulator I’ve given up finding premade libraries for modulation schemes a long time ago. Generally you can’t find them and even if you can they tend not to be suited for your application. Therefore, out of necessity I design a coherent OQPSK (offset quadrature phase shift keying) demodulator and evaluate it’s performance. The reason for OQPSK is simply because the 10.5kbps signals used for Inmarsat Aero signals use OQPSK rather than the MSK (minimum shift keying) used for the 600kbps and 1200kbps signals. If i can design and implement a OQPSK demodulator I could add it to JAERO to support the 10.5kbps signals in addition to the 600 and 1200bps signals. What does the OQPSK constellation look like? Answer: Either it depends or one doesn’t exist. Modulation schemes such as BPSK, QPSK and so on have easily understood constellations. When I started looking on the Internet for constellation for OQPSK I found all sorts of strange constellations apparently all for OQPSK. Talk about confusing. Wikipedia says a constellation as “displays the signal as a two-dimensional X-Y plane scatter diagram in the complex plane at symbol sampling instants”. I think this is where the problem lies as OQPSK does not have any optimal instant to sample both the quadrature and in phase signals. Instead OQPSK delays one of these arms by half a symbol meaning optimal sampling instances always produce one arm that is useless and dependent on the symbol shaping used. If you are prepared to sample at a suboptimal time you can produce a four-point constellation for OQPSK that never passes through the origin. If you use the de facto standard of raised cosine symbol shaping and sample at optimum times you produce a constellation that has eight points and also never passes through the origin. if on the other hand you don’t like the idea of one arm of being dependent on the symbol shaping used you are then forced to remove the delay caused by OQPSK which then turns into the standard QPSK constellation and symbols once again pass through the origin. My current personal preference is to sample every T/2 seconds where T is the symbol period and assume that root raised cosine filtering is performed in both the transmitter and receiver. Therefore for my preference I envisage OQPSK as an eight point constellation and just remember that the underlying information is contained by alternately flipping between the real and imaginary arms when performing this double rate sampling. Eye diagram of OQPSK using raised cosine symbol shaping. Optimal sampling times produce an eight point constellation sub optimal produces a four point constellation My personal preference of what a OQPSK constellation looks like Using optimal sampling times underlying data is conveyed by alternately flipping between the real component and the imaginary component Symbol timing The two nightmarish tasks required for a demodulator is to estimate proper symbol timing times and to track the carrier of the signal. From my experience with JQAM I wanted to be able to acquire symbol timing without the need for any carrier tracking. This requires a symbol timing algorithm that is invariant to the carrier phase. I had no success with the gardener algorithm I used for JQAM. I think this might be due to that there are no transition through the origin. The origin of coarse is a point that is phase invariant. For QPSK a carrier offset causes a spinning constellation but the transitions would still be clearly visible as they still may pass through the origin in time with the symbols. Delaying one arm so it becomes a QPSK signal again did not seem to work either. I think this might have been due to the cross talk between the real and imaginary channels when the rotation happens. The following shows an example of this for a small rotation for both OQPSK transformed into QPSK by delaying one arm by T/2 and plain QPSK. Cross talk example of OQPSK transformed into QPSK with pi/8 rotation QPSK with pi/8 rotation. N.B no cross talk Then I happened upon Timing Error Detector for OQPSK Signal by Myungsup Kim and Co. They explain an algorithm that has this phase invariant with respect to OQPSK. They say that there are only a few such phase invariant algorithms that have been proposed for OQPSK. So I was quite lucky to find the algorithm. I have no idea how the algorithm works but it is a very simple algorithm and their picture of a block diagram of the algorithm was all I needed to implement it. The algorithm only produces an error signal. I added a few bits and pieces so the error signal can then adjust the symbol timing. Adding everything, the following figure shows my complete implementation from audio until symbol clock output. Myungsup Kim and Co’s algorithm consists of the top right section. Symbol timing block diagram The output of their error signal algorithm is eta, and a frequency domain of the signal is shown in the following figure. A very loud oscillation can be seen that has the same frequency and is in phase with the symbol timing of the transmitter. Frequency spectrum of symbol timing error signal I am really impressed with this algorithm. Using this algorithm means being able to obtain symbol timing information without any information of the carrier phase. Coarse carrier estimation To track the carrier one first needs to at least roughly estimate the frequency of the signal. This is easy for MSK and OQPSK at least. It consists of producing a nonlinearity and then performing a FFT (Fast Fourier Transform). Simply squaring the audio signal and taking the FFT results in the following figure. Frequency spectrum of squared signal used for coarse frequency estimation As can be seen there is no peak where the carrier is. However, there are two peaks evenly spaced around where the carrier would be. Taking the average of the two peaks you obtain the carrier frequency of the transmission. Carrier tracking Initially I tried using the trick whereby you raise the complex symbol point to the power of however many points there are in the constellation. Sampling at optimal time produces an eight point constellation so raising the point to the eighth power was needed. This ends up producing a point that is invariant with respect to the sent symbol and can hence be used to adjust the rotation of the constellation which is what carrier tracking is. The results of doing this were not good for low SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) values. This can be seen in the following figure. BER versus EbNo by using 8th power method of carrier tracking Another option was needed to bring the demodulation performance closer to that of an ideal demodulator. Searching the Internet I found an article entitled Carrier Synchronization of Offset Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying by M. K. Simon. Equations 3 and 4 in the article describe the error signal of the MAP (maximum a posteriori) estimation loop for OQPSK. MAP is some statistical estimate of some underlying value but I haven’t read up on it so I don’t really understand it. Simon shows in figure 1 of his article supposedly a block diagram of these two equations. However, from my understanding of his block diagram it does not correctly implement equations 3 and 4 of his article. Therefore, I converted his two equations myself into what I believe to be a correct block diagram of the two equations. With the addition of some blocks to convert the OQPSK signal to a QPSK constellation, this is what can be seen in the following figure. Carrier tracking block diagram with symbols out Some parts of the block diagram such as the funny looking double lines going into the mixer are the complex numbers being split into the real and imaginary components while tanh means the tanh function is being performed on the signal that travels down that line. Disconnecting the loop filter and looking at the frequency response of the error output for a 3.5 Hz carrier offset resulted in the following diagram. Frequency spectrum of carrier tracking error signal for 3.5Hz offset As can be seen this is a nice looking graph. The noise drops as one moves closer to 0 Hz and this is precisely where most offsets will occur. Using a low-pass filter (such as the loop filter) results in a surprisingly large SNR. The loop filter primarily controls the phase of the carrier, but also slowly adjusts the frequency to reduce the amount of average phase error. With this new carrier tracking algorithm I tested the BER (bit error rate) of the entire demodulator in the presence of AWGN (additive white Gaussian noise) and compared this to the theoretical BER for coherent OQPSK. This can be seen in the following figure. BER versus EbNo using new carrier tracking algorithm As can be seen the demodulator performs exceptionally well and is about as good as it can get for AWGN. Real life satellite signals On to real life satellite signals and making sure the demodulator still works in the real world. A two second recording of a 10.5 kbps OQPSK Aero signal taken from an Inmarsat satellite was run through the demodulator. The symbols from the output of the demodulator can be seen in the following figure, they have been converted into QPSK. Received constellation of OQPSK points transformed into QPSK obtained from an Inmarsat 10.5k signal Out of interest I auto-correlated the angle of the symbols to obtain the following figure. Auto-correlated angle of symbol of received constellation obtained from an Inmarsat 10.5k signal The peaks that result are due to the Aero data frames. Each peak is precisely 2625 symbols away from its neighboring peaks or 5250 bits between peaks. So you can tell that the frames are 5250 bits long. As a test I correlated the previous constellation points with the UW (unique word) described in Part III – Inmarsat and MTSAT specification. The correlation was performed by treating the real and imaginary arms separately as per the specifications. plotting the two correlations on top of each other and flipping the result of the imaginary arm so the real and imaginary peaks can be seen simultaneously I obtained the following figure. Unique word correlation of received data obtained from an Inmarsat 10.5k signal The peaks are exactly 32 which is the length of the UW and they are separated by 2625 symbols. Both arms repeat the UW. So yes it looks like I have designed a good demodulator for OQPSK. This of course is only implemented in Matlab and still requires a C++ implementation; this is not a trivial task. So we will see how long this design takes to get to be turned into real-time C++ code. Jonti 2016 HomeThere’s something mildly tragic about a 40-something guy turning up at a nightclub on the far west side of Manhattan on a Monday night. Even worse is dressing like you are in the chorus of a middle-school production of Oklahoma!, in saggy, billowy denim and a loud flannel shirt. Add to this bleak picture a pair of clunky leather sandals—which surely break some kind of club commandment—and a gigantic to-go soda cup the size of which would give Michael Bloomberg chest palpitations, and you’ve got a man practically crying out for help. But, by all accounts, the guy does have a lot of help. The man is Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, the New York Post reports, a Saudi Prince worth an estimated $10 billion. The 43-year-old Bin Fahd pulled up to the two-story club Avenue in Chelsea on Monday night with a fleet of 15 Mercedes sedans, most occupied by just a driver, and a flock of private security guards, who, apparently did not tell him to leave the big gulp and gladiator sandals at home (or homes, rather, as the Post reports he owns). Bin Fahd, reportedly the youngest and favorite son of the late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, married the granddaughter of Sultan bin Abdulaziz in 2010. For the billionaire who has everything, going clubbing in clothes that would be swinish on anyone else is the ultimate power play. Who needs to throw on that same chambray button-down every Wall Street analyst is wearing when you reportedly own $1 billion worth of property in the U.S. alone? Why care how you dress when you’re able to leave a 60,000-pound tip at an Ibiza restaurant, as he reportedly did? It’s kind of like when a Hollywood “It girl” turns up on a red carpet in a jumpsuit or Kendall Jenner shows up to a party with a high ponytail and blows all the girls with blowouts out of the water. When you’ve got “it”—talent, undeniable beauty, or, in this case, an unfathomable amount of money and a royal pedigree—you’re free from the constraints that hold the rest of the world back. So while money can’t buy happiness, per se, it can buy the ability for you get away with wearing deplorable flip-flops to a weeknight club. Some things are truly priceless. Michael Bloomberg FOLLOW Follow to get the latest news and analysis about the players in your inbox. See All PlayersCraig Ferguson has a passion for history, debate, and, it turns out, excellent ads for his new History series, Join or Die with Craig Ferguson, premiering Feb. 18. Yahoo TV has an exclusive first look at the key art for the show. In each of the 22 half-hour episodes, Ferguson — who got Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 rallying cry to the divided colonists, “Join or Die,” tattooed on his forearm after becoming a U.S. citizen — incites a lively discussion with a panel of celebrities and history experts. View photos Topics include history’s most influential drug, history’s biggest douchebag, history’s biggest frenemies, the most doomed presidential campaign, and the most influential band. Among the celebrity panelists: Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Julie Bowen, Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, Joel McHale, Elijah Wood, Lisa Kudrow, and Courteney Cox. Our four favorite pieces of art: The one with the hand gesture embracing his Scottish roots… View photos So good, it needs to be a GIF. View photos The one recreating the Times Square kiss… View photos The one where Craig looks super hot on the moon: View photos7 Queens of Drag Race Who Left TV Too Soon Logo’s juggernaut hit RuPaul’s Drag Race has revolutionized the world of drag and made it into the mainstream phenomenon that it is today. It has been a long time since the low-budget, Vaseline-lens days of season 1, and during the run of Drag Race, we have had to say goodbye to a few queens who clearly had more for us to gag on. So we went into the vault of eleganza to determine which queens were made to sashay away a little too soon. In season 1, Tammie Brown, a.k.a. Keith Glen Schubert, brought a form of drag to the show that was all her own. But this campy comedy queen didn’t quite get the chance she needed to shine on the main stage before a girl-group challenge a la Destiny’s Child failed to fit with her retro-cool style. Since then, she got a return ticket for the All Stars season and emerged as a cult favorite among Drag Race fans, becoming one of the series standouts and a true queen’s queen. Pages Season 2 showcased the talent of Sonique, who was the first trans contestant to compete on Drag Race. However, Sonique, who now identifies as Kylie Sonique Love, did not reveal that she was trans until after she was eliminated during the reunion episode. Her powerful presence post-race leaves us to believe that the blond siren will take the judges by storm if ever there's another All Stars season.PoE equipment planner A tool to simplify planning the equipment needed to reach resistance caps and attribute requirements. PoE equipment planner spreadsheet (Google Sheets) Fetch PoE items (bookmark this link) Link requires scripting to work; create bookmark manually Usage: Bookmark the above "Fetch PoE items" link (click and drag it to the browser bookmarks bar, for example) Go to www.pathofexile.com (the front page) Use the "switch character" link and reload the page if you want to use a different character (the character panel doesn't need to be open, just the front page) Click on the bookmark and it will show a prompt like in the screenshot (it will complain if you're not logged in or if it's a different location); copy the text in the prompt by pressing Ctrl+C Go to the equipment planner spreadsheet and press File—Make a copy… or File—Download as to be able to edit the values or go to your copy if you've already copied it Select the upper left cell that says "Ctrl+V" and press Ctrl+V to update the item values Fill out the attributes and resistances from passives (PoE passive skill tree planner is a great tool to find out the exact values for your build, just import your skill tree into it) Change the attribute or resistance requirements, missing attributes or resistances will be highlighted How it works The bookmarklet is a small script that fetches the items for the current character and formats them for pasting into the equipment planner spreadsheet. See the bookmarklet source. You can build the bookmarklet from source yourself by
help maintain the team. 5. They didn’t see fame and riches overnight, so they had time to adjust their internal dynamics to the changes and challenges of success. The Red Hot Chili Peppers didn’t become a household name until their fifth album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, eight years into their careers. Likewise U2 didn’t make it big until their eleventh year together with The Joshua Tree. As I’ve argued elsewhere, success may be a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem. With success come new kinds of pressures to keep doing better, invasive exposure into personal lives and ego-inflated temptations to go solo. But because growth was gradual, each band had the opportunity to test their resilience through small challenges and develop coping mechanisms both individually and as a unit. Arguably one of the reasons the Red Hot Chili Peppers lost guitarist John Frusciante following the massive success of Blood Sugar Sex Magik was that, as the newest and youngest member of the band, he had not had time to adjust to life in a band before its success made the experience overwhelming. 6. Both bands see their bands as being greater than themselves. “They never lose sight of the entity and its paramount importance,” told me Eliraz. “Everything is subservient to the interests of the group. Everything is about the group. Even their ego is a group ego. They cultivate pride in their joint exploits, rather than in individual accomplishments.” All band quotes are from Band Together: Internal Dynamics in U2, R.E.M., Radiohead and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. For more about the intersection of rock n' roll and business follow me on the top of this page or on Twitter, Facebook, or Google. Watch U2’s “Invisible” commercial below:The members of Simon Fraser University League of Legends team are no strangers to high-level play. They are a perennial top 8 collegiate team, placing 2nd in the West region during the past two years, behind only 2015 NACC and 2016 uLoL champions the University of British Columbia. With a tweaked roster, this season they hope to finally overcome crosstown rival UBC to win the West - and the uLoL championship. Roster Changes From Left to Right: Support Jacky "JJaye!" Lee, ADC Thomas "Nematic" Chiu, Mid Quinn "Demnis" MacDonald, Jungler Sam "FrozenNight" Yeung, and Top Laner Louie "Goldjet" Lu This year Simon Fraser’s uLoL Campus Series hopes rest on a changed roster that mixes uLoL experience with fresh talent. Two two-year veterans, midlaner Quinn “Demnis” MacDonald and support Jacky “JJayel” Lee, are joined by veteran ADC Thomas “Nematic” Chiu in welcoming Challenger toplaner Louie “Goldjet” Lu to the team. Master jungle sub Sam “FrozenNight” Yeung replaces TalkPlayLove, who stepped down from his position due to other commitments, as starting jungler. SFU’s support staff is also undergoing changes from last year. With the start of the 2017 NALCS Spring Split, part-time coaches Tim and Simon are scaling back their time with the team to fulfill their coaching commitments to Echo Fox. Instead SFU will look to MacDonald and Challenger team veteran Chiu for game strategy and macro decisions. They are confident in their ability to use the knowledge they gained from the two coaches to their advantage in the coming uLoL season. “I feel like if we [MacDonald and Nematic] take it up on our shoulders, I think we can reach a similar level[...]to what Tim and Simon were offering us,” MacDonald says. The team’s new roster has been playing together since September. They are confident they can beat any school - including perennial rival UBC. A (Not-So-Bitter) Rivalry The SFU team’s sights are set on the uLoL cup, but to reach the finals they must advance out of the West region - which means finally beating reigning uLoL (and West regional) champions UBC in a playoff series. The teams’ two previous meetings have all gone in UBC’s favor: a best-of-5 in the 2016 uLoL top 8 and another BO5 this past November in the uLoL rivalry series. On the surface for SFU, beating UBC seems like an exercise in futility, but MacDonald is confident in his team’s ability to win. “This year, right off the bat it’s been really good. We really enjoy playing with each other,” he adds. “Because of that - plus a mixture of UBC looking a bit weaker and us feeling stronger - I think we have it in us to do it.” Looking deeper into their series against UBC, SFU’s chances seem quite good. Both of their BO5 losses to UBC last year went to a game 5, and in the uLoL Rivalries matchup they managed to jump out to a 2-0 series lead before falling in five games. In the past two years, no other team besides SFU has even taken UBC to a game 5 in collegiate play. UBC also had to replace its two-time champion midlaner BobqinXD, who left the team last year to pursue opportunities in the professional LoL scene. However, MacDonald does not see Bob’s replacement kT Smurf as a downgrade. “I also think that he [kT Smurf] is probably their best player,” he mentions. “I feel like UBC is definitely weaker than last year because they lost a lot of their players, but they’re still (obviously) good. I’m definitely motivated [to improve].” No matter the outcome of a potential uLoL top 8 clash between SFU and UBC, a lot of respect exists between the two Vancouver universities. “We have a really healthy relationship with UBC in general,” MacDonald says. “We’re pretty good friends with all of the players.” But MacDonald is sure to include that friendliness does not mean the two schools’ rivalry isn’t competitive. “As a team and as a school, at least for me,” he adds, “this is the year I want to win more than ever.” Source: Riot Games High Expectations As a new player on the SFU team, Lu’s expectations are modest. “Since this is my first year playing in uLoL, I don’t really have a gauge for how good the other teams are,” he says. “Everything is kind of a mystery. I just want to make it as far as possible.” MacDonald, however, reveals that the team’s veterans expect much more: “For now I’m only really focusing on [the West region] because that’s the hurdle we have - for myself and for our team. For the past two years[...]it’s just been UBC at the end. Top 4 is our goal - I expect to get to finals again - if we keep on top of our game. Once we get to the finals, it’ll probably be a tough one, but I think we have it in us to do it.” While a trip to the uLoL finals is never a guarantee for any school, Simon Fraser University has as good a chance as any to make a deep run into the playoffs. If they finally beat UBC, there might just be no stopping them. Who do you think will own the city of Vancouver this year? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook how you feel about SFU's chances in uLoL!Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-V.t, right, and Hillary Clinton react as they speak during the CNN Democratic Presidential Primary Debate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Thursday, April 14, 2016, New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (CNSNews.com) - "Let's overturn Citizens United and get unaccountable money out of politics," Democrat Hillary Clinton told a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday. "Let's shut off the revolving door in Washington, and make sure the foxes aren't guarding the hen house." Clinton, a former U.S. senator and secretary of state, has been sharply criticized by her rival Bernie Sanders for accepting big money from Wall Street after leaving her job as Secretary of State -- the so-called revolving door. "Secretary Clinton has given a number of speeches to Wall Street financial institutions for $225,000 a speech. Now, $225,000, that is a lot of money, and I kind of figure that if you give a speech for that kind of money it must be a brilliant, earth-shattering speech," Sanders said last month on the campaign trail in Kentucky. "It must be a speech that will solve all of our global problems. It must be a speech that is written in Shakespearean prose, and therefore I think a speech that extraordinary should be shared with all of the people."Clinton has refused to release transcripts of the three speeches she delivered at Goldman Sachs for a reported total of $675,000 At the Democrat debate on April 15, Clinton insisted she is not beholden to Wall Street: "I stood up against the behaviors of the banks when I was a senator. I called them out on their mortgage behavior. I also was very willing to speak out against some of the special privileges they had under the tax code." She also said she supported the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law.Debate moderator Dana Bash of CNN asked Clinton at that same Democrat debate, "[I]f there's nothing in those speeches that you think would change voters' minds, why not just release the transcripts and put this whole issue to bed?" Clinton responded: "You know, first of all -- first of all, there isn't an issue. When I was in public service, serving as the senator from New York, I did stand up to the banks. I did make it clear that their behavior would not be excused.Then she changed the subject.Bash tried to get Clinton back on track, reminding her, "the question was about the transcripts of the speeches to Goldman Sachs. Why not release them?""I have said, look, there are certain -- there are certain expectations when you run for president," Clinton said. "This is a new one. And I've said, if everybody agrees to do it -- because there are speeches for money on the other side. I know that."She then changed the subject to Bernie Sanders' tax returns.Bash tried a third time: "Secretary Clinton, we're going to get to the tax returns later, but just to put a button on this, you're running now for the Democratic nomination. And it is your Democratic opponent and many Democratic voters who want to see those transcripts. It's not about the Republicans...""You know, let's set the same standard for everybody. When everybody does it, OK, I will do it," Clinton said, "but let's set and expect the same standard on tax returns. Everybody does it, and then we move forward."Sanders, responding, said he has no speech transcripts to release, because he gave no speeches to Wall Street firms --"not for $225,000, not for $2,000, not for two cents. There were no speeches," he said.The controversial drilling practice known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, requires injecting huge amounts of water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure thousands of feet beneath the earth's surface to extract reserves of natural gas. A just-released Washington County Common Pleas Court transcript of a 2011 settlement hearing in a Marcellus Shale damage case shows the case records should have included a confidential settlement agreement and reveals details of an unusual lifetime "gag order" that covers two children involved in the case. According to the 16-page transcript, then-Washington County Judge Paul Pozonsky approved sealing the court records with the settlement agreement "attached thereto" during a private hearing held to settle the claims of Chris and Stephanie Hallowich against Range Resources, Williams Gas/Laurel Mountain Midstream and Markwest Energy. The Hallowiches, long-time critics of shale gas drilling, claimed that Marcellus Shale gas development -- including four wells, gas compressor stations and a 3-acre wastewater impoundment -- adjacent to their 10-acre farm in Mount Pleasant, Washington County, damaged the family's health and the value of their property. The Hallowiches signed an affidavit as a condition of the settlement that stated their family's health was not damaged by the gas operations. Matt Pitzarella, a Range Resources spokesman, said today that the family was not forced to sign the affidavit. "All of the reports done at the time indicated no exposure (from the gas development) and they never produced evidence of any health impacts," Mr. Pitzarella said. "We did say that clearly the Hallowiches were not in an ideal situation in terms of their lifestyle. They had an unusual amount of activity around them. We didn't want them in that situation." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Washington Observer-Reporter successfully petitioned the court to unseal all of the Hallowich case records, but when more than 900 pages of records were released in March, the confidential settlement agreement was missing from the file. "This shows clearly the settlement agreement was part of the record," said Frederick Frank, an attorney representing the Post-Gazette. The hearing transcript, which provides details of the $750,000 settlement paid to the family, shows the Hallowiches reluctantly agreed to the terms of the settlement to remove their children from what they considered an unhealthy environment. They also raised questions about how a lifetime "gag order," as the judge called it, included in the settlement that required the entire family to never discuss Marcellus Shale or fracking would be enforced against their then 7-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. According to the transcript, the Hallowiches' attorney, Peter Villari, said that in 30 years of practicing law he never had seen a nondisclosure agreement that included minor children. And, although he advised the Hallowiches to accept the settlement, he questioned whether the children's First Amendment rights could be restricted by such an agreement. Judge Pozonsky, who has since resigned, responded that he didn't know, adding, "That's a law school question, I guess." James Swetz, the attorney representing Range Resources at the settlement hearing, then is quoted as saying, "I guess our position is it does apply to the whole family. We would certainly enforce it." Mr. Pitzarella said today that Mr. Swetz's comment about enforcing the nondisclosure agreement "is not our understanding, not something we agree with." Mr. Swetz could not be reached for comment. Although the settlement hearing, from which reporters from the Post-Gazette were barred, occurred in August 2011, almost two years ago, a transcript of the hearing was not produced until Mr. Frank requested it last month. Washington County Common Pleas President Judge Debbie O'Dell Seneca ordered release of the transcript, which was scheduled to be filed this morning with the Washington County prothonotary. The release of the transcript does not settle the case. Range and Markwest have appealed, to state Superior Court, the order unsealing the records. But Mr. Frank said, "We believe the transcript fully supports our position that the actual settlement agreement between the plaintiffs and defendants was part of the court record, and moreover it was reviewed by the court, which held extensive discussions regarding its terms. "The agreement should be returned to the record as clearly indicated, and as a judicial record should be made available to the public." Copyright Associated PressEver dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? At Samhain AKA Halloween every October, the boundary between our world and that of the spirits becomes thinner and often breaks, allowing supernatural forces to hold sway for the night. At the exact opposite side of the year, on April 30th, the same is true of Walpurgis Night. Like most ancient traditions, it is a portmanteaux celebration, with the date of St Walpurga’s saint day combining with pagan Beltane bonfire rituals and becoming the traditional date for witches meetings. The bonfires have been co-opted for various uses over the years, to scare away evil, drive away winter and welcome spring, mimic the sun to ensure sunshine via sympathetic magic, bring fertility when they are leapt over, to drive out sickness when people or animals are herded between them, and to burn witches in effigy. Taking torches lit from the fires home to kindle flames there is a popular option to continue the magical effect of the bonfire. Celebrated mainly in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Germany, the rituals vary from one region to another, with the largest gathering usually around the Brocken Mountain- the highest peak in the German Harz mountain range. The peak of the Brocken is often shrouded in mist and clouds, and its mysterious aspect has inspired legendary status as a spot for witches and devils to cavort, and a previous reputation for pagan sacrifice. This is what goes down on the mountain peak Goethe’s Faust names it as the location for a witches sabbat, and the tone poem Night on Bald Mountain was inspired by rumours of magic-workers flying their broomsticks to wild nights on the Brocken. Night on Disco Mountain The village of Schierke at the base of the mountain hosts around 6,000 people a year for Walpurgis Night celebrations. There are parades, a pantomime, fireworks and a funfair, with revellers dressed as witches, goblins and vampires. Next year, I hope to attend and report back. This year I will be deep inside the catacombs of Paris on that night, investigating underground French customs of the season. The perfect drink for your own Walpurgis Night festivities is a bowl of flaming punch. Very warming for when you return from outside revelries, and acting as a symbolic version of the traditional bonfire which are in themselves symbolic, so this is like symbolism squared, very potent. I was overjoyed to find a great flaming punch recipe in the first book I ever owned on the subject of entertaining at home: The Esquires Handbook For Hosts. I’ve just added some touches of my own. Well, I’ve completely changed it in fact. It would be wise to tie your hair back and have a dampened cloth handy for emergencies. Walpurgis Bonfire Punch 2 oranges, cut in half, pierced all over and studded with cloves. 1 bottle of brandy 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar (ideally, bag this with mixed spice for a week beforehand, to infuse it) 2 limes 2 shots of 151 rum 1 box of orange juice 1 large bottle of fiery gingerbeer Get hold of a metal punchbowl. If you need to use something plain like a saucepan, that’s still better than a breakable glass version. It needs to be a reasonable size- remember it will need to accommodate the juice and ginger ale as well as the brandy and fruit. Source some extra long matches or tapers for lighting. Place the halved, studded oranges on a foiled baking tray in the oven, and bake (cut side up) on a moderate heat until they are crisp on the outside but still juicy on the inside. Keep an eye on them but about 15 minutes should do it. Juice may run off, so turn up the edges of the foil so that it doesn’t get into the oven. If you haven’t time for that, raw, studded oranges work well too, just give them a squeeze as you put them into the bowl. Drop the sugar into the brandy bottle and shake until it dissolves. Place the oranges cut side down in the bowl, and pour the brandy over them. Give it some time to infuse if possible – an hour would be ideal, then give it a gentle stir. Move it to wherever you are going to serve it from. Cut the limes in half, and hollow out the insides. Drop the lime flesh into the bowl. Drop the hollowed limes into the bowl so that they float, and carefully fill each one half full of 151 rum. Set a match to the surface of the liquid- depending on the strength of the brandy you have used, this will go on fire…or not. If it does, perfect. If not, turn your attention to the floating lime islands. 151 rum will burn, no question. So ideally you have flaming limes in a lake of fire, but if not, flaming limes in a lake of brandy will still be exciting and serve your purpose. We found that the brandy didn’t ignite at first, but after the rum limes caught on fire, it spread, to thrilling effect. If you have extra citrus peels to hand, squeeze them to release their juices into the flames, which should flare up. When you are done marvelling at the mystical blue flames, carefully pour the OJ over everything to douse the flames. Add the ginger beer, and serve immediately. It would be great to indulge in tabletop fireworks while drinking this punch, and afterwards, dance like a witch on a mountain. Clothes optional.The first promotional video and the official website for the Sakamichi no Apollon television anime confirmed on Friday that the project is reuniting Cowboy Bebop's director Shinichiro Watanabe (Macross Plus, The Animatrix's "Kid's Story," Samurai Champloo) and composer Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus/Frontier, Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex). Nobuteru Yuki (Record of Lodoss War, Escaflowne, Space Battleship Yamato 2199) is designing the characters, and Yoshimitsu Yamashita (Hyouge Mono, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~) is the chief animation director at the studios MAPPA/Tezuka Productions. The promotional video is now streaming on the website: In this coming-of-age story of "love, friendship, and music," a naive boy and a scruffy boy share a passion for jazz in a provincial town in the late 1960s. Yuki Kodama's original manga is being adapted into a television anime on Fuji TV's Noitamina this April. The manga won the General Category in this year's Shogakukan Manga Awards. Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō Image © Yuki Kodama, Shogakukan/Sakamichi no Apollon Production Committee Update: More background information added. Ayako Katoh (Stitch!: Itazura Alien no Daibōken, Chihayafuru) and Yuuko Kakihara (Heaven's Lost Property, Persona 4: The Animation) are co-writing the scripts.Capitals Acquire a Fourth-Round Draft Pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and Right Wing Danick Paquette from Winnipeg for Right Wing Eric Fehr by Staff Writer / Washington Capitals ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals acquired a fourth-round draft pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and right wing Danick Paquette from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for right wing Eric Fehr, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. Paquette, 20, recorded 20 points (13 goals, seven assists) and 179 penalty minutes in 59 games with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL last season. The 6’1”, 210-pound forward helped the Lewiston MAINEiacs win the QMJHL championship in 2007 and collected 175 points (94 goals, 81 assists) and 691 penalty minutes in 251 career QMJHL games with Lewiston and Quebec. He was originally drafted by the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise in the third round (64th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. View LessHost of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Mika Brzezinski said it was fair to call Indiana Gov. Mike Pence a bigot, because he “looks like” and “sounds like” one after his support for the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act. (VIDEO: Al Sharpton Compares Indiana Religious Freedom Law To Slavery, Jim Crow) “These are firmly held beliefs that people have had for thousands years,” argued her co-host Joe Scarborough. “And you can call it bigotry if you want to...” (“Yes, I would,” Brzezinski mouthed at the camera.) “…But just because the attitude in the United States of America has changed over the past decade doesn’t mean that we on this set in Manhattan should judge, I’m sorry, a florist in Little Rock, Arkansas or in Indianapolis.” (RELATED: Owners Of Indiana Pizzeria Opposed To Gay Marriage Receive Death Threats) Brzezinski disagreed, naturally. “Do not go there, Governor Pence,” she warned. “This is ridiculous. He totally stepped in it. Politically terrible. People are calling him a bigot because [he] sounds like one and looks like one. I’m sorry.” Making the blonde-haired, blue-eyed MSNBC host’s statement all the more ridiculous was that she had just denounced those who would “judge” those they disagree with. “The time has come for same-sex marriage or whatever you want to call it. And it’s not our, it’s not our place to judge or deny business to people that we disagree with in anyway.” [h/t Newsbusters] Follow Alex Griswold on TwitterHi, this is Steven Cherry for IEEE Spectrum ’s “This Week in Technology.” Back before the Web, your online identity was as simple as your e-mail address. Mine came from my initials. It was stc at panix.com. Panix was, and is, an Internet service provider in New York City, one of the very first anywhere. At a social event, someone might say, “Stc wrote me last night that he’d be coming but he’d be late.” What happens when your online identity is compromised? My wife’s Gmail account was hacked a few years ago, and she couldn’t get it back. She lost not only five years’ worth of e-mails but a username that she liked and, more importantly, that all her friends knew her as. What happens if Facebook or Twitter or, say, your blog hosting service makes you take a different user name? Sound impossible? It’s happened. Last week, a software researcher named Danah Boyd woke up to find her entire blog had disappeared and in fact had been renamed, because her hosting service had given her blog’s name to someone else. Identity online has become a lot more complicated. We have accounts not only with our Internet provider but at Facebook and LinkedIn and Gmail and Twitter and The New York Times and Amazon and iTunes and Netflix and our bank and our airline and our blog hosting service. And for every app on our smartphone and almost every website we go to, we have a account as well. And it’s all become so complicated that a lot of websites now want you to log in with your Facebook or Twitter account, and that makes it simpler, but it also makes those accounts all the more important. And as important as they are, what protects them are the terms of service agreements. If you read them—and who does?—you’d learn, probably to no surprise, that they protect the provider a lot more then they protect you. My guest today took the unusual step of reading the Facebook and Twitter terms of service, and he wrote about them in a series of thought-provoking articles that he posted this week to his website. Tristan Louis is both a technologist and a journalist. He was a cofounder of Developer.com, served as CTO for Boo.com at the height of the dot-com era, and was a vice president of applied innovation at the megabank HSBC. He’s now the CEO of Keepstor, a New York–based start-up. He’s also written for a number of high-tech publications, including Internet World, Business 2.0, and the Silicon Alley Reporter. Tristan, welcome to the podcast. Tristan Louis: Thank you. Happy to be here. Steven Cherry: Tristan, let’s start with the case of Danah Boyd. She’s a Ph.D. researcher at Microsoft and a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, at Harvard, and yet she too had probably never read a terms of service agreement until last week. Tristan Louis: Danah actually has her own presence behind Zephoria.org and uses that account primarily to make comments or run around the Tumblr service. And another business claimed to have the same name, so they asked the Tumblr service to assign the name to them. And the terms of services that Tumblr offers clearly specify that it will notify you if they are doing such a reassignment, and in the case Danah was highlighting, it seems that notification had gone lacking. Steven Cherry: And as it turns out, those terms of service could have been written to not include any notification; they could have written terms of service that would allow them to just take it and reassign it. Tristan Louis: And that’s the case for a lot of services, including, as my findings have shown, Twitter. Steven Cherry: In that case, we should mention that it was a trademark dispute, and she eventually got the blog name back. When it comes to the rights that we have with respect to our content in social networks—you know, what we write, the photos we post, the links we share—this week you called Twitter’s terms of service “enlightened.” What did you find and what did you mean by enlightened? Tristan Louis: Twitter tries to do something that a lot of services do not do. Terms of services are largely legalese, which, unless you are a lawyer, are really as much of a foreign tongue as Swahili. Twitter has taken the extra step of trying to explain to people in plain English, as part of the contract, what rights you do and do not assign, which I think is the way most smart services should be doing things. Steven Cherry: Now you looked at what rights Facebook and Twitter have with respect to our content—what rights they have, that is—and in this regard, Twitter didn’t look so good. Tristan Louis: While Twitter does provide some high-level view in plain English of what the rights that you are giving away or keeping to yourself are, the legalese—the actual lawyer talk—is a little scarier, in that some of the rights that you are giving away are much more extensive on Twitter than they are in other media. For example, you are giving rights to anything that you publish on Twitter, whether it’s public or private, and they can reuse it in any way, shape, or form on any device that they decide to reuse it on, whether it’s a cellphone or a computer, invented today or to be invented in the future. Steven Cherry: Or, just as scarily, if Twitter wanted to take all of your tweets and publish them as a book, they have the right to do that, too. Tristan Louis: Exactly. Steven Cherry: You also found that if Twitter suddenly decided that all private messages on Twitter should be public, they could do that, too. Tristan Louis: Yes. So they do not make any distinction between private or public messages; all they talk about is content that is created or published using the Twitter service. Steven Cherry: What about our very identities? What if Twitter or Facebook decided to move me to another account name or decided to boot me from Facebook entirely? Tristan Louis: Let’s say that we were to use the IEEE Spectrum podcast account on Twitter, and that for some reason the IEEE Spectrum podcast becomes the hottest new thing around, and The Scientist magazine decides that they’re going to pay Twitter a lot of money for the right to the IEEE Spectrum podcast. And so they go to Twitter—they can give them big bags of money—and Twitter says, “Oh, yeah, we’ll give that name to them,” and you have no recourse, because you’ve already allowed Twitter to do so—to do whatever they want with your name. Steven Cherry: And naturally, of course, as the hottest new thing we have a Facebook account, too. What would happen there? Tristan Louis: If I look at the Facebook terms, they’re actually a lot friendlier; they would first alert you and give you a right to challenge that. There is actually a process that they have established to go through those challenges. Steven Cherry: Yeah, I think this was sort of a big surprise for you and probably a lot of your readers that, you know, we kind of imagine Twitter as sort of the friendly, nice service, and yet they have the more draconian terms of service. Tristan Louis: Yes. It was actually kind of interesting, because when I set out to look at the terms of services I was actually trying to understand the answer to the question I asked myself, which was, well, everybody’s talking about Facebook being that heavy handed: Are they that bad? And so my assumption was actually going in that I would find that Facebook and Twitter had basically the same type of rights. Steven Cherry: You know, some people don’t use social networks like Facebook and Twitter at all, and others do so but cautiously, and you looked at—on your website—some strategies for that. One of them in particular interested me: people who use pseudonyms online. They might even use the same pseudonym all over the Internet, and people might come to know them by that name, but at least in this case, because of the pseudonym, if a potential employer or grad school they applied to investigated them, there would be nothing to tie them to that identity. Now the thing that interested me about what you wrote was—well, you wrote—let me quote you: “This category of people may actually create more problems for themselves as they let others define them in the online social realm.” What did you mean by that? Tristan Louis: Actually, I was talking about the people that were living in obscurity instead of creating an actual pseudonym. So there are two types of people that are trying to obscure the discussion when it comes to the online dialogue. Some of them are actually deciding not to participate, and those people, in my view, have a lot to fear because nonparticipation is no longer an option in our age. Nonparticipation could leave other people to actually decide how to define you. So if you as an individual decided to not have a presence on Facebook or Twitter any other of the hot social services, other people could either take your account and make a fake representation of who you are, or could start talking about you and with you not having a voice in those social networks would actually define you. Because ultimately, we are defined by what’s in the Google search engine, and so when people type your name, employers or school administrators or other people that are trying to assess who you are will look at the results and after a couple of pages will form an opinion based on what they’ve seen. Steven Cherry: And it seemed to me the same thing might happen to the person using the pseudonym—their actual name is still sort of available for the taking or the redefining. Tristan Louis: Exactly. Steven Cherry: So if we do have a social presence with our own name and all, it can be taken from us, and if we don’t, other people can fill in that gap in a way we don’t like. It seems as if we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t. Tristan Louis: We are kind of damned if we do and damned if we don’t. There is a way though, a third way of handling a lot of this, which is to establish an online presence. I mean, between the mid ’90s and turn of the 21st century, a lot of people thought of acquiring their own domain name and then fitting their online presence behind those domain names, and then linking those domain names to the different social networks that are hot or not so hot at the particular time. This gives you a better anchor today than fully signing on to the terms of services that the different social networks are providing you. Steven Cherry: And if those domain names get disputed, your rights are a lot more established… Tristan Louis: There’s actually a long-established set of conventions in terms of challenging trademarks and challenging naming conventions when it comes to domain names. Steven Cherry: Tristan, I think we’ve scared some listeners today, but hopefully we’ve scared them in a good way. Thanks for raising these important issues, and thanks for joining us today. Tristan Louis: You’re very welcome. Steven Cherry: We’ve been speaking with technologist and tech journalist Tristan Louis about our increasingly important online identities. For IEEE Spectrum’s “This Week in Technology,” I’m Steven Cherry. This interview was recorded 4 May 2011. Audio engineer: Francesco Ferorelli Follow us on Twitter @spectrumpodcast NOTE: Transcripts are created for the convenience of our readers and listeners and may not perfectly match their associated interviews and narratives. The authoritative record of IEEE Spectrum's audio programming is the audio version.Had a daughter about 30 years ago but hasn't seen her since she was three Former dance student now sleeps in Central Park with her husband Frank But her family fortune was depleted and Friedman-Foote lost everything The 63-year-old grew up in an affluent family on 940 Park Avenue Marianne Friedman-Foote spends most nights in Central Park, wrapped in a sleeping bag - just a mile away from the $10million Park Avenue apartment where she grew up. Friedman-Foote, 63, was once an Upper East Side heiress, the granddaughter of an affluent textile manufacturer in Manhattan. She had a housekeeper, took ballet lessons and graduated from a prestigious New York prep school. But after her mother's death, the family fortune slipped between her fingers. Friedman-Foote faced depression, a heroin addiction - and, in August, an eviction that left her homeless. Marianne Friedman-Foote (right), 63, was once an Upper East Side heiress - but now sleeps in Central Park with her husband Frank (left), 59 A graduation photo from the prominent Calhoun School shows Friedman-Foote in 1971 (left), back when she was a dance student. Friedman-Foote (right) later became a nurse Now, Friedman-Foote and her husband sleep north of the Central Park Reservoir, about one mile from her childhood home, and keep their belongings in trash bags (pictured) 'I grew up in a home with a parlor. S**t does happen, doesn't it?' Friedman-Foote told the New York Post in a story published Monday. She and her husband, Frank, have settled north of the Central Park Reservoir. They keep their belongings in trash bags and sleep on a foam mattress. Friedman-Foote grew up at 940 Park Avenue. Her family owned an entire 4,000-square-foot floor of the Art Deco building. The apartment would now be worth $10million. But it sold for only $3million when Friedman-Foote's mother died, which she spent with her sister, Georgia. The two girls were the granddaughters of Isidor Kaplan
Update: If we reach $8,000 we'll get to produce six episodes, one every other week the legislature is in session. If you're a business or non-profit interested in sponsoring the series, the "Good Ol' Boy" and "Uncle Ted" pledge levels include motion graphics which you can use in other projects. We've been making homegrown political satire in Alaska for years and today we're asking for your help in creating an ongoing news program to cover the 2014 legislative session. Think of it like a localized version of the Daily Show or Weekend Update... except not as good. No one gets immunity. We're taking on both sides of the aisle and plan to tackle a wide range of issues. Each episode will be around 3-7 minutes and include a mix of current events, special guests, and craziness from around the state. Thanks to the chicken wing guy, we have a 90 day session in Alaska. If we cross our minimum funding threshold of $3000, we'll do three episodes, one each month. Of course, we'd like to do a lot more than that, up to one episode per week if we can get the support. $3000 = 3 Episodes (1/month) $8000 = 6 Episodes (2/month) $20,000 = 12 Episodes (1/week) Short Films If you're interested in watching our short films, feel free to browse the Alaska Robotics YouTube Channel or take a look at some of our favorites below. Political Satire Other FavoritesSteelers' Roethlisberger denies sexual assault of woman Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke his silence today, strongly denying allegations in a civil lawsuit that he raped a woman at a Lake Tahoe, Nev., resort where he stayed for a celebrity golf tournament last July. Just after 2 p.m. at the Steelers' South Side facility, Roethlisberger walked into the media conference room flanked by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, team director of football operations Kevin Colbert, his agent Ryan Tollner and his attorney, William David Cornwell Sr. Roethlisberger, dressed in a pinstriped suit with a white, button-down shirt underneath, read from a prepared statement. He named his accuser at the outset, but it is the policy of the Post-Gazette not to identify alleged victims of sexual assaults. "I did not sexually assault [name deleted]," Roethlisberger said. "Saturday was the first that I learned of her accusations. Her false and vicious allegations are an attack on my family and on me. I would never, ever, force myself on a woman. I am going to fight to protect my family and my reputation. I'm not going to discuss my private life or this civil case in the media. I'll respond to her outrageous allegations in the appropriate forum. I have an obligation to our fans, to my teammates, to my coaches and everyone in the organization to remain focused on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I will do that. The allegations against me are reckless and false. As much as I would like to answer everyone's questions, I'm going to respect the legal process and I am confident that the truth will prevail." As expected, Roethlisberger took no questions. The plaintiff's attorney, Calvin R. X. Dunlap, contacted after Roethlisberger's nationally televised statement, said he did not watch it because "I was busy." He would not comment after he was told what the quarterback said. More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. First published on July 23, 2009 at 11:32 amPrehistoric animals with wingspans the length of automobiles will be arriving at the Oakland Zoo soon to receive treatment for the health effects of a chemical that continues to threaten their survival. The California condor, the largest flying land bird in North America, has been on the endangered species list since 1967, and now sick pairs of the bird are slated for arrival at the zoo’s new condor treatment center in March. California condors’ survival has been threatened by a pollutant that conservationists have been fighting to regulate for decades—lead. “Lead poisoning is the number one threat to these guys,” said Andrea Goodnight, an associate veterinarian at the Oakland Zoo. Condors are strictly scavengers, Goodnight said, that eat dead mammals such as deer, sheep and cattle. The vulturous creature contracts lead poisoning when it feeds on carcasses of game that have been shot with lead bullets. Shot animals and gut piles are sometimes left on the field by hunters, Goodnight said, and ingested by scavengers like the condor. Cases of condors acquiring lead poisoning were so rampant that by 1987, there were only 22 condors left in the world, with the US Fish and Wildlife Services listing lead poisoning and random shootings as the main causes of their declining numbers. Lead poisoning causes neurotoxic effects, first making the birds lethargic. “They get very weak,” Goodnight said. “They can’t really walk. You’ll see them kind of falling over and then eventually they can’t feed themselves.” That’s because the poisoning slows down their gut and makes it so that their gastrointestinal tract—the part of the digestive system that transports water and nutrients—can’t move. “Basically, the bird slowly starves to death,” Goodnight said. In July 2008, a state law began prohibiting the use of lead ammunition for hunting deer, elk, wild pig, and pronghorn antelope in areas inhabited by the condor. But the problem, Goodnight says, is that the birds sometimes fly out of their range to find meat to scavenge, so lead continues to be a threat to the species. Today there are approximately 200 condors in the wild, and another 200 in captivity, Goodnight said. Every surviving wild California condor is currently tracked with GPS and satellite tags, so biologists know where the birds are and can detect when they are moving more slowly, a sign that they might be sick. This fall, the Oakland Zoo partnered with the California Condor Recovery Program, a conservation effort involving the US Fish and Wildlife Services and a number of wildlife facilities, to help the condor population grow by treating them for lead poisoning. The zoo’s new facility, which was funded by its conservation fund and donations from companies including FedEx and AT&T, is very simple, Goodnight said. It has an indoor workroom and two chain-link fence pens that are each 15-by-15 feet wide and 9 feet tall. A partition board separates the two pens, since biologists have learned that, despite being social creatures, not all condors are compatible. Part of the facility has an overhang; the other part is out in the sun. Inside the facility, zoo staffers will administer chelation therapy, which pulls lead out of the birds’ blood. Visitors to the zoo will not be permitted inside the condor treatment facility, Goodnight said, to prevent the birds from socializing too much with humans and losing their natural instincts. But a live webcam has been placed in their pens, so that once the birds arrive, Internet users can watch them all day and all night. “We want them to stay acclimated so that they can return to the wild,” Goodnight said. “The goal is to return the birds as quickly as we can to their natural habitat.” Goodnight said that the zoo will most likely receive its first sick condor in March when biologists at the Ventana Wildlife Society (in Big Sur) and Pinnacles National Park (in the Central Valley) test the lead levels of the condors currently living in these wild spaces. Biologists test the wild condor population two times a year. Prior to the creation of the Oakland facility, the nearest place to treat condors living in Big Sur and the Central Valley were the Los Angeles or San Diego zoos, Goodnight said. “This project was huge for us,” said Nicky Mora, the spokesperson for the Oakland Zoo. Nancy Filippi, the operations manager at the Oakland Zoo, also expressed enthusiasm at the zoo’s new ability to help a nearby species. “This is near and dear because it’s right in our backyard,” she said. Teams of biologists, conservationists and veterinarians like Goodnight are pushing for the public to be aware of the plight of the condor and the continuing need to preserve the species. In one effort to promote awareness of conservation, the first condor cameras in the wild are being set up in Big Sur by Camzone Networks, a live streaming video and web cam service provider, so that footage of the state’s condor in its natural habitat will be accessible to bird watching novices and experts alike. It’s important to pay attention to the health of the condor, Goodnight says, because if a species that’s been around for nearly 100,000 years can perish due to man-made causes, so can other kinds of animals. “Even if you don’t care about the condor in particular,” she said, “if the condor goes, other species are going to follow.”California residents on Medicare saved $585 on average through May under… (Joe Raedle/Getty Images ) Nearly 70,000 Medicare patients in California saved $41 million on their prescription drugs during the first five months of this year under the federal healthcare law, new data show. Touting the early benefits of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare officials said these patients have saved $585, on average, through a provision that is gradually phasing out the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole on Part D drug plans. In 2012, prescription-drug coverage for Medicare patients stops when their spending reaches $2,930 and resumes at $4,700. This year, the federal healthcare law calls for drug makers to provide a 50% discount on brand-name drugs to most beneficiaries who are in the coverage gap and there’s also a 14% discount on generic drugs. The doughnut hole will be eliminated by 2020 if the federal overhaul stands. The U.S. Supreme Courtis is expected to announce its ruling on the constitutionality of the law Thursday.Surveillance footage shows a suspect walking through the Stuarts Draft Family Pharmacy during a break-in on Saturday, May 30, 2015. (Photo: Submitted) STUARTS DRAFT — Several hundred tablets of hydrocodone and alprazolam were stolen early Saturday morning during a burglary at a county pharmacy, the Augusta County Sheriff's Office reported. The break-in took place at the Stuarts Draft Family Pharmacy at 2929 Stuarts Draft Highway. The sheriff's office said deputies responded to a store alarm at 3:45 a.m., where they found a front glass door broken and its glass pulled out. A suspect is being sought, and surveillance footage of the suspect was obtained. Anyone with information concerning the break-in is asked to call the Augusta County Sheriff's Office at 245-5333 or the "Crime Line" at (800) 322-2017. Read or Share this story: http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2015/06/01/pills-pharmacy-stuarts-draft-burglary/28298141/KOLKATA: State-run NTPC, the country’s biggest thermal power generator, will not make any coal imports this year as it has been assured of adequate supplies by Coal India. NTPC has been relying on imported coal for the past 10 years to meet its needs.“Towards the beginning of 2015-16, NTPC was planning to import around 21 million tonne of coal, which was later scaled down to 16 million. However, following more than adequate supplies from Coal India, the company deferred its coal imports for the year and received far less than the initial planned volume,” a senior NTPC executive said on condition of anonymity.According to some officials, NTPC imported only 9.47 million tonne of coal in the last fiscal year, a drop of 42% over the previous fiscal.Going forward, NTPC may not need to import any coal because its captive mine, Pakri Brwadi, is scheduled to commence production in the next few months. However, some of the orders placed during the beginning of 2015-16 will get delivered this year although no fresh orders would be placed this year.“The company’s efforts during second half of FY16 as a result of rationalization of coal linkages, reduction in imported coal consumption enforcement of third-party sampling of coal and other measures led to reduction in energy charges of coal stations by nearly 20%,” another sebior NTPC executive said. “NTPC shall endeavour to bring down the energy charges further to help the discoms.”Playing video on an Android device is generally done through an application dedicated to that purpose. YouTube, Vimeo, and most other video services have their own applications so you don’t have to play things through the browser. Some videos, though, need to be played through a browser. Now, Chrome for Android is quietly adding a new feature that makes watching those videos feel a bit more native. The best gifts for Android users Hidden in chrome://flags on both Chrome Beta and Chrome Dev is a new option that enables videos to be automatically placed into full screen when your smartphone is rotated into landscape mode. Once enabled, the flag works as promised. Simply start playing a video on whatever website you want on Chrome and it will go into full screen once you’ve turned your phone to landscape. Where might you use this feature? Really anything played on the web (including YouTube) is up for grabs with this. The biggest use case I see for the majority of users is videos on local news sites, the majority of which still keep their content self-hosted instead of using other services. To make use of this feature you will, of course, need to enable auto-rotation, which makes sense. For now, the feature also needs to be manually enabled. Currently, this is only available in Chrome Beta/Dev, but should eventually make its way to the stable version. To enable it for now, simply copy and paste the following into your URL bar and toggle it to “enabled.” chrome://flags#video-rotate-to-fullscreen (via XDA-Developers)Call it “the Gateway Bill” — or “Cheech and Chong’s Law.” Albany is looking at legalizing “medical marijuana” — and then making it unique among prescription drugs by taxing it. Maybe it’s a step on the way to legalizing pot altogether — or maybe to taxing all medications. Revenue projections from prescription pot are part of the state Senate’s budget for 2010-11 — and the bill to legalize and tax it looks to be on the fast track. The bill, sponsored by Senate Health Committee Chairman Thomas Duane and Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried (both Manhattan Democrats), passed the Senate Code Committee last week and will now go to the full Senate for a vote. Albany would collect in two ways. First, the state Health Department would issue licenses to specific dispensaries and growers; the Senate budget projects this could yield as much as $15 million for the state next year alone. But the real gold is in the sales tax on every dope purchase — which could bring in up to $500 million for Albany’s coffers. But weed would be unique in having a sales tax attached to it. The purchase of prescription pharmaceuticals, and even some over-the-counter drugs, is generally exempt from taxation because of their medicinal value. As the Tax Foundation’s Bill Ahern asks, “If they are going to tax marijuana, isn’t that just like an admission that it has no medical value?” Alternately, of course, perhaps state lawmakers figure this is a good test for taxing all medicines. Not a good idea, and not likely — on the other hand, they might decide it’s a good way to close those multibillion-dollar budget gaps. And the taxes could start small... But it’s much more likely to be just a step toward broader legalization. In other states with medical-MJ laws, potheads find plenty of ways to get prescriptions.In California, it’s a matter of finding the right doctor who will then prescribe pot to treat such varied symptoms as general anxiety, trouble sleeping and other vague “nervous conditions.” And it’s hard to believe New York’s state Health Department — which notoriously can’t even police nursing homes — is going to do much to stop the same thing from happening here. California, meanwhile, might make the leap from prescription pot to legalization. After a decade, the Golden State is only getting $100 million a year in revenue from its pot tax. Democrat Assemblyman Tom Ammiano proposed a bill to fully legalize marijuana — which the state’s tax collectors estimate would bring in about $1.3 billion a year. The bill failed to pass — but a legalization measure will be on the ballot in November. Voters might approve it just for the revenue. “The state of California is in a very, very precipitous economic plight. It’s in the toilet,” says Ammiano. “With any revenue ideas, people say you have to think outside the box... and I feel that the issue of the decriminalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana fits that bill.” Back to New York, where the Senate bill would plainly tax “medical” marijuana as the state does cigarettes and alcohol, with consumers paying a premium for the privilege. Sure looks more like a “sin tax” than a compassionate act for people in chemotherapy and others with real illnesses. Maybe New York is ready for a stealth path to legalizing pot: It’s already decriminalized — or largely overlooked by the cops — in much of the state. Full legalization would simply mean that Albany makes some of the profit off what’s now a huge black market. But if we’re going to go there, let’s be honest about it — and not pretend “medical marijuana” is about the sick. awschachter@nypost.comMy Open Letter Concerning Net Neutrality Brian Purkiss Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jul 11, 2017 As a web developer and a small business owner in the online realm, net neutrality is critical to ensure fair competition between small and large businesses. Net Neutrality allows my website to be treated exactly the same by ISPs as every other website. ISPs have spent the last decade carving out their own realms, creating regional monopolies, and setting up a nationwide oligopoly. They have used government power to help ensure these mini monopolies. This means there is no substantial competition in the majority of markets across America. According to the FCC, 30% of Americans do not have access to high speed internet and 48% of Americans only have access to one high speed internet provider. 55% of Americans don’t even have access to 100Mbps speeds. This means America does not viable internet alternatives. Now ISPs want to remove net neutrality rules which allows them to block, alter, and throttle websites at their own choosing. This allows them to offer their own websites for free, slow down or block competition, and charge higher rates for websites like Facebook or Netflix. The ISPs can even block websites that criticize their business practices. Since most Americans don’t have any ISP alternatives, it means we are at the mercy of these telecommunication giants who have shown they do not have consumer first business practices. Removing net neutrality will hurt small businesses and the average American in order to increase profits of multi billion dollar companies. I urge everyone to support Net Neutrality. In doing so, you support small businesses, you support free speech on the internet, and you support economic growth for all of America. Please contact your representatives: https://www.battleforthenet.com/City councillor Jamie Gough asks why city council staff should be paid more than others doing the same job elsewhere through the Living Wage Last week I voted against adopting the Living Wage (minimum $20.20 per hour) for city council staff. Its adoption has a direct cost to ratepayers of $775,000 – that’s the first year alone and excludes pay relatively figures. I was in the minority, as it was approved by a sizeable margin. I’m not a heartless capitalist – far from it – being in this role means I forego the greater remuneration, anonymity and work-life balance of the private sector. I’ve also donated the entirety of my directors fees to charity over a number of years. I don’t seek praise or a medal, I do so willingly because I believe I bring a commercial skill-set that adds value to the governance of the city that I love and call home. City council is a monopoly. You can’t pay your rates elsewhere because you think your current mob couldn’t be trusted to run a bath, let alone the finances of a city. It’s because of this that I work to ensure each hard-earned ratepayer dollar goes as far as it can and that the city council operates as effectively and efficiently as possible. The Living Wage is calculated on the assumption that it helps support two adults with two children; a pay rate struck on assumed demographics. Most city council staff who will now be paid more don’t even fall into this demographic – 67 per cent are part-time staff in their teens or 20s. It begs the question why should someone be paid more because they work for the city council over someone doing the same job elsewhere, like the hospital or a private company? And why should that very person earning less at the hospital or private company now be forced to top-up the pay of those doing the same job at the city council? The real kicker is that this decision was made without even knowing the true cost from the inevitable bow wave of pay relativity. For every 18-year-old part-timer employed who goes from $16 per hour to $20.20, a team leader who was paid $21 will now understandably demand a relative increase. And when they go to $25, those on $25 go to $29, and $29 to $33, and so on. I’d suggest the initial $775,000 cost to the ratepayer will pale by comparison. I support closing the gaps between the haves and have-nots and from an employment perspective, I’d favour smaller percentage increases at the upper-end and greater dollar increases at the lower-end. Couple that with training and up-skilling so lower income earners can genuinely command greater salaries and you have a strategy that is both sustainable and rates neutral. So is spending above market rates for social reasons commendable? Sure, if it’s your own business but not when it’s the ratepayers.Another person was wrongly convicted in Kentucky. Yesterday Edwin Chandler became the ninth innocent person since 2000 helped by the Kentucky Innocence Project to have a conviction set aside in the state “when Jefferson Circuit Judge Fred Cowan vacated the manslaughter and robbery charges against Chandler after prosecutors and police announced they had convicted the wrong man” the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. Chandler’s vindication is another example of how unreliable the justice system can be, even when it tries hard to be fair. You can watch Judge Cowan apologize to Chandler for the justice system’s mistake and Chandler’s comments here: According to The Courier-Journal: “When Steve Schroering prosecuted Chandler in 1995, he said he had no doubt that the right man went to prison. “It was never a case I had second thoughts about until this morning” when Commonwealth’s Attorney Dave Stengel called to tell him the conviction was being set aside. Jurors in Chandler’s trial never heard from an eye witness–who’d left his contact information with the police–who said the wrong man was in custody. In addition to the nine individuals wrongly convicted in Kentucky who were helped by the Kentucky Innocence Project, Larry Osborne was released from death row in 2002 after a jury in a second trial found him not guilty. The high risk of making mistakes is reason enough to end the use of the death penalty in Kentucky. Share this: Facebook Twitter More LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email PrintThose who do not live in Washington or Colorado, I have a consolation inhalation prize for you. A glass globe-and-funnel contraption straight out of the Real Genius chem lab, the Vaportini kit gassifies alcohol into a breathable cloud of intoxication. Instant intoxication. Calorie-free intoxication. Yes, I agree. The Vaportini is both the best and worst* culinary invention ever created. So where to get one and how to use it? Vaportini manufacturers currently handle sales of their kits directly. Each includes a glass globe, metal ring, plastic funnel, glass straw, and candle. Acquire a kit, and then find yourself some alcohol with a proof of 80 or higher. During extensive testing (what lucky SOBs got that job?) Vaportini wizards determined higher proofs, as well as flavor-laden spirits, produced the best inhalation experiences, imparting strong but smooth essences. Their favorites: any persuasion of Absolut; Knob Creek bourbon; Tanqueray Rangpur; and Effen Black Cherry Vanilla. Next, obtain a pint glass. It is the one element the Vaportini kit does not contain. Then: Place the candle in the bottom of the pint glass and light it. Secure the metal Vaportini ring to the top of the glass. Set the Vaportini globe on top of the ring with the opening facing up. Insert the funnel into the opening of the globe, and pour in 1 to 1-1/2 ounces of spirits. Allow the spirits and your anticipation to heat for approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Excitement will peak as a clear vapor begins to form. Insert the straw into the globe's opening, making sure to hold it above the liquid. Suck it up! Suck it up! Waaa!...um, sorry. I mean, inhale deeply, hold the vapors in your lungs for a few seconds, and then exhale. ...um, sorry. I mean, inhale deeply, hold the vapors in your lungs for a few seconds, and then exhale. Rock on. Responsibly. Note: The Vaportini is legal to sell in all states for any establishment with a �Consumption on Premises� license. Meaning that bars and restaurants can buy them in bulk and make a killing, particularly in cities such as Los Angeles and Dallas where the entire female population refuses to consume calories. Note the Second: Alcohol inhaled Vaportini-style is still detectable in a blood alcohol test. Vaportini reps suggest that the vessel's speedy kick-in characteristic actually advocates responsible drinking. Since we feel the liquor's effects shortly after exhalation, our typical desire to knock another one back right away--or in this case, hit the straw again--subsides. However, the idea is based on the assumption that people understand what it means to have too much of a good thing, that less is more, and that overconsumption is a fundamental plague of the 21st century. Most people do not understand these things. They're why I own a dozen devices with the "i" prefix, why I'll be wearing Dress Pants Sweatpants to work until I lose the gut I gained in December, and why I had to scrape and Drain-O some idiot's puke out of my bathroom sink after a Christmas party last month.Version 1.7 a new dawn We introduce Fernvale, a reverse-engineered, open hardware and software platform based upon Mediatek's MT6260 value phone SoC. The MT6260 is the chip that powers many of the $10 GSM feature phones produced by the Shanzhai. Fernvale is made available as open-licensed schematics, board layouts, and an RTOS based upon the BSD-licensed NuttX, as well as a suite of open tools for code development and firmware upload. We discuss our technical reverse engineering efforts, as well as our methodology to lawfully import IP from the Shanzhai ecosystem into the Maker ecosystem. We hope to establish a repeatable, if not labor-intensive, model for opening up previously closed IP of interest, thereby outlining a path to leveling the playing field for lawful Makers. There is a set of technology which Makers are legally allowed access, and there is a much larger set of technology which is used to make our every day gadgets. Access to the best closed-source technology is prevented via barriers such as copyright (limiting your ability to learn how it works), patent (limiting your ability to make something similar), and supply-chain (limiting your ability to buy it). As a result, open-licensed, Maker-friendly technologies have trailed closed-source technology in terms of cost, performance, and features. Makers operating under Western IP law are legally bound by these barriers, and are forced to settle for Arduinos, Beaglebones, Raspberry Pis and Novenae. However, all of these are a far cry in terms of cost, performance, and features from what consumers typically expect from boxes purchased in retail stores. Our research into the Chinese ecosystem indicates there is another way. Originally marginalized as outlaws and copycats, the Shanzhai of China – China's counterpart to the Western hacker-maker – exist in a realm where copyright and patent barriers are permeable, a state which we refer to as 'gongkai'. As a result, knowledge and access to state of the art closed source technology has diffused into the Shanzhai ecosystem. Today, they have moved beyond the rote copying of Nokia, Samsung, and Apple, and have created a thriving, vibrant ecosystem where mobile technology is rip/mix/burned; their products are mass-produced at a rate of millions per month for the “rest of the world”, e.g. emerging markets such as Africa, Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Russia. About a year ago, we did a tear-down of an example $12 phone, and contrasted it to the Arduino Uno. For $29, the Arduino Uno gets you a 16MHz, 8-bit CPU with 2.5k of RAM, and USB plus a smattering of GPIO as the sole interfaces. For $12, a phone out of the Chinese gongkai ecosystem gets you a 260 MHz, 32-bit CPU with 8MiB of RAM, with USB, microSD, SIM, quad-band GSM, Bluetooth, an OLED display and a battery. It begs the question of why, when Makers talk about IoT technologies in the West, they typically think of wifi-powered solutions in the $20-70 range, versus a GSM platform in the $10-$20 range. In this lecture, we disclose an attempt to short-circuit the disclosure barrier. We are releasing an open hardware and software solution built around the Mediatek MT6260. The MT6260 is a 32-bit ARM7EJ-S SoC with 8MiB of PSRAM in-package, as well as USB, LCD, touchscreen, audio, Bluetooth, quad-band GSM, dual-SIM, FM radio, UART, keypad, SD card, camera, and other peripherals integrated. The chip can be purchased on the over-the-counter market for about $2-3 in China. We call our solution built around this chip “Fernvale”. Fernvale is similar to the “LinkIt ONE” recently released by Mediatek and Seeed Studios, based upon the MT2502A SoC and targeted at IoT and wearables. LinkIt indicates a new direction for Mediatek and we are optimistic that their effort indicates a new pattern of openness toward Makers. At the time of this proposal's submission, the details of the LinkIt ONE platform are still unfolding, but the basic feature set looks comparable to that of Fernvale. However, it seems the LinkIt SDK is still based upon a closed-source Nucleus RTOS providing services to an open Arduino-like API. Unlike LinkIt ONE, Fernvale runs a port of NuttX, a small-footprint BSD-licensed RTOS that is Posix and ANSI compliant, and includes a partial set of drivers for the available hardware peripherals. The mainboard is laid out to function as either a SoM (system on module) or as a truncated Arduino shield (with the appropriate headers populated), and focuses on the computational abilities of the platform. In other words, Fernvale is not positioned as a mobile phone solution per se, but rather as an Engineering Development Kit (EDK) for embedded applications that can benefit from a highly-integrated, low-cost high-performance microcontroller solution such as the MT6260. As a result, the mainboard breaks out a selection of GPIO as well as the speaker, battery, USB, and SD card interfaces. The mainboard also serves as a base platform for rallying a larger community of developers who can aid with the task of reverse engineering and writing legally open drivers for its massive peripheral set. Two expansion headers are provided on the mainboard. A larger UX header can be used to attach a keypad + LCD + audio interface, for applications that require UI elements. A smaller analog header enables users to attach an RF front-end of their choosing, which could potentially enable GSM-compatible voice and data services, if drivers were to exist. This lecture will also discuss our experiences reverse engineering, and our approach to open-sourcing the MT6260. We had to reverse engineer significant portions of the system, including but not limited to circuit board layouts, hardware configuration options, bootloader protocols, partial register maps, and the internal boot ROM of the SoC. This reverse engineering effort was necessary to create a blob-free software implementation, and to give developers an alternative to Mediatek's proprietary firmware flashing utilities to upload code. It was also necessary to create schematics and circuit board maskworks which have an original copyright thereby giving us the right to pick an open license for the hardware designs. We took special pains to ensure our method was lawful and the resulting work is copyright-clean under U.S. law. We did review some non-open-licensed chip documentation and code examples available for download from open file-sharing sites. None of these materials were restricted by DRM. American copyright law contains a fair-use exception that allows limited copying and examination of such materials for the purpose of understanding the ideas and functional concepts embodied in them. We believe our download and review of those materials is fair use. Should potential copyright holders disagree with our interpretation, we invite any offended parties to engage us in rational discourse. We believe that Makers have for too long lived in the shadow of overbearing copyright laws. We need to develop an example of how to import ideas from less strict IP jurisdictions where innovation is flourishing; failing this, hardware Makers run the risk of being eternally behind the Shanzhai. Fernvale is our first attempt at developing a legal context for importing IP from the gongkai ecosystem into a fully open source solution; we hope our example will embolden other developers to pursue more ambitious targets. We also hope our work may, in the long term, catalyze meaningful Maker-friendly reform to Western IP law by raising awareness of the disparity between East and West, with the success of the Shanzhai serving as evidence of how permissive IP policy can be good for both grass-roots innovators (the Shanzhai) and big businesses (Mediatek and the phone network operators) alike.Algeria may get Russian reactor 04 September 2014 Share Russia and Algeria have signed an intergovernmental agreement to cooperate in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The agreement - signed yesterday in Algiers by Rosatom director general Sergey Kiriyenko and Algerian energy minister Youcef Yousfi - provides for the design, construction, operation and servicing of nuclear power plants as well as research reactors in Algeria. All technologies, materials and equipment transferred to Algeria under the agreement will be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, Rosatom said. In addition, the two countries intend to carry out jointly exploration and operation of uranium deposits, Rosatom said. The agreement also states the possibility of the use of nuclear technologies in agriculture, biology, soil science, seawater desalination, and medicine, including the production of radioisotopes, Rosatom said. The two sides will also cooperate in radiation safety in Algeria. "The key project of our cooperation could be construction of a nuclear power plant of the Russian VVER design," Kiriyenko said in the Rosatom statement. "We welcome the intention of the Algerian authorities to develop the national electricity [sector] and are ready to offer them a Generation III+ reference project, which meets the strictest safety requirements," he said. Russian nuclear specialists "have accumulated a lot of experience" in building nuclear power plants in countries with a hot climate and high seismic activity, he said. This fact is proved by the successful operation of the Bushehr nuclear power plant Rosatom built in Iran, Kiriyenko said. The two sides have agreed to set up a joint coordinating committee tasked with implementing the agreement, Rosatom said. According to the Rosatom statement, Yousfi said the agreement would facilitate the development of human resources, technologies and science to build the first nuclear power plant in Algeria "within the coming 12 years"”. Electricity demand rose in Algeria last year by 50 million tonnes of oil equivalent, according to Rosatom. In February 2009 Algeria announced that it planned to build its first nuclear power plant to be operating about 2020, and might build a further unit every five years thereafter. In 2013 the target became a first plant by 2025, and a Nuclear Engineering Institute was established to provide training. In September 2009 its National Mining Patrimony Agency put uranium exploration leases in the southern Tamanrasset province out for tender. The 2011 'Red Book' shows the country having 26,000 tonnes of uranium resources, all in the high-cost category. Algeria has operated two research reactors since 1995, at Draria and Ain Ouessara. The 15 MWt Es-Salam plant is a Chinese heavy water reactor which started up in 1992, the Nur 1 MWe pool unit was built by INVAP of Argentina in the 1980s. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topicsX Complete Initialization for 10 kreds Complete the Quest and earn an exclusive shiny kongpanion + 10 kreds 15% « Previous Next » Congratulations! You’ve completed your Kongregate account! Keep exploring Kongregate with more badges and games! Congratulations! You’ve completed your Kartridge quest! Spend your hard earned kreds on some of these games! Hide the progress bar forever? Yes No Forums → Realm Grinder → REALM GRINDER - ANCIENT ETERNALS [v2.3.0.0 Full Patch Notes] Limit my search to this forum 127 posts « Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next » There was an error. Delete post THIS IS A SPINNER or cancel THIS IS A SPINNER metadata Hello everyone! Starting from Reincarnation 46, you will finally be able to start the questline for the new Neutral Prestige faction! Keep your excavations ready, as the quest starts with an ancient and mysterious artifact... FULL PATCH NOTES:* * NEW FACTION: A Prestige Neutral faction has been added. You will be able to stack it up onto a neutral faction such as Titans, Druids or Faceless once you complete their entry quest. Starting from
video reveal that a skull and crossbones “death” symbol was clearly visible on the sidewalk in front of Politics & Prose as of July 2010. This symbol was easily visible in a Google Maps Street View search: The Skull and Crossbones symbol is also seen in the Skull and Bones society, also known as the Brotherhood of Death, which many US presidents have been members of: THE TEMPLAR CONNECTION Everyone knows the Skull and Crossbones is the classic “black flag” of the pirate ships robbing gold out of the Caribbean as it emerged from South America. It is also called the “Jolly Roger.” Far fewer people know that this gold theft was all being done by the now-hidden Knight Templars after their stunning, public mass arrest. They used their superior naval power to gather awesome wealth and bury it in “banks” along the shoreline of places like Nova Scotia. I go deeply into the history of all of this in Episode 189 of Wisdom Teachings, “Illuminating the Templars and the Maltese Cross, Part I.” The 32nd-degree Masonic apron features this Templar symbol as well. The 1800s-era version of the apron had a metallic skull and crossbones: ‘THAT’ ANDREW KLINE…. Besta Pizza and the coffeeshop at Politics & Prose are owned by Andrew Kline. And it is that Andrew Kline – the Clinton appointee overseeing the prosecution of child sex trafficking. Kline’s ownership of Besta Pizza was hidden three levels deep in government data ( 1, 2, 3 ), so it was not easy for civilian investigators to find. As revealed in a Vanity Fair article from May 24, 2011, “Special Litigation Counsel Andrew Kline, a Clinton appointee with an M.A. in human rights from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, was one of four attorneys in the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit of the Department of Justice, in the Civil Rights Division. It fell upon the curly-haired, bespectacled Kline (now a senior adviser in the executive office of the president) and one other colleague to provide U.S. attorneys nationwide with training on prosecuting trafficking cases.” If one of four highest-ranking attorneys in the DoJ responsible for arresting pedophiles is himself a perpetrator, he can help ensure that he and his friends never get caught. According to a Guardian article from Nov. 3rd, “The currently serving FBI agent said Clinton is “the antichrist personified to a large swath of FBI personnel.” MASTER DATABASE SAVED FROM DELETION The central nexus-point for Pizzagate research on Reddit was censored as it went viral, as were the backups, but thankfully Archive.org captured it at its peak on November 22nd: https://web.archive.org/web/20161122083118/https://m.reddit.com/r/pizzagate/comments/5da0kp/comet_ping_pong_pizzagate_summary/ Now that we have published this link, it may be censored off of Archive as well, but for now anyone can grab the data and mirror it. All the initial, landmark Pizzagate videos were based off of the research in this thread, though additional links are continually being discovered as well. As an example, “Ping Pong” is apparently a slang reference for sex, due to the rhythmic motion involved. The fact that Comet Ping-Pong has many different ping-pong tables in the restaurant therefore becomes part of the “inside joke.” The Comet Ping Pong menu has a logo of two ping-pong paddles on it that looks very similar to the FBI-identified logo for Child Lover. The wooden handles form a very clear Maltese / Templar cross, tilted sideways. There is also a subtle suggestion of a human face that has been blindfolded — the white strip over the two circular paddles — and gagged, as seen in the X. The “blindfold” over the paddles says “Play. Eat. Drink.” This may be an acronym for PED – i.e. a pedophile. All of this, and much more, can be found in the Reddit archive, though they did not see the Templar connections. But of course, this is just a tragic example of “how fake news is hurting real people” — so says the New York Times. WHAT ABOUT THE 650,000 SEIZED EMAILS? The greatest “plot twist” of the 2016 election was when FBI director James Comey announced that 650,000 new emails had been found on October 28th – just three days before Halloween. Hillary’s campaign manager Huma Abedin was married to Anthony Weiner, who was caught in a months-long online sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl. The 650,000 emails, thousands of which were Clinton-related, were found in a folder on Weiner’s laptop entitled “Life Insurance.” So many people who opposed the Clintons died of “suicide,” ever since Bill’s run as the governor of Arkansas, that the term “Arkancide” was coined. Sensationally, the day before the election, Comey announced that no new evidence had been found in the emails, which have not yet been leaked. Trump blasted Comey for this ludicrous announcement. It appeared that Comey was caught in between two different groups, both giving him lethal threats. Just three days earlier, insider Erik Prince had released a bombshell of new information from the NYPD and the FBI. ERIK PRINCE’S STUNNING “REVEAL” On November 4th, Breitbart News featured a massively significant article entitled “Erik Prince: NYPD Ready to Make Arrests in Anthony Weiner Case.” Many people who formerly worked “on the inside” for the Cabal / New World Order have defected and become whistleblowers. As the original founder of the Cabal’s own mercenary army Blackwater, Erik Prince definitely appears to have broken away and joined what we are calling the Alliance. In this groundbreaking article, we read the following: “Blackwater founder and former Navy SEAL Erik Prince… claimed he had insider knowledge of the investigation that could help explain why FBI Director James Comey had to announce he was reopening the investigation into Clinton’s email server last week…. “[The NYPD] found a lot of other really damning criminal information [in the 650,000 emails on Weiner’s laptop],… including the fact that Hillary went to this sex island with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Bill Clinton went there more than 20 times. Hillary Clinton went there at least six times,” he said…. “The NYPD wanted to do a press conference announcing the warrants and the additional arrests they were making in this investigation, and they’ve gotten huge pushback, to the point of coercion, from the Justice Department.” THE EMAIL EVIDENCE IS “SO BAD”… “GREAT EVIL” As we read further in this key Breitbart article, we hear that the mayor of NYC wanted nothing to do with the 650,000 new emails, and the NYPD feels they are proof of “great evil:” “As for [ Bill de Blasio, ] the mayor of New York City, [Blackwater founder Erik] Prince said he has heard that “de Blasio wants to stay away from this.” “The [new Clinton email] evidence is so bad, the email content is so bad, that I think even [de Blasio] wants to stay away from it, which is really telling,” he said…. “For any cop that is aware of this level of wrongdoing, and they have veterans in their family… they owe it to them to stand up… and shine the light of truth on this great evil.”… “This is stuff coming right off a hard drive that was owned by Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin, Hillary’s closest adviser for the last 20 years,” he said of the new bombshells. “This is not from some hacker or anybody else. This is a laptop seized from a warrant in a criminal investigation.”… “This kind of evil, this kind of true dirt on Hillary Clinton – look, you don’t have to make any judgments. Just release the emails,” [Erik Prince] urged. “Just dump them. Let them out there. Let people see the light of truth.” WHAT ABOUT BREITBART? On February 4th, 2011, Andrew Breitbart tweeted, “How prog-guru John Podesta isn’t [a] household name as [a] world class underage sex slave op cover-upper defending unspeakable dregs escapes me.” Then, a year later, all throughout February 2012, Breitbart telegraphed the release of a video that he said would appear on March 1st. This video, he claimed, would be severely damaging to Obama’s re-election campaign. “Wait till they see what happens March 1st,” he said. Right before the anticipated release, on February 28th, 2012, he tweeted, “How much longer until they kill me (“heart attack” or “car accident”) or frame me for a crime? Read me while you can.” Andrew died of an alleged heart attack on March 1st, 2012—just two days later. Coincidence? The coroner who conducted the investigation died of arsenic poisoning just two months later. It’s not that hard to figure out what happened here. Blatant stunts like this are intended to scare people off, so they fear the seemingly limitless power of the “monster under the bed” and retreat back into the safety of silence… and ignorance. WILL STEVE BANNON PURSUE JUSTICE? Steve Bannon took over Breitbart News after Andrew’s death, becoming Executive Chair in March 2012. It is therefore very interesting that Trump appointed Bannon to a cabinet-level position as his chief strategist and senior counselor. Realnews™ outlets are in an all-out panic about Bannon’s new role, doing everything they possibly can to demonize him. Bannon does have character defects. The media is amplifying them to the point where it seems as if that’s all there is to see. However, Bannon’s appointment also makes it very likely that Pizzagate arrests will take place some time after the inauguration on January 20th. On November 22nd, Trump announced that he will not prosecute Hillary himself. He won’t have to. The NYPD and the FBI will probably do it for him. Our insiders have revealed that if any action were to be taken before the inauguration, Obama could issue pardons to stop prosecution from occurring. Hence, we are in an agonizing “holding pattern” between now and then. THE TWO BIGGEST MISSING PIECES The archived Reddit thread has much of the initial Pizzagate evidence that generated countless legions of YouTube videos, marching to defeat the Cabal. Here are the two biggest things missing from the Reddit Pizzagate thread that are likely to be relevant: 1. The owner of Comet Ping Pong’s name, James Alefantis, appears to be a pseudonym cipher designed to resemble “J’aime les enfants,” which means “I love children” in French; 2. The character who performed at Comet Ping Pong wearing a red ski mask, black sunglasses and a blonde wig, “Majestic Ape,” appears to be James Alefantis as well. James Alefantis is still listed on GQ as the 49th most powerful person in Washington DC at the time of this writing: http://www.gq.com/gallery/50-most-powerful-people-in-washington-dc#49 The hands of Majestic Ape, as seen in the music videos, are clearly male. They have the same size and shape as those of Alefantis, and have no hair, just like those of Alefantis. The mouth that we see through Ape’s mask looks exactly like Alefantis’ mouth, including the thin lips, noticeable indentions around the philtrum below the nose, and the shape of the corners. Furthermore, the voice of Majestic Ape, while speaking through the vocoder, sounds exactly like a pitch-shifted version of Alefantis’ voice. REALLY HORRIBLE STUFF Alefantis’ once-public Instagram posts included an image of a baby hashtagged as “hotard,” and a man wearing a shirt saying “J’ (heart) L’Enfants” (I love children.) If that’s not enough, how about a creepy all-steel freezer hashtagged “killroom” and “murder”, or a child with her wrists duct-taped to a ping-pong table. These are only a few of the many disturbing Instagram images that are featured in so many of the Pizzagate videos. We are not going to post them here, since almost every website that does is suffering aggressive takedowns. Murals on the walls of Comet Pizza included painted images of women holding the severed heads of children—and winged demons. The videos also report that a mural in the bathroom had a demonic image that said “Shut Up and F—,” which is very inappropriate for a child-themed restaurant. Those images have since been scrubbed off the walls, as a video confrontation with James Alefantis revealed on November 22nd. Alefantis claimed the images had been removed five years ago, but that still doesn’t answer the question of what the heck they were doing up there in the first place. “FINISH EATING YOUR PIZZA AFTER YOUR SESSION” Hackers on 4Chan claimed to have found a secret area of encrypted videos on the Comet Pizza website’s server. Although they could not de-encrypt the videos, they were able to extract an image with text on it that provided instructions to those who were accessing the videos. The instructions used code language to discuss an app that viewers would download and use one time only. Here it is… if you can handle reading it: The text from the image, if it is proven true, would be extremely damning in a criminal investigation: “This month we have five fresh pizzas for your enjoyment. We also have four surviving pizzas from last month’s session. “All are on sale at an extremely low price, as they are in poor health and not expected to survive. “Our requirement is that you finish eating your pizza after your session…. “Very few have broken the rules and needless to say, the penalties are harsh.” This was covered by Infowars reporter Joe Biggs and Sgt Report, among others. When the disclaimer said “each image below is available for $1,000 in fine print,” you most likely have to add a zero to get the price they are charging for a captured child. MAJESTIC APE VIDEOS… EVEN WORSE The single most disturbing aspect of Pizzagate—perhaps even worse than Alefantis’ insanely offensive and evil Instagram posts that were public until this started—are the videos of Majestic Ape. The name “Amanda Kleinman” is a distraction, as Majestic does not look or sound anything like her. “Majestic” is also a code term for high-level government secrecy, as in Majestic-12 or MJ-12, the group allegedly behind the UFO cover-up since at least the 1950s. An insider also revealed to Wilcock that the name “Majestic” refers to Her Majesty, the queen of England, who is a key figure in the Cabal controlling UFO secrecy. Two tapings have emerged so far of Majestic joking about raping and murdering children and babies on the Comet Pizza stage—which again is owned and run by James Alefantis. In the main live video that has been quoted in so many Pizzagate videos, at 1:18, Majestic also says, “We are here to celebrate the birth of our Lord. “It wasn’t Christmas.” SASHA LORD Other than a possible satanic reference, Majestic appears to be joking about an employee named Sasha Lord, who was celebrating a birthday. Sasha is the music booker for Comet Ping Pong. Majestic’s thinly-veiled references, as quoted in the next section below, indicate Sasha may also work there as a prostitute. The posters of Comet’s music acts on Sasha’s webpage contain multiple disturbing images. This includes the Illuminati pyramid, All-Seeing Eye, pentagrams, children, a creepy owl face that could be the god Moloch, and a cartoon decapitated corpse. Sasha’s page on Comet Ping Pong brags about the restaurant having “rough concrete walls, bathrooms hidden behind secret panels, and table tennis galore.” VERY STRANGE STUFF At 1:30 in the stage rant video, Majestic says, “If you are like me, you love Sasha. Or if you don’t, you want perks from her. (Laughs) Things like free pizza. (Audience Cheers)” Very soon after at 2:16, he says, “Have any of you enjoyed this special pizza here tonight called the Hottie?… If you haven’t had it, you should try it, it’s delicious.” He then goes on to joke that the secret ingredient in “The Hottie” is ketchup – a possible reference to the blood of a sacrifice victim. He also jokes about Sasha’s great grandfather inventing “Russian dressing, you put it on a salad… s-k it!” Sauce is one of the code words. “Salad” is sexual slang for the pubic area. This short three-and-a-half-minute video presents the most disturbing part of the 12-minute Majestic Ape video rant above, where he jokes about “euthanizing” a newborn baby… his own. Starting at 5:22, he rants that before the era of Facebook, he was worried that he was infertile. He then impregnates Sasha, and kills the baby as soon as it was born. The audience gets very uncomfortable at this point, as if he was much too high to realize what he was saying, and quickly pressures him to change the subject. DON’T WATCH THE VIDEOS IF YOU LIKE TO SLEEP Even worse are the music videos of Majestic Ape, which are loaded with satanic and pedophile symbols and include grotesque murder scenes at the end of “U the One I Want.” The video for “Airtight” appears to include a veiled offer for child sex trafficking as well as porn, disguising it as the sale of record albums and a “live, in-person performance.” The dollar values in “Airtight” are probably encoded, and require an extra zero to properly decipher. The “live performance” is offered in the video at 1000 dollars. The website http://ww3radar.tumblr.com/ made the obvious Alefantis / Majestic connection, with comparison photos. All of those photos were deleted just two days after we first located them. This makes it even more likely that there is a legitimate connection here that powerful people do not want us to find. VERY NASTY STUFF Some extremely disturbing links were associated with these images on WW3Radar, including a mock “snuff film” starring a clothed female who may possibly be Sasha Lord. This video appears on a page from someone called “Montagraph” and is entitled “Little Piggy and the Umbrella Man.” In all honesty, don’t watch it. The violent, psychopathic torturer in this video wears a black-and-white checkerboard mask. This is a Cabal symbol that appears on the floor of a Masonic lodge, indicating the interplay of negative and positive. Similarly, it is much easier to decipher the “14 Fish” symbolism on Podesta’s hands than most of the YouTube videos think. 14 is the number of dismembered body parts of Osiris, which the Cabal sees as Lucifer, the left-handed path. The fish is the symbol for Christ, the right-handed path. Notice they are on the opposite hands. The Cabal believe that both paths must be practiced to their fullest extent in order to achieve enlightenment or “Ilumination.” Many YouTubers have noticed the bandage on the “middle finger of his left hand,” exactly as Marina Abramovic recommends you wound with a knife in her Spirit Cooking ceremonies. ROBERTA’S PIZZA… Hillary has claimed that her favorite restaurant in New York is Roberta’s Pizza, and their Instagram page is practically bursting with sinister Cabal images, as this video reveals. Again… we urge you not to look into any of this disturbing material unless you have a very strong stomach and some real time to process the emotional shock you will experience. According to Alex Jones, grown men working for the FBI would cry when they saw the evidence in the seized Clinton emails, and were so scared they walked away from the case. MILEY CYRUS AND PIZZA On December 15, 2014, Life & Style Weekly wrote, “If you follow Miley Cyrus on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that the 22-year-old is weirdly obsessed with pizza “Like, almost every other post is pizza-related.” Cyrus has created countless Photoshopped images of herself with pizza—including an ultrasound of a baby made out of pizza in a mother’s womb. The Life & Style article leads with a picture of Miley’s head on a swimming baby, with her tongue out, licking at a piece of pizza on a fishing hook. We are not going to include these images here, just so the overall look of this article is a little less disturbing. A Google Image search of “Miley Cyrus pizza” generates countless examples. Many of these images again suggest a highly sexualized environment around pizza. Cyrus started out as Hanna Montana, a children’s hero with Disney’s top-ranked show. Then, before she was even of legal age, she shape-shifted into a hyper-sexualized figure revealing countless examples of Cabal symbolism in her videos. UNDER ATTACK BY SATAN In 2011, Miley’s father Billy Ray Cyrus told GQ that his family was under attack by Satan, and he was scared for his daughter. In 2015, Miley dressed up as a hyper-sexual baby, complete with a pacifier and baby clothes, in her video BB Talk. The UK Independent deemed this “the most disturbing music video of 2015:” “Look, it’s probably not worth explaining all the different levels on which an adult woman dressed as a giant baby, sucking her own toes while singing about intercourse, is disturbing…. But, really, did we need to take the imagery to such a nightmarish level?” KATY PERRY AND PIZZA Katy Perry is also obsessed with pizza in her music videos. In “This Is How We Do,” it goes to quite an extreme: “Thankfully, today Katy and her team released a behind the scenes (BTS) video featuring the making of “This Is How We Do,” which gives us the deets on the pizza bathing suit and more. So much more…. Our favorite reveal of the BTS video had to do, of course, with Pizza Perry. We were already well-aware of her pizza earrings and bathing suit, but there was more pizza. Pizza we didn’t know about. PIZZA NAILS.” MTV WRITES ARTICLES ABOUT KATY PERRY AND PIZZA Similarly, MTV.com had an article entitled “Katy Perry’s Dedication to Pizza Onesies Makes Our Hearts Melt:” “Yesterday, KP tried to climb the Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs Rocky -style (bless her heart), but got bombarded by fans before she could reach her destination. (We’re guessing sporting head-to-toe cheese might have had something to do with it.) Find out how to smother yourself in pizza like Katy Perry …. See Katy wrestle a dog in a pizza costume.” In this next article from MTV.com, “Smother Yourself in Pepperoni Pizza Like Katy Perry,” we read: “It’s no secret that Katy Perry is obsessed with pizza. She’s been spotted wrestling a dog in a pepperoni onesie, taking a nap under a slice of the cheesy stuff, and one time, she even ate an entire pie while hangin’ in a bathtub … by herself. (That’s love, y’all.)” THIS IS MORE COMMON AMONG “CELEBRITIES” THAN YOU MIGHT THINK Miley Cyrus has also been photographed wearing the same “pizza onesie” and having a pizza comforter on her bed. Twist Magazine published a 14-part slideshow of celebrities, including Beyonce and Cara Delevigne, wearing outfits that are styled like pepperoni pizza. The article is entitled, “ Yum! Miley Cyrus, Jake Miller & More Celebs Show Off Their Pizza Styles:” “Some of your other favorite stars, including Jake Miller, Victoria Justice and Selena Gomez have all been spotted proudly wearing pizza-themed outfits! Click through the gallery to see the fun pics! Just a warning: you might get a little hungry after seeing these clothes.” For some reason, every outfit and image like this is made of pepperoni pizza – almost never just with cheese alone or with any other toppings. The pepperoni itself could have an implied phallic connotation. ELIJAH WOOD’S ACCUSATION On May 23, 2016, Lord of the Rings lead actor Elijah Wood said Hollywood’s biggest problem has always been pedophilia. These allegations were covered in Variety, the top Hollywood magazine, among other sources such as the Sunday Times. Let’s now read excerpts from Variety, as they are highly relevant: “The actor, in a new interview with the Sunday Times, is accusing Tinseltown of having a pedophilia problem, saying “a lot of vipers” are preying on children in the business. “Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood. It was all organized. There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind,” he said. “There is darkness in the underbelly… People with parasitic interests will see you as their prey….” He added that he’s been “led down dark paths to realize that these things probably are still happening.” Amy Berg’s documentary “An Open Secret” revealed the full scope of the problem, and was completely squashed by the Establishment after its premiere. It was only shown in nine theaters in Denver and Seattle starting on June 5th, 2015, and was quickly removed. It eventually got distribution by cutting it from an R to a PG-13 rating, long after the “buzz” had worn off. However, it now seems to be impossible to find, except through bootleg copies on YouTube. MACAULAY CULKIN’S BAND “PIZZA UNDERGROUND” Macaulay Culkin was one of Hollywood’s most visible child actors in the 80s, such as through the “Home Alone” movie series. In 2012, he formed Pizza Underground, a band singing Velvet Underground songs where the lyrics were changed to be about pizza. Velvet Underground openly advertised heroin use in many of their songs. Pizza Underground released a music video in 2013 and actually toured North America with this odd concept. They wanted all interviewers to submit pizza-related questions only. Eugenia Williamson, a freelance writer working for top publications, decided to submit her five pizza-themed questions – and included sexual innuendo in them, such as a sausage sitting on a pizza. Her questions then featured what she admitted to be “increasingly inappropriate” references, such as to Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. Many believe Macaulay Culkin may have experienced child sex there. An enormous backlash from the media occurred, nearly ruining Williamson’s life in the process: “Civilians, journalists, famous comedians like Nikki Glaser, comedy fans: all came out against me, saying I was bitter, a failure, jealous, fat, a terrible journalist, a terrible person, a b–h, an a–hole,… that I would rot in hell, that nobody would ever take me seriously again…” “Since PizzaGate, I have formulated my own story about why those 300 words caused so much antagonism.” PIXAR AND “PIZZA PLANET” Every single Pixar film since 1995, except “The Incredibles,” has had a “Pizza Planet” delivery truck hidden in it, as this video montage reveals. This again suggests a long-standing “inside joke” about pedophilia from the highest levels of Hollywood. Pixar, of course, makes cartoon-like children’s films with the top-of-the-line computer graphics in the industry. This was once considered just an interesting “Easter egg,” but after Wikileaks and Pizzagate, we have to rethink everything. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Another weird connection that has since emerged is from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The secret to the Mutants’ super-strength came from eating pizza, much like Popeye once acquired from spinach. Sexual trauma can be used to create MK-ULTRA compartments in the mind. Pizza now appears to symbolize this trauma, in part. Once the programming is introduced, it can be used to train assassins who develop unusually powerful abilities – just like the Mutants. The whistleblower Svali talked about this back in 2000-2001, before she went quiet. We only found out she was still alive as of May 16, 2015. If you attempt to search for her on Google, the name “Svali” is automatically changed to things like “sivilli” or “civil” unless you manually force Google to use that exact term. Just go to svalispeaks.com for a collection of the majority of everything she wrote. Still to this day, it is the most far-reaching expose’ on the Cabal we have ever seen. All of the things you are reading about here are discussed in thorough detail, though she never covers the use of food code words. HIGHLY UNUSUAL INGREDIENTS As Peter Pham noted for Foodbeast in 2014, many of these Mutant Ninja Turtle pizzas had highly bizarre ingredients that you would never expect in real food. “One of the things that stuck was all the ridiculous pizzas Michelangelo and his brothers would order throughout the series.” This video contains a montage of many of the strange pizzas that were made. Many of them include unusual sauces. These sauces include butterscotch, clam sauce, chocolate fudge sauce, whipped cream, hot fudge, yogurt and anchovy sauce. Sauce is one of the code-word references that appears in very strange ways throughout the Podesta emails. Other sexual innuendoes hidden in the strange pizza toppings might include tuna fish, clams, pickles, pepperoni, jelly beans, salami, sausages and banana. Peter Pham created real mockups for “24 of the most disgusting pizza orders from the show,” obviously having no idea of the code that has since been uncovered. UPDATE, NEXT DAY: MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY OLSON IN “GIMME PIZZA” A video has surfaced of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson, at about age 6, doing a rap music video entitled “Gimme Pizza” with three other girls of the same age. Almost every single code word we mentioned in this article, as well as “chicken”, which we did not include, appears as toppings they say to put in the pizza. At 1:17, one of the girls says “Whipped cream pouring like waterfalls” as she is discharging it out of a can. The full list of toppings include: Chicken, guacamole sauce, meatballs, whipped cream, sausage, ice cream, fish, chocolate sauce, Oreos, marshmallows, caramel coconut cream, egg foo young, chicken tongue, eyeballs, rice, mashed potatoes, fried green tomatoes, spaghetti, pasta, fish sticks, ketchup, meat loaf and tacos. A majority of these terms are either direct code words or could be seen to match the innuendoes we have already covered. The comments on this video, now with over 4 million views, show that countless thousands of people are putting all of this together now. PODESTA’S UNDERGROUND CHAMBER An article from The Guardian in 2004 revealed that Podesta installed a lockable underground vault in his house to watch “awkward videos”: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2004/apr/20/usa.world “[The Podestas] are known for purchasing “awkward” works, such as video installations, that many other private collectors will not consider. “It’s easy to store them, but difficult to display them,” says Podesta. To get round the problem, he and his wife have excavated a huge subterranean vault beneath their house outside Washington. [It is] a white space 5m square and 4m high in which it will be possible to show “very complicated video pieces” on all four walls. In a Wikileaks email from January 31st, 2014, entitled “Last night was fun,” Tony Podesta wrote to his brother John, “Still in torture chamber. Another question. Do you two wanna have feb 14 valentines day dinner?” Dinner, of course, has a whole new connotation in light of the code words we have now discovered. LYING THROUGH THEIR TEETH As David has been saying for years now, in dealing with the darkness that exists in the Cabal, “If you throw up, you will feel better.” We were never sure exactly how the Cabal would break down. The absurdly negative details of Pizzagate have finally activated the full fury of the public. As Pizzagate went into overdrive, the BBC joined NPR, the New York Times and other Realnews™ outlets in blatantly ignoring the voluminous evidence that exists – and lying through their teeth. Alefantis is being interviewed as the sorry victim of a vast “internet hoax” of “fake news” with “no evidence.” This was the BBC article that lived on the top of Digg.com for all of December 1st: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-38156985 “No victim has come forward. There’s no investigation. And physical evidence? That doesn’t exist either. But thousands of people are convinced that a paedophilia ring involving people at the highest levels of the Democratic Party is operating out of a Washington pizza restaurant.” FAR MORE THAN ENOUGH EVIDENCE FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS Coming face-to-face with this truth is very upsetting, and may require significant time for you to integrate and process. Wilcock wrote extensively about Cabal pedophilia in Section Three of Financial Tyranny, nearly five years ago now on January 13, 2012. This included an expose’ of the North-American Man-Boy Love Association, or NAMBLA. David was specifically asked to release this data by the Alliance, despite his own personal reservations. There is far more than enough evidence for Pizzagate to lead to arrests and criminal prosecutions already. This is going to happen soon, so please don’t take the law into your own hands, as was done on December 5th when a man brandished a rifle inside Comet Pizza. [UPDATE: As commenters have noted, he was an out-of-work actor with an Internet Movie Database (IMDB) page, suggesting he may have been paid or influenced to do it.] The Cabal will do just about anything to suppress the exposure of pedophilia and child trafficking at the highest levels of Western society. THE ALLIANCE David Wilcock was briefed on the Alliance that is working to defeat the New World Order / Cabal or so-called “Illuminati” in 2009, by the high-ranking insider Pete Peterson. Corey Goode had anonymously mentioned the Alliance in discussion forums for years, and publicly joined forces with David early in 2015. We have jointly been discussing the reality of the Alliance ever since – including through our weekly Gaia show Cosmic Disclosure, which has significantly more viewers than CNN’s own Realnews™ programs. The evidence in favor of the Alliance’s existence is ever-increasingly obvious. Wikileaks is a major example. The Inquisitr website was one of many sites to report on the latest astonishing, public revealing of the Alliance – which occurred just before the 2016 presidential election. They reported on how Dr. Steve Pieczenik arrived on the scene, giving an official face and voice to the Alliance we have been disclosing all these years. DR. PIECZENIK ON THE ALLIANCE Here is an excerpt from the November 2nd article in the Inquisitr on this astonishing breakthrough. http://www.inquisitr.com/3668815/former-state-department-official-steve-pieczenik-may-have-made-the-most-important-announcement-in-american-history/ “Dr. Steve Pieczenik has made a series of serious accusations on YouTube that, if proven true, will easily be the most important ever made in American history…. [Pieczenik is] a Harvard Ph.D. and was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance and James Baker…. He also served the presidential administrations of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. [He] has been called “one of the most ‘brilliantly competent’ men in the field of terrorism” by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mary McGrory. Tom Clancy has literally based books on this guy’s experience…. In the first video he released yesterday, Dr. Pieczenik announces that he [represents] a broad coalition of many individuals in the FBI, the CIA, military intelligence, and men and women in 15 other intelligence organizations. [They] are engaging in a bloodless counter-coup against the “soft coup” that he says the Clintons, the current administration and many other top government officials have enacted [through overtaking the judiciary and many other American institutions]…. He also said he and his friends are the source of the leaked emails that WikiLeaks has been releasing, which would corroborate what award-winning human rights activist Craig Murray said after his friendly visit with Julian Assange two weeks ago. “I can tell you with 100% certainty that it is not any Russian state actor or proxy that gave the Democratic National Committee and Podesta material to WikiLeaks.” And in his second video, Pieczenik delivered a shocking message: according to him, Hillary Clinton is about to be charged not only with obstruction of justice, but also with sex with minors. According to Dr. Steve Pieczenik, both Hillary Clinton and her husband have sex with underage children, and he says they have proof.” “> LET’S READ THE TRANSCRIPT Here is an excerpt from the transcript of Dr. Pieczenik’s own words. This is tantamount to the largest public revealing of the Alliance yet. Steve Pieczenik 11/2 Partial Transcript http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message3348291/pg1?disclaimer=1 “The Clintons have been involved in co-opting our Whitehouse, our judiciary, our CIA, our FBI, our Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, and our Director of the FBI, James Comey for some time now…. However, in order to stop this coup we in the intelligence community and others involved have informally gotten together. With their permission, I am beginning to announce that we’ve initiated a counter-coup through Julian Assange and Wikileaks. I am just a small part of something far bigger than myself. It was the brave men and women who were in the FBI, CIA, the Director of Intelligence, the military intelligence, and the men and women in fifteen other intelligence organizations who were sick
With Houllier went Malouda, Abidal and Tiago, all to high-profile European clubs. Alain Perrin took over as manager and won the double, but the cracks were already beginning to show. An unexpected run to the Champions League semi-finals came in 2010 – Lyon actually came second in their group before stunning Real Madrid in the last 16 and squeezing past Bordeaux in the quarter-finals – but that was built on the magnificence of several key players including Hugo Lloris, Miralem Pjanic and Lisandro Lopez. It was nothing more than a brief Indian summer, a few warm September days before the nights get shorter and the temperature drops. The team that burns twice as bright burns half as long. Lyon have finished in the top two twice since their last Ligue 1 title in 2008 and, while Alexandre Lacazette continues to provide his own magnificent moments, a repeat of that memorable run from 2005 looks highly unlikely any time soon. But that only increases the nostalgic warmth we feel from their time in the sun. Daniel StoreyThe Supreme Court ruled Monday that San Francisco police cannot be sued by a mentally disturbed woman who was shot repeatedly during a 2008 confrontation, but the justices declined to rule on whether the officers involved were required to use less forceful methods. Teresa Sheehan, who was suffering a schizophrenic episode during the incident, had threatened to kill her social worker and went at police officers with a knife when they shot five times in her room at a group home. Her lawyers said that police had a duty to use less confrontational tactics under provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which demands “reasonable accommodations” for people with mental illnesses. The court found that the officers should not be subject to the lawsuit because they were covered by qualified immunity, which protects public officials from being sued absent a clear violation of an established constitutional right. But the opinion did not answer the potentially farther-reaching question of how the ADA plays into how police are obliged to handle armed, threatening individuals suffering from mental disorders. In Sheehan’s case, police were called to her group home after she threatened to kill her social worker on Aug. 7, 2008. Officers arrived at the door to her room with the intention of taking her to another mental facility for treatment. But according to court papers, she repeated her threat to murder her social worker and brandished a knife. The officers forcibly entered her room, pepper-spraying her. “After pepper spray proved ineffective, the officers shot Sheehan multiple times,” a court summary of the case reads. She later sued San Francisco police for, among other things, violating the ADA by arresting her without accommodating her disability. Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said justices couldn’t take up the disability rights issues because it hadn’t been fully considered by the lower court. The court kicked that part of the case back to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for further deliberation. Lower courts have been split on how the ADA should affect police conduct when dealing with a mentally ill person deemed a public risk. The Supreme Court said it remains an open question what Fourth Amendment protections from illegal search and seizure a mentally disturbed person has when police answer calls for help from a caregiver. The case comes in the wake of several high profile incidents of police officers shooting, sometimes fatally, individuals whose erratic or violent behavior is linked to mental illness. “At most, the court on Monday declared that it was not clearly established seven years ago, when the San Francisco incident occurred, that the Fourth Amendment requires police to take special precautionary steps to accommodate the mental disability of a person whom they are trying to subdue,” wrote Lyle Denniston, an analyst with court watcher SCOTUSblog. “Because that was not the law at the time, the two officers had legal immunity from the woman’s claim that the Fourth Amendment require such an accommodation,” he wrote. But the dilemma of how police should react to violent incidents involving mentally disturbed people is one likely to come up again, said Jamie Fellner, a lawyer with Human Rights Watch who focuses on U.S. issues. “The facts of the case point to the need for increased training in crisis intervention for the police so that the need for force can be minimized when dealing with someone who has a mental illness and is violent,” she said. Jennifer Mathis, a lawyer at the Bezalon Center for Mental Health Law, said it was very clear that the police officers involved should have taken another tack when dealing with Sheehan. “There are well established methods of accommodating people with mental illness that were not followed in this case, and we hope the court with recognize that if and when it does address the ADA issue,” she said. With wire servicesDo you remember when FDR said “the only thing vaporwave has to fear is vaporwave itself?” Well, he spoke the truth. If a vaporwave artist produces vaporwave just to release it, we’ve only got more vaporwave. But if they try to challenge what the genre signifies, then it gets interesting, and for a listener, very rewarding, because the path opens up and we lose ourselves instead of arriving at our destination safe and secure. This kind of navigation happens on Magazine, an album released on Business Casual by HELLCOM. I love it like I love vaporwave, which means I love how it transports me to places I want to metaphysically exist in, but only for a little while, like malls, internet cafes, endless Chinese cities and luxury apartments. But it does more than that. It exposes the material from which the music came from the same way some poets will question what it means to write poetry in a poem. It takes the motifs of vaporwave and throws them out the window, and then goes out that same window to pick up those motifs on the ground and bring them back in the building again, back in the window. It guides you along a narrow sidewalk of grid-like sameness and says, let’s go somewhere else. Essentially, it feels like HELLCOM—with great ease and soaring assuredness—fucks around with the typical symbols of vaporwave, embellishing the genre with new methods until the tag falls off, letting it wiggle and jiggle around and then, whoa, are we listening to a porn sample? Yes, we are. Full of little worlds, little fighter jets of sound, sculptures in hidden war vessels and little screens of invisible vistas, Magazine definitely excites, as your gaze constantly adjusts to what you think you hear rushing up to your side and the ethereal, outer chaos coming from downtown. Go download it for free on Business Casual’s website, or better yet, make a donation. It comes with a PDF of a magazine that describes HELLCOM’S “vapor trip” philosophy. In brief: Many vaporwave producers sought to integrate their work into pre existing bodies of knowledge. Vapor trip positions itself as a study of how and why knowledge is produced.”In a presentation today at FOSDEM, a conference for free and open source software developers, the creators of OpenBazaar, introduced their technology and talked about their timeline for development and release. In the video, the developers mention that the 4.0 release, which includes a change to rUDP, should be out in the next few days. This patch is intended to improve the stability of the network as a whole, and constitutes a major release. The 5.0, which is primarily a UI improvement intended to make the software more accessible, will be out in mid march. They also specified that the official release of the software, which will be useable by lay-people with an operational knowledge of Bitcoin, ought to be out by “late spring.” If you aren’t aware of OpenBazaar, you should be. OpenBazaar is a fully decentralized cryptographic application that allows users to buy and sell goods anonymously and trustlessly, without a centralized arbitrator, all using Bitcoin. It’s the Silk Road, eBay, Amazon, and Etsy, all rolled into one, and it’s clearly the future of peer-to-peer commerce. The software developers have been quiet for a while (developing a large-scale and secure cryptographic platform is difficult, and takes time), so having even a tentative release schedule is very promising. You can see the current release (and contribute code, if you want) at the OpenBazaar Github. Featured image via openbazaar.orgNorwich and Aston Villa are reportedly battling for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Benik Afobe, According to a report from The Sun, Norwich City have leapfrogged Aston Villa in the race to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Benik Afobe. Afobe, 22, came up through the ranks at Arsenal, but having struggled for first team football at the Emirates Stadium, the forward chose to leave permanently in January following a total of six loan moves in his career. The striker chose to sign for Wolverhampton Wanderers in January, and his decision paid dividends following a remarkable half-season spell at Molineux. With 13 goals in 21 games for Wolves, Afobe established himself as one of the top strikers in the Championship almost immediately, and is expected to build on that his season. That's if he stays at Wolves, though. The Sun report that Aston Villa want to sign Afobe, but are now trailing Norwich City in the race to sign him. Aston Villa or Norwich? Should both clubs manage to tempt Wolves into accepting bids for Afobe - which seems unlikely, with the Molineux club under no pressure to sell - the striker would have a big decision to make. Norwich City need a regular goalscorer in attack if they are to stay in the Premier League, with Cameron Jerome, Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper having little to no previous success in the top flight. Afobe would certainly play on a regular basis for the Canaries, but the lure of playing for Aston Villa may be too big for him to turn down. Tim Sherwood is still in the market for a new striker even after signing Jordan Ayew and Rudy Gestede this summer, and Afobe would not only have the chance to play, but the close proximity to Wolverhampton would no doubt factor in too. Whether it's now or in the near future, Afobe will be back in the Premier League at some stage - and Wolves will be hoping to fend off interest in him this summer as they seek a return to the top flight this season.The Jews are not Jews-DNA evidence: http://www.texemarrs.com/042013/jews_not_descendants_of_abraham.htm In part: DNA Science has confounded the Christian evangelicals by proving conclusively that most of the people in the nation of Israel and in World Jewry are not the descendants of Abraham. Those living today who profess to be “Jews” are not of the ancient Israelites, and they are not the seed of Abraham. In fact, the new DNA research shows that the Palestinians actually have more Israelite blood than do the “Jews!” Abraham, Solomon and David: Romantic Nonsense? WAS THE PATRIARCH ABRAHAM JUST A STORY? DID ABRAHAM EXIST? You decide: From: http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/amen/a/122710-CW-Archaeological-Evidence-About-The-Story-Of-Abraham-In-The-Bible.htm Historians date Abraham’s bibilical story around 2000 B.C., based on clues in Genesis Chapters 11 through 25. Considered the first of the biblical patriarchs, Abraham’s life history encompasses a journey starts that in a place called Ur. In Abraham’s time, Ur was one of the great city-states in Sumer, a part of the Fertile Crescentlocated from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq to the Nile in Egypt. Historians call this era from 3000 to 2000 B.C. “the dawn of civilization”. It turns out that Abraham in the Bible is undoubtedly just a story. Abraham in the Bible: Promotion of lands surrounding and now occupied by Israel began a long time ago in the Old Testament. The Judean scribes did their writing in about 700 BCE, referring to happenings that supposedly existed more than about a thousand years prior to when they were writing. Abraham has all the trappings of being just a made-up story. From the Highly Recommended book, by W.H. Uffington, “The Greatest Lie Ever Told”, available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Lie-Ever-Told/dp/0956798004 : “With a sleight of hand – the one holding the pen – a new history, a new beginning was invented. And to ensure that no one dared to question its authenticity, we are told that God himself had guided this hand. Fear turned the lie into unquestionable truth. All the archaeological evidence shows that the people residing within the lands of Canaan were and always had been Canaanites…. There are no grounds for the argument that Abraham infiltrated the area around 2000 BCE. … The answer is, of course, straightforward: rather than true and accurate eyewitness accounts of history, carefully passed down through the generations, the stories were just vague tribal myths and legends, eventually cobbled together by politically-motivated priests and scribes who were entirely ignorant of any real historical knowledge. Christian Biblical scholars still insist upon the Bible’s historical authenticity, even pointing out that it is the accurate historical details in the stories which prove that they are genuine: an odd claim when the Bible is so full of his historical inaccuracies. Surely, if the proof is in the detail, then inaccurate detail will undermine the whole foundation. We find such an example of this small detail in Genesis 24, that talks of camels being taken through Mesopotamia; women, children and servants riding on camels and indeed, camels repeatedly crop up in the patriarchal stories. Yet we find that camels were supposedly, first domesticated at least 200 years after Abraham’s time and they were not used it all as beast of burden until about 1000 years later. Excavations of camel bones indicate that camels were used extensively in the seventh century BCE and became a common site around the Middle East, including Palestine. The camel became a preferred means of transport just around the time when the first biblical stories were compiled. The next anomalous detail is the reference to shekels as a means of payment: it is out of its historical era by a considerable margin. The shekel was not Canaanite but Hebrew; nor was it a coin, but a unit of weight, much later used as a silver coin. According to Herodotus the coin first appeared sometime after 550 BCE” David and Solomon: (also from Uffington’s wonderful revealing bookhttp://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Lie-Ever-Told/dp/0956798004): Did the Great Empire of Solomon ever exist? Did the Great Empire of Solomon ever exist? “If the great empire never existed, what of the great building programme undertaken by Solomon, surely this would support the biblical claims. The problem is, that modern archaeology has failed to find any great structures that might have been built by Solomon. In the past, the opposite was the case: early archaeologists hoping to prove the Bible to be true looked for anything that would confirm it, even if they were fairly liberal with the actual dating. …..Now we have the problem of Jerusalem itself – the capital of the great Solomonic empire. We are given the image of Jerusalem as a place of the impressive grandeur, having a magnificent Temple and a great gleaming palace to house Solomon’s 700 wives and 300 concubines, all protected behind huge stone fortress walls – a glorious fabled city which reflected the glory of God. Alas, it is all romantic nonsense. Despite extensive excavations, archaeologists have failed to locate any signs at all that there was ever a Solomon temple, or palace, or great fortifications…. The harsh truth is, that both David and Solomon – if indeed they actually existed, which we must doubt since there is no contemporary evidence to support that they did – would have been little more than tribal chiefs. Considering the poverty of the region and its historical reputation for banditry both David and Solomon nestling in their remote hilltop village, could well have been bandit chieftains. There is no real evidence to confirm that either of these two kings actually existed, but what we do have is legend, which came about following the story’s vigorous promotion by the later Judean state. MOSES: There is awesome revealing and shocking information in the book: http://tinyurl.com/7cz2cwv God commanding Moses to kill: “They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man……..Now kill all the boys [innocent kids]. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man. (Numbers 31:7,17-18)” Kill everything that “breathes” from humans and animals! Deuteronomy 20:16 Speaking of Moses: How about this: There is no evidence for the existence of Moses. Although he is portrayed as an influential member of the Egyptian royal household, he is not mentioned in any Egyptian record. Nor is there any evidence to support the idea that the Jews were ever held captive in Egypt or that they made an exodus from the country under Moses’ command. The Egyptians chronicled their history in great detail but make no mention of any captive Jews. Amongst the hundreds of thousands of Egyptian monumental inscriptions, tomb inscriptions and papyri, there is complete silence about the ‘600,000 men on foot, besides women and children’ who The Book of Exodus tells us escaped from Pharaoh’s armies. The story of Moses, with its many miracles, has all the hallmarks of a myth. The account of Moses’ birth is a retelling of the myth of the birth of Sargon the Great, the king of Akkad, which is known in a number of variations from the early sixth century BCE. Like Moses, the child Sargon is ‘set in a basket of rushes’ and ‘cast into the river’, from which he is later rescued by an influential woman. IMAGE OF SARGON THE GREAT Similar Greek stories tell of the child Dionysus confined in a chest and thrown into the river Nile. These probably all go back to Egyptian stories which tell of Osiris confined in a chest and thrown in the Nile. Israeli archaeologist Ze’ev Herzog(1) provides a controversial consensus view on the historicity of the Exodus and some other parts of the Hebrew myth. In 1999, Haaretz weekly magazine cover page article “Deconstructing the walls of Jericho” attracted considerable public attention and debates. In this article Herzog claims that “the Israelites were never in Egypt, did not wander in the desert, did not conquer the land in a military campaign and did not pass it on to the 12 tribes of Israel. Perhaps even harder to swallow is the fact that the united monarchy of David and Solomon, which is described by the Bible as a regional power, was at most a small tribal kingdom. And it will come as an unpleasant shock to many that the God of Israel, Jehovah, had a female consort (Asherah) and that the early Israelite religion adopted monotheism only in the waning period (c920-900 BC ) of the monarchy and not at Mount Sinai” If the whole Exodus story itself is unhistorical we can safely dismiss the other parts of the story [the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), the manna from heaven (Exodus 16:15-35) and the supply of water from the Rock in Horeb (Exodus 17:7)] as mythical addition to an already fictitious account. Ze’ev Herzog (born 1941) is an Israeli archeologist, professor of archaeology at The Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University. Ze’ev Herzog is the director of The Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology since 2005.”Palestine says it is planning to lodge a complaint against Britain for its 1917 Balfour Declaration that paved the way for the occupation of Palestinian lands and the creation of Israeli in the occupied territories. Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki made the announcement in a recent address to the Arab League summit in Mauritania, whose transcript was seen by AFP on Tuesday. The Balfour Declaration, which was issued in November 1917 by the then British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour, said the UK government "views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” The declaration set the stage for Nakba (Catastrophe) Day that refers to the 1948 Palestinian exodus when more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes by Israel during the 1948 Palestine war. Speaking on behalf of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Maliki called on the Arab League to assist Palestinians in bringing a criminal case against the UK. "Almost a century has passed since 1917," he said, adding, "We are working to open up an international criminal case for the crime which they committed against our nation – from the days of the British Mandate all the way to the massacre which was carried out against us from 1948 onwards.” Under the declaration, "hundreds of thousands of Jews from Europe and elsewhere came to settle in Palestine at the expense of our people, whose ancestors have lived for millennia on the soil of our land," the top Palestinian diplomat pointed out. Representatives pose after the opening ceremony of the Arab League summit in Nouakchott, Mauritania, July 25, 2016. ©AFP In November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “non-member observer entity” to “non-member observer state” despite strong opposition from Israel and the US. That status empowered the Palestinians to achieve membership in UN bodies and treaties. The Palestinians also joined the International Criminal Court in 2015. The Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem al-Quds, as well as the Gaza Strip. They are also demanding that Israel withdraw from the Palestinian lands occupied in a 1967 war.Donald Trump’s decision to deploy hundreds of US marines in northern Syria last week has received surprisingly little attention. The deployment pitches relatively inexperienced American soldiers into the middle of a highly toxic, multi-fronted battlefield that includes combat-tested Kurdish militias, Syrian army troops, anti-regime fighters and Russian, Iranian and Turkish forces. The Trump administration says the aim is to defeat Islamic State (Isis) by assisting in the capture of the terrorists’ HQ in Raqqa. This forthcoming campaign is seen as complementary to the ongoing siege of Isis-held Mosul, in northern Iraq. The defeat of Isis is plainly highly desirable and the international effort to do so is slowly coming to a head. Growing fears in Britain and Europe about the threat posed by returning Isis terrorist recruits are evidence of the belief in western capitals that this vile organisation and its fatuous caliphate will soon be dislodged from its principal strongholds. But the simplistic idea, promulgated by Trump, that Isis and its warped jihadi ideology can be annihilated by force is foolish and naive. More dangerous still is Trump’s apparent belief that the US can focus solely on Isis while ignoring bigger questions about Syria’s future. In the space of a few chaotic weeks, Trump has overturned eight years of Barack Obama’s cautious policy towards Syria. Unlike Iraq, where Washington is co-operating with a mostly friendly government, the US faces the hostility of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, whose removal it still officially seeks. The US marines and special operations forces, totalling nearly 1,000, are vulnerable to attack by larger groups more accustomed to the terrain. The dire consequences, should a US soldier be taken hostage by Isis, can only be imagined. At the same time, ostensible US allies, such as Turkey, cannot be relied upon, while Russia and Iran, Assad’s main backers, have no interest in ceding ground and influence. The key, longer-term struggle is not over the fate of Isis, but the political control and territorial integrity of northern Syria and, by extension, Iraq. All the key players have differing interests. Assad wants his country back, whole and entire. Turkey wants a border “safe zone” under its control, principally to curb autonomy aspirations among US-allied Syrian Kurds. For their part, the Kurds want to be free of Damascus’s yoke and some would like to join forces with the self-governing Kurdish regional administration in northern Iraq, a prospect Ankara views as an existential threat, given its own large, disaffected Kurdish population. Whatever Trump thinks about a new era in relations with Moscow, Russia, the real military power in the air and on the ground in Syria, will not help. It wants to minimise American leverage, in line with Vladimir Putin’s bid to project Moscow’s influence across the Middle East and Afghanistan. This objective underlay last week’s summit between Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s president, at which the leaders buried old disagreements over Syria and pledged to work together to defeat terrorism. In Erdoğan’s view, this means the US-backed Syrian Kurds as much, if not more, than Isis. Erdoğan said Russia had agreed to lift all remaining sanctions imposed after Turkey shot down a Russian combat plane over the Syrian border in 2015. On the diplomatic front, meanwhile, Turkey is backing the Russia-Iran “peace plan” for Syria, which sidelines the US and Europe. It is easy to forget that Turkey is a Nato member and EU applicant. Openly defying the west and reversing his previous stance, Erdoğan has now, in effect, joined Russia and Iran in supporting Assad. “We are working in full co-operation militarily in Syria. Our chiefs of staff, foreign ministers and intelligence agencies cooperate intensely,” Erdoğan declared in Moscow. The unfortunate, but perhaps inevitable, corollary of this Russian-Turkish detente is Ankara’s repeated threat to further reduce security co-operation with the US unless it ditches the Syrian Kurds (which it has so far refused to do). Direct confrontations are thus possible between US and Turkish troops and their respective rival proxies, the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian Free Army, whom US troops are tasked with keeping apart in the northern town of Manbij. Trump’s Syrian intervention is “fraught with risk”, Robert Ford, former US ambassador to Damascus, told the Washington Post. “It is a huge policy change.” The potential for military escalation or “mission creep”, if and when US ground troops get into trouble, is obvious, vast and worrying. Northern Syria is a quagmire. Trump just jumped straight in.Maybe New Orleans didn’t want to dump Rivers, Ajinca and Withey for no return. But the Pelicans could, theoretically, at least assure Houston they’d take such measures if no trades emerged. However, the actual salary cap came in $135,000 lower than the projected salary cap. Suddenly, that $32,772 room for error is gone. Now, that set of transactions leaves New Orleans $102,228 shy of having enough room for the trade. Unless they stretch one of their top-five players – Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson – the Pelicans can’t unilaterally create enough cap space to trade a first-round pick for Asik. Safe to say, they’re not stretching those valuable players. That means a New Orleans player must get added to the Houston trade or dealt elsewhere. Trading one of the big five could clear room, but again, I can’t see the Pelicans going that route unless they had something lined up independent of the Asik trade. Much more likely: New Orleans trades Ajinca or Rivers. Dumping either would clear enough room to add Asik. Ajinca, due $981,084 next season, is a decent backup center. He averaged 5.9 points on 54.6 percent shooting and 4.9 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game for the Pelicans last season. Rivers has struggled to shoot efficiently in the NBA, but he was the No. 10 overall pick just two seasons ago. His 2014-15 salary is $2,439,840, and he has a $3,110,796 2015-16 team option that must be decided by Oct. 31. These players are movable. It’s even possible New Orleans already has contingencies in place to complete the Asik trade. But the NBA didn’t release the actual salary cap until yesterday, and the league’s estimates tend to be conservative. This is the rare official NBA cap estimate that overestimated reality. I’m not totally convinced the Pelicans and Rockets were ready for it. At this point, dealing Ajinca or Rivers might be somewhat cumbersome. If teams know why New Orleans must shed salary – or even if they don’t – they might demand a second-round pick to take on Ajinca or Rivers. So many teams are trying to maximize cap space, even these small guaranteed salaries could get in the way. Trading a first-rounder for Asik was already costly. If New Orleans must add another pick to dump Ajinca or Rivers, the value of the deal drops for the Pelicans. A simple answer would be dealing Ajinca or Rivers to Houston as part of the Asik trade. But the Rockets are already likely asking Bosh to sacrifice salary. Adding another guaranteed salary would certainly reduce the effectiveness of trading Asik to trim salary, even if just a small amount. When the margin for error is so slim, it’s easy to look back at previous moves and wonder what could have been. Why did the Pelicans keep Withey past July 5? That triggered a $100,000 guarantee, and though that amount alone doesn’t alter the feasibility of the Asik trade, it’s a hindrance. Why did New Orleans give Ajinca, who hadn’t played in the NBA in two years, a guaranteed two-season contract when signing him in December? If that second year were unguaranteed, a reasonable stipulation for a player of Ajinca’s caliber, this problem would have been avoided. The Pelicans can’t undo these previous decisions, and they’ll have to deal with the fallout. But their problem is now Morey’s problem. On the clock with Parsons, Morey must address this if he hasn’t already. The Pelicans also face a time crunch to address this. Barring a much bigger move, they can’t feasibly trade for Asik after using the mid-level exception. That means free agents are picking other destinations as New Orleans handles this issue. I still expect Asik will be traded to the Pelicans (though I wouldn’t be shocked if the deal falls apart). It will just be a little more complicated now. However, I’m not sure those complications will be sorted out before Parsons’ deadline or before New Orleans’ top MLE target signs elsewhere.There's a sound rule for reporting weather events that may be related to climate change. You can't say that a particular heatwave or a particular downpour – or even a particular freeze – was definitely caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases. But you can say whether these events are consistent with predictions, or that their likelihood rises or falls in a warming world. Weather is a complex system. Long-running trends, natural fluctuations and random patterns are fed into the global weather machine, and it spews out a series of events. All these events will be influenced to some degree by global temperatures, but it's impossible to say with certainty that any of them would not have happened in the absence of man-made global warming. But over time, as the data build up, we begin to see trends which suggest that rising temperatures are making a particular kind of weather more likely to occur. One such trend has now become clearer. Two new papers, published by Nature, should make us sit up, as they suggest for the first time a clear link between global warming and extreme precipitation (precipitation means water falling out of the sky in any form: rain, hail or snow). One paper, by Seung-Ki Min and others, shows that rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have caused an intensification of heavy rainfall events over some two-thirds of the weather stations on land in the northern hemisphere. The climate models appear to have underestimated the contribution of global warming on extreme rainfall: it's worse than we thought it would be. The other paper, by Pardeep Pall and others, shows that man-made global warming is very likely to have increased the probability of severe flooding in England and Wales, and could well have been behind the extreme events in 2000. The researchers ran thousands of simulations of the weather in autumn 2000 (using idle time on computers made available by a network of volunteers) with and without the temperature rises caused by man-made global warming. They found that, in nine out of 10 cases, man-made greenhouse gases increased the risks of flooding. This is probably as solid a signal as simulations can produce, and it gives us a clear warning that more global heating is likely to cause more floods here. None of this should be surprising. As Richard Allan points out, also in Nature, the warmer the atmosphere is, the more water vapour it can carry. There's even a formula which quantifies this: 6-7% more moisture in the air for every degree of warming near the Earth's surface. But both models and observations also show changes in the distribution of rainfall, with moisture concentrating in some parts of the world and fleeing from others: climate change is likely to produce both more floods and more droughts. We still can't say that any given weather event is definitely caused by man-made global warming. But we can say, with an even higher degree of confidence than before, that climate change makes extreme events more likely to happen. monbiot.comDr. Ron Friedman on Extraordinary Workplaces (Podcast) Synopsis Ron Friedman Ph.D. shares science-backed recommendations to help companies improve their hiring process, boost motivation and enhance decision-making. In this episode we take a very practical look at how to close the gap between the latest science and the modern workplace. Ron Friedman Ph.D. shares research from his latest book The Best Place to Work, about the art and science of creating an extraordinary workplace. Ron discusses how businesses can appeal to basic psychological needs like autonomy, competence and relatedness to design a work environment which optimizes engagement and creativity. It’s an especially practical episode, where we dive into science-backed recommendations to help companies improve the hiring process, boost motivation and enhance decision making. This episode features some very interesting research, like the persuasion techniques used by hostage negotiators, as well as didactic stories about figures like Monica Seles and president Obama on the importance of unconscious thinking and leading by example. “Ron Friedman, Ph.D. is an award-winning psychologist and founder of Ignite80, a management consultancy that teaches leaders and their teams evidence-based practices for building extraordinary workplaces. A human motivation expert, Ron has authored multiple book chapters and academic journal articles on the science of achievement, creativity, and happiness. Prior to launching Ignite80, Ron served on the faculty of the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Popular accounts of Ron’s research have appeared on NPR and in major newspapers, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe,Vancouver Post, the Globe and Mail, The Guardian, as well as magazines such as Men’s Health, Shape, and Allure. He contributes to the blogs of Fast Company, Forbes, and Psychology Today.” Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. DisqusOpen, professional satellite navigation equipment for enthusiasts. Today, multi-frequency multi-signal satellite navigation equipment is designed by professionals working in large companies. It is also manufactured by large specialized companies. But tomorrow everything will change. NTLab — a fabless semiconductor company - has started to manufacture a four-channel, all-frequency front-end chip: the NT1065. It brings professional navigation to the masses. We are introducing NUT4NT - a development board with NT1065 with a USB 3.0 interface for rapid evaluation of the signals being sampled. The full, continuous sample stream can be captured to a PC for recording and/or processing. Now professional equipment products can be developed and produced even by small or startup companies. For more information about the NT1065, please refer to its specification sheet. Welcome to a new age of multi-frequency, software-defined GNSS receivers The core of NUT4NT is the NT1065 chip, which NUT4NT implements in a two-input and four-input system. The main use case of the NT1065 chip is centimeter level precision positioning. This is possible even without the RTK algorithm, which requires a high quality antenna with low phase center variation and sufficient time to converge. The dual input NUT4NT is ideal for this use, providing rapid evaluation of receiving system. Developers can set all the modes of NT1065, capture samples and process it offline or online, in real time. The second use case of the NT1065 is as an array antenna processing system for jammer or interference mitigation. Using the NUT4NT with four inputs, fast evaluation of complex antenna array processing systems in the software is simplified. Precision drone positioning Drone developers mostly require precision positioning. Today, they use RTK systems with a base on the ground and a rover in the air. This is both expensive and heavy, with the equipment sometimes weighing more than the drone. A NUT4NT with the dual-frequency antenna provides a lighter, cheaper solution, allowing a new generation of drone developers to evaluate autonomous precision positioning quickly, easily, and affordably. Driverless vehicles The developers of autonomous vehicles need robust and precise positioning in an urban environment. This is very important for people’s safety. The requirements are almost the same as for military anti-jamming equipment. But there is no economical way to use military grade systems in massive autonomous vehicle applications. The NUT4NT with dual-frequency antenna or antenna array provides a very low-cost solution for a precision positioning system with interference mitigation. Features and specifications NUT4NT: the multi-frequency, multi-signal, satellite navigation front-end receiver board. The NUT4NT is connected to the PC by a USB 3.0 interface. The hardware is open source. The software provides the ability to set a receiver’s modes and frequencies, to capture all signals continuously, and to make an example of primary processing features. The software is open source. Hardware specifications receiver chip - NT1065 USB 3.0 controller - CYUSB3014 Clock - 10 MHz TCXO soldered on board or connected externally via SMA connector RF inputs - two or four, depending on board option RF inputs referred Noise Floor - 1 dB ADC resolution - two-bit ADC frequency - up to 99 MHz samples transfer - continuous full stream, from 20 to 100 Mbytes/sec power - 5V @ 0.5 A from USB or external adapter size - 70x50x20 mm (early board) / 77x122x25 mm (single board) All GNSS systems:
Character > ( ) &&! GetSeeingPawn ( ) ) { BlackboardComp -> SetValueAsObject ( BlackboardEnemyKey, Actor ) ; return ; } } //The character doesn't exist in our updated actors - so make sure //to delete any previous reference of him from the blackboard BlackboardComp -> SetValueAsObject ( BlackboardEnemyKey, nullptr ) ; } AMyAIController :: AMyAIController ( ) { //Components Init. BehaviorTreeComp = CreateDefaultSubobject < UBehaviorTreeComponent > ( FName ( "BehaviorComp" ) ) ; BlackboardComp = CreateDefaultSubobject < UBlackboardComponent > ( FName ( "BlackboardComp" ) ) ; AIPerceptionComponent = CreateDefaultSubobject < UAIPerceptionComponent > ( FName ( "PerceptionComp" ) ) ; //Create a Sight Sense Sight = CreateDefaultSubobject < UAISenseConfig_Sight > ( FName ( "Sight Config" ) ) ; Sight -> SightRadius = 1000.f ; Sight -> LoseSightRadius = 1500.f ; Sight -> PeripheralVisionAngleDegrees = 130.f ; //Tell the sight sense to detect everything Sight -> DetectionByAffiliation. bDetectEnemies = true ; Sight -> DetectionByAffiliation. bDetectFriendlies = true ; Sight -> DetectionByAffiliation. bDetectNeutrals = true ; //Register the sight sense to our Perception Component AIPerceptionComponent -> ConfigureSense ( * Sight ) ; } void AMyAIController :: Possess ( APawn * InPawn ) { Super :: Possess ( InPawn ) ; if ( BehaviorTree ) { //Initialize the Blackboard and start the attached behavior tree BlackboardComp -> InitializeBlackboard ( * BehaviorTree -> BlackboardAsset ) ; BehaviorTreeComp -> StartTree ( * BehaviorTree ) ; } //Register the OnPerceptionUpdated function to fire whenever the AIPerception get's updated AIPerceptionComponent -> OnPerceptionUpdated. AddDynamic ( this, &AMyAIController :: OnPerceptionUpdated ) ; } AActor * AMyAIController :: GetSeeingPawn ( ) { //Return the seeing pawn UObject * object = BlackboardComp -> GetValueAsObject ( BlackboardEnemyKey ) ; return object? Cast < AActor > ( object ) : nullptr ; } Save and compile your code. Creating the Blackboard of our AI Create the following Blackboard: Make sure that your Enemy key has the Actor class as its Base Class as seen in the screenshot above. Activating the Environment Query System The EQS is still an experimental system and we explicitly need to enable it by changing some options inside the editor in order to use it on our Behavior Tree. To activate the EQS in 4.13 version of the engine, perform the following steps: Click on the Edit menu Open up the Editor Preferences Select the Experimental tab Check the Environment Query System The following picture sums up the above steps: Creating an Environment Query If you activated EQS by following the steps above, right click somewhere on the content browser and create an Environment Query (it’s located inside the Artificial Intelligence tab only after when you enable the system) named FindHidingSpot. Save it and close it. We won’t add any logic to it just yet because we haven’t explained what a Query actually is. Please bare with me for a few moments and everything will become clear! Creating the Behavior Tree for our AI Create the following Behavior Tree for our AI: The Run EQS Query node is located inside the available tasks of the behavior tree. You will notice that of the node’s properties in the details panel are marked as red. I will explain what these are in the following section. What is the Environment Query System (EQS)? The EQS is a system that allows our AI to “ask” the game’s environment specific questions and based on the received answers it will be able to act accordingly. An Environment Query consists of: Generators and Tests Most Generators are used to generate an area around a specified actor in our game. This area consists of points and their density is configurable through the corresponding editor. Moreover, the developer is able to configure the size of the area as well. Each time our AI runs an Environment Query, the system iterates through all the generated points in order to find a result. We’re going to specify what this result is going to be, for example, it can be another Actor, or a world space location, etc.. This is where Tests come in play. Think of Tests as functions that filter and/or (depending on your needs) score every generated point. Tests are attached to generators. Based on the attached Tests, each point has a score. The point that has the higher score is considered the best match for our result. To sum up the theory written above, here is a screenshot of how the EQS works: If you take a second look at our Behavior Tree in the previous section you will notice that I have selected the HidingSpot as a Blackboard Key for our EQS. This means that in this case, the result of the FindHidingSpot Query is going to get stored on the HidingSpot key of our Blackboard. Moreover, I’ve assigned the FindHidingSpot as a Query template. The Query template in this case is the query that it’s going to execute when the Run EQS Query node fires. Last but not least, you will notice that in the RunMode in the details panel, I have selected the Single Best Item. This means that I want to store the point with the highest score only. With that said, let’s create type some logic inside our Query. Creating the FindHidingSpot Query The logic that we want to create, is summed up with the following senteces: Find a location where the enemy (in this case the player) can’t see you. This location needs to be as close as possible to the AI and at the same time, as far as possible from the enemy (in this case, the player). To create the mentioned logic, open up the FindHidingSpot Query. Then, select the Points: Pathing Grid generator. Remeber that I mentioned that you can adjust the density of the points as well as the size of the generated area. Here are the options that enable you to do so: You will notice that the Editor mentions that the PathingGrid will be generated around Querier. In our case, this means that a of size 2000 units is going to get generated around our AI. Right Click on your Pathing Grid and add a Trace Test. This is a test that performs a trace among two actors. The starting Actor is the Querier and the other end of the trace is by default our Querier again. With that said, we need to change that in order to match our needs. Specifically, we need to trace from our AI to our Player. To do that, we need to create a new Context for that test. A Context in this case is a class that contains a function, responsible for providing results in our test. To add a context, add a new C++ class, named FindEnemyQueryContext that inherits the EnvQueryContext class. Then, inside its header file, declare the following function: virtual void ProvideContext ( FEnvQueryInstance & QueryInstance, FEnvQueryContextData & ContextData ) const override ; You don’t need to specify an access modifier in this case. In the source file, add the following includes: #include “EnvironmentQuery/EnvQueryTypes.h” #include “EnvironmentQuery/Items/EnvQueryItemType_Actor.h” #include “EqsTutCharacter.h” #include “MyAIController.h” Then, type in the following implementation of the ProvideContext function: ProvideContext implementation void UFindEnemyQueryContext::ProvideContext(FEnvQueryInstance& QueryInstance, FEnvQueryContextData& ContextData) const { Super::ProvideContext(QueryInstance, ContextData); //Get the Owner of this Query and cast it to an actor //Then, get the actor's controller and cast to it our AIController //This code works for our case but avoid that many casts and one-liners in cpp. AMyAIController* AICon = Cast<AMyAIController>((Cast<AActor>((QueryInstance.Owner).Get())->GetInstigatorController())); if (AICon && AICon->GetSeeingPawn()) { //Set the context SeeingPawn to the provided context data UEnvQueryItemType_Actor::SetContextHelper(ContextData, AICon->GetSeeingPawn()); } } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 void UFindEnemyQueryContext :: ProvideContext ( FEnvQueryInstance & QueryInstance, FEnvQueryContextData & ContextData ) const { Super :: ProvideContext ( QueryInstance, ContextData ) ; //Get the Owner of this Query and cast it to an actor //Then, get the actor's controller and cast to it our AIController //This code works for our case but avoid that many casts and one-liners in cpp. AMyAIController * AICon = Cast < AMyAIController > ( ( Cast < AActor > ( ( QueryInstance. Owner ). Get ( ) ) -> GetInstigatorController ( ) ) ) ; if ( AICon && AICon -> GetSeeingPawn ( ) ) { //Set the context SeeingPawn to the provided context data UEnvQueryItemType_Actor :: SetContextHelper ( ContextData, AICon -> GetSeeingPawn ( ) ) ; } } This will return the seeing pawn (if any) to our context. Comple and save your code. Then, select the Trace test and in the context drop-down menu, select the FindenemyQueryContext class. Moreover, adjust the item height offset, to match the character’s height: When the Trace test is done, it will generate points that the player can’t see from his current position. The next step, is to select the point that is close enough to our AI and far enough from our player. To do that, add a Distance Test to our PathingGrid and select the following options: By selecting Inverse Linear, the distance test will prefer the points that are close to our AI. Note that the Test Purpose is to Score the points only and not to filter them. Then, add another Distance Test to our Pathing Grid. this time however, we want to get the points that are far from the player. To do that, in the Distance To dropdown menu, select our FindEnemyQueryContext and set the Scoring Equation to Linear as the following screenshot suggests: We’re done with our Query. To test your AI: Create a Blueprint Controller based on MyAIController (BP_AICon) Create a Blueprint Character based on the Character class and attach the: SK_Mannequin to it’s static mesh ThirdPerson_AnimBP to it’s anim class BP_AICon to it’s AIController menu Assign our Behavior Tree to the BP_AICon Place the Blueprint character in the map Then, click the play button and test your functionality! Debugging your AI To debug your AI during play, open up the project settings and inside the Gameplay Debugger tab, activate the following options: Moreover, activate the following option from the viewport: Then, when playing, press the ” ‘ ” (apostrophe key) on your keyboard. You don’t to write it in the console like the previous versions. Share this... LinkedinCommemorative #BeAnAstronaut Patch About the Commemorative #BeAnAstronaut Patch – Yuri’s Night Fundraiser From December to February, 18,300 people, the largest number in history, applied to #BeAnAstronaut with NASA as part of the 2017 Astronaut Candidate class. To celebrate that fact and to honor the very first human in space, Yuri’s Night commissioned noted space patch graphic artist Tim Gagnon (http://www.kscartist.com) to design a special commemorative. The patches will be available in a limited “1st launch” window for $5 USD each (plus shipping) until April 30th with partial proceeds going to Yuri’s Night, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Even for those who didn’t apply to be a NASA Astronaut, these patches show support for the future of human spaceflight and the upcoming class of NASA astronauts. For those that did apply, this patch is “Critical Space Hardware” that applicants will want to have on their journeys to the cosmos. About the Patch Design The design shows a large number of people “reaching for the stars.” To illustrate that many are called though few are chosen, two hands reach out to grasp the silver astronaut pin awarded by a space suited astronaut. The Moon and Mars are visible in the sky beckoning us to explore the unknown. On the space suit arm we see the reflected image of the International Space Station (ISS) symbolically looking to the past. The Class of 2017 will be the 22nd (XXII) Astronaut Candidate Class for NASA. #BeAnAstronaut was the hashtag used on social media to enhance the excitement of the application process, which had a record breaking 18,300 applicants apply. Popular culture may have helped this application record breaking number as “The Martian” movie was released in October and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was released a few days after the call for applicants opened. “So you’re saying there’s a chance…” can be contributed to an adaption of Jim Carrey’s famous movie line as Lloyd Christmas. The final detail is that the shape of the patch is representative of the future human spacecraft capsules. Orders are now closed. Thanks for your interest in the #BeAnAstronaut Patch! We’ve had a record breaking fundraiser and we’re excited to keep you up to date on your purchase throughout the fulfillment process. Manufacturing and fulfillment may take up to six weeks. Check back for updates or email us at gear@yurisnight.net Would you like occasional Yuri’s Night updates? Sign up for our newsletter (“Stay up to date”) in the footer below!Video conferencing is now part of almost every business set-up. Whichever industry you work for in any part of the world, you must have witnessed or participated in one or more video conferencing sessions. Video conferencing is the next level of more pervasive audio calls and conferencing needs higher technology and more advanced equipment. It serves the purpose of a face-to-face interaction bringing more clarity, understanding, and familiarity between the participating parties. In recent years, video conferencing has increasingly become more popular as the preferred choice of business meetings for a variety of reasons, thanks to the advances made in the technology making it accessible, friendly and cost-effective. Apart from the very obvious reasons of saving time, cost and man-hours spent on travel, studies have shown that video conferencing brings many more advantages for the enterprise using the technology. It markedly enhances productivity as participants are able to focus and remained engaged much more than audio conferencing. It also encourages team spirit and fosters familiarity when people see each other, their body language, etc. and are able to relate to the team members working from spread out locations. But, like with every developing technology, video conferencing has its own share of operational troubles owing either to technology, low band-width or lack of awareness and understanding on how to get best out of the video conferencing set-up. When not taken care, video conferencing may turn out to be a frustrating experience with wastage of time and effort because of technology glitches and poor organization. That’s why it’s important that you take care of the following things while arranging video conferencing sessions to avoid nightmares that ruin the otherwise seamless and valuable collaboration. Background Noise Video conferencing works best when participants are able to see and hear each other with clarity. Any distraction in the background fetters the focus. You should ensure that any kind of background noise within or outside the room is avoided and minimized. Any kind of extra noise like of kids, pets, mobile and desktop phones, alarms, or any other device should be avoided. Remember to Mute Always take care that you mute yourself when others are speaking, or while you are looking for some document on your laptop or in files, ordering coffee, or answering a phone call when the video conferencing is on. Be Prepared with the Technology Ensure that there is a steady internet connection. Blanked off from an ongoing video conferencing call leads to you missing out on the important things being discussed. It also wastes time when you are trying to put yourself back in the call. Always Do a Dry Run It is important that you are familiar with the system and applications being used for the video conferencing session. You should know how to put the conference back in place if some technology glitch disrupts it. Always do a dry run and make yourself completely familiar with the technology. It is always advisable to have a backup like a video conferencing app on your phone or tablet. Also, do check all the microphones, cameras, displays and other connections necessary for a successful collaboration session.Every police force in Britain was under pressure last night to review thousands of rape, sexual assault and child abuse cases. The Metropolitan Police is already urgently examining 30 sensitive investigations, with'scores' more to follow. It comes as DC Mark Azariah, the detective in charge of two collapsed rape trials, was removed from active duty by the Met following the revelation police failed to disclose vital evidence to prosecutors. Scroll down for video Isaac Itiary, 24, was remanded in jail for four months after being charged with raping a child under 16 - but has been freed after texts showing his evidence were not released by Met DC Mark Azariah (right) who is no longer working on active cases Liam Allan, pictured with his mother Lorraine, poses outside Croydon Crown Court after all rape charges against him were dropped Attorney General Jeremy Wright said the cases are 'appalling failures of the criminal justice system'. And campaigners and legal experts warned the failures are likely to be far more widespread – and that further cases could be undermined by shocking blunders by officers. Around 30 cases are already set for trial and are being prioritised, but it is not yet known how many other cases will be affected. Prosecutor who stopped Liam Allan case over withheld texts says it happens 'every single day and has to stop' The barrister who stopped the prosecution in the Liam Allan after texts proved he was innocent said today it 'happens every day'. Jerry Hayes (pictured), a former Tory MP, said officers are withholding evidence that undermines their case and 'it's got to stop'. He told Radio 4 this morning: 'This is not one rogue officer. This is a systemic, cultural problem with the police. It is enshrined in law that police officers have to be independent. They have to look at all the evidence. They have to log it. 'They are not just building a case to prosecute someone. If there is anything there that undermines the prosecution case they've got to tell you. 'And if there's anything that undermines or rather assists the defence case they've got to tell you too. But that is not happening. You speak to any barrister they will tell you stories that this happens every single day and it has got to stop'. He went on: 'I was speaking to the barrister [in the Itiari case] this morning. They had been asking for these tests [victim's phone records] for months. Now, this is not something that has just been forgotten. Were they deliberately sitting on it? We don't know but these are very, very worrying systemic problems'. It has now opened the door for hundreds of convicted rapists to start appealing their sentences. It came as: Justice Minister Dominic Raab said the 'basic principle of British justice is at stake', the police watchdog faced urgent calls to conduct a national inquiry, one QC said the 'rigid mindset' of police being told to always 'believe' victims may leave supposedly open-minded inquiries fatally flawed, the prosecutor in one failed case said defence teams should insist on a written guarantee that no material exists which could undermine a trial and Mr Wright ordered a review of disclosure processes, including legislation. Scotland Yard is at the centre of the growing 'disclosure' crisis after a second rape trial collapsed in less than seven days. Police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) officials are accused of breaking a key rule by failing to pass on any material they discover to a suspect's defence team. One barrister branded it a'systemic cultural problem' in which police are only gathering facts for the prosecution. Experts added the huge amount of digital information in many cases is overwhelming officers. On Tuesday Isaac Itiary, 25 – who was charged with 11 crimes, including rape, involving an underage girl – walked free after prosecutors offered no evidence. They had discovered mobile phone messages that supported his claim the alleged victim posed as a 19-year-old. He had spent four months on remand. Last week, student Liam Allan, 22, was vindicated in similar circumstances. In response, Metropolitan Police Commander Richard Smith confirmed 30 'priority' cases, which are either due to go to trial or in which the suspect has been charged, are being reviewed urgently and'scores' more will then be considered with support from the CPS. He said'something has gone badly wrong' in Mr Allan's case but the disclosure system worked as it should with Mr Itiary. Mr Allan, a psychology student at Greenwich University, is planning to sue the police and the CPS for their bungled handling of the case 'Police think every sex attack complainant must be believed', says top QC A top QC says police automatically believe complainants in sex attack cases. Mark George QC says the 'policy' is what got officers in trouble over the case of Liam Allan. Writing on his blog he said: 'The attitude of the police officer who failed to consider that the material easily passed the statutory test for disclosure was engendered by the very idea now written into the official policy of the College of Policing that means that a complainant in a sex case must be believed. 'Any police officer who considered that her or his duty was to investigate the case fearlessly and with a view to seeing if the allegation would stand up in court or was likely to fail should have considered the text messages between the complainant and the accused in this case'. The same sexual offences specialist officer – DC Mark Azariah, who has worked on several high profile cases – was responsible for the evidence in both cases. He has been taken off 'active investigations' pending a review, but has not been suspended. The review is being closely watched by the Home Secretary, who could order a national audit if more failings are found. Mr Raab said: 'The basic principle of British justice is at stake... What we need to know now is quite how widespread that is and why. This is not a new thing. It should be made easy by technology.' The National Police Chiefs' Council said: 'We have been addressing recommendations from criminal justice inspectorates that identified the need for improvement in the way that disclosure is handled. We are working with the College of Policing and CPS to resolve the issues raised. As part of this we will consider the findings of the Met's review... and the impact of the amount of digital material officers now need to analyse, especially in fraud and sex offence cases.' The PM's spokesman said: 'The two cases... have obviously raised some serious issues which need to be looked at in greater detail.' Rape trial shambles is latest sex attack case to end in chaos Leo Mahan and Thady Duff (left) were cleared of rape when it emerged detectives had 'cherry picked' the evidence while Bartolomeo Joly de Lotbiniere, 22, (right) was cleared of rape reported to police 14 months later It comes after a string of rape cases were found to have fallen apart. Friends Thady Duff, Leo Mahon, Patrick Foster, all 22, and James Martin, 20, were charged with gang-raping a young woman following the May Ball at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, Gloucestershire in 2014. It was alleged that the violent assault was filmed, and the footage circulated via Snapchat. But the trial at Gloucester Crown Court collapsed after it emerged that detectives had 'cherry picked' and 'airbrushed' the evidence. A study of the alleged victim's phone revealed that she had sent nude pictures of herself to one of the men in advance of the ball and also how she had given inconsistent accounts of a 'threesome' she took part in at an Army barracks five months after the alleged university rape. Shockingly, none of this material was handed over to the prosecution or defence by an investigating police officer. Royal Agricultural University students Mahon, Foster and Duff, and friend Martin, were cleared in 2016 after the prosecution offered no evidence. An IPCC investigation later found that detectives had no case to answer for misconduct. Bartolomeo Joly de Lotbiniere, 22, was accused of raping a geography student at York University after a night out downing cheap spirits and alcopops. His 19-year-old accuser said his advances were unwanted and that she froze in terror as Lotbiniere, also then 19, undressed her and carried her to bed in her halls of residence. But she only reported Mr Joly de Lotbiniere to police 14 months after the alleged attack when he appeared on television in six episodes of the BBC2 quiz show University Challenge. After such a long passage of time there was no forensic evidence, only individual testimonies, accounts from friends and text messages. Mr Joly de Lotbiniere insisted what had happened was a 'two way', consensual one-night stand, saying : 'Drunk or sober I would never rape anybody.' After two trials spread over seven months — the first ended in a hung jury — he was found not guilty of rape and sexual assault in September. Why are rape suspects named in the UK and what are the rules in other countries? Anonymity for men and women accused of rape until conviction was in place for 12 years until 1988 when it was repealed. At the time one of the main reasons given was that the public could not be warned by police if a suspected rapist was on the run, for example, without asking for a judge's permission first. Margaret Thatcher's government also wanted to're-balance' the system in favour of victims - and in high profile cases encourage other victims to come forward. People accused of rape in Britain can be named and cases involving public figures often attract significant media attention. Parliament has considered the idea of anonymity for those accused of rape on a number of occasions. The previous Coalition Government said it would extend anonymity in rape cases to defendants. However, having undertaken an assessment of the evidence, it concluded in 2010 that there was insufficient reliable evidence to justify a change in the law. Anonymity is not granted for rape defendants in any other common law country, with the exception of the Republic of Ireland. There, a rape defendant's identity can be made public only if they are convicted of rape. Justice minister Dominic Raab told BBC Radio 5 Live's Emma Barnett it was 'absolutely right' for the Met to carry out a review, adding: 'The basic principle of British justice is at stake.' Prime Minister Theresa May's official spokesman said the attorney general last week ordered a review to look at disclosure processes - including codes of practice, guidelines and legislation relating to sexual offences and other types of crime - which is expected to report back in 2018. Concerns have previously been raised at the most senior level of the criminal bar that disclosure failures and lack of resources will lead to miscarriages of justice. Angela Rafferty QC, the chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, suggested 'unconscious bias' stops the police and the CPS 'impartially and thoroughly investigating and scrutinising complaints in sexual offence cases'. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told the BBC that the use of evidence in other cases was being looked into to reassure the public. She said: 'We won't be re-investigating all of those, but we we will be reviewing them to make sure that we have discharged our obligations in relation to disclosure - i.e. that everything that should have happened has indeed happened in relation to disclosure. 'So, we have got a team looking at all of those because the public will want to be reassured that we don't have anything similar coming through the system.' Attorney General Jeremy Wright, who is carrying out a review into disclosure, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: 'We can't look at this solely as a resource issue. 'What I think we need to do is understand that the type of evidence that is being used in criminal trials is changing.' Referring to the two collapsed cases, he added they were 'obviously appalling failures of the criminal justice system'.JAN. 19: FanRag’s Jon Heyman tweets that Detwiler’s deal contains a $1MM base salary upon making the Major League roster in addition to incentives. JAN. 18: The A’s have agreed to a minor league contract with lefty Ross Detwiler, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The 30-year-old will return to the A’s organization as a non-roster invite and compete for a job in Spring Training. Detwiler, a client of CAA, spent the majority of the 2016 season with Oakland, tossing 44 innings in green and gold. However, he struggled quite a bit, logging a 6.14 earned run average with 4.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 41.9 percent ground-ball rate. The former No. 6 overall pick was once a very solid arm for the Nationals, who originally drafted him, pitching to a 3.61 ERA over the course of 394 1/3 innings from 2010-14. A trade to the Rangers prior to the 2015 season marked the beginning of a pronounced decline for Detwiler, though, and he’s limped to a 6.73 ERA in 107 innings with the Rangers, Braves, Indians and A’s since that time. Though Detwiler made seven starts for Oakland down the stretch last season, he seems like a notable long shot to factor into the team’s rotation mix. The A’s will trot out a group consisting of Sonny Gray, Sean Manaea and Kendall Graveman, with Andrew Triggs and Jharel Cotton as likely candidates for the final two spots. Others that will be in consideration for rotation work include Jesse Hahn, Daniel Mengden, Paul Blackburn, Frankie Montas and Dillon Overton. However, Sean Doolittle is the only lefty that’s a lock to make Oakland’s bullpen in 2017, so Detwiler could compete for a left-handed setup gig or a long relief role. In parts of nine Major League seasons, left-handed hitters have batted just.233/.313/.304 against Detwiler (including a.237/.304/.342 slash last year).Rep. Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffHouse Democrats file legislation to ensure Mueller report released Hannity echoes Bill Maher, invites Schiff to appear on show Curtain rises on 3 days of Cohen drama MORE (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, ripped President Trump in a statement Saturday for suggesting he accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election. Schiff blasted Trump for what he said was acceptance of Putin's denials that Russia meddled "over the solid evidence of our own intelligence agencies." ADVERTISEMENT “The president fools no one. He understands that the Russians intervened through the hacking and dumping of his opponent’s emails, the fruits of which he exploited time and again on the campaign trail. He understands that they mounted an unprecedented effort on social media to help him, hurt [Hillary] Clinton and divide and damage the country he is now supposed to serve,” Schiff said in the statement. “And he understands that his victory was razor thin, and all protestations to the contrary, he lost the popular vote," he added. “He understands all this and more,” Schiff continued. “He just doesn’t understand how to put country over self.” “Or to put it in terms he is more familiar with — Mr. Trump simply can’t bring himself to put America first," he continued. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he wouldn’t "argue" with Putin over Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. “He said he didn’t meddle, he said he didn’t meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask so many times,” Trump said, according to pool reports. “Every time he sees me he says, ‘I didn’t do that,’ and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it,” he continued. “I can’t stand there and argue with him, I would rather have him get out of Syria, I would rather get to work with him on the Ukraine.” Trump also lashed out at former U.S. intelligence officials by name, including former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former FBI Director James Comey. "I mean, give me a break, they are political hacks," Trump said. “So you look at it, I mean, you have Brennan, you have Clapper and you have Comey. Comey is proven now to be a liar and he is proven now to be a leaker.” Trump went on to contrast those officials with Putin, who he said “very strongly, vehemently” denied Russia interfered in the presidential election. Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI, have concluded that Russia did interfere in the election, and several congressional investigations, including by Schiff’s House Intelligence Committee, are currently underway to determine the scale and scope of Russia’s interference. Special counsel Robert Mueller is also leading an investigation into potential ties between President Trump’s election campaign and Russian officials.Life’s economy is primarily based on collaborative rather than competitive advantage Daniel Christian Wahl Blocked Unblock Follow Following Feb 1, 2017 A holistic understanding of modern evolutionary biology suggests that life evolves by a process of diversification and subsequent integration of diversity through collaboration (John Stewart in BioSystems, 2014). As our focus shifts from individuals and individual species as the unit of survival to the collective of life — its complex dynamic interactions and relationships — we begin to see that collaborative and symbiotic patterns and interactions are of more fundamental importance than competition as a driving force of evolution. Life’s key strategy to create conditions conducive to life is to optimize the system as a whole rather than maximizes only some parameters of the system for a few at the detriment of many (Wahl, 2016). The patterns of evolution show a general trend of diversification and subsequent or parallel integration at a higher level of systemic complexity. This integration tends to happen predominantly through the creation of more complex organismic or social entities, primarily by collaboration and symbiosis. John Stewart suggests that this is moving us towards a ‘global entity’ (2014). Maybe this entity already exists in the life-sustaining processes of the biosphere? The biologist Peter Corning, former president of the International Society for Systems Science and director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems, suggests that “one aspect of this more complex view of evolution is that both competition and cooperation may coexist at different levels of organization, or in different aspects related to the survival enterprise. There may be a delicately balanced interplay between these supposedly polar relationships” (Corning, 2005; p.38). He emphasizes that collaboration has been a key factor in the evolution of our own species. The socio-economic payoffs of collaboration in response to ecological pressures and opportunities among early humans have shaped the evolution of languages and cultures, both require and enable complex patterns of collaboration. “If a society is viewed merely as an aggregate of individuals who have no common interests, and no stake in the social order, then why should they care? But of society is viewed […] as an interdependent collective survival enterprise,’ then each of us has a vital, life-and-death stake in its viability and effective functioning, whether we recognize it or not.” — Peter Corning, 2005, p.392 If we want to re-design economics based on what we know about life’s strategy to create conditions conducive to life, we need to question some basic assumptions upon which the narrative underlying our current economic systems is built. The narrative of separation has predisposed us to focus on scarcity, competition, and the short-term maximization of individual benefit as the basis on which to create an economic system. Life’s evolutionary story shows that systemic abundance can be unlocked through collaboratively structured symbiotic networks that optimize the whole system so human communities and the rest of life can thrive. We are not the masters of life’s diversity, and have the potential to become a regenerative presence in ecosystems and the biosphere. Our re-design of economic systems has to incentivise both collaborative and competitive processes if and when appropriate. Both collaboration and competition contribute to how life creates conditions conducive to life. The biologist Andreas Weber explains: “The biosphere is not cooperative in a simple, straight-forward way, but paradoxically cooperative. Symbiotic relationships emerge out of antagonistic, incompatible processes” (Weber, 2013: 32). Weber stresses that we have to understand how the works of the economist Adam Smith and the political economist Robert Malthus influenced Charles Darwin in his attempt to construct a theory of evolution. “[Darwinian] evolutionary biology is a more accurate reflection of pre-Victorian social practices than of natural reality. In the wake of this metaphorical takeover, such concepts as ‘struggle for existence’’, ‘competition’, and ‘fitness’ — which were central justifications of the political status quo in (pre) Victorian England — tacitly became centrepieces of our own self-understanding as embodied and social beings. And they still are…. Biological, technological, and social progress, so the argument goes, is brought forth by the sum of individual egos striving to out-compete each other. In perennial rivalry, fit species (powerful corporations) exploit niches (markets) and multiply their survival rate (profit margins), whereas weaker (less efficient) ones go extinct (bankrupt). This metaphysics of economics and nature, however, is far more revealing about our society’s opinion about itself than it is an objective account of the biological world.” — Andreas Weber (2013: 24) Example of collaboration in leaf-cutter ants. The limited narrative of separation, with its exclusively competition- and scarcity-focused understanding of life, is supported by outdated biological and economic theories. Weber calls this an “economic ideology of nature” and suggests that an ideologically biased perspective “reigns supreme over our understanding of human culture and world. It defines our embodied dimension (Homo sapiens as a gene-governed survival machine) as well as our social identity (Homo economicus as an egoistic maximizer of utility). The idea of universal competition unifies the two realms, the natural and the socio-economic. It validates the notion of rivalry and predatory self-interest as inexorable facts of life” (pp.25–26). The optimization of resource-sharing and processing in order to (re)generate and share abundance and systemic health, rather than competition for scarce resources, is the basis of life’s way of doing economics
would take any complaints from customers seriously – the same way we do for all complaints."Photo gallery of "Fighting Irishmen" launch in Northern Ireland: Click here The Irish Arts Center of New York City has brought their hugely successful “Fighting Irishmen” exhibition overseas for the first time to Northern Ireland. Some of the biggest names in Irish boxing, including Barry McGuigan, Paul McCloskey and Charlie Nash, attended the launch of “Fighting Irishmen: A Celebration of the Celtic Warrior” on May 28 at the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, County Tyrone. “Fighting Irishmen,” presented by the Irish Arts Center, Honorary Chair and long time supporter of the Center Liam Neeson and guest curator James Houlihan, was previously a mainstay in New York and Boston for three years. This is the first time the internationally acclaimed exhibition has gone on display outside the U.S. Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan officially launched the exhibition in the award-winning County Tyrone museum. It features photographs and memorabilia charting the unique stories of Celtic Prizefighters from 1820 to the present day, including pieces from boxing greats such as John L. Sullivan, Jack Dempsey and John Duddy, as well as personal items from Liam Neeson’s amateur boxing career. Perhaps the most unique item on display is the late, great Irish fighter Dan Donnelly’s mummified right arm. Speaking at the exhibition’s Northern Ireland launch, Barry McGuigan said: “Love of boxing runs deep in Ireland’s veins and that passion for the sport travelled unabated to America with emigration. The exhibition is fantastic and clearly highlights boxing’s rich history from 1820 onwards. I’m thrilled to be part of the exhibition and think it is highly appropriate to have it displayed at the Ulster American Folk Park." “Fighting Irishmen” has achieved great success since its opening at the Irish Arts Center in New York in the fall of 2006. The exhibition was also featured at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York as their main attraction in 2007, and was most recently presented at the John J. Burns library at Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts. The exhibition, which has been adapted for display at the Ulster American Folk Park, was also the subject of a feature documentary by the BBC. “Fighting Irishmen: Celebrating Celtic Prizefighters 1820 – Present” was developed by the Irish Arts Center in New York City under the direction of guest curator James J. Houlihan and is set to run at the Omagh museum until the November 29. For further information on the exhibition, visit www.nmni.com, or www.irishartscenter.org/fightingirish.htm0 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard The end is near for the Christian right. No, they are not about to be beamed up into heaven, rewarded for their piousness, on a glorious ride symbolizing the rapture of the church. Instead, they are about to wither and die as a political movement in the United States, victims of their own hatred and hubris. Yes, for over three decades, theocrats rode an unholy alliance with the modern Republican Party to unprecedented heights of power. Ronald Reagan, two George Bushes, and hundreds upon hundreds of Republican Senators and Congressmen were their willing enablers. Big business Republicans, neo-conservatives, and libertarian economists alike embraced Christian fundamentalists as they exploited bigotry and fear to push free market economics and expansionist foreign policies, while giving lip service to school prayer, ending abortion, and preserving traditional marriage from the onslaught of the “homosexual agenda”. Karl Rove exploited Christian right bigotry by pushing anti-gay ballot measures in 2004 that would herd evangelical conservatives to the polls to cast their votes for George W. Bush. That was a decade ago, when the Christian right’s influence in American politics was unmistakable and their grip on the GOP iron tight. However, in the last ten years the Christian right’s power has been steadily eroding. Oblivious to their waning influence, conservative Christian groups have soldiered on without any apparent awareness of their impending demise. Perhaps they still do, but yesterday was a watershed moment. The Christian right tried to flex its muscle in Arizona by passing a bill that would codify into law the right for Christian-owned businesses to exercise their “religious liberty” to discriminate against gays and lesbians. Many other red states introduced similar measures, though Arizona’s was the first to pass such a bill through both chambers of the legislature. The Christian right miscalculated badly and failed to anticipate the backlash that would follow. Chamber of Commerce chapters and major corporations based in Arizona balked at the measure, citing the potential for lost tourism revenue and lawsuits. GOP politicians piled on. Arizona Senators Jeff Flake and John McCain joined the opposition. Florida Governor Rick Scott and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney also rose in opposition. Politicians who had long embraced Christian right extremism for politically expedient reasons more than on principal, were now turning on the fundamentalists at the eleventh hour. Then on Thursday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who like most GOP politicians had long courted Christian extremists, sealed their fate with her veto pen. In that moment, the lipstick wore off the Judas kiss that the Republican Party leadership made with Christian extremists years ago. The Christian right long wielded disproportionate influence in the halls of Congress, with the likes of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson seducing GOP politicians with promises of fealty and winning them over to socially reactionary policies. Ronald Reagan enthusiastically brought the “moral majority” into his winning coalition, and since 1980 GOP politicians have relied upon evangelical right-wingers to help propel them to victory. Though they were never a true majority, the bible thumpers on the right were able to bully timid Republican politicians to press their agenda in exchange for contributions and votes. However, now that bigotry is no longer a recipe for electoral success, the toxic embrace between pro-business Republicans and moralizing troglodytes has been pulled apart. As a political force, the Christian right is unraveling at warp speed. Even the Bible Belt is unbuckling at a rate that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Sure Mike Huckabee and Rush Limbaugh still pollute America’s political discourse with their jeremiads against unseemly gays and promiscuous single women, but their taunts fall mostly on deaf ears outside the shrinking realm of “true believers” who nourish their hateful minds with unhealthy doses of talk radio and FOX News. With the tactical brilliance of General George Custer’s Army at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the Christian right has hastened their own defeat through arrogance and miscalculations that could only be made by people who truly believe they are called by God, and who have no concept of the earthly consequences they are about to face. They are making their last stand in the great American culture war, and they are losing badly. Not only is America becoming more secular and more tolerant, but even mainstream Christianity is distancing itself from the far right. Even bulwarks of traditionalism, like the Mormon and Roman Catholic church hierarchies are moving away from prejudice and dogmatism. Increasingly defensive, the Christian right has gone from opposing late-term abortions and lobbying for school prayer to more dubious crusades. They have moved the goal posts so far to the right that right-wing Christians are now arguing for trans-vaginal ultrasounds, banning contraception and granting businesses the right to discriminate against lesbians and gays. With unending persecution complexes, they view themselves under attack, lamenting phony assaults on Christianity and a war on Christmas that does not exist. Yet it is they who are launching the attacks by picketing funerals, referring to rape as a gift from God, and blaming homosexuals for terrorist attacks and deadly tornadoes. Twisters, those “acts of God” that raise havoc on “traditional values” strongholds like Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas, while leaving San Francisco, Portland and Seattle unscathed. The battle will continue, maybe for years, maybe even decades. However, America has already rendered its judgement. Same sex marriages are now legal in 17 states and on the verge of becoming legal in several more. Millennial voters overwhelmingly support marriage equality. The Christian right can do nothing more but dig their heels in and fight a lost cause. No doubt with self-righteous fervor they will continue to fight to the bitter end, enduring one humiliating defeat after another in the years ahead, as America moves further and further away from the Christian right’s outdated prejudices. There will be no sound of trumpets to announce the end of days for the Christian right as a viable political movement, but the end is coming. In fact, it may already be here. If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:How do executives stay organized? What are their management strategies? And what do they do for fun? Executive Suite seeks answers to the behind-the-scenes questions. Keith Wandell CEO of Harley-Davidson Inc. CEO since: May 2009 Age: 63 You were Harley-Davidson’s first CEO to come from outside the company. Did you face skeptics? I don’t know how to quantify it, but there was a significant amount of concern from our employees and our dealers. “What can this person possibly know?” — that type of thing. What were people’s concerns about? First of all, I think there were some misconceptions about my background, thinking that my background had been largely in automotive. [That] really wasn’t true, even though I did have some experience [there]. The automotive industry is a hyper competitive industry [and] there is a different sort of mentality to how the car companies look at the supply base: It’s a more slice and burn kind of mentality. All those things culminated in a concern around “This guy is going to turn us into an auto-like company.” How did you earn employees’ and customers’ trust? Really by just listening and engaging them [and] recognizing the long, rich heritage of the company. That’s important to all of our employees and all of our dealers – Harley-Davidson and what it stands for. So using that as sort of a backdrop, [saying] “Guess what? We’re not going change the formula for Coke here and mess it up, but the future’s going to be different than the last 110 years.” How did you get up to speed on the company, coming from the outside? I don’t sit in my office and wait for people to come see me. I walk around and talk to people. I walk into a meeting and ask, “Why wasn’t I invited to this meeting?” and sit down and start to participate. Keep reading after the jump…Update 1: When Trump goes low, Susan Rice apparently goes silent: SUSAN RICE SPOKESWOMAN: WON'T COMMENT ON 'LUDICROUS' CHARGE * * * As new details surrounding the Susan Rice "unmasking" scandal continue to slowly leak out, President Trump told a group of reporters at the White House earlier today that he is convinced that the former national security adviser to President Obama may have committed a crime by seeking the identities of his associates who were 'incidentally surveilled." Per the New York Times, while Trump refused to offer any additional details pending an ongoing investigation, he described the scandal as "one of the big stories of our time" and vowed to follow-up "at the right time." “I think it’s going to be the biggest story,” Mr. Trump said in an interview in the Oval Office, declining repeated requests for evidence for his allegations or the names of other Obama administration officials. “It’s such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.” He declined to say if he had personally reviewed new intelligence to bolster his claim but pledged to explain himself “at the right time.” When asked if Ms. Rice, who has denied leaking the names of Trump associates under surveillance by United States intelligence agencies, had committed a crime, the president said, “Do I think? Yes, I think.” Of course, as we noted earlier, if anyone expects former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the same Susan Rice who "stretched the truth" repeatedly about Benghazi, to unilaterally admit she did something wrong they will be severly disappointed. Instead, just yesterday she took an interview on the always Obama-friendly Andrea Mitchell show on MSNBC to categorically deny that the Obama administration inappropriately spied on members of the Trump transition team. “The allegation is that somehow, Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes...That’s absolutely false.... My job is to protect the American people and the security of our country." “There was no such collection or surveillance on Trump Tower or Trump individuals, it is important to understand, directed by the White House or targeted at Trump individuals." EXCLUSIVE: Susan Rice says the claim that intelligence was used for political purposes is “absolutely false” Watch: https://t.co/JdbgCtSgEN — MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 4, 2017 Rice also flatly denied exposing President Trump’s former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign in February after media reports revealed that he misled Vice President Pence about the contents of a phone call with the Russian ambassador. Asked by Mitchell if she sought to unmask the names of people involved in the Trump campaign in order to spy on them, Rice says: "absolutely not, for any political purpose, to spy, expose, anything." And yet, that is what happened. She was then asked if she leaked the name of Mike Flynn: “I leaked nothing to nobody." WATCH: Susan Rice insists “I leaked nothing to nobody” https://t.co/kAsbu4VJDN — MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 4, 2017 Of course, only time will tell which version of the truth proves to be accurate and/or whether this is just another attempt by Republicans to "criminalize behavior that is normal."If Roy Moore loses on Tuesday, he can at least say his campaign went out in a blaze of extremely uncomfortable bigotry. Hours after the Republican candidate (badly) maneuvered a horse to the polls in the Alabama special election, his spokesman Ted Crockett appeared on CNN’s The Lead to … well, it’s not clear what the purpose of his appearance was, other than to amplify the country’s already sullied opinion of his boss. The lowlight of the interview arrived when Jake Tapper pressed Crockett on whether Moore still believed homosexuality should be illegal, which he did in 2005. Ted Crockett (Roy Moore's spokesman) may be the most inept communicator I've ever seen on television. This @jaketapper interview is a must watch https://t.co/NeuaBamER9 — Ted Hamlin (@TedHamlinDC) December 12, 2017 After some dissembling, Tapper asked again, and Crockett landed on his ultimate answer: “Probably.” Good to know! Tapper then segued to one of Moore’s other most outrageous claims: that a Muslim should not be allowed to serve in Congress. He asked Crockett why Moore believed such a thing. Roy Moore campaign spokesman responds with silence when asked if he knew people can be sworn in with a text other than the Christian bible pic.twitter.com/B65qIKBjlI — The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) December 12, 2017 “Because you have to swear on the Bible,” Crockett said. “You have to swear on a Bible to be an elected official in the United States of America.” “You don’t actually have to swear on a Christian Bible,” Tapper retorted. “You can swear on anything.” Crockett disagreed with that true assessment, but Tapper repeated, “The law is not that you have to swear on a Christian bible. That is not the law.” What followed was a silence the length of which is not usually seen on TV except in case of technical difficulties, or a PBS screening of a John Cage concert. It was interrupted only by Jake Tapper asking, incredulously, “You don’t know that?” By the time Crockett finally got a word in, Tapper was ready to wrap up the interview. You don’t know that, indeed.Of course, wherever there's a RL trend SL will always follow -- some designers have even recreated the coordinated costumes worn by their favorite KPop girl groups in their most iconic videos. If you're looking for something a little more wearable though, there are a lot of ways to work the KPop influence into your wardrobe. For example: Lately, Hamlet (and just about everyone else on the Internet) has been listening to the latest single from hit Korean artist PSY, a man with musical taste and a sense of humor that seems to transcend language barriers to the point of making his comeback video a viral sensation. (Watch below.) But if you spend any amount of time hopping around the plethora of Korean pop videos posted on YouTube by fans, artists, and companies alike, you'll soon realize by the volume of English comments just how popular KPop already is among western fans. It's fun, it's catchy, and the fashion is absolutely to die for. KPop fashion usually draws from a lot of familiar sources. The influences of hip hop fashion are especially obvious in PSY's video, and the colors are bright and absolutely scream "pop". If you haven't already seen the video, check it out below: With PSY's redheaded female sidekick (Hyuna, another KPop sensation from the girl group 4minute and an alum from perennial KPop favorite Wonder Girls) you can see a bit of another popular look in KPop; a soft, casual, and romantic style that you might find on the sweetheart heroine of a Korean drama (which are also becoming intensely popular among non-Koreans)... with some hip hop-worthy sneakers added, of course. Here's my take on the look, and complete outfit notes: Skin is YU II(A) by.::Mother Goose's::. with the Kissing Lip makeup layer from My Uglydorothy by with the makeup layer from Hair is In Heaven by lamb by Sleek and sexy hands shown are SLink's Jolie Mains 's Top is the Ashima Blouse from Zaara, layered over League's Spring Frill Neck Camisole from, layered over's Shorts are Tokidoki's Cocoro Shorts 's Scrunched Prim Socks are by Maitreya are by Shoes are Balkanik2.0's MAX75 (While a silver shoe would have been better, the sneaker market in SL is ridiculously overpriced considering how almost every product is directly ripped from Nike or Adidas designs, and even I won't pay L$900 for an unoriginal design I'll probably only wear once. These shoes are no exception to the trademark issue, but they were much cheaper than any other silver alternatives.) 's (While a silver shoe would have been better, the sneaker market in SL is ridiculously overpriced considering how almost every product is directly ripped from Nike or Adidas designs, and even I won't pay L$900 for an unoriginal design I'll probably only wear once. These shoes are no exception to the trademark issue, but they were much cheaper than any other silver alternatives.) Necklace is the Gianna Layered Necklace from Caroline's Jewelry Then there's the other side of the spectrum, KPop acts who specialize in wearing extra-fierce fashions inspired by catwalk couture, usually with a dash of punk flair for flavor. One of my favourites in this style is 2NE1, a girl group with serious bite. Check out my 2NE1 inspired look below: Skin is still YU II(A) by.::Mother Goose's::. though this time I've layered it with Mothergoose's own Lip(B) makeup tattoos, as well as multiple eyeshadow/liner tats from Elymode by though this time I've layered it with Mothergoose's own makeup tattoos, as well as multiple eyeshadow/liner tats from Hair is Stabilizer from Epoque from Epoque Once again I'm wearing SLink's Jolie Mains, though I've added Rozoregalia's Aludra ring 's, though I've added's Jacket is Vega by sYs by Dress is Epoque's Bodycon Mini (Epoque is actually an excellent spot to pick up kpop-worthy hair and clothing well-suited to this style) 's (Epoque is actually an excellent spot to pick up kpop-worthy hair and clothing well-suited to this style) Mesh Leggings by Maitreya are actually retrograde-heeled platform boots as well, another perfect match for this look by are actually retrograde-heeled platform boots as well, another perfect match for this look Necklace is Rozoregalia's Gemma necklace, while earrings are DECO's Anthracite Skull studs Whether the infectious pop music gets stuck in your head or not, kpop-inspired fashion definitely has something to offer just about any fashionista. Tweet Iris Ophelia (Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.!--paging_filter--pIf you’re heading to Capitol Hill any time of the day or night—maybe to eat at one of the too-many-to-count restaurants in this vibrant neighborhood—you might think twice about driving your car. Parking is famously difficult to find, and it gets pricey fast. brThe scarcity and expense of parking in the neighborhood were two reasons that Colin Petkus, 24, decided to try the car-free lifestyle. For about a year, the recent college grad commuted from his Capitol Hill apartment to his job at a Redmond social service agency—but not with his car. brbr“I took a bus to work and left my car parked in Redmond,” Petkus explains. “I needed it for work to see my clients, but I didn’t want to pay the toll on the 520 bridge. And parking a car on Capitol Hill is so insane. Even if driving got me home faster, it would have taken me 45 minutes to find a parking spot.” He also didn’t like the idea of paying $150 a month to rent a parking space. brSo when he recently switched jobs to a downtown employer with no car requirement, owning a vehicle no longer made sense. He happily sold it and now bikes or walks to work. A longtime recreational cyclist, he’s outfitted one of his bikes to easily carry groceries and other gear. brbrimg src="/sites/default/files/newfiles/0214_carfree.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 10px;" height="258" width="400"Petkus says he misses a car when he wants to head out of town for a hike or other getaway, but friends or his parents, who live nearby, are usually willing to provide rides. He sometimes uses Zipcar for work, but has yet to use a car-sharing service for personal reasons. “The weird thing for me is that I have friends who make a lot less money than me, but still have a car. They think I can’t afford a car and feel bad for me.” But, he says, thinking about his decision: “I really didn’t view my car as freeing me. I viewed it as chaining me down.” Without a car, he feels lighter and less encumbered.em (Photo: Apps such as OneBusAway (developed at UW) track buses in real-time to reduce the frustration of not knowing exactly when your bus will arrive)/embrbrWhat Petkus is doing isn’t exactly revolutionary. In fact, he’s smack in the middle of a well-documented millennial trend. A number of recent studies have confirmed what anecdotal evidence was already pointing to: Millennials—generally those born after 1980 who are now in their 20s and early 30s—don’t share the same love affair with the car as previous generations. brAs a group, they’re slower to begin driving a car and even slower to buy one. One study found that fewer than half of American teens apply for a driver’s license when they qualify for one. Another study found that the number of young people driving decreased by 23 percent between 2001 and 2009. And buying a car? Only 27 percent of adults ages 21–34 bought cars in 2010, down from 38 percent in 1985. And it’s not just millennials who are moving away from cars. Car sales overall are down, and so are total miles driven. According to one report, total miles driven in the U.S. peaked in 2004.brbrThere’s plenty of debate among social scientists about whether this is a permanent shift in transportation habits or one driven by economics, age and—in Seattle, at least—traffic congestion. While that debate rages nationally, it’s clear that in Seattle we’re embracing other ways of getting around. According to recent figures from the U.S. Census, bike commuting in Seattle is up by 152 percent since 2000, and walking by 56 percent. Peter Hahn, former director of the Seattle Department of Transportation, says that Seattle is one of just five cities in the country where the majority of workers either take public transit, carpool, walk or bike. The other cities are Washington, D.C., Boston, New York and San Francisco.brbrCarla Saulter, 41, isn’t a millennial, but she is among those finding other ways to get to the office and elsewhere. A program manager at a Seattle nonprofit that advocates for transportation choice, she gave up her car about a decade ago. “After being away from Seattle for a while, I returned, and there was so much traffic,” she says. “I realized when sitting in traffic with everyone else that I was part of the problem.” Well ahead of the current wave of people going car-free, Saulter started documenting her life as a bus rider in 2006, on a blog called Bus Chick (a href="http://www.buschick.com" target="_blank"buschick.com/a). brbrShe has been without a car for so long, she has trouble remembering the lifestyle accommodations she’s made over the years.br“You start thinking differently,” says Saulter, who became a mother since giving up her car. She and her husband, Adam Edwards—who has never owned a car—are parents of Rosa, 6, and Quincy, 4.brbr“When you have a car, you have a different attitude about going places. You just go whenever you feel like it, even if it doesn’t make sense. The car, because it’s there, you use it, ” Saulter says.brbrShe isn’t anti-car. When the couple does need a car—for instance, to take the kids to a birthday party across the lake on a weekend, to get home after a late-night event or to transport the whole family to a Cannon Beach vacation—they use Zipcar and taxis. brbrSaulter, who lives in the Central Area, chose the location because her work, the kids’ school, services such as a library and community center, and good bus service are nearby. (Not all neighborhoods are equal when it comes to car-free convenience, see below.)/p pimg src="/sites/default/files/newfiles/car_free_capture.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 10px;" height="756" width="600"bremCar-free convenience, based on easy walking access to Metro and Sound Transit stops (weighted 21%), grocery stores (18%), public and private K–12 schools, universities and community colleges (10%), Seattle parks (10%), coffee shops (8%), libraries (5%), community centers (3%), as well as density of bike lanes and dedicated trails (14%) and sidewalks (11%). Some of the best neighborhoods for living without a car include downtown, Capitol Hill and the University District. Some of the most challenging are along the edges of the city, including Magnolia, Laurelhurst and Arbor Heights in West Seattle. Sources: King County, City of Seattle, ESRI. Map by span style="color: #000000;"spanAndrew Smyth/span/span/em/p hr pbrLiving without a car may seem like it has a lot of inconveniences. She ticks them off: weather, bus frequency and always living by a schedule. But Saulter sees upsides, too—and not just from the money she saves by not owning a car. There’s her intimate knowledge of her neighborhood, the community of people she meets while walking and on the bus, and the physical exercise. Her kids have benefited from that, too. “When my son was 2, he could walk two miles. My kids don’t think anything of it.”brbrShe also makes a compelling case when she flips the usual “cars are convenient” argument around. “There are many things about driving that are inconvenient—like looking for parking and sitting in traffic.” To this she adds the potential dangers of driving, the time it takes to fill the gas tank and take the car in for maintenance, and the overall expense. “We just accept these as part of life, but we don’t want to accept the downside to something like transit.”brimg src="/sites/default/files/newfiles/0214_carfree2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 10px;" height="249" width="400"brAfter eight years of living without a car, Alan Durning, 49, says that he, too, thinks differently about getting around, and his life feels calmer and less hurried. “There’s probably a day every month when I wish I had a car. But most of the time, the difference in not having a car is that you do more planning. You can’t make a last-minute decision to head off somewhere. The curious result is that you often make better choices.”brbrSomething of a car-free pioneer, Durning ditched his car back when most millennials were still being ferried by their parents to soccer practice and music lessons. Concern for the environment was his big motivation. em(Photo: Easy access to transit, services and entertainment make Capitol Hill a good fit for brcar-free living)/embrbrExecutive director of Sightline, a Seattle-based environmental think tank, Durning got national attention in 2006 when he wrote a series for Sightline about his family’s decision to give up their car for a year. “It brought an enormous amount of media attention to my family. We were on CNN and in all the major local papers. The series I wrote for Sightline was reproduced all over the place. I think the idea was just a little bit ahead of the wave.” Today, he says, such an announcement “would get a shrug.”brbrIt’s also much easier to be without a car in Seattle today than it was in 2006, he says. “I don’t think of my alternative to a car as one thing,” he reflects. “It’s a giant network of choices. And that network has grown dramatically in the last seven years. As that network gets thicker and more robust, it has become superior to owning my own car.” The pace of the network growth, he says, has picked up in recent years.brbrWhile bus routes are regularly on the budgetary chopping block, Seattle’s many transit projects—including the First Hill Streetcar (service expected to begin this year), and Link light rail expansions to the University District (service expected to begin in 2016), to Northgate (2021), to Lynnwood (late 2023) and over I-90 (2023)—will expand options for car-free travel. Meanwhile, the options for ride- and car-sharing are exploding with companies such as Car2go, Zipcar and Lyft, and services such as RelayRide, which lets you rent someone else’s car when they’re not using it. Apps such as OneBusAway, which gives real-time information on bus arrival, have changed the transit-riding experience. The city has pitched in with bike and walking route maps, more bike paths and improved pedestrian safety efforts. The ease of online shopping, including for groceries via services such as AmazonFresh, and ubiquity of smartphones, which make online shopping from virtually anywhere a reality, have made a difference, too.brbr“I’ve been promoting the environment and alternatives to the car since 1986, ” Durning says. “It feels like in the last decade things are finally coming together, especially in the center of our big cities.” brbrOf course, a car doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing decision. Sarah Bishop, 29, a millennial who lives in Ravenna, has had an on-again, off-again affair with a car. For two years after graduating from college, she got around via bus and bike. That lifestyle meshed with her environmental values and her pocketbook.brbrBut then she landed a job for which she needed a car, so she borrowed her family’s car. “That job ended, and now I have a job close to where I live. I want to push myself back to the mind-set of not driving,” Bishop says. brbrThere are some things she doesn’t like about not having a car—waiting at a bus stop late at night or spending an hour on the bus getting to a social engagement that would only take a few minutes by car. So she’s fine with driving, sometimes. Call her lifestyle car-lite, rather than car-free.brbrInterestingly, in a city that has become more and more bike-friendly, neither Bishop nor Carla Saulter uses a bike for transportation, both saying they don’t like riding in traffic. (They aren’t alone. Citing a variety of reasons they don’t ride to work, women constitute only 30 percent of the total number of Seattle bike commuters.)brbrUsing cars occasionally, but mostly relying on other forms of transportation, seems to be what works for all of these Seattleites. Cars aren’t the enemy, but they also don’t have to be the first line of defense. Saulter puts it this way, when asked if she’d ever own a car again: “If we ever did, we would use it when it was useful. Not for every purpose. We have so many other tools in our tool kit for getting around.”brbrspan style="font-size: large;"strongHandy apps and websites for car-free living/strong/spanbrMapMyWalk (a href="http://www.mapmywalk.com" target="_blank"mapmywalk.com/a) lets you record and map your route.brOneBusAway (a href="http://www.onebusaway.org" target="_blank"onebusaway.org/a) locates bus stops and tells you when the next buses are coming.brKing County Metro (a href="http://www.metro.kingcounty.gov/trip-planner" target="_blank"metro.kingcounty.gov/trip-planner/a) gets riders from here to there with a trip planner.brSeattle Department of Transportation (a href="http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo" target="_blank"seattle.gov/waytogo/a) provides maps with walking and biking routes, and offers incentives to try alternate forms of transportation.brStepTrakLite (a href="http://www.awaretechs.com" target="_blank"awaretechs.com/a) counts your steps like a pedometer. brbr/pSan Antonio's Daryl Sattler, Indy's Victor Pineda, and Tampa Bay's Brian Shriver highlighted the most recent Team of the Week San Antonio Scorpions’ Daryl Sattler, Indy Eleven’s Victor Pineda, and Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Brian Shriver all put in match-winning performances in Week 10. Sattler helped the Scorpions earn a hard-fought win on the road, Pineda’s efforts earned the Boys in Blue a dramatic victory in interim head coach Tim Regan’s debut, while Shriver helped keep the Rowdies in the Spring Season title hunt. For their contribution in their teams’ victories, they all earned Team of the Week honors. Find out the rest of the key performers below: GK: Daryl Sattler (San Antonio Scorpions) – Holding on to a 1-0 lead, the Scorpions faced an onslaught by the Atlanta Silverbacks throughout the second half. The visitors would stand firm, though. Sattler made six saves in the match to preserve the clean sheet, and his most notable save may have been in the 81st minute when he stopped Hans Denissen’s free-kick attempt. DEF: Erick Norales (Indy Eleven) – Through nine games in the Spring Season, Norales has been the constant, steady presence in the Eleven back line. On the road in interim head coach Tim Regan’s first match, the Honduran international marshaled the defense, helping Indy to a morale-boosting 2-1 win against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. DEF: Tamika Mkandawire (Tampa Bay Rowdies) – Missing his usual center back partner with Stefan Antonijevic out due to red card suspension, Mkandawire was key. The Malawi native was strong in the air, dealing with any crosses FC Edmonton sent into the box. He also made several interceptions and tackles, especially when the Eddies were threatening to equalize in the second half, to help the Rowdies earn a 2-1 win. DEF: Rafael Alves (Ottawa Fury FC) – Fury FC hasn’t given up a goal in the last four matches, and the play of Alves continues to be a major reason why. Jacksonville Armada FC held the lion’s share of possession and created most of the attacking opportunities, but the Brazilian center back and the Fury FC rearguard were able to keep Jacksonville out. Ottawa also had to battle the weather on a hot, Florida afternoon, but were able to head back to Canada with a point. MID: Tiyi Shipalane (Carolina RailHawks) – The Shipalane- Nacho Novo connection has been crucial to the RailHawks’ success over the course of the Spring Season, and in the club’s final game in the first half of 2015, that partnership was pivotal once again. The South African’s cross late in the second half found the head of the former Rangers forward who beat Loons goalkeeper Sammy Ndjock for the equalizer in the 1-1 draw. The goal not only sunk Minnesota United’s Spring title hopes, but put Carolina in good standing heading into the Fall Season. MID: Pascal Millien (Jacksonville Armada FC) – The Armada FC couldn’t find the final touch in a scoreless draw with Ottawa, but it certainly wasn’t without a strong effort. Millien was dangerous, using his speed and trickery on the outside, throughout the match. The Haitian international came the closest to scoring as well, but his shot went just wide in the second half. MID: Brian Shriver (Tampa Bay Rowdies)
years. Prices for U.S. government debt fell, while the dollar firmed against a basket of currencies. “The Fed could certainly hold off until later this year, citing the recent market turmoil, but the economic fundamentals would also justify a small September rate increase,” said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh. The upward revisions to second-quarter GDP growth also reflected the accumulation of $121.1 billion worth of inventories, $11.1 billion more than previously estimated. That meant inventories contributed 0.22 percentage point to GDP instead of subtracting 0.08 percentage point as reported last month. While the huge inventory build will likely weigh on growth in the third quarter, the blow could be softened by rebounding business investment in capital goods. Economists had expected that second-quarter GDP growth would be revised to a 3.2 percent rate. The economy grew at a 0.6 percent rate in the first quarter. Output expanded 2.2 percent in the first half of the year compared to growth of 1.9 percent during the same period in 2014. STRONG DOMESTIC DEMAND Underscoring the solid economic fundamentals, a measure of private domestic demand that excludes trade, inventories and government expenditures rose at a 3.3 percent rate in the second quarter, instead of the previously reported 2.5 percent pace. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, grew at a 3.1 percent rate, rather than the 2.9 percent pace reported last month. Consumer spending got off a to brisk start in the third quarter, with retail sales rising solidly in July. A strong labor market, cheaper gasoline and relatively higher house prices are boosting household wealth, helping to support consumer spending. The employment picture was further brightened on Thursday by a separate report from the Labor Department showing initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 271,000 for the week ended Aug. 22. It was the 25th straight week that claims remained below the 300,000 threshold, which is usually associated with a strengthening labor market. Economists also said they expected the recent stock market rout to have only a limited impact on the economy. “As long as this is a garden-variety correction, the impact on the U.S. economy should be modest,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics in West Chester Pennsylvania. The Commerce Department said investment in nonresidential structures was revised to show an increase rather than a contraction, reflecting stronger spending on commercial and healthcare construction. Spending on residential construction, which includes brokers’ commissions, was raised. More gains are likely this quarter after a third report on Thursday showed an increase in contracts to purchase previously owned homes in July. In the second quarter, business spending on equipment was not as weak as initially thought. The energy sector continued to weigh on growth as it struggles with the lingering effects of deep spending cuts by oil-field companies like Schlumberger (SLB.N) and Halliburton (HAL.N) in the aftermath of a more than 60 percent plunge in crude oil prices in the past year. People are seen walking through Roosevelt Field shopping mall in Garden City, New York February 22, 2015. The U.S. homeland security chief said on Sunday he takes seriously an apparent threat by Somali-based Islamist militants against prominent shopping sites in the West including the Mall of America in Minnesota and urged people there to be careful. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton Spending on mining exploration, wells and shafts plunged at a 68.3 percent rate in the second quarter, the largest decline since the second quarter of 1986. The trade deficit was smaller than previously reported, adding 0.23 percentage point to GDP growth. The GDP report also showed a rebound in after-tax corporate profits, but a strong dollar and lower oil prices remain a constraint.Jake’s sledge hammer swung out and knocked another walking corpse back into the mud streaked gully as the sounds of the gunshots faded into the forested hills. “Three shots means trouble,” Flack said, as he used his rifle to push two zombies back into the gully. The two took three more with them and they all splashed into rain flooded stream below. “Maybe we should use our guns.” “I’d rather not lose what advantages we have,” Jake called out. “Let’s just try to do this.” He moved into the fray swinging his hammer as quickly as he could. He tried to hold the bank, but noticed that Scent couldn’t guard her section and had to fall back. When Tops moved back to protect her, he and Flack were forced to retreat or risk be flanked by the undead. Flack cut through half of one’s neck, but then turned to him and yelled, “I think we have to switch to guns or we’ll be overwhelmed.” “Son of a bitch,” Jake said, but then drew his pistol and dropped six zombies with well placed shots. Flack fired his M-4 in small bursts. The drenched zombie’s exploding heads splashed gore over the churning mud. Corpse after corpse fell until the two men had completed their grim task. Tops and Scent went through the downed undead putting any survivors out of their misery while the two gunman caught their breath. Overhead the raging lead colored clouds showed no signs of breaking up. Jake sighed when the rain grew stronger and walked over to where Flack loaded more bullets into a spent magazine. “So what now?” the tall road warrior asked him. “We were tasked with finding Tal and that’s what we’re going to do.” Flack nodded and Jake clasped him on the shoulder. Once the others had collected themselves, the group headed south. The run in had sobered them and gone were the lighthearted jokes. The good humor was replaced by careful footsteps and nervous glances into the drenched woods. As they traveled the rain picked up and a thin mist rose from the ground. Within minutes the rain muffled all other sounds as the mists brought down their visibility. Gritting his teeth Jake led them through the obfuscated forest. Their soaked clothes hung heavy from their arms and back. Each footstep became harder as mud stuck to their soles and created slippery paths through the fields. They found a thick cluster of trees and Jake had the team stop and get their barring. “I wish he’s fire three more shots,” Scent whispered. “Maybe we should fire three of our own,” Flack suggested. “I’d rather hold off,” Jake started, “because—wait, do you guys hear that?” “Sounds like a drunk gorilla hitting a drum with a broken stick,” Tops suggested. “It’s coming from this way,” Jake said. “Let’s go.” A tree covered hill loomed before them and Jake made for it. To their west he could see they had drawn closer to the canyon. This comforted him, more than a little, for at least he knew nothing could head at them from that direction. The team made it up to the thick cluster of trees and despite the mists they had no trouble seeing the scene unfolding below them. Scent gasped and Jake felt like joining her when he saw Tal and one other person sitting on the branches of a pine tree ten feet above an undulating mass of easily three hundred undead. The zombies swirled and trashed under his friends like an eternal mosh pit of death. Flack sounded breathless as he said, “We need to go back and get more people.” But before Jake could replay, he heard Scent cry out. Looking over his shoulder, he saw her backpedaling toward the huge group before them. At first this confused him until he saw the shapes looming up out of the fog. Another group of undead had come up behind them. “Shit,” Flack hissed. “Now we’re cut off from camp.” “Worse than that,” Jake started, “We are stuck between two packs with no easy escape.” . . Come back next weekend and continue Jake’s dangerous journey into the second year of the Eternal Aftermath. . . You can explore more of the Eternal Aftermath here! . .Gallup Daily: Obama Holds Slight 47% to 45% Advantage First time in days that Obama’s Democratic bid has gained supporters PRINCETON, NJ -- The peeling away of national Democratic support for Barack Obama seen this past week may have run its course. After trailing Hillary Clinton by one percentage point in Saturday's Gallup Poll Daily tracking report, Obama now leads Clinton by two points, 47% to 45%. Today's results are based on Gallup Poll Daily tracking conducted Thursday through Saturday, April 17-19, 2008. Obama's largest lead to date in the Democratic nomination race came less than a week ago when he led Clinton by 11 points, 51% to 40%. However, Obama's support began to erode slightly even before the highly publicized April 16 Democratic debate in Philadelphia, and fell more significantly in the two days immediately after it. His advantage whittled away to a 1-point deficit in April 16-18 tracking, the first time since mid-March that Clinton's share of the vote exceeded Obama's, albeit by a statistically insignificant margin. (To view the complete trend since Jan. 3, 2008, click here.) In a race seemingly constrained by the laws of motion -- "what goes up must come down" --, Obama has for now stemmed the recent drop in his support and is back in front of Clinton, albeit with a non-significant 2-point lead. At the same time, the general election preferences of national registered voters have held fairly steady. In a trial heat between Obama and Republican John McCain, the two are now tied at 45%. This is a slight improvement for McCain who trailed Obama by as much as three points earlier in the month, but more broadly reflects the pattern seen since late March of a generally close race. Clinton leads McCain by one point, 46% to 45%, similar to where that hypothetical contest has been since early April. -- Lydia Saad Survey Methods For the Gallup Poll Daily tracking survey, Gallup is interviewing no fewer than 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide each day during 2008. The Democratic nomination results are based on combined data from April 17-19, 2008. For results based on this sample of 1,252 Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. The general election results are based on combined data from April 15-19, 2008. For results based on this sample of 4,342 registered voters, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±2 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. To receive Gallup Poll Daily tracking reports each day as soon as they are published, please register here and add Gallup Daily to your e-mail subscriptions. To provide feedback or suggestions about how to improve Gallup.com, please e-mail feedback@gallup.com.Logan’s Run (1976) – It May Be Cheezy, But It’s Also Good I don’t knowhow many times I’ve seen the movie, Logan’s Run, but I know it’s more than 10 times. Why do I keep coming back? Must be the charm, because while it’s not a cinematic masterpieces, I find it compelling, and it’s concept interesting. The story takes place in 2274, and the remains of humanity have been living in a domed, utopian like society, where all parts of living are taken care for you by a computer. Mankind lives for pleasure and there is no more struggle. There is just one trade off, though: You only get to live to the age of 30, and then you must enter “Carrousel” where you have the chance at renewal…though most likely you’ll just end up vaporized. To ensure no one exceeds their allotted 30 years, all humans are implanted with a life clock in their palm – a disk that changes colour as you age, and eventually flashes red when you’ve reached your time to enter carrousel. The majority enters carrousel with no issue, but some choose to run when their time approaches. When that happens, the computer sends a Sandman for you. A Sandman is basically a policeman who is entrusted to capture these Runners. Michael York plays Logan 5, a Sandman who the computer decides to prematurely age (make his life clock blink, despite having several years left to him. This is done so he can run himself and find the legendary “Sanctuary” – a place spoken of by runners. Sanctuary is supposedly a safe place where you can live out your years past your allotted 30 years. Logan is forced to try to flee, as he is pursued by once fellow Sandmen. As he does he brings along a woman, Jessica (played by Jenny Agutter), who he believes my be sympathetic to runners and may have a clue as to where Sanctuary lies. After a few hairy situations, including a bad plastic surgeon with a young and sexy Farah Fawcett for a nurse and having to convince a group of dissidents that Logan is not a plant, and defeating a weird mirrored robot who’s job has been to process “nutrients from the Sea”, they eventually make it outside the dome, into the wild of the real world. After a few unusual experiences, and noticing that their Life Clocks are now clear, like a baby’s, they eventually find their way to the ruins of a city, Washington D.C. Once there they encounter an old man and his cats, played by the always great Peter Ustinov who tells of his life in the world, explaining how he lived with his birth parents (something quite alien to the dome dwellers). Convincing the old man to follow them, they eventually make their way back to the dome, leaving the old man waiting for them outside. Once in the dome, Logan is captured and interrogated by the central computer. When Logan’s answers cause a break down of the computer, the entire dome starts falling apart. Logan and Jessica lead the people outside where they encounter the old man… Queue credits. Cheezy on many levels, Logan’s Run is still an important Science Fiction film (and book) that describes a world that some believed was not too far off. Aged, but entertaining, I heartily suggest this a s a watch. Check out the trailer below: AdvertisementsW. Ralph Basham, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, the agency that manages the borders, said longer waits had resulted from added security measures at border stations that in many cases were aging, outmoded and facing surging traffic. Saying the new document checks were a “security imperative,” Mr. Basham called on border cities, which own many of the crossing bridges, to invest in expanding the entry points. In the meantime, Mr. Basham said, “A safer border is well worth the wait.” Wait times of up to three hours have also been reported over the past few months at crossings from eastern Canada. Senator Bernard Sanders, independent of Vermont, who held a series of town meetings with border officials about the lines, said low staffing at border stations was the primary cause there. The longer lines along the Mexico border have been especially unsettling here in El Paso, a humming border city long comfortable in its marriage to Ciudad Juárez, the bigger and rowdier Mexican metropolis on the other bank of the Rio Grande. Lines of cars and pedestrians at sunrise on the four border bridges here are a routine for tens of thousands of people, including many United States citizens, coming from Mexico on their way to school, work and shopping. “International bridge wait times continue to escalate, causing frustration and concern in my district and across the nation,” wrote El Paso’s congressman, Representative Silvestre Reyes, a Democrat, in a letter this month to the House Committee on Homeland Security in which he called for a hearing on the matter. One crosser who said she had struggled with the lines was Wilda Laboy, a 37-year-old American citizen who works in Juárez but is studying for her high school equivalency in El Paso. “I arrive late, and they don’t let me in,” said Ms. Laboy as she waited to be checked through the Paso del Norte bridge crossing here. “I miss classes.” Many families that straddle the border are feeling the strain. Border trade groups say the long lines caught them by surprise and are disrupting economic ties vital to both sides of the border. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “We are Americans who live at the border, with our economy and livelihood that depend on moving efficiently back and forth,” said Maria Luisa O’Connell, president of the Border Trade Alliance, which represents businesses all along the border with Mexico. “Now suddenly we have measures that make it less efficient but don’t make us any safer.” Richard Cortez, the mayor of McAllen, another Texas border town that saw long lines this summer, said the waits had slowed some of the 45,000 trailer trucks that passed the border there each month. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “There’s a misconception that border communities care only about ourselves and our own local businesses,” Mr. Cortez said by telephone. “Our border crossings affect trade across the United States.” Of $332 billion in trade last year between the United States and Mexico, this country’s third-largest trading partner, more than 80 percent of it moved across the border by truck. Starting Jan. 31, American citizens returning home by land will have to present either a passport, or a citizenship document like a birth certificate together with a government-issued identity card with a photograph. The requirement is the next phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which Congress adopted in a 2004 bill that enacted recommendations of the commission that examined the Sept. 11 attacks. It is intended to improve antiterror intelligence by gathering a record of everyone entering the United States. So far the new inspections are not systematic enough to yield measurable results. The passport requirement has been in effect since January for most citizens returning to the United States by air, and it had a rocky debut because many Americans without passports rushed to apply for one. Passport processing backlogs overwhelmed the State Department, which was forced to relax the requirement during the months of June, July, August and September. That experience has created anxiety among many people who cross at land stations as they anticipate the next phase. Also in August, border officials said, the Department of Homeland Security issued a directive designed to unify inspection procedures for all the border agencies under its umbrella. It set an eventual goal, with no fixed deadline, for agents to conduct a database query for every person crossing the border. As a result, queries by agents of both American and foreign border crossers increased. At many older border stations, including El Paso, agents have to enter some queries manually, taking minutes that quickly mount up to hours when thousands of cars and people are waiting in line. Luis Garcia, the El Paso field director for Customs and Border Protection, said the new policy demanded a change of culture. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “These two communities are very interlinked, not only by trade and commerce, but by family, religion, education,” Mr. Garcia said, standing at the base of the Paso del Norte border bridge as pedestrians streamed by, heading for downtown El Paso. “When a person leaves El Paso to go to Juárez, it’s like going across the street. They don’t consider it leaving the country,” he said. On an average day, some 21,000 pedestrians cross from Juárez on the Paso del Norte bridge, one of El Paso’s four entryways. Mr. Garcia installed a canopy over the walkway, and water fountains and overhead mist-makers at the checkpoint to cool weary walkers on sweltering days. As the lines into El Paso swelled in mid-August, Mr. Garcia said, he issued a memorandum directing his agents to gauge vehicle lines in deciding how many travelers to query. If lines were over an hour, agents should run a query only for the driver, unless something about the vehicle aroused their suspicions. But Mr. Garcia said he did not have great flexibility to speed the lines. “One thing I can tell you up front, as director in El Paso, I will not compromise security for facilitation,” he said. Border groups say they support tougher security measures but want the border authorities to back them up with increased staff levels and technology to avoid slowing commerce. Funds for the Border Patrol, which scouts the border between entry points for illegal immigrants, increased by 70 percent since 2005 to $3 billion. By contrast, financing for border station agents, who processed nearly 300 million travelers entering the country legally by land last year, rose by 30 percent since 2005, to $2.1 billion.A few weeks ago, a news outlet sent me some interview questions, which I answered too late for the interviewer to use and therefore they didn’t get printed. (I apologize to this outlet and to everyone else to whom I’ve replied late; it has been an overwhelming month and I’m getting hundreds of emails per day.) Anyway, these questions are among those I’m most frequently asked, so I’m printing the interview here myself. I answered these on November 26: I’ve been following your work for a while, and got the impressions that you saw this disaster coming when most of the Liberal media and blogosphere was still in denial. What made you so worried? There are three reasons I was able to predict the election fairly well and see Trump’s rise early. The first is that I used to work in New York tabloid media, and have in recent years worked in digital media, so I was familiar both with Trump as an individual and with how mass and digital media are manipulated for political purposes. I saw firsthand the erosion of the media economy, and how easily that could be exploited by a charismatic demagogue like Trump. The second reason is that I am a scholar of former Soviet authoritarian states, particularly Uzbekistan. My dissertation was on how the Uzbek government and its opponents used digital media for political purposes. But more broadly, I’ve studied how dictators rise, how they mobilize the masses, and how they use spectacle and rhetoric to sway people. I recognized a lot of commonalities between Trump and the dictators I study in Central Asia – one article in particular, “Trumpmenbashi” discusses that comparison in depth. Third, I live in Missouri. I live in the heartland, where the media economy has bottomed out, where local journalists have lost their jobs, and national journalists – if they cover us at all – do so by parachuting in for a few days and doing superficial coverage. There is a difference between being a tourist and being a resident. I’ve lived in the Midwest for well over a decade and it is true that the economy did not recover here, that people are suffering disproportionately when compared to elite coastal cities, that there is widespread corruption, and that there is tremendous frustration and disillusionment with political parties. Trump was right about that, even though his solutions are extremely wrong. I wrote many essays as well as a book, “The View From Flyover Country”, about the hardship this part of the US has endured over the past eight years. When I leave St Louis to go to a place like New York or DC, I feel like I’m leaving District 12 for the Capital. I don’t think people necessarily get how wide the gulf has become between places like St. Louis and places like New York, which decades ago were a lot more alike. Our economic and political conditions are not well understood by coastal media and politicians, who do things like brag about low unemployment numbers, which infuriates people. Coastal elites fail to see that underemployment and lack of opportunities have hurt millions. And when you’re hurting that badly, it’s easy for a demagogue to attract your attention. The Trump fans aren’t a monolith – all sorts of people voted for him (although they were mostly white): wealthy, middle-class, poor, suburban, rural. This idea of the Trump fans as a movement of white working class populism is a myth promoted by the Trump camp, and not reflected in what I saw on the ground here in Missouri, and also in Illinois, as I was both interviewing Trump fans but also just seeing them as my fellow Midwesterners all year long. But I did watch Trump’s appeal grow, and I knew that he was pushing some of the right buttons, and I worried folks in my state would be conned by this man who had conned so many before. I was alarmed by how he stirred up racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic sentiment that already existed here and sanctioned violence through a campaign that scapegoated some of the most vulnerable Americans. Now Trump is openly building a kleptocracy backed by billionaires and white supremacists, and several Trump fans, including a few in Missouri, have written to me in alarm, saying this is not what they signed on for. A lot of folks just wanted good jobs to come back, and to stop feeling let down by the government and other officials. It’s pretty clear looking at Trump’s policies that this is not what is going to happen. What was the worst and most influential fake story you’ve seen during the campaign? The obsessive focus on Hillary Clinton’s emails was ridiculous, especially the non-story James Comey created toward the end of the campaign, where in his capacity at the FBI he implied Clinton was the subject of a serious investigation when she was not at all. This was a breach of protocol that should be investigated. In addition, Comey is supposed to be investigating Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign advisor, who has done shady deals with dictators around the world. In August and October, Senator Harry Reid repeatedy asked Comey to release the results of this investigation as he believed the election was compromised by Russian influence, to the extent that the results of the election may have been falsified. Instead, Comey pushed the Clinton email non-scandal, and the press fell for it. A few days before the election, the New York Times public editor has admitted that Russian influence on the election was the actual biggest story of the year, but that the New York Times failed to follow through. They were distracted by the email nonsense, and dropped the ball on investigating what mattered. So did other outlets. And now we’re all paying the price. Is it possible to combat this phenomenon or are we doomed to live in a post-truth world, and thus looking at the end of our Democracy? Democracy is not just a matter of trust but of power. It is difficult to control what power you have in an authoritarian kleptocracy run on brutal force – which to be blunt, appears to be where we’re headed – but you can form networks of trust, and you can still seek the truth. History is full of people who have endured this struggle; we are merely doing it in a technological era which can cause immense confusion but also has advantages, as individuals are able to establish a consistent record of reliability. Actions often speak louder than words in this regard. Furthermore, local ties are a strong deterrent against any idea of a “post-truth” world. It may be hard to trust what you see elsewhere, but you know what you see with your own eyes, and your neighbors do too. You might not agree on the relevance of what you see, you might debate ideas, but you are working within the same basic reality. That’s why I think building up local media and civic organizations is a good step toward eliminating this idea that trust and truth are lost. You are very vocal with your criticism of the U.S media. What was the media’s biggest failure, and how can they fix it? There are so many failures, I don’t know where to start, but I would say the first is the failure of empathy. And by that I mean real empathy, not just flying in and talking to someone worse off than you for a few hours and then filing a quick report. Journalists should serve the public. The needs of the most vulnerable should be prioritized. So if you’re studied a rising dictator, the main questions should be: who is suffering? Who enables this suffering? Who profits from this suffering? Who is standing by and letting it happen, and who is causing it? Prioritize people worse off than you, and have some humility. Don’t go in with a preconceived narrative; listen to people and try to reflect their concerns honestly if you’re writing a feature, and don’t hold back with your opinions for reasons of careerism or access if you’re writing an op-ed. Say what you really think. There’s just too much at stake right now. I’m an anthropologist by training, I have a PhD in anthropology from Washington University. Many the tools of anthropology would be very helpful to journalists at the moment. I read an interview with you in which you sounded very very bleak. At this point, what should happen to change this pessimistic outcome? Don’t worry about me being bleak! I’m a pretty simple person and I get joy from small things, like my family, or a nice day outside, or a good meal, or some trashy TV. I know my values and I’m at peace with what I need to do, even if my writing makes me a target of the new administration. I’m not going to stop calling out brutal and corrupt policies. I’m worried about other people – especially people who aren’t prepared for what may be drastic political changes in the US. Trump isn’t a typical GOP candidate, and his backers aren’t typical backers. This is kleptocracy and authoritarianism. I don’t think the US mindset is accustomed to how vulnerable we are, how fragile we are, how susceptible we are to both foreign influence and to our worst instincts. We’re told we’re exceptional, but we’re just a regular country, albeit one with a great constitutional tradition that we should try to uphold. It’s important to try to be the best version of the United States of America, to try to live up to the ideals we never fully achieved and at times betrayed. I love this country and that love keeps me going too. But as Americans, we need to be on guard, not just about what our government is doing, but about how we treat each other. The government can do all sorts of terrible things, but it cannot make you into a terrible person. You always have the choice to be good, to be helpful, to look out for others, to honor your values. You can try to do the best you can even in very trying circumstances. Human history is not a kind story. People have lived through atrocities and are doing so now, all over the world – many of them a result of our own ill-conceived US military operations, which have helped destabilize the Middle East. People have lived through atrocities on US soil that many gloss over, particularly the treatment of non-white Americans throughout our history. So I’d encourage people to look at how others survived tragic times, how they stayed grounded and, in many cases, how they ultimately won. I’d particularly advise Americans to read about authoritarianism and fascism both in history and today and to read black and Native American history. Because it has happened here, and it could happen here again. However, no one can know or change who you are inside. You always have the power of your conscience, to do the right thing in the best way you can. Some people have told me they are struggling to be brave, and I think that’s totally understandable. This is a scary time. So when you cannot be brave – be kind. AdvertisementsJon Stewart on The Daily Show What seems like staggering hypocrisy is actually remarkably consistent from liberals’ perspective. Many conservatives finished the year angry about the same thing they were angry about at the beginning of the year: liberal double standards. As I write this, GOP House whip Steve Scalise is in hot water over reports that he spoke to a group of racist poltroons in Louisiana twelve years ago. Whether it was an honest mistake, as Scalise plausibly claims, or a sign of something more nefarious, as his detractors hope, remains to be seen. Advertisement Advertisement But one common response on social media is instructive. Countless conservatives want to know: Why the double standard? Barack Obama was friends with a domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers. His spiritual mentor was a vitriolic racist, Jeremiah Wright. One of his administration’s closest advisers and allies is Al Sharpton, a man who has inspired enough racial violence to make a grand dragon’s white sheets turn green with envy. Meanwhile, the Democratic party venerated the late senator Robert Byrd, a former Klansman himself. He was one of 19 senators (all Democrats) to sign the Southern Manifesto opposing integration. One of his co-signers was William Fulbright, Bill Clinton’s mentor. When Republicans are in power, “dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” When Democrats are in power, dissent is the racist fuming of “angry white men.” Advertisement Advertisement Peaceful, law-abiding tea-party groups who cleaned up after their protests — and got legal permits for them — were signs of nascent fascism lurking in the American soul. Violent, anarchic, and illegal protests by Occupy Wall Street a few years ago or, more recently, in Ferguson, Mo., were proof that a new idealistic generation was renewing its commitment to idealism. When rich conservatives give money to Republicans, it is a sign that the whole system has been corrupted by fat cats. When it is revealed that liberal billionaires and left-wing super PACs outspent conservative groups in 2014: crickets. When Republicans invoke God or religious faith as an inspiration for their political views, it’s threatening and creepy. When Democrats do it, it’s a sign they believe in social justice. One can do this all day long. But while examples are easy, explanations are hard. Advertisement I don’t know who first said, “Behind every apparent double standard lies an unconfessed single standard” (and as far as I can tell, neither does the Internet), but whoever did was onto something. What looks like inexplicably staggering hypocrisy from the conservative perspective is actually remarkably consistent from the liberal perspective. Advertisement Well, “perspective” is probably the wrong word because it implies a conscious, deliberate, philosophical point of view. What is really at work is better understood as bias, even bigotry. If you work from the dogmatic assumption that liberalism is morally infallible and that liberals are, by definition, pitted against sinister and — more importantly — powerful forces, then it’s easy to explain away what seem like double standards. Any lapse, error, or transgression by conservatives is evidence of their real nature, while similar lapses, errors, and transgressions by liberals are trivial when balanced against the fact that their hearts are in the right place. Despite controlling the commanding heights of the culture — journalism, Hollywood, the arts, academia, and vast swaths of the corporate America they denounce — liberals have convinced themselves they are pitted against deeply entrenched powerful forces and that being a liberal is somehow brave. Obama, the twice-elected president of the United States, to this day speaks as if he’s some kind of underdog. Advertisement Frank Rich, the former New York Times columnist and theater critic, recently interviewed Chris Rock for New York magazine. He wanted to know why right-leaning comedian Dennis Miller isn’t as funny (at least according to Rich) as Jon Stewart of The Daily Show. He asked Rock, “Do you think that identifying with those in power is an impediment to laughter?” It was a hilarious and revealing moment. Stewart — who recently had to turn down a pleading request from NBC to take over Meet the Press — has long identified with liberals in power. Moreover, he’s easily one of America’s most powerful liberals, routinely creating and enforcing liberal conventional wisdom (much as Rich had done from his perch at the Times). Miller, meanwhile, has nowhere near the same cultural clout precisely because he doesn’t affirm the single standard at the heart of liberalism: “We’re the good guys.” — Jonah Goldberg is a senior editor of National Review and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. You can write to him by e-mail at goldbergcolumn@gmail.com or via Twitter @JonahNRO. © 2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLCThere was a lot of debate in our offices when Ari approached us to participate in the Netflix documentary One of Us, that was to document his painful journey leaving the Hasidic community. For weeks, the internal discussion continued as we weighed the pros and cons of allowing us to be filmed as part of the documentary. After Netflix came down to speak with us, we consulted and received numerous outside opinions as well. Ultimately, our fear of being parsed to soundbites, failing to convey properly and positively our perspective by directors whose motives and potential agenda was unclear, won out. The end result was, as we feared, a painful look at the underbelly of these horrific issues within the Hasidic community. The stories are largely true, and the pain is real, and, most importantly, it shines a spotlight on something that urgently needs addressing. However, the narrative has been lost to Netflix, with its secular dogma, and we must reclaim this narrative because if we don’t, it becomes a story of us vs. them not a story of ones of us. We do not gain anything by highlighting or debating the possible motives of the producers and those involved. It is even inconsequential if the details of these three specific individuals are completely accurate or misunderstood for the purposes of this film. The unfortunate reality is that there are thousands of innocent people who are struggling with acute pain and deep suffering similar to the narratives depicted in One of Us. Yes, the Hasidic community is predominately comprised of healthy and happy individuals with the noblest of aspirations and values. We don’t need to spend our energies defending the good; the good speaks for itself. We need, however, to do much more to identify and address the pain and struggles among our youth. In 2013, 10 Hasidic boys and girls, running away from Yom Kippur, showed up (in an incredible demonstration of Divine Providence) at the very same New Jersey hotel at which our organization was hosting our Yom Kippur services. This thrust us into a world that at the time we knew very little of. As we got to know these precious youth, and subsequently hundreds of their friends, we were struck by the glaring lack of resources within the Hasidic community for those disenfranchised. As a clear issue of hatzalas nefoshos (saving lives), our Jewish Outreach organization jumped into, and invested heavily in, a new and critical area of work. It was Rabbi Ozer Babad, the director of our, then-newly-formed Hasidic division, who introduced me to Ari. We experienced so many of his ups and downs together. We have
of my complaint are not true. 4) I have never been arrested for a crime or charged with any crime. 5) I have never been questioned by any law enforcement agency about any possible involvement in a crime. 6) I have never been involved in any criminal schemes with Defendant Stanton or anyone else. 7) I have never committed any crime other than routine traffic violations. 8) The facts above are based on my personal knowledge. I have read the foregoing statement consisting of (7) seven paragraphs and declare under penalty of perjury that it is true and correct. I understand that this affidavit may be relied on in the civil matter styled above. (signed and dated on March 28th, 2014) Actually there were 8 “paragraphs” but who’s counting? Below is the complete court docket up through a few days ago. 09/26/2012 – gen civil case filing info form – attorney for plaintiff 09/26/2012 – jury demand – attorney for plaintiff 09/26/2012 – affidavit – stacey godfrey evans – attorney for plaintiff 09/26/2012 – motion for appointment of process – attorney for plaintiff 09/27/2012 – order appointing process server 10/16/2012 – affidavit – of daniel newcombe – attorney for plaintiff 10/16/2012 – motion for appointment of process – attorney for plaintiff 10/16/2012 – acknowledgment of service – as to vibe holdings llc – attorney for defendant 10/23/2012 – order appointing process server 11/07/2012 – answer – attorney for defendant filed by: vibe holdings llc vibe holdings llc 11/07/2012 – certificate of service of discovry – attorney for defendant filed by: vibe holdings llc vibe holdings llc 11/13/2012 – unscheduled document – settlement – attorney for defendant At this point Vibe agreed to a settlement. 12/06/2012 – motion – consent to extend time to respond 12/11/2012 – order extending time for discovery 12/14/2012 – attorney notice of leave absence – attorney for defendant 12/20/2012 – affidavit of process server nonest – fame productions inc – private process server 12/27/2012 – acknowledgment of service – & stipulation as to fame productions inc 12/31/2012 – acknowledgment of service – as to angela stanton 01/02/2013 – answer – attorney for defendant filed by: stanton, angela stanton, angela 01/02/2013 – jury demand – attorney for defendant filed by: stanton, angela stanton, angela 01/07/2013 – motion extend time for discovery – consent-second 01/09/2013 – order extending time for discovery – second consent to respond to written discovery 01/11/2013 – answer – attorney for defendant filed by: fame productions inc fame productions inc 01/11/2013 – stipulation – joint 01/16/2013 – agreement – for stipulated confidentiality & protective order 03/28/2013 – dismissed with prejudice – as to vibe holdings llc – attorney for plaintiff 07/01/2013 – motion for continuance – attorney for defendant 07/01/2013 – notice: intent to withdraw – attorney for defendant 07/12/2013 – answer – attorney for defendant filed by: stanton, angela stanton, angela 07/12/2013 – counterclaim – attorney for defendant filed by: stanton, angela stanton, angela 07/12/2013 – jury demand – attorney for defendant filed by: stanton, angela stanton, angela 07/12/2013 – appearance of counsel – attorney for defendant filed by: radford, james e 07/15/2013 – order granting motion – for continuanc/trial re-set 07/15/2013 – order for mediation 07/16/2013 – jury demand – & prayer for relief – attorney for defendant 09/16/2013 – dismissed with prejudice – as to fame productions inc – attorney for plaintiff 09/30/2013 – motion to withdraw as counsel – attorney for plaintiff 10/04/2013 – order – withdrawing plaintiff counsel 10/09/2013 – appearance of counsel – attorney for plaintiff 10/15/2013 – attorney notice of leave absence – attorney for plaintiff filed by: andrew, paul e andrew, paul e 10/28/2013 – motion – to reopen discovery – joint 11/01/2013 – order granting motion – joint to re-open discovery 11/15/2013 – certificate of service of discovry – attorney for plaintiff 11/19/2013 – motion to dismiss – counterclaims – attorney for plaintiff 12/04/2013 – certificate of service of discovry – 5.2 – attorney for defendant 12/16/2013 – response to motion to dismiss – counterclaims – attorney for defendant 12/16/2013 – motion – for leave to file permissive counterclaims – attorney for defendant 12/16/2013 – certificate of service of discovry – rule 5.2 – attorney for defendant 12/19/2013 – motion to extend time – to engage in mediation – attorney for plaintiff 12/23/2013 – order – to extend time to engage in mediation 12/30/2013 – order – to extend time to engage in mediation 01/08/2014 – certificate of service of discovry – attorney for plaintiff 01/15/2014 – attorney notice of leave absence – attorney for plaintiff 01/21/2014 – response to motion – for leave to file permissive counterclaims – attorney for plaintiff 01/22/2014 – response to motion – for leave to file permissive counterclaims – attorney for plaintiff 01/22/2014 – notice to take deposition – attorney for plaintiff 02/03/2014 – response to motion – for leave to file permissive counterclaims – attorney for defendant filed by: stanton, angela stanton, angela 02/07/2014 – notice to take deposition – attorney for defendant 02/14/2014 – motion to compel – with brief in support – attorney for defendant 02/24/2014 – motion – second mtn for sanctions and to compel with brief – attorney for defendant 02/24/2014 – motion for summary judgment – with brief in support – attorney for defendant 02/28/2014 – motion for summary judgment – as to counterclaims – attorney for plaintiff 02/28/2014 – brief – in support of motion for summary judgment – attorney for plaintiff 02/28/2014 – statement of material facts – attorney for plaintiff 03/10/2014 – response to motion to compel – attorney for plaintiff 03/28/2014 – motion to extend time – copy 03/31/2014 – response to motion for sum judgmnt – attorney for plaintiff 03/31/2014 – brief – attorney for plaintiff 03/31/2014 – affidavit – of paul e andrew – attorney for plaintiff 03/31/2014 – unscheduled document – response to def statement of material facts – attorney for plaintiff 03/31/2014 – affidavit – of phaedra parks – attorney for plaintiff 03/31/2014 – request for oral argument – attorney for plaintiff 03/31/2014 – brief – in support of response to second motion to compel – attorney for plaintiff 03/31/2014 – affidavit – of paul e andrew – attorney for plaintiff 04/29/2014 – brief – in opposition to motion for summary judgment – attorney for plaintiff 04/29/2014 – certificate of service – attorney for plaintiff 04/29/2014 – statement of material facts – attorney for plaintiff So why would Phaedra refuse to sit for a deposition in a case she brought herself? It doesn’t make any sense. It would seem she would want to end this ridiculous suit and not drag it out. We would have all forgotten about this a LONG time ago she had just ignored the whole thing. Share this: TweetThe team will continue with an unchanged all-Italian lineup of Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso, the duo having taken fifth and seventh last year. In addition, Casey Stoner and Michele Pirro will be retained in test rider roles. Ducati already completed eight official pre-season testing days - two at Valencia, three at Sepang and three at Phillip Island - and has another three left in Qatar before the start of the 2016 campaign. "We had minor issues in the first two tests but we showed improvements at Phillip Island," said Dovizioso. "I believe we have all what it takes to lead, I have high expectations for the Qatar test." Iannone added: "I think it's a good bike, we went through a positive year in 2015 and made a step forward. "2016 will be difficult because we have high expectations and we have to be up to the task." The Ducati Desmosedici series was started back in 2003 and delivered both the manufacturers' and riders' title in 2007 with Stoner. The Ducati factory team is the only squad set to race the 2016-spec bike, with satellite teams Pramac Racing, Avintia Racing and Aspar Racing using older versions.Exploding head syndrome is characterized by the perception of loud noises during sleep-wake or wake-sleep transitions. Although episodes by themselves are relatively harmless, it is a frightening phenomenon that may result in clinical consequences. At present there are little systematic data on exploding head syndrome, and prevalence rates are unknown. It has been hypothesized to be rare and to occur primarily in older (i.e. 50+ years) individuals, females, and those suffering from isolated sleep paralysis. In order to test these hypotheses, 211 undergraduate students were assessed for both exploding head syndrome and isolated sleep paralysis using semi-structured diagnostic interviews: 18.00% of the sample experienced lifetime exploding head syndrome, this reduced to 16.60% for recurrent cases. Though not more common in females, it was found in 36.89% of those diagnosed with isolated sleep paralysis. Exploding head syndrome episodes were accompanied by clinically significant levels of fear, and a minority (2.80%) experienced it to such a degree that it was associated with clinically significant distress and/or impairment. Contrary to some earlier theorizing, exploding head syndrome was found to be a relatively common experience in younger individuals. Given the potential clinical impacts, it is recommended that it be assessed more regularly in research and clinical settings. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.As Sergei Polonsky returns to Russia to face fraud charges, we look at the spectacular rise and fall of one of Russia's most eccentric billionaires. Russia's Interior Ministry has confirmed that Russian real estate tycoon Sergei Polonsky has been deported to Russia from Cambodia. Polonsky is suspected of defrauding investors of the Kutuzovskaya Milya construction project. His eccentric personality and rise and fall as a businessman have made him one of the most infamous businessmen in Russia's recent history According to the prosecutor's office, LLC Avanta, a subsidiary of Polonsky's Mirax Group collected 5.7 billion rubles from investors in 2007-2008 (around $190 million at the time), of which only 2.5 billion was invested into the construction project. In 2009, the project was frozen by Polonsky's Mirax Group, which was facing economic difficulties. © AFP 2018 / STR Cambodia Extradites Fugitive Tycoon Polonsky to Russia – Interior Ministry Polonsky is accused of intentionally taking actions to liquidate Mirax Group's subsidiary, LLC Avanta, before fulfilling its obligations to its investors. The City of Moscow terminated the contract with Mirax and FCRS in 2010 and later awarded it solely to FCRS, which continued construction in September 2011. Polonsky went on a hunger strike at the construction site, protesting the actions as an illegal takeover. LLC Avanta won a 1.7 billion ruble settlement in March, when an arbitration court judged that FCRS gave 800 million rubles' worth of real estate to Avanta's investors but remains reponsible for the remaining sum of the total 2.5 billion rubles that LLC Avanta had invested in the project. Polonsky's Towering Rise Sergei Polonsky began his business career after completing army service in the Airborne Forces, where he was deployed to South Ossetia during the armed conflict there in 1991. In 1994, he and a friend founded the company Stroimontazh in St. Petersburg, which initially intended to do building renovations, but became a construction company thanks to a successful business deal. © Sputnik / Artem Zhitenev Construction of Moscow’s ‘Moskva-City’ Skyscraper Block to Wrap Up by 2018 In 2000, Polonsky opened a Stroimontazh affiliate in Moscow, which he later rebranded to Mirax Group. At its peak in 2008, the company was building Europe's tallest skyscraper, Federation Tower in Moscow City, had construction projects in eight countries including the US and UK, and made a profit of $616 million. Energy giant Gazprom had a profit of roughly $6.653 billion (173 billion ruble) the same year. Even before the crisis, Mirax Group was known for unusual releases, such as videos of the company destroying its last fax machine. In March 2008, at an afterparty following an international real estate exposition in Cannes, France, Polonsky was quoted by Vedomosti as saying "Anyone who doesn't have a billion can go to hell." Crisis and Collapse The 2008 global financial crisis drove Mirax Group into debt and led it to freeze most of its projects. In October 2008, Polonsky together with the Builders Association of Russia authored an open letter to journalists, asking to stop negative reporting on the financial state of the construction industry, writing "by completely destroying us, you will for a long time lose news about such an interesting topic as construction." In 2011, he got into a altercation with billionaire Alexander Lebedev on national television after saying that he wants to hit Lebedev in the face after hearing him speak. After being accused of defrauding investors for 5.7 billion rubles, Polonsky disappeared, and lated surfaced in Cambodia, where he owns several islands. In Cambodia After coming to Cambodia in 2012, Polonsky was arrested for an altercation with Cambodian sailors, and spent three months in prison. Polonsky was released in March 2013 after writing letters to the Cambodian King. Polonsky was arrested by Cambodian authorities again in November 2013 after an extradition request by the Russian government. He was released in January 2014. While in Cambodia, Polonsky conducted a series of "business training" seminars which were noted for Polonsky's approach. "Losers" of team-building exercises would run around the biggest tree on the island, and Polonsky himself would howl into the night. © AFP 2018 / Russia, Cambodia Prepare Deal Allowing to Extradite Tycoon Polonsky In March, Polonsky wrote on his blog that he will be suing 20th Century Fox for $1 billion because of a portrayal of him in the Fox-produced Russian film "Uncatchables." The film depicts an eccentric billionaire "Sergei Polyansky" who runs over a teenage activist against discourteous drivers. Polonsky's reputation began to deteriorate after a feud began between him and Cambodia's other powerful Russian tycoon, Nikolai Doroshenko. The feud escalated after a conflict over the management of the "kaZantip" festival in Cambodia. "KaZantip," also called "Russia's Burning Man," is a multi-day drug-fueled rave party which took place in Crimea prior to its reunification with Russia. The conflict over revenues from the festival escalated into a vicious brawl between Polonsky and Doroshenko's associates on February 13, according to Cambodia's Phnom Penh Post. The man accused of masterminding the attack is Oleg Tikhanov who is wanted in Russia on weapons and explosives charges, as well as his role in organized crime. On March 2, Cambodia's Foreign Minister visited Moscow and talked to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. As a result, Russia and Cambodia are considering a new extradition treaty which allowed Russia to return Polonsky.The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) threatened to use lethal force against Ferguson protesters; Anonymous successfully retaliated against the Ku Klux Klan's Ferguson threats by taking over two primary Twitter accounts, keeping KKK websites offline and outing KKK members. In its statement on Monday night, Anonymous explained that through the Klan's Twitter account, it obtained large amounts of information on multiple white supremacists, and "members of Anonymous who seized the account are continuing to debate if the identities of the people associated with the Klan's account should be released to the public." We want to be sure we are ousting the right people. It would be against everything Anonymous does if we publicly released the information of the innocent... Once the operation is considered a complete success, we will remove the account from Twitter. What we accomplished 16 Nov 2014 is just the beginning..." The statement: Last week, a Ku Klux Klan group based 75 miles south of Ferguson, Missouri, began distributing flyers threatening "lethal force" against Ferguson protesters in any aftermath of the upcoming grand jury decision regarding Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The Missouri group behind the threats — Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan — is listed as an active hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Ku Klux Klan responded poorly Anonymous responded by first skirmishing with the KKK on Twitter, then declaring cyberwar on the racist group — with the Ku Klux Klan threatening Anonymous. We are taking over #OpKKK we will expose over 9000 Anons by sundown with our ace hacker @OpHoodsON. @YourAnonCentral @YourAnonNews — YourKKKcentral (@YourKKKcentral) November 16, 2014 The KKK's "ace hacker" apparently decided to take some time off. On Monday, Imperial Wizard Frank Ancona, who heads the Traditionalist American Knights of the KKK, told the Daily News, "Sounds to me like a bunch of kids in their mom's basement whacking off." On Sunday, Anonymous exposed Anacona as a police officer who attended a Darren Wilson rally. The KKK's response is in line with the racial segregation group's ongoing reaction to being pwned by Anonymous repeatedly over the past few days. After the Klan's Twitter account @KuKluxKlanUSA mocked and threatened Anonymous, it was then seized by Anonymous, giving the hacktivist entity control of the KKK's largest public Twitter account. It garnered this priceless reaction: ATTENTION the coward basement faggots have taken control over @KuKluxKlanUSA COMPROMISED!!! — KLANonymous (@Klanonymous) November 16, 2014 That same day, the Klan set up a second account, @YourKKKcentral, where it issued threats "to call the FBI!" Anonymous quickly took control of that account, as well. Since the takeover of both primary KKK Twitter accounts, Anonymous has been unrelenting in its focused attacks on the hate group's online presence. No one is surprised that the KKK is bad at both computer security and opsec. Anonymous has kept the pressure on KKK websites ikkkk.com and TraditionalistAmericanKnights.com, both of which have been unable to resolve for at least 20 hours. The "Traditionalist Knights" website is apparently a CloudFlare customer, and the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection service is noticeably struggling under the assault. The KKK's website for its largest message board, Stormfront, has been knocked offline repeatedly, coming back with a plea from the KKK members who run it to donate help and money toward the site's security. Image: @TomFnord Klan members are taking down incriminating photos from their Facebook pages: One of those photos shows three KKK members at a Darren Wilson rally with their kids. This photo showing 3 Klansman at the #DarrenWilson rally has been removed from their FaceBook page #HoodsOff #OpKKK pic.twitter.com/oSa4T5tPx2 — Anon Cop Watch (@AnonCopWatch) November 17, 2014 The #OpKKK and #HoodsOFF campaign launched by Anonymous had over 35,000 tweets in its first day, restoring Anonymous to Batman status for many around the world. An internet mob using its powers for good, like the good old days http://t.co/dW8OvGRWXg — Matthew Licata (@miraimatt) November 17, 2014 Anonymous has widespread support on #OpKKK and whatever it might plan to do next, but many are still reluctant to follow a KKK account. Now that @AnonCopWatch runs the KKK twitter it puts me in a weird position of wanting to follow the KKK. still can't. #opkkk — Theology of Ferguson (@FaithInFerguson) November 17, 2014 Today, the Missouri state governor declared a State of Emergency in Ferguson, and called in the National Guard in preparation for the grand jury verdict. The grand jury investigation into the August 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown and Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson is expected to return a verdict in the next few days. According to The New York Times, protesters are already preparing for the decision.President Trump touted the success of his administration and a new poll showing his approval rating over 50 percent in a series of tweets Sunday. "The MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN agenda is doing very well despite the distraction of the Witch Hunt. Many new jobs, high business enthusiasm, massive regulation cuts, 36 new legislative bills signed, great new S.C.Justice, and Infrastructure, Healthcare and Tax Cuts in works!" Trump tweeted. The MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN agenda is doing very well despite the distraction of the Witch Hunt. Many new jobs, high business enthusiasm,.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2017 ...massive regulation cuts, 36 new legislative bills signed, great new S.C.Justice, and Infrastructure, Healthcare and Tax Cuts in works! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2017 Trump has begun referring to the investigation into whether he obstructed justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey as a "witch hunt." Trump fired Comey in May, and Comey believes it was due to the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Trump has called reports that Russia interfered in the election a hoax invented by Democrats to excuse losing the election. However, the American intelligence community believes Russia ran an influence campaign on the election in order to harm Hillary Clinton. There has been no evidence that the Trump campaign actually colluded with the Russians. Trump also said his approval rating is rising in the Rasmussen Poll, a polling outfit that has generally been much more favorable to him than other pollsters. The latest edition of the pollster's daily tracking poll showed 50 percent of Americans approve of the job Trump's doing. That's generally higher than the percentage other pollsters report when they ask the same question; most pollsters have Trump's approval rating in the mid-to-upper 30 percent range. "The new Rasmussen Poll, one of the most accurate in the 2016 Election, just out with a Trump 50% Approval Rating. That's higher than O's #'s!" he tweeted, referring to former President Obama.RICHMOND, VA—In response to mounting evidence showing that he never should have been in there in the first place, administrators at KDM Marketing officially released 34-year-old account manager Alex Olmstead today after nine years of being wrongfully employed. “After nearly a decade inside KDM’s sales division with absolutely no justifiable cause, Alex has finally been let go,” said coworker Jason Woodworth, adding that a vocal and passionate contingent of people familiar with Olmstead’s situation have been advocating for his release on grounds that he had never done anything to warrant his continuous employment at the marketing firm since early 2006. “Honestly, it’s been a long time coming—he didn’t deserve to be there for a day, let alone nine years. The fact that he was in that position to begin with is a terrible indictment of the entire hiring system that somehow allowed this to happen. But he’s out now, and hopefully he can just move on with his life at this point.” Reached for comment, Olmstead told reporters he plans to spend time with his wife and two children, but expressed concern that he might never be able to find stable work in the future given his record. AdvertisementStill, when the going has been as heavy as it has for the embattled Prime Minister, with damaging leaks and escalating leadership chatter, Abbott can be excused for grasping at whatever thin reeds of good news there are to hand. Not so much that it would make him look desperate, mind you. Or worse, delusional. There are many theories in Canberra about the Newspoll, which showed the gap narrowing between the ascendant Labor opposition, and the trailing Coalition government, and showed Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's lead as preferred prime minister also narrowing with Abbott ahead on managing the economy and national security. Sure, three quarters of voters do think Abbott is arrogant, but arrogance itself may perversely be an asset in taming runaway deficits and cracking down hard on home-grown security threats. One theory is that Abbott's near-death political experience a fortnight ago has made what would ordinarily be quite abstract questions on leadership suddenly seem that little bit less theoretical to voters. Having witnessed Abbott's humiliation at the hands of his colleagues, voters' attention may have turned more critically an examination of the largely untested Shorten. And for some, that raises new doubts about his readiness for high office. It's possible. It would help explain the Coalition's vote bouncing to a four-month high despite its divisions, and Shorten's disapproval rating being higher than at any time since becoming Labor leader.I’ve always thought violin plots of data with normal distributions look like footballs. So here I’ve generated some violin plots of football data, showing the passing yards per game for 14 quarterbacks. Only games in which the quarterback threw for positive yards were included. A violin plot is a box plot (the white dot is the median, the thick black bar represents the interquartile range, and the thin black bar represents 95% confidence intervals) combined with a kernal density plot, which shows the probability density function. Basically, the thicker the “football” (or violin), the more probable it is that the quarterback would throw for that many yards in a game. This allows you to see which quarterbacks threw consistently for the same number of yards (e.g., Peyton Manning or Dan Marino), and which were more variable (e.g., Drew Brees or Johnny Unitas). In the case of Brett Favre, we see almost a bimodal distribution! One other item to note is that active quarterbacks tend to have higher medians (white dots shifted to the right) than retired quarterbacks, suggesting that teams throw the ball more now than they did in the past. Data source: www.pro-football-reference.com“The idea is to deliver the tradition back to the owners of the traditions,” Mr. Smith told the Buddhist magazine Mandala in 2001. Though Mr. Smith had neither an academic affiliation nor a doctorate, wherever in the world he happened to be living — in New Delhi, where he acquired Tibetan literature for the Library of Congress; Cambridge, Mass., where he started the resource center in his house, sleeping amid towers of Tibetan books; or New York — his home became a magnet for students, scholars, religious leaders and exiles who sought his expertise on Tibet’s rich but little-known literary canon. “The value of Tibetan literature is two things,” David Germano, a professor of Tibetan studies at the University of Virginia, said last week in a telephone interview. “First of all, it’s one of the four great languages in which the Buddhist canon was preserved.” (The others are Chinese, Sanskrit and Pali, an extinct language of India.) “In addition to the scriptural canon,” he said, “there were histories, stories, autobiography, poetry, ritual writing, narrative, epics — pretty much any kind of literary output you could imagine. So the second value of the Tibetan canon is it’s one of the greatest in the world.” The canon was imperiled after China invaded and occupied Tibet in the 1950s. Though fleeing refugees managed to smuggle some books out, the Chinese destroyed a great many others. “With the close of the Cultural Revolution, you essentially lost much of the Tibetan Buddhist literature,” Professor Germano said. “It was lost to the war; it was lost to the destruction of the monasteries, libraries and collections of books in Tibet that were systematically sought out and burned during the Cultural Revolution.” Photo Ellis Gene Smith was born on Aug. 10, 1936, in Ogden, Utah, to a Mormon family that traced its lineage to Hyrum Smith, the elder brother of Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith. Advertisement Continue reading the main story After attending a series of colleges, Mr. Smith settled in at the University of Washington, where he studied Mongolian and Turkish, earning a bachelor’s degree in Far Eastern studies in 1959. Around that time, as he began work on a doctorate at the university, he started studying Tibetan with a visiting lama, Deshung Rinpoche, and was entranced. Further study was hindered, however, by the lack of available texts. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “We had no Tibetan books,” Mr. Smith told The New York Times in 2002. “Deshung said: ‘Go and find them. Find the important books and get them published.’ ” After advanced study in Sanskrit and Pali at Leiden University in the Netherlands, Mr. Smith went to India in 1965, spending several years studying with exiled Tibetan lamas. He joined the Library of Congress field office in New Delhi in 1968, eventually becoming field director there. Mr. Smith acquired as many Tibetan books as he could for the library, seeking out Tibetan refugees in India, Nepal and Bhutan and earning their trust. Most of the books he collected were either hand-lettered manuscripts or had been printed in the traditional manner, using carved wood blocks. (Tibet had no printing presses.) Often, a book he obtained was the only known copy in the world. In India, Mr. Smith began printing new copies of thousands of Tibetan books. He was aided, serendipitously, by a United States program, Public Law 480, which let developing countries buy American agricultural commodities in local currency. The United States would take that currency and invest it in local humanitarian projects. As Mr. Smith noted, nothing in the law expressly forbade using the money to republish great works of literature. And so, book by book, he brought much of the Tibetan canon to light. His publishing project, which lasted two and a half decades, furnished books to libraries and Tibetan speakers around the globe, greatly augmenting the store upon which scholars could draw. “Without his vision, many of us in the field would not be doing what we’re doing,” Leonard van der Kuijp, a professor of Tibetan and Himalayan studies at Harvard, said last week. In later years, after the Library of Congress sent Mr. Smith to Indonesia and then to Egypt, he continued collecting and publishing Tibetan texts through intermediaries. He retired in 1996 and three years later founded the center, where he served as executive director until last year. Mr. Smith is survived by three sisters, Rosanne Smith, Carma Wood and LaVaun Ficklin. He was the author of several published catalogs of Tibetan literature and a volume of essays, “Among Tibetan Texts: History and Literature of the Himalayan Plateau” (Wisdom Publications, 2001). Advertisement Continue reading the main story “Digital Dharma,” a documentary film about Mr. Smith and his work, is currently in production. Interviewers often asked Mr. Smith what propelled his quest. His answer was simple, and Buddhist to the core: “Karma, I guess.”QPR are closing in on a deal for Anderlect striker Idrissa Sylla QPR fans could be saluting Idrissa Sylla later this season QPR have agreed a £1.75m fee with Anderlecht for forward Idrissa Sylla. The Guinean international is expected in London on Tuesday for his medical. The 25-year-old Sylla has been capped 22 times by Guinea and was a member of the squad at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. At club level, he began his career in France with Le Mans and Bastia (on loan), before moving to Zulte Waregem in Belgium, and then Anderlecht, who signed him in February of 2015. QPR have made a relatively promising start to the Sky Bet Championship season and lie fifth with three wins from their first five wins. However, half of their eight goals have come from the penalty spot and it is no surprise that manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is looking for extra depth in the attacking positions. If the Sylla deal goes through he will provide Hasselbaink with an extra option alongside the likes of Seb Polter and Conor Washington.Review Lenovo ThinkPad S440 Touch Ultrabook, ✓ Stefanie Voigt ( Tobias Winkler translated by Markus Döpfert), Achilles' heel. The ThinkPad S440 is one of the newest ultrabooks from Lenovo: slim, powerful and enduring. With its current components, clever features and a matted multitouch display the Lenovo ultrabook might be able to put itself right at the top of the competition. We found out if it really does. For the original German review, see here. Ultrabooks have become a part of Lenovo's ThinkPad series now and the ThinkPad S531 and ThinkPad S440 are the first representatives. Both models derive from the Edge series, which becomes apparent when having a look at the details. The new ThinkPad S series leaves behind the addendum "Edge" and therefore moves up the ThinkPad hierarchy into the high-quality ranks. The ThinkPad S440 is a slim 14-inch ultrabook that is supposed to combine ThinkPad's typical qualities with good battery runtimes, appealing performance and high accommodation. Our test sample has a multitouch display with a resolution of 1600x900 pixels, an Intel Core i7-4500U CPU, switchable graphics with Intel HD Graphics 4400 and AMD Radeon HD 8670M, a 256 GB solid state drive and 8 GB RAM at its disposal. The street price is nearly 1,200 Euros (~$1585). Case Sturdy case The case of the Lenovo ThinkPad S440 deviates from the common ThinkPad standard and is made of aluminum and a magnesium alloy. In comparison to the traditional plastic surface the sand-blasted, matte metal appears significantly more high-grade and can easily keep up with top ultrabooks like Apple's MacBook Air, Asus' Zenbook Prime or Samsung's series 7 740U3E. The ThinkPad S440 is available in silver and gunmetal but color differences can only be detected around the display lid. We tested the darker version, which is clearly recognizable as a ThinkPad. Processing, case stability and surface quality are flawless. Only the display can be twisted slightly. The display hinges are very tight and keep the display in its position even under difficult circumstances. The four rubber feet at the bottom assure secure standing. The inner components can be accessed after opening a big lid that is held by 8 Phillips screws. Apart from those appealing features, the buyer has to live with a slightly higher weight though. The detected 1.86 kg of the test model is not too bad, but compared to a Lenovo X1 Carbon (1.5 kg) or a Fujitsu LifeBook U772 (1.4 kg) it is no lightweight. According to the data sheet, the variant without touch-sensitive screen is two millimeters thinner and also approx. 140 g lighter. Connectivity Lenovo's ultrabook ThinkPad S440 is equipped with a practice-oriented range of interfaces. 2x USB 3.0, Gigabit-LAN and a card reader build an attractive basis. Unlike typical business notebooks, external displays are not connected to the S440 via DisplayPort but HDMI. An analog VGA port is not available. In stationary operation Lenovo's OneLink interface replaces the docking port that is usually integrated at the bottom of the ThinkPads. Appropriate docking stations (e.g. Lenovo 4X10A06083 OneLink dock black, approx. 100 Euros, ~$132) can be connected via the OneLink connection which also includes the power supply. Front: No connectivity Left: Power supply, OneLink, Gigabit-Ethernet, USB 3.0 Back: No connectivity Right: Card reader, Audio, HDMI, USB 3.0, Kensington lock Communication The key element of the communication equipment of the ThinkPad S440 is Intel's Wireless-N 7260 module. It already supports the current 802.11 ac standard, is equipped with two antennas, transfers data at a speed of up to 867 Mbit/s (gross) and radios in the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands. A Bluetooth 4.0 chip is integrated into the module for short distance radio. The WLAN connection with an 802.11 n router with Ralink RT2860T chip was very convincing in our field test and revealed no abnormalities. The transfer rates
better place because of science and modern medicine, so I read this news with guarded optimism. I honestly don’t believe there are nefarious agents at work here, and medical doctors are serious scientists. What does concern me, though, is widespread panic and the inevitable rushing-to-market of an untested vaccine, which may occur should Ebola break free from its shaky cage in Africa. We’re already seeing this “rushing-to-market” scenario right now. The administering of the experimental drug ZMapp (from biotech firm Mapp) to two American aid workers who recently fell sick with Ebola in Liberia, is an example of paranoia/hysteria circumventing standard operating procedures. Testing of new drugs usually takes years before it even sees human trials, and then years still until it is available to the public. ZMapp has only been identified as a possible treatment since January of this year and has never been tested on humans. EBOLA Ebola is not new. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) describes Ebola as “hemorragic fever (Ebola HF) … a severe, often-fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) that has appeared sporadically since its initial recognition in 1976.” The World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheets describes the symptoms: Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. It can be transmitted through direct contact with the infected and their bodily fluids. CAN SCIENCE SAVE US? Much pressure has been put on medical labs and pharmas to create a vaccine for Ebola Virus Disease, as there is currently no fully tested anti-viral medication which reverses the disease. When someone becomes infected, the body’s own immune system must fight off the disease, which is why it is especially lethal in young children, older people, and those with certain pre-existing medical conditions. There are a number of factors standing in the way of a faster developed vaccine. And much of it hinges on profit. When it comes right down to it, the big pharmacological companies are organizations whose ultimate purpose is to make money. If companies are not profitable, they will cease to perform any and all acts of altruism, perceived or otherwise. It’s civilization’s Achilles heel. The high costs of research and development are in large part associated with many of the necessary rules and regulations that come with producing medicine. And much of that cost comes in the form of bureaucracy. Many a treatment has died a slow laboring death as it waits to pass through the myriad of fire walls erected to stop bad medicine from reaching the market (and which incidentally covers the pharmas’ asses as well). It’s a tenuous balancing act. Add to that the sometimes irresponsible fear of science that can be seen today, and you have a perfect storm. That being said, the flip side is also true. Safe guards are put in place to protect the public. The aforementioned balancing act between profit and safety (with bureaucracy as the tight rope) has eroded trust of the very government that implements that protection. Progress can be paralysed in the process. It’s also popular to be complacent these days, because so many people don’t know what to believe. Well believe this. If I have to choose who to trust (and let’s be honest, we are not a civilization without healthy trust), my money is on the smart people. The educated people. And I’m talking about the scientists and thinkers who have NOT been lobotomised by greed or partisan agendas. The only way to pick those people out of the landslide of media is to educate ourselves! And that’s with real science, and not with crackpot conspiracy theories from those kooks that seem to have taken over Youtube. But that brings us full circle to the topic at hand. We live in a global community, so the control of something like “Rage” (in fiction), or Ebola/rabies (in real life), fall under the responsibility of everyone in every country. We can build walls around our countries, like boarding up the windows of our houses to keep the zombie horde outside, but inevitably, as in every zombie movie, they’ll eventually get in. Time to get our ducks in a row. * The Federal Register of the United States Government is a public resource that allows “ citizens and communities to understand the regulatory process and to participate in Government decision-making.”Close your eyes for a second and go back to October 2012. Mitt Romney, engaged in a pitched fight to unseat President Barack Obama, is campaigning hard as the election closes, drawing major crowds and inspiring Republican visions of a White House takeover. Now imagine, as Romney campaigns, that a story breaks detailing how his onetime company, Bain Capital, took $17 million in insurance money for business damages that it very likely had not incurred. It would be a scandal. Romney’s ethics would be questioned. The campaign would come to a halt for a bit. OK, ignore the insurance fraud. Let’s say as Romney was campaigning down the stretch, a story broke that his super PAC, Restore Our Future, was caught discussing how to secretly funnel illegal donations from a Chinese source into its coffers. Watchdog groups would be in an uproar. Obama’s campaign would pounce and Romney would be forced to condemn the group immediately, lest he seem like he was benefiting from foreign money. Let’s say that neither the Chinese donations nor the insurance fraud happened in our re-imagining of the 2012 election. Instead, an article was published in the closing days of the race saying Romney had held parties with underaged girls and cocaine. OK. That’s impossible to imagine. Let’s say the article reported that he’d openly discussed trying to pick up John Travolta’s wife, Kelly Preston, just days after the couple’s 16-year-old son had died. You’re right ― again, impossible to imagine. How about this: An article came out showing that Romney had used his campaign funds to purchase his own book, No Apology, and then turn around and sell that book at a massively hiked-up price to the very donors who were giving to him in the first place. That could have happened in this altered rendering of 2012. And if it had, Romney would have been viewed as callous, at a minimum, and deceitful at worst. Of course, none of it happened to Romney. As you’ve likely concluded, each one of these stories has popped up about Donald Trump in just the last few days. And they all have had marginal impact at best; disappearing, as Warden Norten would say, “like a fart in the wind.” That may be because they’ve been overshadowed by the broader controversies orbiting Trump’s campaign: the continued accusations of sexual assault and his routine skepticism about the election’s legitimacy. That may be because other items have sucked some oxygen from the room, such as the publication of the hacked emails of Hillary Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, or the expected sharp rise in premiums for health insurance plans sold on Obamacare exchanges. But in the end, the practical impact is the same. Trump is not Teflon. Cumulatively, these stories have caused damage. He is very likely going to lose the election, and by a margin far greater than Romney did. But he will have fundamentally moved the Overton Window for what qualifies as scandalous behavior for a presidential candidate. That might bring some positives with it in the long run, such as helping wash away some of the puritan sensibilities and standards we have about how politicians should behave. But it will also launch a whole new genre of campaign rationalizations for bad behavior (Trump, remember, will end this campaign having never released his tax returns ― a first for a nominee since the days of Nixon). It will be a while, if ever, before a candidate like Trump runs for president again. But future candidates for president will get graded against Trump. And that will make actual “gaffes,” like the variety that Romney committed ― “binders full of women” comes to mind ― look positively quaint in comparison.In case anyone has been following, you’ll know that I’ve only been involved with cryptocurrency mining for a short period of time – 85 days to be exact. 85 days ago, I received my 1st of 5 miners. Then, within 3 weeks, I had all 5 of them. Since then, I’ve been keeping track of how much I’ve been making daily. Like many of us out there who weren’t sure on if or when they should get into mining, this might help you figure things out. One of the main questions I see on Reddit is “Should I buy coin or mine for coin?” Well, here are my results…take from them what you will. When I first started, I was averaging Approx $20 per miner per day in September which you may have seen from an earlier post. How has it held up? Well, it’s been pretty steady. Check out the graph below, ignore the initial jump and the middle jump. These massive spikes are because new miners came online. The blue line is the total amount of money I made per day. The red line is the average income per miner per day. Okay, but what about how much coin we’re making? See below: [Note: Coin is measured in BTC as the miners are pointing to NiceHash] Remember, the initial spikes are from where I added miners. But you can see, when I had 2 miners, it made the same as when I added the next 3 (close enough). So why am I making the same with 5 as I did with 2? DIFFICULTY! This is exactly what we talked about before in a previous post. Over time, difficulty will only increase (90% of the time) which means you’ll make less and less coin. But if you notice the red line, it’s stayed pretty steady. For 85 days, my avg is $19.89 per miner. 7 days ago, my daily per miner was $17. 2 days ago, $18 per miner. Today, $21.47 per miner. Why is it going up and why is that red line not going down even though the number of coin we’re earning is going down? PRICE! In the last 24 hours, the price of Bitcoin has jumped by more than $1000. When I started, the price was at $4600 USD. Now, (as I’m writing this), it has cleared $11,200. It’s this increase that has kept my daily earnings stable. Will this continue? Not at this rate. I can only HOPE that BTC increases by great percentages like what is shown here, but there will be dips and drops which will have an effect on my daily earnings and my BTC wallet. Now, what would have been better? Let’s see. After 85 days, we’ve earned back about $6,500. Our initial investment is $10k (after all parts, miners, power supplies, A/C, etc). That figure is before expenses for electricity. Change it up. Say I did the buy and hodl route. $10k would have given me approximately 2.1613583 coin. The difference between starting and end prices is approx 243%. Now, that 2.1613583 coin would be worth $24,207. So it’s up to the individual on which route they would like to take. The buy and hodl route is much more appealing except your amount of coin never increases like it does with mining. Sure, it’s only going up a small bit, but even 1% of $11000 is $110. Happy mining!Kellyanne Conway is a dependable source of thoroughly laundered information about the events of the day, and her chat with CNN's Jake Tapper today was no exception. Conway tried to take Tapper through a few spin cycles, but none achieved the velocity of the final exchange. In a meeting with a group of sheriffs who support his policies this morning—one in which he offered, maybe-jokingly, to destroy the career of one of their enemies—President Trump declared the national murder rate is currently the highest it's been in 47 years. This is completely false, as a number of outlets, and Tapper, made clear: Kellyanne Conway on Trump’s false claim that the US murder rate is highest in 47 years https://t.co/Vhi5kCDd8v https://t.co/rUlKjNqwgh — CNN (@CNN) February 7, 2017 There was a modest spike in violent crime between 2014 and 2015, but levels are still way below where they were in the '80s and '90s: How, then, could Conway defend the president's statement? As Tapper soon learned—and registered with the patented Tapper Look™—she could not and would not. Instead, she went with the same line the Trump camp offered when they were peddling the falsehood that 3 million undocumented immigrants voted in the last election: that the president has his own super secret information, and it's tremendously accurate, but you can't see it, OK? (The implication here is that Conway hasn't seen it either.) Conway then pivoted, less artfully than usual, to a long monologue about how well Trump got along with the sheriffs he met with today and how the administration is going to work with law enforcement to bring down crime. That's great, and it also has nothing to do with the fact that the president is continually spreading falsehoods about violent chaos on our streets. Conway's move isn't a defense. It's barely even a dodge. The same thing happened when Tapper challenged her on the president's claim that the news media doesn't cover terrorist attacks, a self-evidently absurd falsehood: .@jaketapper to Kellyanne Conway: Saying that we don't cover terrorism is just false. It’s offensive. https://t.co/z792GDX8Bg — CNN (@CNN) February 7, 2017 And in her non-defense of Trump's refusal to speak publicly about the right-wing extremist terror attack in Quebec last month: .@jaketapper to Kellyanne Conway: Why hasn't the President offered his sympathy to our neighbors in the North? https://t.co/YoJ9OYk7d1 — CNN (@CNN) February 7, 2017 None of what Conway said was a defense of the president's position, because she is never really sure what the president's position is—or will be 10 minutes from now. None of his surrogates know. He might tweet tomorrow that the murder rate is the highest it's been since the Civil War. He might say there were 10 million illegal votes. The real question is, if Conway is not speaking on behalf of the president and Trump might just as easily contradict what she says in words and action, what is the purpose of having Conway on TV? As it is, she's just sitting there spinning—or creating falsehoods of her own.We enjoyed our time with the preview build of Hard Reset, the upcoming PC-only first-person shooter with seriously classical design. When we had the chance to put some questions to Klaudiusz Zych, the cofounder of (and a programmer at) Flying Wild Hog, we jumped at the chance. He shared his thoughts on quick-saves, game pricing, and in a few words explained why the game won't ship with any DRM. Why doesn't the game support quick saves? "The save system has a huge impact on gameplay, it changes the way people play the game. For example, if a game doesn't have checkpoints—this can be very frustrating when you forget to save often enough," Zych explained. "Quick saves on the other hand can ruin a game's difficulty and balance." Zych pointed out that this makes the placement of the checkpoints very important, and he thinks the team nailed this aspect of the game. A small team creating a game and aiming it exclusively at PCs? It seems like a risky move financially. Zych disagrees. "Consoles are past their peak of interest. In my opinion everyone is moving their focus to mobile devices: iOS and Android mobiles, to social games on Facebook and finally to digital distribution on PCs," he told Ars. "The number of copies sold for all the other systems is not as big as for consoles, but the royalties a developer gets from the deal are much, much higher." There is also an interesting middle point in the industry that may be somewhat awkward, but Flying Wild Hog sees as an opportunity. "The game industry is very polarized nowadays," Zych explained. "Big studios with budgets of tens of millions of dollars for a single game dominate the console market and small indie studios dominate digital distribution on mobiles and PCs. And almost no one does middle budget games." Hard Reset is hoping to buck that trend. The game is coming only to the PC, uses an engine that Flying Wild Hog created from scratch, and will be sold via digital distribution platforms for $29.99. The team is banking on the idea that gamers are in the mood for a game that's less expensive than a big-budget release, but more expensive than the smaller games that sell for $10 and under. After playing through a few hours of the game, I'm in: it's clear that you're going to be able to see where your extra money is going. Besides, Flying Wild Hog is on your side. My last question concerned the boogeyman of DRM. "I'm a gamer as well as a developer," Zych said. "And I hate DRM. So no DRM." Hard Reset is coming to the PC on September 13. We should have a full review in time for launch.Crossover vehicles have become very popular over the last 20 years. Sales of these vehicles has grown by over 15% annually. In the last few years has further sales growth slowed in Europe and the USA, but has increased in China and India. In these Asian countries there has been a rise in the number of middle class people that are willing to pay over $ 30,000 for the SUV. Some of the advantages of these vehicles are quite familiar. For example, you can drive off-road as well as on the road. Also, these vehicles have large luggage space that are very useful for the people living in rural areas. Also, during the time the SUV became a status symbol. All these factors have contributed to SUVs to become the most widespread type of vehicle in the USA. These vehicles have a slightly lower fuel consumption then the pickup trucks and for that fact they are more economical to use. For this reason I decided to investigate the situation on the market and determine which large vehicles are currently the best on the market. I reviewed several dozen sites, and some have to boast. In any case, I made a small list of the most interesting large SUVs. The list of best big vehicles When choosing the best vehicle I was guided by a few basic principles. The first are subjective – whether I like vehicle. Others are objective and concern the price, power and volume of space. For each vehicle I mainly cited the positive side. Why not negative? Simply, everybody on the internet can find enough bad experiences, but I did not want to mention some more. So, I put together a list that will look like this: 1. The GMC Acadia is a relatively newer vehicle. It is characterized by a great engine and a nice interior. In the three rows are deployed a total of 8 seats. The seats in the first row are extremely comfortable and can be adjusted electronically. If you want, you can choose to have a heater. It was made on the same platform as the Buick Enclave, but with the many parameters, Acadia is much better choice. First of all, one should boast a large space when folded down seats, but also a large space for passengers in the third row of seats. 2. Mazda CX9. This SUV unlike the previous vehicle has 7 seats. This SUV has a great power of engine, but also a very high fuel consumption. Power consumption is 17 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. This is the main objection to this vehicle. Since the equipment is satellite radio, bluetooth technology, touch screen and many other things. This vehicle was choosen as the best full-size SUV in 2013. The silhouette of this vehicle gives firmness and strength, but many decide to buy this car beacause it has great design. 3. Toyota Sequoia SUV, which is probably the longest products on this list. In this list, it represent vehicles with 8 seats. It is characterized by excellent design, powerful engine and a very bad MPG. According to the latest data, EPA for this vehicle is 13/17 mpg. From the equipment inside the car, I need to emphasize rear view camera, blind spot monitoring, USB connectivity, Bluetooth, an excellent stereo system. This vehicle is offered in three trim levels namely: SR5, Limited and Platinum. The difference between these trim levels is mainly in the equipment they possess. The headlights have been redesigned and now feature LED technology. Sequoia will probably be disconinued in 2018 year, but I will see is that true. Conclusion As you can see, the listed vehicles have excellent characteristics. Which will you choose, mostly depends on your needs. After all, you can continue with the research because there are thousands of websites about this subject. Just do not buy a vehicle without checking that will not suit to your needs. I hope that this article give you at least a little help in the selection of new big car.The series started with a TV special of the same name that aired on March 8, 2009, on the History channel. Seasons 1–3 aired on the same channel until 2011. From season 4 to the middle of season 7, the series aired on H2. On April 10, 2015, episode premieres returned to History. Ancient Aliens is an American television series that premiered on April 20, 2010, on the History channel. [1] Produced by Prometheus Entertainment in a documentary style, the program presents hypotheses of ancient astronauts and proposes that historical texts, archaeology, and legends contain evidence of past human- extraterrestrial contact. [2] [3] The show has been widely criticized by historians, cosmologists and other scientific circles for presenting and promoting pseudoscience and pseudohistory. Radio talk show host George Noory speaks in five episodes, including the pilot. Reverend Barry Downing, known for describing angels in the Bible as ancient astronauts, offered his viewpoints in the pilot episode. Psychologist Jonathan Young, who brings a mythological perspective, appears on screen in every episode but the first pilot. Alternate history author David Hatcher Childress speaks frequently in most episodes. The executive producer of Ancient Aliens is Kevin Burns, who also directed and wrote the pilot episode. Giorgio A. Tsoukalos serves as consulting producer and appeared on screen in the pilot. [5] Erich von Däniken appeared in the pilot episode, and UFO researcher C. Scott Littleton served as an expert consultant for the show until his death in 2010. [6] Ancient astronaut theorists discuss the possibility that many tales of angels and giants in the ancient world were inspired by extraterrestrial visits and experimentation on human DNA. The program had 1.676 million viewers in late October 2010,[21] 2.034 million viewers in mid-December (for the "Unexplained Structures" episode)[22] and in late January 2011 it had 1.309 million viewers.[23][24] Critical reception Edit Reviewers have characterized the show as "far-fetched",[25] "hugely speculative",[26] and "expound[ing] wildly on theories suggesting that astronauts wandered the Earth freely in ancient times".[27] Most of the ideas presented in the show are not accepted by the scientific community, and have been criticized as pseudoscience and pseudohistory.[28] History professor Ronald H. Fritze observed that pseudoscience as offered by von Däniken and the Ancient Aliens program has a periodic popularity in the US: "In a pop culture with a short memory and a voracious appetite, aliens and pyramids and lost civilizations are recycled like fashions."[28][29] Forbes.com contributor Brad Lockwood criticized Ancient Aliens as an example of the History Channel's channel drift towards "programs devoted to monsters, aliens, and conspiracies", commenting that, "Ancient Aliens defies all ability to suspend disbelief for the sake of entertainment."[30] Forbes.com staff writer Alex Knapp also criticized the series and cited archaeologist Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews' rebuke of the History Channel for "treating (Ancient Aliens) nonsense as though it were fact."[31] Smithsonian.com science writer Brian Switek was extremely critical of the series, particularly an episode that suggested "aliens exterminated dinosaurs to make way for our species". He characterized the show as "some of the most noxious sludge in television’s bottomless chum bucket". Switek wrote that the show employs the Gish gallop technique to overwhelm the viewer with many "fictions and distortions".[32] Others have called attention to a paucity of opposing viewpoints. Kenneth Feder, Professor of Archaeology at Central Connecticut State University and author of Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology,[33] has said that he was approached by Ancient Aliens producers regarding his potential participation. "My response was, I'd be happy to be on your show, but you should know that I think that the ancient astronaut hypothesis is execrable bullshit", he said, in an interview. "I haven't heard back from them, rather remarkably. So, I guess maybe they're not interested in the other point of view."[34] Appearances in popular culture Edit South Park parodied the show in an episode entitled "A History Channel Thanksgiving" (November 11, 2011, episode 15.13). Reviewer Ramsey Isler commented, "The aim is placed squarely on Ancient Aliens specifically", and described the animation as "a perfect satire of all the ridiculousness of this series, including the black and white art with aliens photoshopped in, and interviews with people of dubious authority".[35] Viceland premiered Traveling the Stars: Action Bronson and Friends Watch Ancient Aliens (also known as Action Bronson Watches Ancient Aliens) with a special on April 20, 2016, followed by a ten-episode series beginning in July. The series features rapper Action Bronson, who praises Ancient Aliens as "the best thing that was ever created by man", commenting over the History series while smoking cannabis with celebrity guests.[36] According to producers Jordan Kinley and Hannah Gregg, the show was conceived as a way to address disgruntled viewers of H2, the network that formerly aired Ancient Aliens before being replaced by Viceland on cable carriers in the United States.[37]Can one man with a message and a gyrocopter move a nation? After Ruskin mail carrier Doug Hughes landed with his flying machine on the U.S. Capitol lawn Wednesday, there were immediate security questions, as well as general curiosity as to how he accomplished the feat. But did he actually bring national attention to campaign finance reform, as he set out to do? In the short term, the answer appears to be yes. Mentions of "campaign finance" on local and national news outlets spiked in the 24 hours after Hughes — carrying 535 letters to Congress — flew his gyrocopter from Gettysburg, Pa., safely into restricted airspace over Washington, D.C. According to Critical Mention, a television recording service that monitors programming in all 210 U.S. markets, broadcasts used the words "campaign finance" 870 times on Wednesday and 2,320 times on Thursday through 5 p.m. On the previous two days, it came up just 75 times. Not all mentions are created equal, of course. While Hughes may have brought awareness to the topic, most newscasts mentioned his concerns in passing. In-depth discussion was largely missing in the aftermath of his brazen journey. It also remains to be seen whether Hughes and his message will have staying power through the next news cycle. Most knowledgeable observers are skeptical. "The positive spin that I could put on it with a straight face is that as the objective conditions of campaign finance get worse and worse we ought to expect more and more weird stunts because people see a problem and no way to effectively leverage a solution," said David Karpf, a professor focused on strategic political advocacy and communications for George Washington University. "Random stunts that get you a news cycle,'' he said, "won't get us close to a constitutional convention, which is what is needed to get this issue changed." Hughes is not the first person to use a gimmick to raise an issue's profile. And he's not the first to focus on money in politics. In the late 1990s, an elderly New Hampshire woman known as "Granny D" garnered national coverage when she walked across the country in support of campaign finance reform. During the 2014 election cycle, Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig started a Super PAC called Mayday PAC, with the goal of ending Super PACs by supporting candidates who vowed to reform fundraising rules. It has had marginal success. In this age of social media and viral videos, Hughes' flight is sure to make it in front of a lot of eyeballs in the next couple of days. And he gave "campaign finance" a bump on Twitter as well. A smattering of tweets voiced support for Hughes and his message. Many also lamented that cable news chose to narrow their wall-to-wall coverage to the potential security threat of small aircrafts penetrating restricted air space. "Social media allows a story to explode, but it also allows another story to overshadow it almost immediately," said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of politics, mass media and public opinion at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Nonetheless, activists remain optimistic that a sea change is on the horizon, and Hughes' actions furthered the cause. This is because American support for getting special interest money out of elections existed before Hughes' flight, said Craig Holman, lobbyist for Washington-based Public Citizen, a proponent of restricting big money in politics. People "are getting angry about all the money coming in," Holman said, and Hughes was a symbol of that frustration. "It is generating and promoting the type of grass roots movement that the entire country is behind," Holman said. Progressive commentator and activist Cenk Uygur, whose views on campaign finance influenced Hughes, called the flight "awesome" and "courageous." Uygur, host of the widely popular online news show The Young Turks, said he doubts action from Congress itself, but "if everybody takes some degree of action to say we're sick of it and we're going to deliver our message in our own way, I think it will have all the impact in the world." Poll data throughout the years shows general support for many of the ideals behind campaign finance reform efforts. But it has not been the public's priority. In 2012, the Pew Research Center reported that 28 percent of Americans said campaign finance reform should be a top concern for Congress, "one of the lowest-ranked issues across party lines." Even lawmakers who support a constitutional amendment to change campaign finance rules are skeptical of Hughes' actions. Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, introduced a constitutional amendment in the Senate, and he called Hughes' flight a "bizarre stunt." "While a gyrocopter pilot gone rogue will capture the news cycle," Udall told the Tampa Bay Times, "the mass movement in support of campaign finance reform will ultimately achieve meaningful and lasting change." Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Steve Contorno at [email protected] or @scontorno.Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is pinning the damaging and vandalizing of a local Republican Party office in North Carolina on the supporters of his presidential rival Hillary Clinton and her Democratic Party. A news release from the town of Hillsborough, N.C., said someone threw a bottle filled with flammable liquid through the window of the Orange County Republican Party headquarters overnight. The substance ignited and damaged furniture and the interior before burning out. The news release says an adjacent building was spray-painted with the words: "Nazi Republicans leave town or else." State Republican director Dallas Woodhouse said no one was injured, but a security alert is being sent to party offices around the state. State Republican director Dallas Woodhouse said no one was injured, but a security alert is being sent to party offices around the state. (Jonathan Drew/Associated Press) On Sunday afternoon, the walls of the multi-room office were covered in black char, and a couch against one wall had been burned down to its springs. Shattered glass covered the floor, and melted campaign yard signs showed warped lettering. The graffiti had been covered in paint by late afternoon. Trump tweeted on Sunday, blaming the incident on "animals representing Hillary Clinton and [Democrats] in North Carolina." He also encouraged local Republicans, saying: "With you all the way, will never forget. Now we have to win. Proud of you all!" Also on Twitter, Clinton called the attack "horrific and unacceptable" and said she was "very grateful that everyone is safe." Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning <a href="https://twitter.com/NCGOP">@NCGOP</a> —@realDonaldTrump The attack on the Orange County HQ <a href="https://twitter.com/NCGOP">@NCGOP</a> office is horrific and unacceptable. Very grateful that everyone is safe. —@HillaryClinton State Republican executive director Dallas Woodhouse said people sometimes work after-hours, and he felt lucky that no one was there at the time. He said the bottle appeared to have landed on or near the couch where volunteers sometimes take naps. "They are working around the clock. It is a miracle that nobody was killed," he said in an interview, calling the fire "political terrorism." He said Republican offices around the state were re-examining their security. The violent act in the key battleground state was condemned by public figures across the political spectrum. At a news conference, Woodhouse urged Republicans to respond peacefully by turning out to vote in November. He said he'd received messages of support from Democrats.London — Britain is divided as never before. The country has turned its back on Europe, and its female ruler has her sights set on trade with the East. As much as this sounds like Britain today, it also describes the country in the 16th century, during the golden age of its most famous monarch, Queen Elizabeth I. One of the more surprising aspects of Elizabethan England is that its foreign and economic policy was driven by a close alliance with the Islamic world, a fact conveniently ignored today by those pushing the populist rhetoric of national sovereignty. From the moment of her accession to the throne in 1558, Elizabeth began seeking diplomatic, commercial and military ties with Muslim rulers in Iran, Turkey and Morocco — and with good reasons. In 1570, when it became clear that Protestant England would not return to the Catholic faith, the pope excommunicated Elizabeth and called for her to be stripped of her crown. Soon, the might of Catholic Spain was against her, an invasion imminent. English merchants were prohibited from trading with the rich markets of the Spanish Netherlands. Economic and political isolation threatened to destroy the newly Protestant country. Elizabeth responded by reaching out to the Islamic world. Spain’s only rival was the Ottoman Empire, ruled by Sultan Murad III, which stretched from North Africa through Eastern Europe to the Indian Ocean. The Ottomans had been fighting the Hapsburgs for decades, conquering parts of Hungary. Elizabeth hoped that an alliance with the sultan would provide much needed relief from Spanish military aggression, and enable her merchants to tap into the lucrative markets of the East. For good measure she also reached out to the Ottomans’ rivals, the shah of Persia and the ruler of Morocco.Dating from 1,000 years before Pythagoras’s theorem, the Babylonian clay tablet is a trigonometric table more accurate than any today, say researchers At least 1,000 years before the Greek mathematician Pythagoras looked at a right angled triangle and worked out that the square of the longest side is always equal to the sum of the squares of the other two, an unknown Babylonian genius took a clay tablet and a reed pen and marked out not just the same theorem, but a series of trigonometry tables which scientists claim are more accurate than any available today. The 3,700-year-old broken clay tablet survives in the collections of Columbia University, and scientists now believe they have cracked its secrets. The team from the University of New South Wales in Sydney believe that the four columns and 15 rows of cuneiform – wedge shaped indentations made in the wet clay – represent the world’s oldest and most accurate working trigonometric table, a working tool which could have been used in surveying, and in calculating how to construct temples, palaces and pyramids. The fabled sophistication of Babylonian architecture and engineering is borne out by excavation. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, believed by some archaeologists to have been a planted step pyramid with a complex artificial watering system, was written of by Greek historians as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Daniel Mansfield, of the university’s school of mathematics and statistics, described the tablet which may unlock some of their methods as “a fascinating mathematical work that demonstrates undoubted genius” – with potential modern application because the base 60 used in calculations by the Babylonians permitted many more accurate fractions than the contemporary base 10. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The tablet could have been used in surveying, and in calculating how to construct temples, palaces and pyramids. Photograph: UNSW/Andrew Kelly Mathematicians have been arguing for most of a century about the interpretation of the tablet known as Plimpton 322, ever since the New York publisher George Plimpton bequeathed it to Columbia University in the 1930s as part of a major collection. He bought it from Edgar Banks, a diplomat, antiquities dealer and flamboyant amateur archaeologist said to have inspired the character of Indiana Jones – his feats included climbing Mount Ararat in an unsuccessful attempt to find Noah’s Ark – who had excavated it in southern Iraq in the early 20th century. Mansfield, who has published his research with his colleague Norman Wildberger in the journal Historia Mathematica, says that while mathematicians understood for decades that the tablet demonstrates that the theorem long predated Pythagoras, there had been no agreement about the intended use of the tablet. “The huge mystery, until now, was its purpose – why the ancient scribes carried out the complex task of generating and sorting the numbers on the tablet. Our research reveals that Plimpton 322 describes the shapes of right-angle triangles using a novel kind of trigonometry based on ratios, not
wapper #62 Stick it to the Man! Released: 11/23/17 – $11.99 Another classic comes to the Switch! Link to the full review: Nintendo Switch – Stick it to the Man! #63 Kid Tripp Released: 11/23/17 – $3.99 The jump in difficulty is so high…. Link to the full review: Nintendo Switch – Kid Tripp #64 Splasher! Released: 10/26/17 – $14.99 Where is the Nintendo website page for this game, keeps disappearing???? Link to the full review: Nintendo Switch – Splasher! #65 Antiqua Lost Released: 11/16/17 – $12.99 Much better than Revenant SAGA but miss a lot of things Link to the full review: Nintendo Switch – Antiquia Lost #66 End Credits! As always let me know how the reviews were, your thoughts and opinions on the games, did you pick a copy already, and what games would you like to see me cover in the future! Check out the giveaway since this is the last Review of the Week it will be on! Then it will be Sine Mora EX and the review for that will launch the giveaway. SO IT BEGINS ROUND 2 OF THE GINGER BEYOND THE CRYSTAL GIVEAWAY! Once again I thank @BadLandGames for providing codes to giveaway!https://t.co/yG08SFwlqz — LegendAssassin (@100HourReviews) December 6, 2017 AdvertisementsThe “c” in the iPhone 5c title doesn’t stand for “cheap”. It stands for “clueless”. As in, we were all clueless in our speculation on Apple’s motivations for creating this device. (Okay, it actually seems to stand for “color”, but humor me.) After sitting through Apple’s unveiling today and more importantly, watching the product videos, it seems decidedly more clear to me why Apple actually made the iPhone 5c. I think it comes down to the star of those videos: Jony Ive. I’ve seen a lot of Jony Ive videos in my day. And to my eye, it sure seems like he’s decidedly more excited about the iPhone 5c than he is the iPhone 5s. He (and Apple) would probably say that’s unfair — after all, how do you pick one of your children to love more? But just watch the videos back-to-back. You’d think it would be the opposite. After all, the iPhone 5s is the new pinnacle of Apple’s flagship hardware. But remember that it is largely the same design as the iPhone 5, a device dreamed up by Ive before he was in charge of the design of software for Apple as well as their hardware. In other words, I view the iPhone 5c as the iPhone 5 that Ive would have built had he been in charge of iOS design at the time of its creation. And thanks to the executive shake up last winter, I believe he now got to do just that. “We believe the iPhone is an experience. And experience is defined by hardware and software working harmoniously together. We continue to refine that experience by blurring the boundaries between the two,” Ive says early on in the video. The words are spoken as only a man now in charge of both hardware and software design can speak. When iOS 7 was first unveiled this summer at WWDC, many were shocked at the colorful new palette. But longtime Apple observers will recall that this is actually nothing new for Apple and Ive. The original iMac, the product which rebooted Apple, came in thirteen very colorful variations. In fact, that was a key selling point. While Ive spent the subsequent years at Apple shifting from polishing white plastics to bending aluminum (or, a-lew-min-e-um, in his parlance), it seems that he’s returning to his roots, so to speak. It’s not unlike an artist going through different periods in their work. And this is a good time for Ive to return to his colorful period, because again, now he has control of the software side of the equation as well. “I think that designs with a real coherence are the result of developing form, material, and color in unison. Each element informing, and in many ways defining the other,” Ive says in the video. If you truly believe that design is not just the superficial — not just how something looks when it’s on a table — but rather how it works, as Ive’s longtime collaborator and boss Steve Jobs did, the hardware and the software have to be fully intertwined. And Ive gets to fully design for that symbiosis for the first time with the iPhone 5c. But how is any of that going to help Apple sell more iPhones in China or India or in the developing world? It’s probably not. It appears now that this was always misdirection triggered by clueless reporting. Oh, Apple is working on a new, plastic iPhone? It must be a cheap one to sell in the rest of the world. Nope, it mustn’t. Instead, what we get is a replacement for the iPhone 5. The fact that Apple is no longer selling that device but still selling the iPhone 4S (yes, the “S” versus “s” is perplexing to everyone) is telling. Ive wanted to try his hand at designing a phone to perfectly envelope his software and he got his wish. As a result, Apple can now offer customers something substantially sexier than “last year’s model” when they walk into a store looking for a $99 (subsidized) phone. At the same time, it eliminates the confusion that would have been caused by the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5 looking nearly identical to one another (subtle gold, notwithstanding). And it likely keeps their high margins on the device intact. It seems like a win-win-win for Apple. But it’s not going to be viewed as a “win” by tech pundits and Wall Street. Because they want their damn cheap iPhone. In other news, many of those same clowns are still waiting for their iPhone with a physical keyboard. The point, as always, is that Apple doesn’t do things because rivals are forcing their hand. That’s always going to be a losing strategy and the company seems to know that. If they had launched a “cheap” iPhone, the clowns would have been excited until earnings rolled around and they saw Apple’s margins dropping as a direct result of such “innovation”. That’s lose-lose. Of course Apple thinks China and the rest of the world is important. Tim Cook has said that ad nauseam. But they’ll address that with what they view as the right product at what they view as the right time. Maybe that will be too late. Maybe it won’t. But again, the iPhone 5c very clearly is not that product. This is Jony Ive’s iPhone. It’s his return to colors and “beautifully, unapologetically plastic.” “It’s the vivid realization of hardware and software together in one device.”Near Lvov in an area of the world now called Ukraine sits the village of Belz. This was not always Ukraine’s territory. This land has been bounced around, with the region at times part of Austro-Hungary, Poland, other times part of Lithuania and taken over by Russians and Germans. Belz is an ancient site. It was once a big city, possibly one of the oldest in all of Europe. Eventually, however, the city was bypassed as an urban hub, and dwindled until it was just a shtetl, another smaller community within Europe. The first Jews arrived in Belz somewhere before the 1400s. The first documentation relating to Jews being in Belz is from 1469. This was the year that the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella got married and began their joint persecution of Jews, moving waves and waves of Jews from the Spain, Aragon, Portugal and other associated lands toward European communities. That might be why the Jews of Europe had their numbers swell within the next bit of time, including the community of Belz, which at this point of time in history belonged to the Polish kingdom. By 1520, a Jewish man from this area was appointed to collect the “Jewish tax” in Belz. He was listed as Yoske Zussmanovich. By 1550, the Belz Jewish community began to show up in census records, with a count of 22 families in that first census. A simple wooden synagogue was erected, there was a mikvah and the ancient cemetery. Horrors met this community as it grew a short time later. The Chmielnicki marauders swept through this shtetl in 1648 during their rebellion against the Polish monarchy and about 200 Jews were murdered. Quiet didn’t last after that tragedy. A Swedish invasion in 1660 brought more deaths to the small community. Not just adults, but even children were slaughtered. The Belz Jewish community rebuilt and continued to grow. In 1665, the Belz Jewish community achieved a huge forward step from the rulers. Jews were given equal rights to living, governing and conducting business. The little wooden synagogue continued to be a place of worship, a place where all Jews met and got led. Europe at this time faced a Jewish identity crisis. Since the economic condition of Jews was precarious, most parents could not afford to send their youngsters to learn Torah long-term. Few were those who could sit within the walls of a Bais Medrash to learn full time. This created a schism between learned Jews and the populous common Jew. Along came the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic Movement, to set things right. He taught (it was not new concepts, but forgotten important Jewish thought), that the world rests on three pillars: Torah, Avodah and Gemilas Chasadim. There are those who are to learn Torah non-stop. There are those who must connect with fiery prayer. And, there are those who are to go out and provide kind deeds for the world to flourish. By giving weight to every Jew with every Jew noted for his own ability and contribution, the Besht made sure that Judaism was alive and a place where all could participate. The movement took off like wildfire..and eventually made its way to Belz through the third generation of Chassidic leaders. Specifically, it was Rabbi Shalom Rokeach who had studied under both the Chozeh of Lublin and the Chartkover Rebbe who brought Chassidus to Belz. Belz became a central Chassidus, with adherents flocking from far and wide and followers spreading out from Poland to Hungary and beyond. With the decimation of the Jewish communities of Europe by the Nazis during WWII, the Belz Jewish community in Europe came to end. But not the legacy of Belz Chassidus, because Rabbi Aron Rokeach made it to Israel. Today, Belz might be a village in Ukraine when looking at a map of the world. However, within Jewish circles, Belz is one of the largest and most vibrant Jewish Chassidic communities, with followers spread out in cities throughout Israel, Europe and the North America.A nearly toothless shrew rat has been discovered on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia by an international group of biologists led by Dr Jacob Esselstyn of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. The rodent, called Paucidentomys vermidax, appears to eat soft, easy-to-chew earthworms. Because of its unique diet, the rat is lacking all of its molars, leaving it only with incisors. All of the planet’s other 2,200 known species of rat have most, if not all, of their teeth. “Growing teeth is energetically expensive,” Dr Esselstyn said. “If a characteristic is not useful, natural selection should eventually eliminate it, or at least reduce it to a vestigial state (in which it has lost its ancestral function).” “It probably took this rat hundreds of thousands of years to lose its teeth,” he said. “This species illustrates how the process of evolution can lead to the reversal of previously successful traits when faced with new opportunities,” the team wrote in a paper published online in the journal Biology Letters. The team’s work helps in the understanding of speciation – the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. “We live in a natural world,” Dr Esselstyn said. “We’re a small part of that world and we’re curious. We can’t understand how ecosystems work if we don’t even know how many species there are. It’s in our own self-interest to better understand the world we live in.” The species was discovered in the mountainous rain forests of Mount Latimojong and Mount Gandangdewata, on the southern part of the island. Sulawesi is the world’s eleventh-largest island, situated just west of the Indian Ocean. Its unique geology makes it a hotspot for scientists. While Sulawesi is one island now, a few million years ago it was an archipelago. When those islands eventually collided, they formed a single, large island with a very complex shape. The island, with its many peninsulas and large mountains, yields a great deal of potential for scientific research. “We’d generally expect a large, isolated island with large mountains and a complex shape to produce a significant number of species,” Dr Esselstyn said. “There are certainly a lot of species on Sulawesi, but we only know of a very small subset of them.” _______ Bibliographic information: Jacob A. Esselstyn et al. 2012. Evolutionary novelty in a rat with no molars. Biol. Lett. Published online before print August 22, 2012; doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0574Weak pointers and finalizers are a very convenient feature for many types of programs. Weak pointers are useful for implementing memotables and solving certain classes of memory leaks, while finalizers are useful for fitting "allocate/deallocate" memory models into a garbage-collected language. Of course, these features don’t come for free, and so one might wonder what the cost of utilizing these two (closely related) features are in GHC. In this blog post, I want to explain how weak pointers and finalizers are implemented in the GHC runtime system and characterize what extra overheads you incur by using them. These post assumes some basic knowledge about how the runtime system and copying garbage collection work. The userland API The API for weak pointers is in System.Mem.Weak; in its full generality, a weak pointer consists of a key and a value, with the property that if the key is alive, then the value is considered alive. (A "simple" weak reference is simply one where the key and value are the same.) A weak pointer can also optionally be associated with a finalizer, which is run when the object is garbage collected. Haskell finalizers are not guaranteed to run. Foreign pointers in Foreign.ForeignPtr also have a the capability to attach a C finalizer; i.e. a function pointer that might get run during garbage collection. As it turns out, these finalizers are also implemented using weak pointers, but C finalizers are treated differently from Haskell finalizers. Representation of weak pointers A weak pointer is a special type of object with the following layout: typedef struct _StgWeak { /* Weak v / StgHeader header; StgClosure cfinalizers; StgClosure key; StgClosure value; /* v / StgClosure finalizer; struct _StgWeak *link; } StgWeak; As we can see, we have pointers to the key and value, as well as separate pointers for a single Haskell finalizer (just a normal closure) and C finalizers (which have the type StgCFinalizerList ). There is also a link field for linking weak pointers together. In fact, when the weak pointer is created, it is added to the nursery's list of weak pointers (aptly named weak_ptr_list ). As of GHC 7.8, this list is global, so we do have to take out a global lock when a new weak pointer is allocated; however, the lock has been removed in HEAD. Garbage collecting weak pointers Pop quiz! When we do a (minor) garbage collection on weak pointers, which of the fields in StgWeak are considered pointers, and which fields are considered non-pointers? The correct answer is: only the first field is considered a “pointer”; the rest are treated as non-pointers by normal GC. This is actually what you would expect: if we handled the key and value fields as normal pointer fields during GC, then they wouldn’t be weak at all. Once garbage collection has been completed (modulo all of the weak references), we then go through the weak pointer list and check if the keys are alive. If they are, then the values and finalizers should be considered alive, so we mark them as live, and head back and do more garbage collection. This process will continue as long as we keep discovering new weak pointers to process; however, this will only occur when the key and the value are different (if they are the same, then the key must have already been processed by the GC). Live weak pointers are removed from the "old" list and placed into the new list of live weak pointers, for the next time. Once there are no more newly discovered live pointers, the list of dead pointers is collected together, and the finalizers are scheduled ( scheduleFinalizers ). C finalizers are run on the spot during GC, while Haskell finalizers are batched together into a list and then shunted off to a freshly created thread to be run. That's it! There are some details for how to handle liveness of finalizers (which are heap objects too, so even if an object is dead we have to keep the finalizer alive for one more GC) and threads (a finalizer for a weak pointer can keep a thread alive).Will the booming U.S. solar installation industry become collateral damage in the growing solar trade war with China? On Thursday, the U.S. Commerce Department issued a preliminary decision levying steep tariffs against Chinese solar manufacturers, finding they illegally dumped cheap photovoltaic cells on the American market. But the companies that install those solar panels on residential and commercial rooftops – and which have benefited from a 75% plunge in photovoltaic prices in recent years – are split over the impact of the tariffs on their burgeoning business. “I don’t think this ruling will stymie the industry,” says Danny Kennedy, president of Sungevity, an Oakland, Calif.-based residential solar installer that has rapidly expanded to the other states and countries over the past two years. “Lower cost affordable solar is the goal here and while this is unfortunate trade politicking I don’t think the sky is falling.” Sungevity obtains panels from China’s Suntech and other suppliers. “It’s not a big proportion; it’s a mix,” Kennedy says of his Chinese supply chain. “This is a market where you have supply-demand imbalance and we’re confident that cost curve will continue to come down.” Susan Wise, a spokeswoman for another big solar installer, San Francisco-based SunRun, was less optimistic. “If finalized, this decision would move us backward in the effort to make solar affordable for Americans,” Wise said in an e-mail. “It would make prices higher at the exact moment when solar power is starting to become competitive with fossil fuels in more markets.” Like most U.S. solar installers, Silicon Valley’s SolarCity uses Chinese-made photovoltaic panels. “Artificial cost increases designed to help a handful of companies at the expense of thousands of others in all fifty states simply don't make sense,” Jonathan Bass, a SolarCity spokesman, said in an e-mail, noting his company employs 1,800 workers in a dozen states. “We make American-made panels available to any customer that prefers them.” The solar trade war, which flared after the U.S. subsidiary of Germany’s SolarWorld filed an unfair trade complaint with the federal government, is far from over and a final decision is not expected until Nov. 23. SolarWorld and six other companies argued that the Chinese government unfairly subsidizes its domestic industry with cheap loans from state banks, favorable real estate deals and other incentives. On Thursday, the Commerce Department hit Suntech, one of China’s biggest photovoltaic cell makers with a 31.22% tariff and found that Trina, Yingli and other Chinese manufacturers that have captured a significant share of the U.S. market should pay a 31.18% tariff. In 2011, Chinese companies exported $3.1 billion of solar cells to the U.S., according to the Commerce Department, which concluded that those manufacturers sold their products in the U.S. “for less than fair value.” While SolarWorld and its allies hailed the tariffs as creating a more level playing field for the industry, some Chinese manufacturers characterized the Commerce Department as out of touch with the realities of the global solar market. “As a global company with global supply chains and manufacturing facilities in three countries, including the United States, we are providing our U.S. customers with hundreds of megawatts of quality solar products that are not subject to these tariffs,” Andrew Beebe, Suntech’s San Francisco-based chief commercial officer, said in a statement Thursday. Shayle Kann, vice president of research at GTM Research, says he expects other Chinese solar manufacturers to build factories overseas to avoid the tariffs. “We think there will be some short-term disruption in the supply chain in the U.S. as installers figure out what they can and cannot procure, and as suppliers determine their strategies to deal with the tariffs,” Kann said an e-mail from China, where he is attending a solar trade show. “So while there may be a near-term impact on demand, we continue to anticipate substantial growth in the U.S. market this year and moving forward. We’re currently forecasting 75% installation growth in 2012, down from 109% in 2011.”Bill Maher on Friday invited 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 on his late-night HBO show after viciously attacking the president-elect throughout the campaign. ADVERTISEMENT "I want to take this opportunity right now to invite him on this show. Look, he won. He ran a vicious, vulgar campaign and I gave it back exactly in measure," the comedian said on "Real Time With Bill Maher." "I was also vicious and vulgar but he won and he did it his way. Nobody gets to sing that song more than Donald Trump," he added. However, Maher did not hold back during the opening monologue, comparing the results of the presidential election to a "night after hard drinking." “The closest thing I can compare this to is, it’s like a night after hard drinking, you know, when you see who you’re waking up lying next to, and you’re like, ‘What have I done? Maybe if I pretend I’m asleep they’ll get their things and leave,’ ” said Maher. “Can you imagine someone who has been in a coma for the last two years, just waking up? ‘Hey man, you know the guy from the Celebrity Apprentice? Yeah, he’s the president now. And the Cake Boss is Pope, and Bill Cosby’s the drug czar,’ ” he joked. Trump has yet to publicly reply to Maher's request.He really looks like a Steve, doesn’t he? Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images Steven Mnuchin and Wilbur Ross popped by CNBC’s Squawk Box on Wednesday morning to confirm that President-elect Donald Trump had selected them to serve as his secretaries of Treasury and Commerce, respectively, and in the process they managed to make a little bit of news. Apparently, the Trump administration isn’t planning to cut taxes on the rich. Who knew!? “Any reductions we have in upper-income taxes will be offset by less deductions so that there will be no absolute tax cut for the upper class,” Mnuchin said. These comments rather sharply contradict what we know about Donald Trump’s actual written tax plan, which according to every outside analysis so far would absolutely lavish large cuts on America’s top 1 percent. The center-left Tax Policy Center says says so. The conservative Tax Foundation says so. It’s simply not much of a debate. As it stands, Trump’s plan does not limit deductions nearly enough to make up for his cuts elsewhere in the code. It’s not clear if he even could. Now, it is safe to say that Mnuchin has read his boss’ tax plan. He even helped shape it. According to Bloomberg, he “took particular interest in tax policy” during the campaign and “argued that Trump’s tax plan should cut the top marginal rate to 33 percent, prevailing over other Trump advisers who had advocated for even lower figures.” So that leaves us with a few possibilities about what’s going on here.Photo: Tambako the Jaguar/Flickr If you can’t beat ’em, flood the market with fakes. That’s the approach a Seattle bioengineering startup is taking to try to stem the illegal trafficking of rhino horns. The company, Pembient, is creating synthetic 3-D printed horns in the lab. Tomorrow it will present its latest horn prototype—one-quarter the size of the real thing—at a demo day open to the public at IndieBio in San Francisco. Pembient’s aim is to produce something biologically similar to the real thing, then sell it at a tenth of the price; authentic rhino horn can reportedly go for $60,000 per kilogram on the black market. Ground-up horn has long been mixed with herbs to treat infections and reduce fever in traditional Chinese medicine. The big driver of late is a penchant for the stuff as a status symbol among Vietnam’s nouveau riche, along with its supposed abilities to cure hangovers and treat cancer (no studies have proven any of these pharmacological claims). The company eventually plans to create synthetic versions of other highly prized, highly problematic products, including tiger bones, elephant tusks, and shark fins. “Our goal is to end poaching,” says Pembient CEO Matthew Markus, who cofounded the company with biochemist George Bonaci in January with funding from IndieBio. “Why not just jump into the future and remove these animals entirely from the supply chain?” It’s a bold, lofty concept—and one that conservation groups aren’t sold on. They’re concerned that rather than stem poaching, a synthetic product could whip up new demand. In a joint letter last month, the International Rhino Foundation and Save the Rhino laid out the reasons they believe the manufacture and sale of synthetic horn could “expand the market for such products, complicate law enforcement, and lead to more rhino killings.” Despite the skepticism, the idea is getting attention because rhinos are in such dire straits. Despite efforts to curb consumer demand, strengthen laws against trafficking and poaching, and bolster on-the-ground protective forces, rhino poaching has been on the rise since 2008. It’s now at an all-time high: In South Africa, a record 393 animals were slaughtered for their horns in the first four months of 2015—an 18 percent increase over the same period last year. Roughly 29,000 of these odd-toed ungulates remain in the wild, down from 500,000 at the start of the 20th century, and the vast majority of the animals live in South Africa, according to the nonprofit Save the Rhino. Illustrated by Save the Rhino. Data compiled by South African Department of Environmental Affairs. Markus believes faux horns could curb the relentless rise of poaching. “We think traditions are important. We think animals are precious,” he says. “We’re trying to bioengineer harmony between those things.” Here’s how it works. Rhino horns are largely made up of keratin—a protein that’s also the main ingredient in your fingernails and hair and in animal hooves. Pembient combined keratin with other trace elements found in a natural horn, like calcium, then used that mixture as the “ink” to print the horn in 3-D. Spectrographic analyses showed it matched the real thing, says Markus. For its latest prototypes, Pembient is now incorporating rhino genetic material. After obtaining a damaged rhino horn from a museum, the company extracted its DNA, amplified it, and added it to the mix. They may also, says Markus, mark their products with a DNA watermark—a hidden short stretch of DNA with a sequence that will identify it as manmade. The technology may very well pan out, says Sonja Boy, a scientist at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in South Africa. Boy recently discovered that rhino horns are solid structures, not filled with hollow spaces, as has long been thought. (She undertook the study to help develop surgical guidelines for veterinarians with Saving the Survivors, a group that treats rhinos like this one, named Hope, with poaching injuries. “Sometimes these poachers only cut into the superficial facial tissue,” says Boy. “But sometimes they are even more barbaric than normal and crush their instruments right into the underlying nose and deeper.”) She says that while the horn’s structure is very complex, it’s still easier to reproduce than if it were comprised of hollow tubules. Even so, she questions whether faux horn will entice consumers. “I believe they will not fall for something synthetic,” says Boy. “Poaching for ‘the real thing’ will continue.” Pembient believes there is a market for its product. In a survey the company conducted with 480 people in Vietnam who use rhino horn for medicinal purposes, 41 percent said they'd use synthetic horn (15 percent said they'd use water buffalo, the most common current replacement). Pembient is also banking on the purity of the ersatz horn being a selling point. “There are so many contaminants, pesticides, fallout from Fukishima,” says Markus. “Rhino horn in the lab is as pure as that of a rhino of 2,000 years ago.” Even if fakes sell, there’s still a potentially huge economic pitfall, says Enrico Di Minin, an expert on the economic benefits of biodiversity conservation at the University of Helsinki. He says he hasn’t seen any evidence that funds from 3-D horn sales would be reinvested into helping rhinos in the wild. “If we want to be conserving species in the natural environment,” Di Minin says, “the money generated from whatever business-related activity should maximize rhino conservation.” Otherwise, poaching will continue. “We need more rangers, more boots on the ground to improve protection to a level that will actually undermine illegal activities," he says. "And that’s very expensive.” That’s precisely the problem, says Markus—the approaches so far haven’t made a significant dent in poaching. “It’s not like the traditional methods haven’t been tried, and the combined response has been an increase in [the number of rhinos killed] over the last five years,” he says. “That’s a failure, by any metrics.” Pembient’s product could hit the market as early as this fall. In the meantime, other efforts to curb poaching and trafficking and bolster rhino numbers continue. That includes a project to move 100 rhinos by 2016 from high-poaching zones in South Africa to Botswana, which has the lowest levels of poaching on the continent, attributed to the country’s zero tolerance when it comes to illegal hunters. (Its Botswana Defense Force enforces a “shoot to kill” policy.) Rhinos Without Borders successfully transported the first 10 rhinos to their new home last month. That endeavor also required technology, but the old-fashioned kind: trucks and airplanes. onEarth provides reporting and analysis about environmental science, policy, and culture. All opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of NRDC. Learn more or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.Your guide to edible Australian flora By Kathy Riley \| THANKS TO indigenous bush-cooking initiatives, increased success with commercial crops and publicity from high-profile chefs, a range of Australian bush herbs and spices is trickling into our gardens, nurseries and supermarkets. While Australia’s indigenous peoples have long enjoyed the flavours and nutritional benefits of native plants, many Australians have yet to sample the smorgasbord on offer. In some cases, the flavours imparted by native plants aren’t far removed from introduced ingredients, and can therefore be used in many of the same dishes. Aniseed myrtle, lemon myrtle, mountain pepper and river mint are just a few of the species whose common names hint at similarities to more familiar flavours. Other native foods, such as wattleseed, are becoming increasingly popular in gourmet dishes, where unique flavours are sought after and celebrated. The plants themselves also make attractive and low-maintenance additions to backyards. Some, such as acacia, and lemon and aniseed myrtle, are already popular garden plants. Others, like saltbush, are surprising gardeners with their versatility and beauty. Bush Tomato (desert raisin), Solanum centrale A word of warning: there are more than 100 Solanum species in Australia, but only a half-dozen are edible — and the unripe fruits of these are toxic. This is a small, arid-zone shrub whose ripe fruits have a savoury, robust flavour similar to sun-dried tomatoes. It is most often dried and ground into a spice for use in casseroles, curries and salsas. Bush Tomato (desert raisin) Solanum centrale (Image Credit: Anne Hayes) Lemon Ironbark Eucalyptus staigeriana Originating in northern Queensland, this 6m tree with small, grey-green leaves imparts an uplifting citrus flavour with rosemary overtones. It can be used in sweet and savoury dishes and herbal teas, or mixed with mountain pepper for a lemon-pepper sprinkle. The quality of its oil also makes it an ideal candidate for aromatherapy and perfumery. Lemon Ironbark, Eucalyptus staigeriana (Image Credit: Anne Hayes) River mint Mentha australis This small perennial herb has scented leaves and diminutive, white and lilac flowers. It’s an adaptable and low-maintenance plant and its leaves can be used in much the same way as its exotic counterparts. Aboriginal people used the leaves to treat coughs, colds and stomach ailments. It’s named for its natural occurrence in shady areas near rivers and creeks. River mint, Mentha australis (Image Credit: Anne Hayes) Aniseed myrtle Anetholea anisata (also Syzygium anisatum) The leaves of this subtropical rainforest plant can be harvested year-round. When dried and milled, they impart a sweet liquorice flavour similar to star anise, and can be used in many of the same foods — such as cakes, biscuits, sauces and curries. Its purple flushes of growth, aromatic white flowers and ease of maintenance make it a popular garden tree. Aniseed myrtle, Anetholea anisata (Image Credit: Anne Hayes) Cinnamon myrtle Backhousia myrtifolia This myrtle produces leaves infused with a cinnamon flavour that can be used in sweet and savoury dishes and herbal teas. It belongs to the Myrtaceae, which includes the popular lemon myrtle and aniseed myrtle. Growing to a height of 7m, it’s a good candidate for the home garden: hardy, low maintenance and adaptable with masses of striking, star-shaped cream flowers. Cinnamon myrtle, Backhousia myrtifolia. (Image Credit: Anne Hayes) Mountain pepper Tasmannia lanceolata The leaves and berries of mountain pepper were popular among British settlers, who discovered it performed just as well as traditional pepper in dishes. The leaves are usually dried and then milled or ground; the berries, known as pepper-berries, are dried and crumbled or ground. This medium-sized tree occurs naturally in Tasmania and the wet forests of south-eastern Australia. Mountain pepper, Tasmannia lanceolata (Image Credit: Anne Hayes) Wattleseed Acacia victoriae Grown in Africa since the 1990s to help sustain drought-stricken communities, many acacias produce a seed that can be roasted, ground and added to flour to bake breads and cakes. Its nutty taste, reminiscent of hazelnuts, has made it a popular addition to ice-cream, coffee and cheesecake. Several acacia species are used in cooking; however, Acacia victoriae (or elegant wattle) is widely recog-nised as the industry standard. Wattleseed, Acacia victoriae (Image credit: Anne Hayes) Saltbush Atriplex nummularia This plant’s ability to thrive in arid environments has imbued its leaves with a saltiness that lends itself to flavouring roast Iamb, seafood, vegetable dishes, casseroles and stews. Saltbush is a hardy plant that requires little watering, and its silvery-grey foliage and pink new growth make it a distinctive, useful and low-maintenance addition to Australian gardens. Saltbush, Atriplex nummulari (Image Credit: Anne Hayes) READ MORE:Whenever I’m grocery shopping, I always find myself trying to remember whether I still have enough beer in the fridge. Inevitably, I end up buying another case because, well, you can never have too much beer. If you’d like to know how many beers are left in your fridge while you are at the store, or if you’d like to know if anyone is helping themselves to your Cold Ones while you are at work, or if you just want to track your drinking habits, David Sulpy has a great DIY project that turns a Raspberry Pi and Wii Balance board into a beer-measuring system. The “Fridge of Awesomeness” is a beer fridge that is connected to your laptop, desktop, or mobile device using a handful of sensors and a Rasberry Pi connected to a cloud service run by Initial State. Once installed, you can access data regarding your mini fridge from anywhere. The project requires a Raspberry Pi 2 starter kit that includes a few items, like 8 GB MicroSD card, Breadboard, a 40-pin breakout board with ribbon cable, two 10K Ohm resistors, and a MicroUSB power supply. You’ll also need a Wii Balance Board, a Wii Fit rechargeable battery pack, and a Bluetooth adapter so the Raspberry Pi can talk to the Wii Balance Board. Plus, a few more sensors, like a digital temperature sensor and a contact switch. And, don’t forget a mini fridge. Following the detailed instructions on GitHub, you’ll set up the Wii Balance Board and connect it to the Raspberry Pi via Bluetooth. Then, add action sensors to the door and temperature
more vitality. Like this: Like Loading...Created by Igor Plot Some Touhou and TPP Characters Have Arrived to GoCity. Cast Paul as Igor and Brian the Pidgeot (TPP Crystal) Brian as AJ (from TPP Crystal) Eric as John, Carkle, Burrito the Espeon (from TPP Crystal) Kimberly as (Lady) Sanae Kochiya and Peanut Otter Kayla as Satori/Chauzu, Jelly Otter and Sophie Tween Girl as Cirno/BB/Balloon Baka Julie as Maribel Hearns/Amber and Marisa Kirisame Jeniffer as Renko/Touhoumon Green and Mima Young Guy as Pingy and Electric Jesus the Zapdos (From TPP Red) Princess as Baeaporeon (Moe Vaporeon from TPP Moemon), Nitori and Butterbae (Moe Butterfree from TPP Moemon) Kate as Miss T the Moe Pidgeot (from TPP Moemon) and Effie the Moe Charizard (From TPP Moemon) Scary Voice as Lord Helix the Omastar (from TPP Red) and Lord Dome the Kabuto (From TPP Aniversary Red) Transcript [Cut to a plane.] [We see some TPP Characters and Touhou Characters.] AJ: "Are you sure GoCity is where we're going next?" Lord Helix: "Yep!" W.I.PSome airlines have agreed to special training for handling batteries and were allowed to carry spares, Mr. Bonanti said. But other airlines, like Delta and JetBlue, figured it was safer to avoid carrying extra batteries altogether. “They’re not charged onboard the aircraft and batteries aren’t removed from these devices while onboard,” Bryan Baldwin, a JetBlue spokesman, wrote in an e-mail message. While no fires from credit card readers have been reported, the list of spontaneous combustion events with other devices reads like a thriller. Last month, a portable DVD player was dropped on an American Airlines flight, causing a fire. In March 2008, a United Airlines employee placed a flashlight in the storage compartment of a Boeing 757 at the Denver airport. A report said the flashlight exploded “like gunshots,” turning the on-off switch into a projectile. On a flight to Miami that same month, eight people were injured when a small battery fell against a metal seat frame. In the ensuing explosion, debris singed a passenger’s ear and hair and the smoke sickened seven crew members. Photo In 2004, an ABC News camera exploded on a plane being used by the presidential candidate John Edwards. A seat caught fire, causing an emergency return to the airport. Even more events go unreported, the authorities said. “If you have an issue in the air there’s not a whole lot you can do to recover from it,” said Gerald McNerney, a vice president at Motorola, which provides hand-held devices to airlines. “You put your brand at risk if one of your devices has an issue with the battery. What we’ve done is look at creating backups, duplicity in development so that you’re not going to have an explosion.” Figures from the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site show that at least 400,000 portable device batteries have been recalled so far this year, an indication that manufacturing problems are sometimes to blame. Batteries are also becoming more powerful, so that even the smallest have the potential to unleash a lot of heat. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “The battery industry is trying to squeeze more juice into these batteries for longer life,” said Joe Delcambre, a spokesman for the hazardous materials agency. “Smaller battery, more life, with a terminal that can overheat the product — it’s a risk.” Considering that problems with batteries are occurring on passenger planes at a rate of one every four months, Merritt Birky, formerly a fire and explosions expert with the National Transportation Safety Board who is now a private consultant, suggests they should be kept where passengers can keep an eye on them and out of overhead storage bins. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “Any time you have a fire on board it’s alarming, especially in the overhead bin,” Mr. Birky said. “That area is chock full of luggage and coats so you have lots of fuel for a fire and it’s going to go undetected for quite some time.” The Transportation Department has created a Web site that includes the rules on traveling with lithium batteries, and it works with the manufacturers of portable electronic devices to spread the word about the hazards. But the transportation safety board estimated that only one person in every 170 to 190 travelers had actually visited the Web site. “Most air passengers and flight crews are likely unaware of the fire risks posed by rechargeable lithium batteries,” the board wrote in 2008 in recommending a more aggressive approach to educating the public. The F.A.A. plans to follow that suggestion when it begins broadcasting public service announcements in airports next year, Mr. Bonanti said. “There’s a whole slew of things that can go wrong with a lithium battery,” he said, adding that no matter how comfortable people are with their devices, caution is the best course of action.Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Introductory pricing schedule for 12 month: $0.99/month plus tax for first 3 months, $5.99/month for months 4 - 6, $10.99/month for months 7 - 9, $13.99/month for months 10 - 12. Standard All Access Digital rate of $16.99/month begins after first year. Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs! For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much more, try an All Access Digital subscription: We hope you have enjoyed your trial! To continue reading, we recommend our Read Now Pay Later membership. Simply add a form of payment and pay only 27¢ per article. “It was very noticeable from my side in St. Boniface as the trucks roared through the neighbourhood,” Selinger said of the blaze. “We saw the bright skies on the other side of the river.” Selinger, who is also the MLA for St. Boniface, watched the fire from the safer side of the Red River Wednesday night. The mill on Point Douglas Way, owned by Gateway Industries Inc., caught fire late Wednesday evening and Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Services remained at the site Thursday, putting out small fires and beginning mop-up operations. Provincial plans to develop Point Douglas into a provincial park remain in motion despite a million-dollar paper mill fire that’s still smouldering, Premier Greg Selinger said Thursday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/10/2011 (2687 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/10/2011 (2687 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Firefighters walk away Thursday afternoon from the aftermath of a huge blaze at Gateway Industries Ltd. on Point Douglas Way. Provincial plans to develop Point Douglas into a provincial park remain in motion despite a million-dollar paper mill fire that’s still smouldering, Premier Greg Selinger said Thursday. The mill on Point Douglas Way, owned by Gateway Industries Inc., caught fire late Wednesday evening and Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Services remained at the site Thursday, putting out small fires and beginning mop-up operations. Selinger, who is also the MLA for St. Boniface, watched the fire from the safer side of the Red River Wednesday night. "It was very noticeable from my side in St. Boniface as the trucks roared through the neighbourhood," Selinger said of the blaze. "We saw the bright skies on the other side of the river." Former premier Gary Doer introduced the provincial park plan more than two years ago. Deputy fire chief Ken Sim said the fire was confined to a paper mill operation on the 17-acre site, adding that damage was so extensive that it may be impossible to determine the cause. Sim placed the estimate of damage at $1 million at a minimum. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Fire Fighters work hard to contain a large fire that broke out in an industrial area of Point Douglas - as seen from across the Red River off Archibald Street. There were no injuries. Traffic in and out of the area is blocked. Northbound and southbound traffic is closed on the Louise Bridge. Drivers are also not allowed to go eastbound on Higgins from Annabella Street, and eastbound Sutherland at Higgins is also blocked, police said. The area is expected to be closed well into the morning. Sheldon Blank, owner of the business, said friends called him at 9 p.m. Wednesday night and told him that his plant was burning. Blank said the paper mill, which manufacturers roofing paper, had been idle but all the equipment and supplies on the site had been destroyed. Blank said he believes the other components of the business on the property — he manufacturers soap bars, shampoos and hair conditioners for hotels, and paper used in cardboard boxes — are unaffacted and he’ll be back in operation when the site is cleared. Blank said he has had problems with vandals in the past, adding he believes the fire was deliberately set. He said he suspects someone broke in Wednesday night and set the paper mill ablaze. He said there have been fires there before, also deliberately set by vandals. WAYNE GLOWACKI/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg firefighters at the scene at Gateway Industries Ltd. at 2 Point Douglas Ave., east of Higgins Avenue, Thursday morning. Sim said the physical layout of the plant made it difficult for firefighters — narrow laneways snaked through the property that has several buildings and outdoor storage. Sim said the laneways were too narrow for fire trucks to manouevre and there was limited water access. Fire crews had to access water from hydrants on Higgins Avenue several hundred metres from the fire and use a pumper truck to re-pump water to the fire scene. The property has several metal and wooden structures that contain compressed paper products and various chemicals. Sim said there were also environmental concerns — from toxins in the smoke and from petroleum products stored in barrels on the site. Residents of 15 nearby homes on Grace Street were evacuated Wednesday night when there was a concern the fire could spread beyond the property, Sim said, adding those residents would not be allowed to return to their homes until Manitoba Conservation had conducted air sample testing to ensure there were no concerns over toxic material in the smoke that continues to billow from the property. This morning, Fire Capt. Claude Provencal said the fire continues to burn on the north side of the site, adding that with the continually shifting winds it’s too dangerous to battle it. More than 70 firefighters and paramedics were on scene fighting the blaze late Wednesday night. The business has been hit by fire several times over the past two decades, a fire official told media. The site is considered a hazard due to the presence of a vast amount of chemicals and paper products, the spokesman added. Gateway has 10 employees, said Blank, who has owned the business since 1984. The Salvation Army has been on site since 10:30 p.m., providing firefighters with coffee, tea and donuts. Winnipeggers heading outside in many corners of the city will be able to smell smoke as the blaze continues to pump smoke into the air. At 5 a.m. Thursday, Winnipeg police said, "the street closures remain unchanged in the area of the fire and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Motorists are asked to avoid the area and take alternate routes." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the day’s breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every morning. Gateway Industries backs onto the Red River. Dozens of people in St. Boniface got a close-up look at the raging inferno from the opposite riverbank. The company was in the news in April after owner Sheldon Blank said he was suing the city over what he alleges was a selective decision to single out his company for dumping pollutants but not disclosing that a large city sewer line was leaking into the Red River. Blank is seeking damages from the City of Winnipeg for what he says was a decision by civic officials to launch proceedings against his company without merit. The civil suit is the latest in a string of legal battles Blank has fought over pollution charges laid against his company 16 years ago. His Point Douglas paper mill was charged with five counts under the federal Fisheries Act for dumping pollutants into the Red River in 1995. Another eight charges were laid under pulp and paper mill effluent regulations for failing to report information relating to the discharge from the mill. The charges were stayed in 2004. A statement of claim filed in the Court of Queen’s Bench in April alleges city officials unlawfully divulged private information about Gateway Industries to Environment Canada between 1993 and 1996. Court documents say the city was "selective" in the information it provided to Environment Canada and did not advise federal officials about a large city sewer line leaking into the Red River.MEXICO CITY—They are enduring images of the last great era of Canadian men’s basketball, styles and skills etched in the mind’s eye of everyone who had a chance to see them. Steve Nash finding Rowan Barrett on the break with some magical pass; Nash running high screen and roll with Mike Meeks to set up the gifted power forward for a basket; Greg Francis spotting up for one of his silky-smooth jump shots and Jay Triano beaming on the bench. Steve Nash, general manager of the Canadian men's basketball team, was the star of the national team that won its group and finished 5-2 at the 2000 Olympic Games. ( TOM HANSON / The Canadian Press file photo ) They were, to coin a phrase, the Fantastic Five of a bygone time and here they all are again, ushering in the so-called Golden Era of Canada Basketball while trying to ensure the country remains in the upper echelon of international basketball for years to come. It was their friendships and shared experience that has drawn them back, a chance to build something special as a way of giving back. Nash is the general manager and face of Canada’s senior team, Barrett is his right-hand man as the executive vice-president and assistant general manager and Triano is back for a second stint as the team’s head coach, solely because Nash insisted he return. Article Continued Below Meeks is the manager of youth player development and an assistant coach of the under-17 team while Francis is Canada Basketball’s manager of men’s high performance and a de facto coach for the coaches charged with keeping the pipeline filled with talent. It is an unprecedented commitment to the next generation from men who starred in a previous one. “I think it simply says that we care about Canada and basketball in our country,” Nash said this week. It is no accident that the group has reunited now that Canada stands to make giant gains internationally. They have known each other for years, the patriotic tug is too great, the opportunity to build something long-lasting is too important. “I always knew when I was playing in Europe that eventually I would be back,” said Meeks, a prototypical stretch four who, it could be argued, was Canada’s second-best player behind Nash in Sydney. “This is an opportunity to give something back and be part of the future.” One of the unique aspects of the cabal that now runs the men’s side of the program is the variety of their experiences. They played different positions and roles, had varied professional experiences as players and have a give-and-take relationship. “We all bring something different and that really helps,” Francis said in a telephone interview a day before he and Meeks were involved in a talent identification camp in Toronto. “We can coach and teach every position and we haven’t had that in Canada before. We can reach a lot of players.” Article Continued Below The bodies may no longer be willing, but the minds are sharp and the beneficiaries of their experience and knowledge are not only the men chasing a 2016 Olympic berth here this week, but the teens who hope to follow them. “I think for the four of us, the debate and the conversation is always ongoing,” Nash said. “We’re always trying to figure out what’s the best way and I leave it up to those guys to take their experiences and our conversations back for those age-appropriate lessons and to the coaches.” The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games represented the high-water mark of the 30 years for Canadian men’s basketball and it was, until this group was assembled, generally considered one of the most talented to ever represent the country. Canada shocked host Australia and beat Angola and Spain before losing to Russia. And in a game Triano counts as one of the top two Canadian victories he’s ever been involved in over a 30-year span, Canada upset global power Yugoslavia to win its preliminary group. A quarter-final loss to France was painful and left Canada with a seventh-place finish despite a 5-2 record that was the third-best in the tournament. And now five friends are reunited to try to build a program that can consistently outshine that team. “We’re lucky, our young guys... have guys who have been there and done that and played at this level and coached and experienced the game at a very high level and can offer their expertise,” Nash said. “It’s invaluable.”By Steve Kim BoxingScene.com has been advised by a couple of sources that Yuriorkis Gamboa will be added to the December 19th card at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York as part of the HBO Latino telecast - which already has Gabe Rosado facing Joshua Clottey and Vyacheslav Shabrabranskyy taking on Yuniesky Gonzalez. Gamboa (24-1, 17 KO's) last fought on November 15th, 2014 in Mexico where he stopped Joel Montes de Oca in six rounds. It is believed that the Cuban will be participating in a tune-up bout before taking on one of the bigger names residing at 130-pounds in 2016. The last time Gamboa was on the big stage, he was halted in nine rounds by then WBO lightweight champion Terence Crawford on June 28th, 2014. Also scheduled for that card on December 19th are bouts between heavyweights Luis Ortiz and Bryant Jennings and a junior lightweight contest between Nicholas Walters and Jason Sosa, which will be televised on HBO's 'Boxing After Dark' series. Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.comAccording to a new study published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, women can process oxygen more quickly than men when they start to exercise. Quick oxygen uptake places less strain on the body’s cells and is considered an important measure of aerobic fitness. “Previous studies in children and older adults demonstrated faster oxygen uptake kinetics in males compared with females, but young healthy adults have not been studied,” said lead author Dr. Thomas Beltrame from the University of Waterloo and co-authors. “We hypothesized that young men would have faster aerobic system dynamics in response to the onset of exercise than women.” The researchers compared oxygen uptake and muscle oxygen extraction between 18 young men and women of similar age and weight. “Eighteen healthy active young women and men (9 of each sex) with similar aerobic fitness levels volunteered for this study,” they explained. “Participants performed an incremental cardiopulmonary treadmill exercise test and three moderate-intensity treadmill exercise tests.” Women consistently outperformed men with around 30% faster oxygen handling throughout the body. “The findings are contrary to the popular assumption that men’s bodies are more naturally athletic,” Dr. Beltrame noted. “We found that women’s muscles extract oxygen from the blood faster, which, scientifically speaking, indicates a superior aerobic system,” added co-author Professor Richard Hughson, also from the University of Waterloo. “By processing oxygen faster, women are less likely to accumulate molecules linked with muscle fatigue, effort perception and poor athletic performance.” “While we don’t know why women have faster oxygen uptake, this study shakes up conventional wisdom,” Dr. Beltrame said. “It could change the way we approach assessment and athletic training down the road.” _____ Thomas Beltrame et al. 2017. Sex differences in the oxygen delivery, extraction, and uptake during moderate-walking exercise transition. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 42 (9): 994-1000; doi: 10.1139/apnm-2017-0097Diego Fagundez is facing a crucial decision for his international future. Play for Uruguay or wait for the U.S.? Diego Fagundez has long been hoping to return to the U.S. national team program, but citizenship issues have taken his international career south. Should the New England Revolution midfielder play for Uruguay in Under-20 World Cup qualifiers, he will be unable to switch to the U.S. in the future. But Fagundez, who played for U.S. junior teams as a 13- and 14-year-old, is planning to make the most of his situation. Fagundez, 19, is among 27 players on a provisional roster preparing for the South American Youth Football Championship on Jan. 14-Feb. 7 in Uruguay. If Fagundez gets into a game in this event or the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, he could become another prospect who got away from the U.S. This is the latest -- and possibly final -- twist in Fagundez's international career. He last played for the U.S. U-14 team in 2008 and 2009, then was called into the U.S. U-15 training camp before U.S. Soccer learned he was not a citizen. And that has kept Fagundez from returning to the U.S. team -- although he has lived in Leominster, Massachusetts, since age 5, Fagundez will not be eligible for citizenship until 2018. By then, if Fagundez has competed with Uruguay's national team at any level, he would be unable to make a one-time switch similar to the one that brought Aron Johannsson from the Iceland youth teams to the Yanks. To make the switch, Fagundez would have to be a U.S. citizen when he played for Uruguay in a FIFA-sanctioned competitive match. In other words, should Fagundez make an official appearance with Uruguay at any level before 2018, he will be unable to play for the U.S., according to FIFA rules. But Fagundez said before departing for Uruguay last week he is leaving the door open to a U.S. inclusion. "Right now it's kind of hard to say," Fagundez said of the U.S. national team program. "They haven't even approached me, and it looks like they're not interested in me. I can't keep waiting for them. I'll see where this takes me. That's why I'm going to Uruguay, I want to go there and represent the jersey and represent the country well." If Fagundez decides to play for the Uruguay Under-20 team he won't be able to switch to play for the U.S. in the future. U.S. U-20 coach Tab Ramos is holding out hope for a Fagundez return, though it seems a long shot. Ramos has been scouting Fagundez since 2006, when the attacking midfielder was 11 years old. "We're hoping he can, somewhere down the road," Ramos said of Fagundez joining the U.S. "He would have been with my U-20s the last cycle [but] he's not a citizen and we can't speed up the process; we've tried, New England tried. Whether it would be down the road would be up to him. "We're hoping down the road he thinks about us. He lives here and grew up here. He's the type of player we don't normally have here. It's just a matter of we have to wait." The current group of Uruguayan U-20 players is expected to also be involved in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Fagundez is among three foreign-based players on the squad, which is expected to be finalized by Jan. 1. And Fagundez is certain to be afforded a fair shot at making the team, since he has close ties to coach Fabian Coito and assistant Gustavo Ferreyra through his father, Washington, a former goalkeeper for Central Espanol. And though he has two years remaining on his contract with the Revolution, Fagundez says he realizes Uruguay could provide a launching pad to greater riches -- Uruguay attackers Felipe Avenatti, Gonzalo Bueno, Diego Laxalt and Diego Rolan all moved to European clubs after reaching the finals of the U-20 World Cup two years ago. Many of the current squad's players are also expected to use the upcoming tournaments as springboards to Europe. "I'm looking forward to this, it's something I've been waiting for for a while," Fagundez said. "Now that it's happening, it's great. I still have work to do. Making the team is not automatic. I have to fight for my spot before I'm chosen for the South American championship."NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives panel said on Friday it should not have to comply with a federal regulator’s demand for documents sought for an insider-trading probe involving the staff director of a subcommittee and a lobbyist. A sign for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is pictured in the foyer of the Fort Worth Regional Office in Fort Worth, Texas June 28, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Stone The House Ways and Means Committee argued in a court filing that U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe in New York should deny the Securities and Exchange Commission’s attempt to subpoena documents from the committee and its healthcare subcommittee staff director Brian Sutter. The SEC went to court June 20 to enforce subpoenas it issued as it sought information related to a probe into whether Sutter leaked material nonpublic information about Medicare reimbursement rates to Mark Hayes, a lobbyist at Greenberg Traurig LLP. The committee’s filing called the SEC subpoena “a remarkable fishing expedition for congressional records.” It said the U.S. Constitution shields the panel and Sutter from being compelled to testify or produce documents. A request for comment from the SEC was not immediately returned. The dispute between the House committee and the regulator could test the boundary of the SEC’s powers to compel the legislative branch of government to cooperate with its enforcement of the federal securities laws. In previous court filings, the SEC said Hayes spoke with Sutter the same day that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced reimbursement rates for the Medicare Advantage program. The regulator said Hayes then emailed the brokerage firm Height Securities, which shortly afterward sent its clients a “flash alert” suggesting the deal could help insurance companies such as Humana Inc (HUM.N) and Health Net Inc HNT.N. Share prices of both companies jumped after the report was issued. The SEC will have until July 11 to respond to the committee’s opposing arguments. The case is SEC v. Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-mc-00193.Boca Kitchen Bar is one of the restaurants critic Laura Reiley called out. Farm-to-table is mostly fiction. That’s the thesis of today’s most compelling newspaper story, anyway. Veteran Tampa Bay Times restaurant critic Laura Reiley takes a thoroughly impressive, deeply compelling dive into Tampa Bay’s “farm-to-table” restaurant scene and found fraud, mistakes, and misrepresentation across the board. The reality, the journalist writes, is a “fairy tale,” sold to consumers who want to feel better about what they’re eating, by sometimes-sketchy restaurants that don’t mind stretching the truth. Over the course of two months of reporting, the critic discovered a litany of offenses: a restaurant selling prized “Florida blue crab” that was actually from the Indian Ocean, tilapia being sold in place of grouper, and offenses that go way beyond seafood fraud (which is now depressingly common). Another restaurant claims its quail, pork, and dairy comes from local farms, when it’s all acquired from big-time purveyors. One spot’s menu boasts food free of “hormones, antibiotics, chemical additives, genetic modification, and virtually from scratch.” Its staff touts homemade cheese curds that actually come from a box, and the main ingredient in fish and chips is preservative-treated Chinese pollack being passed off as wild Alaskan. Most amusingly, that restaurant, Mermaid Tavern, sells a “Fuck Monsanto Salad” that supposedly stands against GMOs. But when Reiley contacted the restaurant’s wholesaler, the critic learned that “Unless you’re buying from Sanwa’s small organic section, there’s no way to assure you’re getting non-GMO. Even some certified organic foods have been found to contain GMOs.” What’s so impressive about the story is the way in which Reiley systematically goes restaurant by restaurant, and even chef by chef, confronting them directly on their fraudulent claims for roughly 6,000 words. The most common excuse when an operator is confronted with the truth about their non-local ingredients: The menu is simply out of date and needs to be refreshed. Yet many of the local farmers name-checked by these trendy restaurants say their work is being taken advantage of, and, as one put it to the critic, their names on the menu are “used as billboards” — the restaurants advertise the provenance of their ingredients but often swap them out for something cheaper, ensuring the real farmers don’t see any actual benefit. Part of the problem is customers don’t want to pay for food that is truly local, but another is that there’s very little government oversight: just 191 inspectors for the state’s 40,000 or so restaurants. As you might expect, this problem is definitely not isolated to Florida. San Diego magazine published a similar story last year — also called “Farm-to-Fable” — about similar problems in that city’s food scene. Farm-to-table was maybe once an admirable goal, but now it’s just a co-opted image used to up-sell stuff that’s not any better then what’d you get at a restaurant that admits to using commodity products. [Tampa Bay Times]Brendan Dassey, whose confession to involvement in the murder of Teresa Halbach was depicted in the wildly popular Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer,” may be released from prison by Thanksgiving. Dassey was 16 years old when he confessed to helping his uncle Steven Avery rape and kill Halbach, 25. He was convicted and given a life sentence which he has been serving since 2007. The state has 90 days to decide whether to retry Dassey. “I think it's very unlikely they're going to retry Brendan,” said Steven Drizin, one of Dassey's post-trial attorneys. “Without the confession, which has been thrown out of the case by the federal courts, they don’t have a case against Brendan.” Drizin is a clinical professor of law and assistant dean at Northwestern University's Bluhm Legal Clinic, where he also serves as a staff attorney for the university's Center on Wrongful Convictions. “There is no other evidence of Brendan's guilt,” Drizin said. “There may have been some statements he made in other interviews or interrogations, but most of those are not going to come into evidence and even those don’t involve him in the murder and rape of Teresa Halbach.” Dassey’s reaction to the Aug. 12 ruling was uncharacteristically strong, the attorney said. “Brendan is overjoyed. And this is not someone who is an extremely emotional person. But for the first time in almost 10 years, he has hope. He is excited; he wants to know when he’s coming home. He’s got a spring in his step, which is not something I’ve seen before.” As to whether the ruling on Dassey’s case bodes well for Avery’s case, Drizin said it’s not likely. “I don’t think it really has anything to do with Steven’s case,” Drizin said. “Steven's case is based on forensic evidence, and his attorneys will be filing some new pleadings calling into question the reliability of the forensic evidence that linked him to the crime. Brendan's case is solely about a confession, and that confession was never used in Steven's case.” Despite the influence the Netflix series appears to have had with public opinion on the case, Drizin said he doubts the federal court watched the series or that the show had anything to do with the court’s decision. “Cases are decided in a context, and the context for Brendan has changed since the time the state courts have looked at the case,” Drizin said. “And what that means is that the federal court was probably extra careful, in drafting a 91-page opinion, because the whole world is watching.” The ruling On Aug. 12, U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin overturned Dassey’s conviction in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. In his 91-page ruling, Duffin considers the reliability of Dassey's confession and whether it was voluntary, ultimately criticizing “deceptive interrogation tactics” by investigators. The story of the Wisconsin teen and his uncle was catapulted into the public sphere when in December 2015 Netflix released its 10-part documentary series about the 2005 murder of Halbach in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Dassey and Avery are each serving life sentences for Halbach's murder. The series, written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, largely focused on the story of Avery, both in his turbulent years leading up to the Halbach murder and those following it. Yet footage from police interrogations of Dassey, Avery’s then-teenage nephew, raised questions about police interrogation methods and Dassey's confession. In the ruling, Duffin writes: “Intuitively, one would not expect Dassey to provide the level of detail he did on March 1 had he not been involved in the events he described. The prosecution emphasized as much in its closing argument: ‘People who are innocent don’t confess in the detail provided to the extent this defendant provided it. They don’t do that.’ Research, however, shows that some people do make detailed confessions to crimes they did not commit. “Moreover, false confessions are especially likely among juveniles and persons with low IQs. Other traits such as low self-esteem, aversion to conflict, and poor memory tend to make a person more susceptible to false confessions.” Duffin cites in the ruling research on false confessions by Drizin, who got involved in Dassey’s case in 2007 and had questions of his own regarding the interrogation methods used by the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office. ‘Virtually impossible to get a fair trial’ In an interview with “Chicago Tonight” in January, Drizin said Dassey's confession was troubling and his representation questionable. “My initial impression was this was a young man with severe disabilities who was taken advantage of by just about everybody in the system, starting with the police officers who interrogated him in a way that preyed on his vulnerabilities and resulted in a coerced and probably false confession; then his own lawyer who announced to the public that he was morally and legally responsible for the crime before he had met with Brendan. “Brendan insisted he was innocent. His own defense investigator coerced him into another false confession. And by the prosecutor who gave a press conference and stole his presumption of innocence to make it virtually impossible to get a fair trial.” Watch the full interview below. Ultimately, Duffin writes that the “repeated false promises” made to Dassey during his interrogations, “when considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey’s age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey’s confession involuntary under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.” Prior to Duffin's ruling, Dassey would have been eligible for release in 2048; Avery was sentenced without the possibility of parole. Last month, Netflix announced that Demos and Ricciardi are producing new episodes of “Making a Murderer.” The company did not provide specifics on how many episodes will be made, or when they will become available. Related stories: Emmy-Nominated ‘Making a Murderer’ Returning with New Episodes July 19: The popular Netflix series “Making a Murderer” will be returning to the streaming platform with new episodes, the company announced Tuesday. ‘Making a Murderer’ Shines Light on False Youth Confessions Jan. 19: One of Dassey's Chicago-based attorneys is questioning the interrogation methods used by the police. He joins us to discuss the documentary series and what’s next for his client.
departments of the RBI, for taking enforcement actions, and appeals against executive orders of RBI. These are ex-ante mechanisms to ensure that each function is discharged as per process and rule of law. However, the power to “recommend” demonetisation is neither a quasi-legislative power nor an executive or quasi-judicial power. Hence, these ex-ante mechanisms built in IFC may arguably have not been applicable to the proposal. Ex-post accountability mechanisms generally perfrom the function of auditing performance and conduct. Table 6 gives a comparative overview of other accountability mechanisms that would have been applicable in the exercise of a recommendatory power. Table 6: Internal accountability mechanisms Feature Under the RBI Act Under IFC Is the RBI board bound to have its own performance audited? No. Yes, by an internal audit committee comprising of atleast two independent members.(Section 39, IFC) What does the internal audit include? NA (a) Whether the RBI is functioning in accordance with applicable laws, (b) Whether the bye-laws governing internal processes of the RBI promote transparency and best governance practices, (c) Whether the RBI is complying with the decisions of the RBI Board, and (d) Whether the RBI is managing the risks to its functioning in a reasonable manner. Is the RBI Board bound to set parameters for measuring its own performance at regular intervals? No. Yes (Section 42, IFC) Are the results of the audit, paramaters for measuring performance and their results, published? NA Yes, alongwith the annual report of the RBI (Section 43, IFC) External accountability mechanisms Are the financial statements of RBI audited by an external auditor? Yes, by auditors appointed by the Central Government (Section 50, RBI Act) Yes (Section 44, IFC) Is the performance and efficiency of the RBI reviewed by an external team? No Yes, the performance and efficiency of RBI is reviewed by a team of external experts every three years (Section 45, IFC) Tables 6 shows that the RBI Act does not compel RBI to maintain any internal accountability or other mechanisms to review its own efficiency and performance. More importantly, the law does not mandate RBI to set goals or parameters against which its performance can be measured. IFC has, on the other hand, built in internal review and performance-setting obligations against which the regulator as well as external observers can measure its performance. Transparency of proceedings of the RBI board: RBI Act vs. IFC Finally, ex-post accountability is greatly strengthened by transparency requirements. Table 7 gives a comparative overview of the transparency requirements imposed on the RBI, under the RBI Act and the IFC Table 7: Transparency of meetings of the RBI board Feature Under the RBI Act Under IFC Is the agenda for a meeting of the RBI board to be published? No. Yes, within 3 weeks of the meeting (Schedule 2, IFC) Are the minutes of meetings of the RBI Board required to be published? No. Regulation 8 of the RBI General Regulations, 1949 requires the proceedings of meetings of the RBI board to be circulated to the board members. Yes, within 3 weeks of the meeting (Schedule 2, IFC) Are the votes casted by the members of the RBI Board at a meeting to be published? No Yes (Schedule 2, IFC) Is there flexibility for redacting parts of the minutes of meetings before publishing them? NA Yes, on grounds listed in the law (such as where such publication can significantly frustrate the implementation of an action proposed by the RBI board) Is there a process for deciding which portions of the minutes ought not to be published? NA Yes, reasons for not publishing must be recorded at the meeting, voted upon by a majority of the members of the Board and the vote of each member on the proposal to redact or not publish, must be published. Do redacted portions of minutes ever get published? NA Yes, within six months, or as soon as the reasons for their delay cease to be applicable, whichever is later. The main takeaways from Table 7 are that while one has to rely on the RTI Act to obtain a copy of the minutes of the board meetings of RBI. Application under RTI involves a monetary and non-monetary cost, and such attempts could fail. IFC mandates publication of the minutes, on an automatic basis, including in particular votes casted by members. War-gaming demonetisation under the IFC The comparative overview given above should help visualise how the recommendation to demonetise currency might have unfolded under the FSLRC framework. We attempt to do this through a prism of questions and answers. Table 8: Visualising the role of RBI in the demonetisation decision under the FSLRC framework Question Under the RBI Act Under IFC Is the recommendation of the RBI Board required for the Central Government to issue a notification demonetising currency? Yes Yes Is the RBI bound to honor the promise on the currency that has been demonetised? RBI Act is silent Yes (Section 278, IFC) Could the quorum for the meeting where the demonetisation proposal is taken up, be constituted without the presence of independent members? Yes Yes How many seats were vacant when the decision to recommend demonetisation was taken by the RBI Board? 11 NA Was there a time-limit for filling up the vacant positions of independent directors on the RBI Board? No Yes (See Feature 1 of Table 3) Does the law obligate the Central Government to report reasons for not filling up casual vacancies? No Yes (See Feature 2 of Table 3) Is the RBI bound to publish the manner in which the members who attended the meeting, voted? No Yes (See Table 7) Is the RBI bound to publish the agenda and minutes of the meeting? No Yes (See Table 7) Will there be an internal audit of whether the RBI breached any law in making the recommendation to the Central Government? No Yes (See Table 6) Will there be an external audit of the performance and efficiency of RBI in replacing the currency notes? No Yes (See Table 6) If the RBI board did not recommend the demonetisation, could the Central Government have compelled it to do so? Yes, by exercise of its powers to issue directions, supersede the board or removal of members. No, as it does not have the power to issue directions or supersede the board.(See Table 5) Conclusion Post demonetisation, the discourse on RBI board governance has focused on either the independence of RBI or the conduct of former Governors or the present Governor. This is problematic, as it misses the woods for the trees. The demonetisation event has shown us that neither sheer board strength nor a brute majority of independent directors, can ensure regulatory independence. Independence, accountability and transparency are intrinsically linked. The fact that the conduct of board members at meetings, together with details of who voted in what manner, will be published, incentivises people to vote responsibly. Hence, any argument for autonomy is rather incomplete unless it simultaneously asks for transparency and accountability. A good fallout of the demonetisation event is that it has re-invigorated debates on regulatory governance and its importance on outcomes that we generally underplay India. We must not waste this opportunity and the lessons learnt to continue our reform agenda on regulatory governance. References Ila Patnaik and Shubho Roy, The RBI board: Comparison against international benchmarks, Ajay Shah’s blog, January 24, 2017. Bhargavi Zaveri is a researcher at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai. Source: http://ajayshahblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-would-demonetisation-have-shaped-up.htmlTook delivery a little over 2 weeks back, and yes the car was inspected before I took delivery. I had the inspection papers & Teslas registration info -- both were pretty much "harrumphed" by the police officer in the most expedient way possible. Honestly the officer wasn't rude or anything, just had zero interest in entertaining the notion that my Tesla tag was legal. Yes, as you note, Texas long ago passed a (let's rock caps) LAW about needing your new car's temporary tags/plates prominently displayed as well as full front/back plates. Mine are, they just happened to not be in the form of a rectangular "Dealer..." plate with large text as spc mentioned in his own workaround (good idea, btw! I might just do that myself). Indeed I do have a full packet from Tesla, but your assumption is incorrect that I have everything I need to go get plates. I researched how all this is done for months, but I didn't buy -- under the conditions of their newest lease-instrument the registration and plates are handled by the lease-holder. So plates are not being handled directly by me, but I already got my ETA on plates from my SA so none of the buying-part of this really applies. If I had bought I definitely would have my plates done by now. lol (and I got a magnetic front plate kit to be installed, for that whole license plate front/back LAW stuff - a dumb law in my opinion). It's just odd to me that the officer did not want to consider an out-of-state purchased/leased car with pending full Texas registration. I paid a good amount of sales tax to this state for an American-made product in a state that claims to be all for this sort of thing, so I do think I have a right to be scratching my head here. lol And I also have a right to fully believe this happened as a direct result of the protectionist chickens in the auto lobby not allowing Tesla to supply dealer plates. At any rate, I fully intend to go to Fort Worth in a few days and respectfully challenge every iota of the citation in open court. Click to expand...Image caption Nestled in the Himalayan foothills, Abbottabad is seen by officials as potentially a big tourist draw The Pakistani city where Osama Bin Laden was found and killed by US special forces is building an amusement park in the hope of boosting tourism. The park has no link to the al-Qaeda leader, who was discovered living in a compound in Abbottabad in 2011. Instead, it will boast a zoo, water sports, mini-golf, rock-climbing and a paragliding club, officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said. The park will cost some $30m (£19m) and take five years to build, they say. That cost could rise to $50m with further private investment. "The amusement city will be built on 50 acres (20ha) in the first phase but later will be extended to 500 acres," Syed Aqil Shah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's minister for tourism and sports told the AFP news agency. The compound where Bin Laden lived in Abbottabad has now been demolished, and the new amusement park will not be built on the site. Officials are reported to have earmarked the old compound for government housing units. Instead the new venture will be located on the edge of Abbottabad, part of a major push to improve tourist facilities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "This project has nothing to do with Osama bin Laden," Mr Shah said, adding: "We are working to promote tourism and amusement facilities." Raid reminders Abbottabad, situated in the Himalayan foothills some 120km (75 miles) north of Islamabad, was an anonymous military garrison town before it shot to international notoriety in 2011. The US Navy Seal raid that saw Bin Laden killed caused a diplomatic row between the US and Pakistan, which was furious the US launched the raid without its permission. The hunt for Bin Laden and the raid itself have recently been the focus of renewed attention with the release of the film Zero Dark Thirty, which the story of the long hunt for the 9/11 mastermind. The film is being boycotted in Pakistan, although bootleg copies are freely available.Photo: SFC Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Image 2 of 15 The Trappist, Oakland. From The Chron's Bar Bites: "With 25 rotating choices on tap and a bottle list of more than 100, there's one to suit almost every taste... The taps change regularly (even hourly), so if you've fallen in love with a particular beer that's no longer available, ask staff members for a suggestion. They know their beer." less The Trappist, Oakland. From The Chron's Bar Bites: "With 25 rotating choices on tap and a bottle list of more... more Photo: SFC Image 3 of 15 Starbelly, San Francisco: Jonathan Kauffman says it's one of his favorite lists in town and one that's "chosen with food pairing in mind." less Starbelly, San Francisco: Jonathan Kauffman says it's one of his favorite lists in town and one that's "chosen with... more Photo: SFC Image 4 of 15 City Beer Store, San Francisco: SoMa's best beer store got a remodel and expansion recently and it's prettier than ever. City Beer Store, San Francisco: SoMa's best beer store got a remodel and expansion recently and it's prettier than ever. Photo: SFC Image 5 of 15 La Trappe, North Beach: Belgian beers are a specialty, in a subterranean church-like space in North Beach. La Trappe, North Beach: Belgian beers are a specialty, in a subterranean church-like space in North Beach. Photo: SFC Image 6 of 15 Beer Revolution, Oakland: "This low-key hole-in-the-wall is reshaping Oakland with more than 40 incredible taps " -- Draft Mag. Beer Revolution, Oakland: "This low-key hole-in-the-wall is reshaping Oakland with more than 40 incredible taps " -- Draft Mag. Image 7 of 15 Magnolia, San Francisco: Dave McLean's Haight-Ashbury brewpub remains a San Francisco new classic. Also of note: Sister restaurant/bar down the street, Alembic. Magnolia, San Francisco: Dave McLean's Haight-Ashbury brewpub remains a San Francisco new classic. Also of note: Sister restaurant/bar down the street, Alembic. Image 8 of 15 Leopold's, San Francisco: Around 30 European brews available in a bevy of sizes with cheap and good Alpine fare, ahem, to boot. Also good for German lists: Suppenkuche and Biergarten in Hayes Valley. Leopold's, San Francisco: Around 30 European brews available in a bevy of sizes with cheap and good Alpine fare, ahem, to boot. Also good for German lists: Suppenkuche and Biergarten in Hayes Valley. Photo: SFC Image 9 of 15 Bar Tartine, San Francisco: Not only are they focusing on sour beers, but Linden Street Brewery is making them a special beer made of the bakery's decade-old yeast. less Bar Tartine, San Francisco: Not only are they focusing on sour beers, but Linden Street Brewery is making them a special beer made of the bakery's decade-old... more Photo: SFC Image 10 of 15 Boxing Room, San Francisco. As noted in Bar Bites, you won't find many better restaurant beer lists, and Louisiana's Andygator is on tap. less Boxing Room, San Francisco. As noted in Bar Bites, you won't find many better restaurant beer lists, and... more Photo: ONLINE_YES Image 11 of 15 Thirsty Bear, San Francisco: Ron Silberstein combines beers with Spanish cuisine. The beers are fine, but really, the best part is that the name derives from an actual 1991 Chronicle headline of "Thirsty Bear Bites Man for Cold Beer." Fun fact. less Thirsty Bear, San Francisco: Ron Silberstein combines beers with Spanish cuisine. The beers are fine, but really, the best part is that the name derives from an actual 1991 Chronicle headline of "Thirsty Bear... more Photo: SFC Image 12 of 15 Anchor & Hope, San Francisco: The third restaurant from the Town Hall crew has the most seafood, and also the biggest beer list. Anchor & Hope, San Francisco: The third restaurant from the Town Hall crew has the most seafood, and also the biggest beer list. Photo: Kim Komenich / SFC Image 13 of 15 Bar Crudo, San Francisco: Another seafood + beer winning combo. Bar Crudo, San Francisco: Another seafood + beer winning combo. Photo: SFC Image 14 of 15 Monk's Kettle: The Mission's cozy beer bar is also opening a second beer-centric project this year on Valencia, Abbot's Cellar. Monk's Kettle: The Mission's cozy beer bar is also opening a second beer-centric project this year on Valencia, Abbot's Cellar. Photo: SFCCompanies to provide plug and play digital signage and audience measurement solution based on Ubuntu Core. London, UK – August 19, 2016 Canonical, today announced that it is entering in a partnership with Cenique to provide digital signage players that are certified for Ubuntu. Cenique is an emerging leader in the Retail and Digital Out of Home (DOOH) industry, providing the DIY and SME markets the next generation Intelligent Digital Signage and Audience Measurement Solutions. Cenique provides its customers with both standard and customized hardware and software solutions, creating a perfect solution for their signage and audience measurement deployment needs. In their quest to continuously expand their breadth of capabilities, Cenique is turning to a platform that matches its current mode of operation of providing an a la carte menu of features for Retail and Digital Out of Home (DOOH) deployments. Ubuntu Core with its app store and software management functionality offers the range of add-on services they’re looking to support, like various Content Management Systems (CMS) applications, remote management and update capabilities. The company therefore looks to take advantage of the many options available on Ubuntu with an eye on providing its customers with the perfect solution for their application. Furthermore, Cenique is also looking to adopt snap as a packaging format for their digital signage and audience measurement applications. Through snap, Cenique can simplify the installation of the applications for their customers, while increasing the security and stability of their solution. “Digital Signage technologies are benefiting from the fast-pace innovation of IoT. The ‘display only’ digital signage player now needs to be able to do a lot more – count passer-bys, offer wifi access, serve advertising based on time of day, weather conditions, offer interactive content, etc. Having Ubuntu certified players by Cenique means advertisers can benefit from the wealth of applications available on Ubuntu Core out of the box, and embrace this new era in Digital Signage,” said Thibaut Rouffineau, head of devices marketing at Canonical. Shylesh Karuvath, Co-Founder & CEO says “Partnering with Canonical and their Ubuntu Core platform gives us the ability to expand from our current ARM based platform to multiple hardware platforms and IoT devices, opening new possibilities for Cenique. Ubuntu Core also enables us to be more focused on our Software Applications rather than on the OS and Distribution” About Canonical Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu, the leading Operating System for cloud and the Internet of Things. Most public cloud workloads are running Ubuntu, and most new smart gateways, self-driving cars and advanced humanoid robots are running Ubuntu as well. Canonical provides enterprise support and services for commercial users of Ubuntu. Canonical leads the development of the snap universal Linux packaging system for secure, transactional device updates and app stores. Ubuntu Core is an all-snap OS, perfect for devices and appliances. Established in 2004, Canonical is a privately held company. About Cenique An emerging leader in Retail and Digital Out of Home (DOOH) industry, Cenique provide DIY and SME markets the next generation Intelligent Digital Signage and Audience Measurement Solutions. Cenique’s solutions are used by customers on most continents around the Globe in applications ranging from brand owners, retail chains, advertising network operators, corporations, professional baseball and basketball teams, universities, and many more. Cenique is headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in North America and distributions points around the world. Visit www.cenique.com to learn more about our products and how we can work with you and your industry.Three Taco Bell employees who were all carrying guns during a shift put them to use on Wednesday to shoot and kill an attempted armed robber. None of the male workers at the fast food restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, have been named. All were armed when two masked robbers stormed the restaurant at 2.45am on Wednesday to demand cash. The employees, two of whom are 19 and one is 23, opened fire, shooting one of them in the ribs. The other ran away. When police arrived at the restaurant, they found the attempted robber unconscious with a loaded gun in his hand. He had been shot six times in total and was later pronounced dead at hospital. In Ohio, business owners can prohibit guns in the work place and many do but it is not a legal requirement. It is not known whether Arthur Giles, the franchise owner of the Taco Bell where the shooting occurred on Wednesday, allows employees to bring their weapons to work or if the men have concealed-carry licenses. Scroll down for video A staff member reels in disbelief outside the Taco Bell in Cleveland, Ohio, where three employees shot and killed an armed robber on Wednesday. It is not clear if this man was one of those involving in the shooting but he is pictured giving a statement to police So far none of the employees are facing charges. Giles said they acted in self-defense and is cooperating with police. Footage obtained by Fox 8 Cleveland immediately after the shooting shows one employee dressed in a Taco Bell uniform sitting on the ground outside the restaurant, holding his hands up to his mouth in disbelief. It is not clear how many customers were inside the restaurant at the time of the shooting. The Taco Bell workers called 911. They told operators that shots had been fired and that someone was on the ground. They would not elaborate on the details and said they would wait until police officers arrived to discuss it. 'Everyone at the store is okay, from my understanding. All the employees and all the customers are safe,' Giles told Cleveland.com. Taco Bell has issued a statement to say it is cooperating with authorities and that it had offered counselling to the three employees. Under Ohio state law, business owners can prohibit gun owners with concealed carry licenses from bringing their firearms onto premises if they wish but it is not a legal requirement. Many do and enforce the law with proper signage in the workplace which indicates that guns are not allowed on the premises. Police arrived at the fast food restaurant to find the armed robber unconscious on the ground with a loaded gun in his hand. He was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead A new law that was introduced in March made it legal for employees at gun-free businesses to bring their firearms into company parking lots so long as they were contained within their own private vehicle. On Taco Bell's website, its code of conduct makes no mention of its rules on the topic. It instructs that local, state and federal laws must be honored at each location but says it is the responsibility of franchisees to enforce these laws at its different restaurants. When contacted by DailyMail.com on Thursday morning, Taco Bell did not respond to questions surrounding its gun policy for employees. The shooting took place at this Taco Bell in Cleveland, Ohio, in the early hours of Wednesday morning Police are seen inside the fast food restaurant immediately after the shooting on Wednesday It is a common theme with large fast food companies that individual franchise owners are responsible for choosing and enforcing policies on the ground. Both McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts take a similar approach, leaving it up to local owners to decide whether customers are able to bring their firearms into restaurants and stores. In 2013, Starbucks CEO Howard Schulz sparked controversy when he said guns were not welcome in his stores. Others business including Whataburger, Chipotle, Panera Bread, Sonic, Chili’s and Target ban customers from openly carrying their weapons while on their premises. There is no federal law banning employees of any business from bringing concealed weapons to work. In some states, teachers are allowed to bring concealed weapons to work so long as they have been permitted to do so by school board officials. Hospitals across the country also set the rules for whether doctors, nurses or other employees can bring weapons to work. Most prohibit it, mandating that only on-shift security personnel are able to be armed. The issue is a source of hot debate, with some claiming in the past that employees at the scene of mass shootings could have saved lives had they been allowed to bring their own guns. Few mass shootings have taken place in fast food restaurants in recent years.My doctor keeps jamming on his commitment to fork over the shots he took in surgery, the ones showing the necrotic tissue spreading across my leg. Fuck it; I’ve kept you waiting too long (only partially due to the above reason, granted; I’m also still comatose for a good chunk of the day), and I would be remiss in my educational mandate if I put this off any longer. But I also seem to remember the occasional squeap from ‘crawlers who implored me not to present these epic photos, protests that the mere sight of (let’s be honest) such ultimate beefcake shots might provoke reactions too visceral for mere mortals to withstand while retaining their cookies. In deference to such candy-asses I will invoke, for the first time ever, this little “Behind the cut” option that hides the rest of the post from the squeamish. (Credit for the following photographic excess resides both with Caitlin Sweet and Yours Truly.) Here is what is left of my right leg after the estimable Dr. Beber burned it free of enemy strep: That is not a striped bass embedded in the flesh; that is my calf muscle. It pulses and twitches and slides like some kind of terminator part when I wiggle my toes. Here is a closer view. Note the gap between muscle and sheath, a wide broad cave into the flesh almost big enough to spelunk: That gap stretches halfway around the perimeter of the limb. You can tell because the wound nurses stick long-handled Q-tips into the space and they almost disappear before jamming up against solid meat. This is after a week or so of chaotic regrowth: the striations have disappeared and the meatscape has been redecorated in a kind of “early Hamburger” motif: Here is s0meone ripping stuff off the muscle (this hurts): Here is someone jamming stuff back in (this hurts more): And as a bit of a break from the unrelenting gruesomeness, here’s my main cat, Banana (not a Scottish Fold): Some have called him “Adequate Cat”, but he is really so much more. Here is Felicia, one of my home-care nurses, presenting her best Stephen Colbert “My Space-Disease-Afflicted Friend” pose: That’s 3-in-1 oil she’s squeezing into the wound. Keeps it lubricated. Now we get to the high-tech stuff. My leg was open and oozing and stuffed full of paper towels only for a couple of weeks, but the other day they brought in this VAC system. You start by jamming various bits of white and black foam into the hole (it comes all sterile and shrink-wrapped and whatnot like it’s this magical elven healing-foam, but actually I think they get it from the same guys who make that foam rubber padding you find in boxes containing home electronics): Then they tape up the hole until it’s airtight… Fasten in this shower-drain thingy to a plastic aquarium hose… Hook it up to this wearable battery-operated Hoovermatic that hangs around my neck like Darth Vader’s breastplate… Then hit the switch with power cranked up to “Maximum Suck”: The foam collapses down into the wound. The wound itself sucks inward (this hurts like hell for about 30 seconds — then you just kinda forget about it). The vacuum draws blood from surrounding tissues in to the site of the injury, which speeds healing, and after about two hours of continuous operation the first clots and globs of gore make it through the Land of the Foam and get slurped up through the hose into the 300-ml canister locked into the right side of the VAC unit (above). That canister then fills slowly with chunky V-8 juice. I do not know what they ultimately do with it, but I myself will be sticking with OJ from here on in. And that’s pretty much it, until the whole thing springs a leak at 3a.m. and starts beeping alarm signals at you. Home-care folks come by every three or four days to swap out the foam and to take the filled cartridges off to VersaFoods Cafeteria Services or wherever they end up, and I’m left to do very painful physio exercises to try and get my injured leg straightened out so that someday I can stand on it again. Which is what I should do now. Richard Morgan sent me balloons in the hospital. I repurposed them back at the Magic Bungalow, as follows: They make surprisingly effective tracking devices.Zika virus belongs to the genus Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae; it is transmitted to humans primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (e.g., Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus) (1). Zika virus has been identified as a cause of congenital microcephaly and other serious brain defects (2). As of June 30, 2016, CDC had issued travel notices for 49 countries and U.S. territories across much of the Western hemisphere (3), including Brazil, where the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Games of the XXXI Olympiad, also known as Rio 2016; Games) will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro in August and September 2016. During the Games, mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission is expected to be low because August and September are winter months in Brazil, when cooler and drier weather typically reduces mosquito populations (4). CDC conducted a risk assessment to predict those countries susceptible to ongoing Zika virus transmission resulting from introduction by a single traveler to the Games. Whereas all countries are at risk for travel-associated importation of Zika virus, CDC estimated that 19 countries currently not reporting Zika outbreaks have the environmental conditions and population susceptibility to sustain mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus if a case were imported from infection at the Games. For 15 of these 19 countries, travel to Rio de Janeiro during the Games is not estimated to increase substantially the level of risk above that incurred by the usual aviation travel baseline for these countries. The remaining four countries, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Yemen, are unique in that they do not have a substantial number of travelers to any country with local Zika virus transmission, except for anticipated travel to the Games. These four countries will be represented by a projected, combined total of 19 athletes (plus a projected delegation of about 60 persons), a tiny fraction of the 350,000–500,000 visitors expected at the Games.* Overall travel volume to the Games represents a very small fraction (<0.25%) of the total estimated 2015 travel volume to Zika-affected countries,† highlighting the unlikely scenario that Zika importation would be solely attributable to travel to the Games. To prevent Zika virus infection and its complications among athletes and visitors to the Games and importation of Zika virus into countries that could sustain local transmission, pregnant women should not travel to the Games, mosquito bites should be avoided while traveling and for 3 weeks after returning home, and measures should be taken to prevent sexual transmission ( Box). To assess the country-specific risk for importation and sustained, local mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus from travel to the Games, CDC constructed a stepwise model. The model began with the 206 countries and numbers of athletes planning to participate in the Games, as of June 30, 2016 (5). Each country was assessed on five criteria: 1) no active CDC travel notice (as of June 30, 2016) reporting local Zika virus transmission (3); 2) modeled probability of Ae. aegypti presence, drawn from a data set of 20,000 observed occurrences during 1960–2014 (6) and fitted to climate norms for the months of August and September when travelers would return to their home country; 3) predicted dengue epidemic potential (7), such that the environmental and population conditions could support mosquito-borne disease spread from a single point of introduction; 4) lack of historic Zika virus circulation as evidenced by historic serosurveys, Zika virus detection, or exported Zika virus disease cases to exclude any country in which Zika virus might already be endemic (8); and 5) ranking countries by the estimated aviation travel passenger-journeys during August 2016 from Rio de Janeiro. Combined, the first four criteria estimate susceptibility to ongoing Zika transmission from introduction by a single traveler to the Games or to any other country with ongoing Zika virus transmission during August–September. The fifth criterion considers the probability that ongoing transmission could be the result of travel to the Games alone. In a stepwise manner, CDC successively excluded countries that did not meet the preceding criteria ( Table 1). Research based on the previous four summer Olympics has indicated that travel during the Olympics typically does not exceed baseline travel volume patterns to the host city (Kamran Khan, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada, personal communication, June 2016). Therefore, for most countries, the number of passenger-journeys from Rio de Janeiro during August 2016 was assumed to be approximately the same as the number of journeys occurring during August 2015. Modeled data were used to estimate the number of passenger-journeys originating from Rio de Janeiro during August 2015.§ For the countries without documented passenger-journeys from Rio de Janeiro in August 2015, the estimated Olympic delegation size¶ was used as a proxy for travel volume during August 2016.** Delegation size was determined by viewing video footage of the Parade of Nations from the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony and comparing the number of persons observed with the known number of athletes; this is likely an underestimation given that some delegates might not participate in the parade (5). Finally, CDC calculated the estimated aviation travel from Rio de Janeiro during August 2016 as the proportion of each country’s total travel to all Zika-affected countries during 2015.†† For example, there were 36,923,504 passenger-journeys to the United States from all Zika-affected countries and U.S. territories in 2015 and 38,798 journeys from Rio de Janeiro during August 2015; thus, the proportion of estimated U.S. travel from Rio de Janeiro for the Games, relative to that of all Zika-affected countries is 0.11%. CDC assumed that any country whose estimated proportion of travel to Rio de Janeiro among all travel to Zika transmission areas exceeded 5% was at risk for ongoing transmission of Zika transmission attributable to the Games. Among the 206 countries competing in the Games, 39 have CDC travel notices indicating ongoing Zika virus outbreaks or epidemics (Table 1). Among the remaining 167 countries, 148 were not considered to be at risk for the following reasons: 74 did not have a predicted presence of Ae. aegypti in August–September, 51 did not also have a predicted high dengue epidemic potential, and 23 also had evidence of previous Zika virus transmission. Thus, 19 countries currently not reporting Zika outbreaks that are participating in the Games met all the risk criteria for susceptibility to ongoing Zika transmission from introduction by a single traveler to the Olympics. For 15 of these countries, estimated aviation travel from Rio de Janeiro in August 2016 compared with total aviation travel from all countries with local Zika virus transmission in 2015 was 0.01%–3.25% ( Table 2). Four countries (Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Yemen) were estimated to have >19% of travel from Rio de Janeiro in August 2016 compared with the overall aviation travel from all countries with local Zika transmission.The Captivity of Mangalorean Catholics at Seringapatam (1784–1799) was a 15-year imprisonment of Mangalorean Catholics and other Christians at Seringapatam in the Indian region of Canara by Tipu Sultan, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore.[1] Estimates of the number of captives range from 30,000 to 80,000 but the generally accepted figure is 60,000, as stated by Tipu in the Sultan-ul-Tawarikh.[2] The captivity was the most disconsolate period in the community's history.[3] Its cause is disputed, however it is generally agreed by historians[4] that it was purely due to religious reasons, as Tipu stated: "To spare them was mercy, to honor them with Islam a favor. No fault being imputed except them being Christians." The Mangalorean Catholic community in Mangalore flourished during the regime of Tipu's father, Hyder Ali. Soon after Tipu inherited the territory in January 1784, he issued orders to seize the Christians in Canara, confiscate their estates, and deport them to Seringapatam. His orders were carried out on 24 February 1784. Twenty thousand Christians died during the journey from Mangalore to Seringapatam. During captivity they suffered extreme hardships, torture, death, and persecutions with many Christians forcibly converted to Islam. The captivity brought the flourishing Christian community in Mangalore to near extermination.[1] and ended only when Tipu was killed by the British at the Battle of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799, during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. Of the 60,000–80,000 Christians taken captive, only 15,000–20,000 both made it out alive and retained their original faith. The episode had a deep impact on the Literature of Mangalorean Catholics.[5] The bi-centennial anniversary of the Christians' release from captivity was celebrated across the region on 4 May 1999. Background [ edit ] The path of migration of Goan Catholics towards South Canara Roman Catholics from the South Canara district on the south-western coast of India, under the jurisdiction of the Mangalore Diocese, are generally known as Mangalorean Catholics.[6] They are Konkani people who speak the Konkani language.[7] All earlier records of South Canara's Christians were lost at the time of their deportation by Tipu in 1784 and it is not known when Christianity was introduced in South Canara. It is possible that Syrian Christians settled in South Canara as they had in Malabar, a region south of Canara.[8] During the 13th century Italian traveller Marco Polo recorded that there were considerable trading
of the colour (while it is available also in a more natural Green army colour, we have received the Purple one as a testing sample), but we are sure it will make happy many new customers: taller users in particular will be eager to know that it was redesigned in particular to offer them more room and comfort while camping. There is no suggested price in the Luxe Outdoor official website, but searching for retailers online we could find it from 170€ in Indonesia, to 210€ in France, 160£ in UK and up to 450$ from Chinese retailers. Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat Specifications and content Specifications as published in the official page of the Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat: Colors available: Purple and Army 2 Persons 3 Seasons Freestanding Size: 210cm x 135cm (82.7 x 53.1 in) Internal Height: 112cm (44.1 in) Weight: 2.08 kg (4lb 9oz) Size table 2 Hood vents 2 Entrances 2 Vestibules (up to 70cm - 27.5 in) Rainfly: 40D/230T nylon ristop fabric with siliconized treatment of both sides. Water Column 2500mm Inner tent: Mesh Floor: 68D Polyester Taffeta PU 5000mm Yunan Alloy Main pole with two 3 way connectors and separated Ridge pole 8 x Alloy Y stake 2 x Reflective guy ropes Internal mesh pockets Extra footprint Quick-up clips Silicon tube for seam sealing Price range: 200-250$ Company suggest to seam seal the seams, and corners where needed, from the interior of the rainfly. Content of the package Geometrical considerations We first verified the pure geometrical and objective characteristics: the tent dimension specified by the company are 210cm x 135cm (82.7 x 53.1 in) and 2.08 kg (4lb 9oz). Our instruments measured a surface of about 210cm x 131cm (82.7 x 51.6 in), but considering that the tent was not staked, the real measure would probably be some percent higher. Dimensions and weight of the Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat tent The weight on our scale, still including labels and all cases and bags, was about 2.02 kg (4lb 7 oz) for the tent only and 2.31kg (5lb 1oz) including extra foot print and silicon tube: this means a slighly lower weight than the official one of 2.08kg (4lb 9oz). That's about 1 kilo each to carry while hiking. While the data might not say much to non tent freak, that's quite a lot of space and comfort for a lightweight tent. What we liked According to our opinion the core asset of the Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat is to be able to provide space and comfort in a reduce weight, at a more affordable price than its competitors. We couldn't renounce to its feature of being free standing, and the two entrances are so handy for our needs. The height of the tent is a "Real Height", in the sense that not only in the center the tent is tall enough to sit, but even on the sides since the lateral walls are almost vertical, so that 2 people can comfortably move and dress up at the same time. The vestibules are big enough to store huge rucksacks (mine is 90L), and the abundant floor surface not only fits two people, but there is some extra space for valuable belogings. Interior space available: quite comfy for a lightweight 2 person tent The extra footprint gives a bigger flexibility to the tent, that can be also used as a selfstanding sun shelter with the outer fly only. The footprint can be added in the normal setup to give extra protection to the floor, or it can be left at home to minimize the weight. And the good news is that it's included in the standard price and package, it doesn't have to be bought separately like for some competing companies. Extra Footprint and Rainfly set up only Side view of extra Footprint and Rainfly set up only The first time we have tested the tent was in Indonesia during rainy season, for a 3 days festival in the nature with over 200 people camping. The second night a massive storm hit the camp field, with strong wind, heavy rain and plenty of lightnings. Many tents were damaged, some completely broken, other were flooded and their owners had to seek shelter somewhere else or to even leave the event. We were a little bit worried being the first time we were using the Sil Habitat, but it endured without any consequences the bad weather and kept us dry at night. To be sincere we had a couple of drops entering from the seams, but that's our responsability, since we didn't seam seal the seams with the provided silicon before using the tent (So if you are expecting extended rain, you better seam seal the seams, it's an operation that needs to be done only once). Also we didn't find any condenstaion dripping in the tent. What we didn't like We are not sure if we can say that we like or not the Silicon treated rainfly: for sure it's light and effective, but it's quite complicated to fold and handle. But that's totally subjective, and the feeling might improve with time. We personally suggest to put the rainfly inside the inner tent when packing and after to roll or fold them togheter, since the inner tent offer a better grip than the silicon. At night our Purple tent was quite visible if lighted by a flashlight, not for the colour itself, but for the reflective paint applied on some ropes and spots: while this feature is positively advertised by the company and might be welcome by some customers, we do personally prefer to stay invisible, since sometimes we do free camping also in hidden or semi-urban areas while we hitchhike, and prefer to stay not visible. This is the third tent we own from Luxe Outdoor, and we have always been positevely impressed by the ratio quality-price. This time we were a little bit surprised and suspicious at first. In fact looking at the rainfly through the sun, the nylon ristop fabric was so thin that in some points it looked like it was pierced. But later we tested the biggest of this apparent holes, and no water at all came through, so we were reassured the silicon, while transparent, was doing its job of keeping the water out. Close up of the tent Silicon treated fabric Testing the waterproofness of the rainly The only real flaw we have found on our item were 2 of the fabric loops used to keep the entrance door open, that were broken: it's a 1 minute fix if you have a sewing kit, but we would still not expect even the smallest problem on a product from a quality company as Luxe Outdoor. To their defense we have to say that the tent we received to test was most probably already used for exhibition in the showroom. Small defect: a broken loop Setting up the Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat The set up takes only a few minutes, and it's quite easy also for non experienced users. The main poles is extending automatically with its elasting connections and has to be inserted in the 4 grommets of the inner tent. Setting up the tent The mesh can be fixed with the quick-up clips to the main poles and the the top grommet connected to the crossing pole put on top of the main structure (Note on the photo below the almost vertical lateral walls providing space to seat also on the sides). Inner tent view Then the rainfly has to be connected to the outer fly grommets, 6 in total: 2 at the top center for the ridge pole and 4 at the base for the main poles. Detailed view of the pole connection into the inner and outer tent grommet At this point the tent is ready and selfstanding, but it can be pitched to the ground to give extra stability. If no strong wind is expected, the two pegs at the entrances would be enough to maximize the usable space of the vestibule and to limit the movement of the tent. Rainfly set up of the Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat tent We have shooted a short video with all the details needed to set up the tent, plus our personal opinion on the field. Please don't mind my accent and sweat :) Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat Vs Competitor lightweight 2 people tent Comparing the physical characteristics only of the Sil Habitat with some competitors, the MRS Hubba Hubba NX is given at 1.72kg (3 lb 13 oz) packed, so about 14% lighter, but it's also 12cm (4.7 in) shorter at the peak, has a floor surface of 2.7 m2 instead of the 2.83 m2 and costs almost double the money (399.95$). Compared to the Tarptent Scarp 2, the most similar we could find from this company, they have a comparable floor surface 218 cm x 132 m (86 x 52 in) Vs 210 cm x 135 cm (82.7 x 53.1 in) and height 114 cm (44.9 in) Vs 112 cm (44.1), but the Tarptent has a high peak with lower walls, while the Luxe Outdoor keeps a quite constant height also at the walls. The Tarpent Scarp 2, including the optional pole set to make it freestanding, weights 2.2kg (60 oz), so slightly heavier than the Sil Habitat, and once again the competitor comes at an higher price, 369$ for the tent plus the pole set has to be bought separately. Interior view of the Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat tent Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat Vs Habitat Since we own and have used quite a lot the Luxe Outdoor Habitat, we have seen several differences between the two systers of the series. Summarizing we can say that The Sil Habitat houses a bigger volume in a smaller weight, but has a less effective ventilation: let's see the details. The Sil Habitat has a siliconed outer fly versus the PU coating of the Habitat. It was our first tent treated with silicon, and we were a little bit disoriented at the beginning, since it is a very slippery material to handle, but with better performances. With the Silicon version, you will have to invest 20 minutes of your time to seam seal the interior seams of the outer fly. The Sil habitat weightet on our scale 2.02 kg (4lb 7oz), while the Habitat 2.13 kg (4.11). Not only the Sil habitat is 10% lighter than it precessor, but it's also 2cm taller (0.8 in), 5cm longer (2 in) and 10cm (4 in) wider. The structure of the poles is really similar, with the only difference being the Ridge pole, separated on the Sil Habitat, while it was connected to the main structure in the Habitat. While setting up the Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat Tent, the ridge pole has to be put on top of the main pole and then connected to the grommets of the inner tent. Entrances and interior space of the 2 person tent After testing the Sil Habitat, we understood that we wrongly labeled a feature as a flaw in our previous review of the Habitat, and namely the grommet connecting the inner tent and the ridge pole, is passing on purpose through only one layer of material instead of two, for ease of removal probably, so sorry for that inaccuracy. The only real disadvantage we have found on the Silicon version compared to the standard one is the ventilation. While the older version is featuring 2 operable vents, the new version has 2 hood vents that is not possible to close or open wider, limiting the control and effectiveness of the air flow. We have to specify that we have tested the Habitat in Europe and the Sil Habitat in Indonesia, at the tropics during rainy season, with a quite different and more extreme climate to deal with. Conclusion Our comment might be biased, since we own ourself a Luxe Outdoor tent as our backpacking tent, but we sincerely think the ratio space-comfort-weight price offered by the Sil Habitat is one of the best in the market for its category. The price is definetely affordable for people used to invest in quality camping equipement, while it might look unaccessible to travellers on a very low budget. This is thought a quality product intended to last for many years to come, making it a great choice for extended trips in the natural environment or short excursions alike: an economical investement that will be quicly rewarded. Disclaimer: While we have received a sample of the Luxe Outdoor Sil Habitat tent to write this review, what we expressed is our honest opinion describing not only advantages but also imperfetions.Certified firearms instructor Terry J. Dunlap Sr. accidentally shot someone in Fairfield County, Ohio earlier this month, but it wasn’t the first time, the Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday. Thirty-six years earlier, Dunlap, then a Pickerington police department auxiliary lieutenant, fired his.38-caliber handgun into the air to create a “scary effect” for his daughter at a “haunted hayride,” according to the Dispatch. The bullet ricocheted and hit 14-year-old Cathy Hessler in the leg, the newspaper said. Earlier this month, police said Dunlap’s.38-caliber handgun discharged while he was teaching a concealed carry firearm course, and the bullet ricocheted off a desk and into the arm of student Michael Piemonte, 26. The woman who was wounded decades ago, now Cathy Schmelzer, 50, told the Dispatch she thought, “Oh no, he’s done it again!” when she heard the news of Dunlap’s latest shooting. Dunlap, 73, is seeking re-election as a Violet Township trustee. He was once a Pickerington police department captain and the community’s safety-service director, according to the Dispatch. Both Schmelzer and Piemonte had the bullets removed at local hospitals. “Up until he shot me accidentally, it was very informative, very well laid out,” Piemonte told the Dispatch of the firearm class taught by Dunlap. “I learned a lot. Then again, I was accidentally shot.”Help slow the spread of STDs and STIs by letting your sexual partner(s) know if they have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease/infection. The whole process only takes a minute. Here are the steps: Select one or more STDs/STIs you may have. Enter the email or phone number of the person you might have contracted the STD/STI from or given it to. We send a short and discreet message to that person with a link to this site and a code they can use to retrieve their message. The message indicates they may have been exposed to the diseases/infections you selected and some next steps they can take. The recipient will be given the opportunity to reply to your message and, if you want, you can send them a response back. Replies are anonymous, since it's all managed through the app. This feature requires the notification to be "unlocked." An example of the text message we send: A past sexual partner has sent you a message concerning your health. Visit dontspreadit.com/?s=TEST to retrieve your message and reply. An example of the email we send:OOOOOOh lawdy. The Rock is saving people from earthquakes, raptors are the least of our worries, men shrink down to ants and talk about their feelings… and Wildstar becomes a post-apocalyptic desert world where everyone speaks with an Austrailian accent! Wait… we’re only going Free-to-Play? oh… This week you were probably like me: Woke up. Got some coffee. Checked twitter. Went to work. Saw Wildstar announced F2P. Started your commute…. Wait, what? We’re breaking up this weeks podcast into two segments if you wish to skip one or the other. If you want to listen to the entire thing? Awesome and thanks! If you want to skip the first segment (F2P talk) and get into some community news and some ideas on how to play for new and returning players you can skip to around 56:03 in the show! Free-to-Play segment: Donatelli and Pappy talked to MMORPG.com first with news and straight talk about the transition and what to expect. If you have not played or want to see what to expect you can sign up for the Free to Play beta and here’s the awesome announcement trailer with some eye candy previews. If you are subbed before June 15th 2015 you will receive some player appreciation rewards! Players subbed since June 3rd 2014 with no lapses in time will receive two extra items! Here’s just about everything you want to know about the Transition! Make sure you leave some feedback if you can! Strange Tales of the Week! Happy Bursday Wildcast! Two years old! And it’s Wildstar’s birthday! And it’s my birthday! Seriously… It is. June is the best month ever! Sunshine, our new Community Lead, brings Donatelli, everlicious Pappy and Brand Manager Kari to talk to the community and answer some questions from the community. For those asking and wondering; Tony Rey is now leading the other NCSoft Community teams. He recently produced the Blade and Soul Announcement stream and is taking over behind the scenes for Wildstar. All those awesome camera changes and production values are all thanks to him. Except when Donatelli tried to eat his microphone… Stephen Miranda, Jeff Merghart, Brandon Dix, Chris Hale, Jeff Tse, and Greg Meader show a little behind the scenes on Wildstar’s most recent celebrity and Lagos import: The Snarfelynx! Spicy Pinata’s journey to complete #datpinkdoe continues by summoning two raid bosses at once. Tweleve Person raid team clears all of Genetic Archives… wtf? Spatz Mazeo drops the mic and challenges you to complete his Star Temple Maze. First person to beat it gets $100 (or your equivalent) from Spatz Mazeo himself! (EDIT: There is a person who claims to have finished the maze. Until this is annouced by Spatz Mazeo I can only assume the challenge stands.) Firestar joins Loppy Seconds in a new machinima: Looking for Group. Warriors are down on their luck and The Daily Scorchwing Report: …. He Ded. iDestinia visits Jeb Miller’s Marauder Stronghold on Jabbit EU. From here on out we are talking about some hints and talk to new and returning players on what we think would be helpful advice. Do you have something you want to add? Email us at stos@queuetimes.com And since our last North American Mystery Box Code was not claimed, so we’re giving it away again! Enter before June 7th 2015 before the next livestream (5 pm PST on twitch.tv/queuetimes) and you might win! Thank you and see you next week!Love is the panacea of all evils in the society. My tremendous experience with this idea has taken me to the skies. I feel my self an enriched person with the love, compassion and peace. Nothing makes me worried. I remain in peace with myself and give peace to others. My broader smiles make me acceptable in the times of the day. When night comes over my family looks my way. My spouse seeks me. My boss misses me. My friends cherish my presence in their company. In the way I walk the grim faces bloom up when they have a chance to look at my face. This does not mean that I am super human and I do not become sad. My sadness is my own property I don’t want to share it with others. I know people need love, compassion and smiles and not the glooms of life. I learnt this lesson from my grandpa who used to laugh play and frolics till the time he lived up to 96 years of life. He used to tell us that love and compassion keeps us healthy. It gives us positive energy, a moral fortitude to fight anger and worries and a happy person lives on and on. I take it as psychotherapy of a person on individual level and as a social panacea for the whole of society. I am deeply convinced that every religion and faith on this earth believes in love as a basic tool of social reform. This is the only paradigm that today’s dialogue on interfaith unity can take on. Society is polarizing because tolerance is disappearing. True love is the only solution to the entire question. If you need a custom essay, research paper, thesis, term paper or dissertation on Sociology or other discipline – feel free to contact our professional custom writing service.With an ever increase in the lifestyle disorders, the stroke is becoming more common problem. This can be attributed to increased cases of Diabetes, higher levels of cholesterol, increasing day- to- day stresses and thus hypertension. The most common type of stroke involves the infarction (death of tissues) of one part of brain which further results in inability to utilize the corresponding part of the body supplied by that. Hemiplegia It is one of the results of stroke, in which one side of body is unable to work properly due to weakness of that half. Generally, if left side of the brain is involved the right side of the body is weak ad vise versa. Recovery factors in Hemiplegia The amplitude of the weakness or inability to use the arm and the leg depends upon many factors: Hand dominance If the side that is dominant got affected, then it is much more difficult for a person to do the fine motor activities using that hand. Size and site of lesion If the size of lesion in the brain is larger then it will leads to weakness in the larger areas of the body. But the factor that matters the most is the sit of the lesion. If that site of the brain got affected that contains dense grey mater then the damage will, obviously, be more. This will leads to a larger disability e.g. involvement of internal capsule. Age The more will be the age, lesser will be the chances of complete recovery. Delay in Treatment At PhysioPort, we believe in the concept of therapeutic window for the patient of Hemiplegia following stroke. Therapeutic window is the frame of time in which maximum recovery can take place. Thus, there is no scope for delay in patients of Hemiplegia and physiotherapy should be started from the first day itself. Stages of recovery in Hemiplegia Stage 1: Stage of Flaccidity Following stroke, the one side of the body is completely or partially paralyzed. There is no movement at all in the involved side. Generally, the patient starts recovering from the first day, from this stage. But there is marked variation in the period of this stage. It may vary from first day to first month following stroke. Nursing care is foremost important, in terms of rehabilitation, when the affected side is completely paralyzed. Stage 2: Stage of Spasticity In Hemiplegia patient, once the flaccid stage is over, certain muscles starts becoming stiffer due to the increased in velocity dependent resistance or tone. This means that the local tone of the muscle is dominating over the central inhibition from the brain. This leads to inability of the patient to move the part under complete voluntary control. Although, he has certain movements that ca be use functionally. This voluntary control over the involuntary movements depends upon the repeated training. Thus, physiotherapy in Hemiplegia plays a very important role especially in the stage of spasticity. The physiotherapy treatment in Hemiplegia helps in decreasing the time frame of Stage of Spasticity. Stage 3: Stage of Recovery Slowly, the patient is able to perform movements out of involuntary movement patterns (synergies) and starts recovering. There is gain in functional movements and the coordinated movements become stronger. The good execution of latest techniques with strong basis of neurological rehabilitation is required for this. The well- established rehabilitation and physiotherapy goals at this stage of Hemiplegia results in better functional outcomes. This results in decreasing the overall time of recovery. Physiotherapy in hemiplegia : Therapeutic window Therapeutic window for each stage of Hemiplegia from the physiotherapy and rehabilitation point of view is as follows: Stage of flaccidity First month is the most crucial period following stroke, as this is the phase which will lay the foundation for stronger and better recovery in the coming period. The main goal in this phase should be the prevention of any complication due to bed rest e.g. respiratory complications, pressure sores, DVT(deep vein thrombosis) The facilitation of different movement patterns which will help in regaining the tone of the muscles. Stage of spasticity The therapeutic window for this stage varies with the factors such as age, compliance to the overall physiotherapy treatment and other psychosocial factors. But most of the movement patterns should start functioning in a voluntary pattern within 3- 6 months following stroke. Focus of rehabilitation I to avoid contractures, superimposing secondary and voluntary movement patterns over the primitive reflexes and synergies. This requires great deal of knowledge of neurosciences and neuro- rehabilitation on the part of physiotherapist, and similar amount of effort on the part of patient, to achieve optimal level of recovery. Stage of recovery Therapeutic window for this stage is between 6 months to a year. This stage should see the maximum level of functional rehabilitation. The focus is on learning the functional activities, activity and environment modification, if required, and lots of repetition so that the movement education is holistic and global. Summary Hemiplegia is a condition arising as a result of infarction in brain tissue. The outcomes and recovery of Hemiplegia depends upon the age, size of infarct and the hand dominance of the patient. Physiotherapy in Hemiplegia should be the mainstay of treatment and started as early as possible, so that the best recovery can be achieved during the optimum time frame.Guest post from John McConnell, Wysowl Pty Ltd Dr. Deming opened his first Australian seminar in 1986 with the question, “What are we here to do”? After some discussion he answered his own question with, “To learn”, and “To have a good time”. He repeated this opening at subsequent seminars. The Fifteenth Point Mr. Murray Mansfield of Melbourne has what I believe to be the only completely up to date version of Dr. Deming’s famous Obligations for Top Management. After a long discussion with Murray during his last Australian seminar, Dr. Deming agreed that there ought to be a fifteenth point. He took Murray’s notes turned to the page containing the fourteen points and at the foot of the page wrote: 15. Â Â Have a good time! Related: I Don’t Know – Find Joy and Success in Business – posts on respect for people – Destroyed by Best Efforts – Lets Play Work – Seven (plus 2) Deadly Diseases of Western ManagementMany dog lovers believe there’s no such thing as a bad dog, just bad training. And while we don’t disagree that a good owner along with proper training and socialization can make a world of difference, we have to admit that some dog breeds are best suited to experienced owners. Those very traits that make certain breeds so good at the jobs they were bred to do, like hunting big game and guarding their owners and property, can make them a challenge for someone who’s never trained a dog before. [ See Also: 18 Best Breeds for New Pet Owners ] For instance, a dog bred for hunting, birding, working, or running long distances will work until his job is done, regardless of weather or distractions. When that same breed is kept as a family pet, his circumstances change, but his drive and instinct to go, go, go? Not so much. Therefore, he needs an owner who’s prepared to work with that level of vitality to keep him from engaging in destructive behaviors. And consider the traditional guard dog, bred to be on the alert for anything that’s out of the ordinary. In his original job, that might mean keeping an eye out for dangers and predators, but as a member of the family, it means he needs firm and entirely consistent training. While some dogs might understand a good deal of nuance — that it’s OK to get on the couch with the kids, but not with Mom and Dad — a dog bred for guarding duties thrives on a dependable environment since knowing what is regular and routine is absolutely necessary to determine what’s not. One other item to keep in mind: Some of these breeds may not be allowed in certain homes due to restrictions on the lease or insurance policy. We’ve already shared what dogs veterinary professionals deemed best for new owners, and now we’re sharing which breeds those same 218 experts thought were the worst choices for first-time dog owners. Please note: We don’t mean to imply these are “bad” breeds, and in no case is any breed friendly or aggressive clear across the board. However, if you’re a first-time, inexperienced dog owner, these are dogs you might want to wait to bring home until you have a few years of training under your belt. Also on Vetstreet.com:Freeman-on-the-land argument 'deserving of no further attention, energy:' Judge Image Credit: Shutterstock March 31, 2017 - 11:46 AM KELOWNA - A B.C. Supreme Court judge has rebuked another so-called freeman-on-the-land, barring him from acting in court for others who follow his flawed 'legal' doctrine of ignoring Canadian law and refusing to pay income taxes. According to a decision in Kelowna Supreme court, Kazimierz Chester Crischuk, also known as Kaz Crischuk, Kaz-Chester: Crischuk, Kazimierz-Czelaw: Crischuk and Mythlim-Axkw, attempted to represent several people in serious court cases. At his own hearing in Kelowna for practicing law without a licence, Supreme Court judge Gary Weatherill says he opened his argument by using the Holy Bible as a book of authority in court. Calling his arguments "complete nonsense" Weatherill sided with the Law Society of B.C. in compelling Crischuk from practicing law and ordered him to pay costs of $2,600 to the society. Weatherill says in his decision that Crischuk refers to himself as an "independent public accountant" but he's never been a member of the Law Society of B.C. nor a registered lawyer in any province. Crischuk was previously convicted and jailed for evading taxes and for preparing false tax returns for his clients. He represented himself when defending those charges and Weatherill says Crischuk "repeatedly and unsuccessfully" used several tactics in his arguments. Some of the tactics used are common with the "Freemen-on-the-land" movement. Followers of the movement and loose association believe they're freeing themselves from an overbearing government which has overstepped its bounds. The Law Society filed the petition after a complaint that Crischuk was practicing without a licence. On March 17, 2016, a company had commenced an action in New Westminster Supreme Court after a man named Perry Mazzei had a credit card debt of roughly $40,000. Mazzei told the company months later he had obtained Crischuk as agent, and he also spoke with a paralegal from the Law Society about his new counsel. Mazzei told the paralegal he had been receiving representation and legal advice from Crischuk. In August, the Law Society wrote Crischuk saying they believed he was practicing law unauthorized and sought an undertaking that Crischuk stop practicing law without a licence. He didn't respond to that note. But in Crischuk's submissions, Weatherill said, he didn't seem to understand why the court was hearing the petition. "It seems that he does not recognize this Court's jurisdiction to either hear this petition or deal with the petition," Weatherill said. "His book of authorities starts with the Holy Bible. His submission was that the Bible was really the only authority there is." Weatherill said Crischuk also relied on the Federal Interpretation Act, the British North America Act of 1867, the Statute of Westminster and other "unhelpful or irrelevant" statutes. "He seems to suggest that the laws of Canada and the provinces are invalid, focusing on the various positions of governors general of Canada and the authority he says they did not have to enact laws or appoint provincial governors general," Weatherill said. "He also seems to believe that the laws of this province, including the Legal Profession Act, do not apply to him." Crischuk claims he's a man created in the image of God and says he has no contract with the "legal fiction corporation" called the Law Society. In a sworn affidavit, Crischuk referred to Queen Elizabeth swearing an oath on the Holy Bible when she became the Queen. "As I hear him," Weatherill said, "he completely denies the constitutional history of this country as it applies to the rights and obligations of its people before the law." Weatherill called Crishuk's submissions incoherent, rambling and "complete nonsense." He said Crischuk has a distorted view of the legal system and found no valid legal arguments from Crischuk. "They have no legal, historical, or constitutional foundation," Weatherill said. "They are deserving of no further attention, energy, or comment." Weatherill found Crischuk has been practicing law without a licence and ordered him to pay the Law Society of B.C. a total of $2,600 in costs. To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.Andre Villas Boas has taken a lot of stick from some Tottenham fans over recent weeks, despite the challenges he has faced in his short time at the helm at White Hart Lane. Some have questioned his ‘negative’ tactics and him not playing ‘the Tottenham way’. Question marks have been placed on his team selection and how he has set the team out to play. He has been in a position where he is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. The press had a field day over his keeper selection, questioning why he hasn’t installed the French no1 and captain of the national team as his 1st choice keeper, yet being in uproar when he has started over Friedel. Similarly he was met with howls of derision when he opted to start with Adebayor over Defoe after the latter had just scored a hat-trick in the midweek Europa league tie against Maribor. I for one agreed fully with the selection of Adebayor and I am sure those that understand the game would’ve done too. Adebayor offers more of a presence in away games, with the ability to hold the ball up and link play. It was a game where we weren’t going to see too much of the ball, so when we had it, we had to make sure we held it. With the negative press and some (a minority it must be added) fans starting to turn on Villas Boas, it may come as a surprise that he came out of a game where he had just been taken apart by our closest rivals with more respect and appreciation than he has done in recent weeks. For the game against Arsenal, Villas Boas named a bold starting lineup. Those that had clamoured for him to start Adebayor and Defoe together for the first time in the league got their wish. I personally thought this could have been a massive mistake. Redknapp went with this approach last season and despite taking a 2 goal lead in that game, we capitulated in spectacular fashion. With 2 up top we were outnumbered and outplayed by Arsenal’s 3 in midfield and ended up taking a hiding. Although it was the same outcome eventually, Villas Boas’s approach to the game may have worked had it not been a ludicrous tackle from Adebayor that saw him receive a deserved dismissal. A Villas Boas 4-4-2 immediately seemed more flexible in approach. Adebayor was expected to drop deeper, fill in as an additional midfielder and look to link the play. This approach appeared to work in the early stages of the game until the red card completely changed the game plan. With a shaky Arsenal defence, the movement of Spurs’ attacking players was causing all sorts of problems. A defensive mistake coupled with poor goalkeeping allowed Adebayor to put Spurs ahead –no more than they deserved. Lennon was mere inches away from making it two. Then it happened – a moment of madness from Adebayor. He is a player with a history of getting overly pumped up when playing his old teams. He could easily have picked up a second yellow against City the week before. It was a rash challenge that did not have to be made, it was on the halfway line and there was no danger. This changed the game significantly. Villas Boas’s game plan that had been working perfectly up to that point had been thrown out the window. This is not to say that Tottenham would’ve gone on to win the game but they would certainly have had a lot more of a chance. The sending off galvanised Arsenal and when they pulled level it was evident to everyone watching it would only be a matter of time before Arsenal took the lead. It was inevitable and the goals came courtesy of some terrible defending. Where AVB earned a lot of praise was in his half time changes. Not just a change in personnel, but also a change in system. This gave Spurs fans evidence that AVB is adaptable and can change his system to fit with the games circumstances. In the last game at the Emirates back in February, Redknapp was unable to use half time to change the game in our favour. It was 11 against 11, we had sacrificed a two goal lead an Redknapp was devoid of ideas. AVB took off both of his fullbacks (who both had very disappointing games. Walcott had given Naughton a torrid time – although he was not helped out defensively by Bale, while Walker also had a poor game with a terrible passing percentage of just 47%) and put on Dawson and Dempsey. Switching to 3 at the back and pushing Dempsey forward to join Defoe in attack. Many may have expected to see AVB try and shut up shop to keep the score to a respectable level, but credit
Glass resembles a monocle.) Whatever the next incarnation of Glass, it looks pretty clear there will be one. And that’s rather surprising given how little general consumer interest Google managed to drive for the first wave of Glass. Indeed, it managed to inspire the polar opposite sentiment among non-nerds — generating a pejorative descriptor (‘Glassholes’) to describe wearers of the gizmo. Not a great start then. Next, at a cheaper price-point, and generally designed as more of a crowd-pleaser, there’s Google Cardboard. Announced in June 2014, this is Google’s budget VR headset. It’s literally made from cardboard and a couple of lenses — just pop in your smartphone, fire up the Google cardboard app and experience a degree of immersion within various digital arenas, including Google’s StreetView virtual world tour and 360 degree YouTube videos. Google has also worked with GoPro on a VR rig to encourage the capture of 360 degree content exclusively for “high profile YouTube celebrities” who maintain a large number of followers. Cardboard is a low risk bet for Google to try to drum up mass market interest in VR, and an equal and opposite push to try to get more people making content for VR by building a market for such content. Content, like cardboard, is cheap yet critical if VR is to become anything close to mainstream. And then there’s Google’s moonshot bet in the category: Magic Leap. Google is an investor in the AR company that has yet to release any products but continues to attract vast amounts of VC funding. Just this week it emerged Magic Leap is raising an $827 million Series C funding round — which brings the total raised since it was founded back in 2010 to around $1.4 billion. Sure it’s not Uber levels of funding. But for a company not yet really explaining its product — let alone selling anything — it’s pretty stand out. Mountain View is one of multiple investors here, but Google’s Sundar Pichai also sits on the Magic Leap board. And Google led a $542 million investment round in the company last year. So it’s actively spearheading the funding drive. Discussing Magic Leap this March, Pichai said Google sees broad use-cases for the augmented reality tech, stressing it sees much wider applications than mere gaming. The tech itself remains under wraps but will reportedly rely on some kind of lightweight wearable, and — unlike Glass or Cardboard — won’t involve looking through or at a screen. The founder of Magic Leap, Rony Abovitz, has talked about a “dynamic digital light field signal” which apparently tricks your brain into thinking whatever digital object it’s seeing is actually embedded into — not pasted onto — the real world. He’s also talked about Magic Leap turning the world into “your new desktop” or “your new silver screen”. And creating a kind of “cinematic reality“. Frankly it’s a pitch that sounds tailor-made to get Google salivating. The latter’s motivation to invest in VR is clear. Web advertising is embroiled in a tricky transition to mobile devices where ads on small screens are always an unwelcome irritant for device users. Add to that, more of people’s attention is being siloed into apps anyway, rather than directed at general web browsing. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, the specter of ad blocking is rearing its head on mobile too. Google is staring at a seismic shift in digital consumption that threatens to undermine its core business model. As connected mobile devices continue pulling people’s attention away from the search-driven web, Google really needs a way to bring a wider web back into the frame — and an ability to insert artificial content into a real-world view is a tantalizing prospect for the company. One which envisages an opening up of the digital display canvas again, with space for marketing messages to stretch their legs again. Hence Google betting on VR from all angles: big (Magic Leap), budget (Cardboard) and business-oriented (Glass). From a consumer point of view, if you thought virtual reality was going to be all flying whales, adorable robots and slayable zombies magically manifesting in your living room, think again. The big entity driving developments here is a company whose overriding interest is finding new ways to insert adverts into your field of view. So Magic Leap’s greatest trick might actually turn out to be an ability to camouflage advertising as something that engages the eye for long enough to disgorge a marketing message. At least that’s what Google will be hoping. But if consumers hate adverts interrupting their web browsing or mobile usage, it seems unlikely they’re going to be delighted by ads jumping directly into their eyeballs. Web users reserve a special kind of hatred for pop-ups. So even 3D lifelike pop-ups aren’t about to get a pass. Especially as the VR user will undoubtedly be hoping to see something a lot more entertaining than an artificial polar bear that pops open a Coca Cola. Or a virtual clown pointing across the street at an actual McDonalds. All three of Google’s ‘disruptive’ VR bets will only be as effective as the length of time they remain wrapped around wearers’ eyeballs. So if advertisers have their wicked way with this tech, any ‘honeymoon period’ for the kind of hyper immersive augmented reality Magic Leap is apparently cooking up could turn out to be very brief indeed.Image copyright Alan Richardson Image caption Amanda McCabe's knitted items will be donated to charity A road rage driver ordered to knit items to avoid a harsher sentence has been admonished after a sheriff told her he was satisfied with her efforts. Amanda McCabe followed Claire Smith around Dundee before boxing her in her vehicle in a car park and punching her. McCabe claimed she had been travelling to a specialist wool shop in Dundee and had followed Ms Smith coincidentally. Sheriff John Rafferty told her to bring "several knitted items" to court on her sentencing date to prove her skills. Her lawyer promised to take them to a charity shop "to help the needy". The court heard that Ms Smith and a friend were driving on Dundee's Kingsway when MCabe entered from a slip road. Depute fiscal John Adams said: "Ms Smith was not very impressed with the accused's driving and made her feelings known." 'Unique approach' Ms Smith was followed by McCabe, before entering a car park to perform a u-turn. McCabe boxed in Ms Smith's car before opening her door and punching her on the face. She was made out to be some kind of Madame Defarge character from A Tale of Two Cities. Jim Laverty, Solicitor advocate McCabe, 47, of Dundee, admitted assaulting Ms Smith on 8 January. Solicitor advocate Jim Laverty, defending, said: "Your lordship chose a unique approach to this from the sewing box. "As a result she was the target of abuse on social media, where everyone can have an opinion and express it in writing. "She was made out to be some kind of Madame Defarge character from A Tale of Two Cities." Sheriff John Rafferty told McCabe at an earlier hearing: "If you are a skilled knitter then I am sure that you could produce some goods for charity. "You will bring to court several items that you have knitted that you are prepared to donate to a charity shop." He admonished McCabe at the latest hearing and told her: "I gave you an opportunity to make reparation to society and you did so at no cost to the public purse."Last Saturday night, a Model X drove through a guardrail in Montana, reportedly also with Autopilot engaged. Fortunately, both the driver and the and other passenger are alright, according to Electrek. A friend of the driver’s posted pictures of the crash and details of the incident on the Tesla Motors Club forum afterwards: Both 2 people in the car survived. It was late at night, Autopilot did not detect a wood stake on the road, hit more than 20 wood stakes, tire on front passenger side and lights flew away. The speed limit is 55, he was driving 60 on autopilot. His car is completely destroyed. The place he had the accident does not have cellphone signal, it is 100 miles from the hotel. Just got more photos from the driver. The car was in autopilot at speeds between 56-60, the car drove off the road hit the guard rail wood posts. I questioned him how can AP drove off the road himself, he said he also want to find out. Advertisement Additionally, the photos show a road that lacks a center divider, though the v7.1 software update tweaked the Autopilot system to allow the Tesla to travel down roads without a center divider at restricted speeds. Jalopnik has reached out to Tesla for a comment on the matter, and will update this post as we learn more.While absolutely nothing excuses Dylann Roof’s evil, horrific crime in Charleston, the Council of Conservative Citizens “stands unshakably behind the facts on its website” and will continue to point out the “dangers of denying the extent of black-on-white crime.” The extreme leftwing would prefer to tell a “story about race” which highlights angelic black males like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Freddie Gray. The Far Left does not want to have a “conversation about race” about what black males have done to, say, the following three White people in South Carolina in just six months in 2011. Their lives were also either taken or traumatized in horrific tragedies. In spite of what some might say, their stories are just as important to “race in America” as the likes of Michael Brown or Freddie Gray. Again, the Far Left denies that White people have legitimate grievances about being victimized by black-on-white crime and believes that discussion of this subject should be treated as a taboo. Instead, the Far Left wants the American media to promote its chosen narrative of black victimization, when the facts show the reverse is true. Interracial crime is overwhelmingly black-on-white. Carter Strange Allison Griffor Beverly Hope Melton CNN devoted months of its programming to showcasing the tragic deaths of thugs and criminals like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Freddie Gray. Dylann Roof was “radicalized” by the obvious anti-White double standard: why devote such enormous attention to Trayvon, Brown, and Gray, but not to, say, Carter Strange, Allison Griffor, or Beverly Hope Melton? Shouldn’t White Lives Matter, too? By treating the value of White lives as a radioactive subject, Dylann Roof became incensed and burned with a sense of injustice. Instead of dispensing with its dishonest, one-sided, and immoral narrative of interracial violence, the Far Left wants to chill discussion of legitimate issues. As the besieged police retreat from the streets and fanatics morph into lone wolf spree killers, oddly enough the toll will fall primarily on black lives. All Lives Matter … and as long as the Left honors the memory of “martyrs” like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Freddie Gray, there will be those on the Right who will remember Carter Strange, Allison Griffor, and Beverly Hope Melton.These days, chances are that if you’re watching your waistline, you’re also watching your carbs. Carbohydrates are one of the “Big Three,” the macronutrients that your body gets from food (the other two are protein and fat.) Carbohydrates are your muscle’s preferred source of energy for resistance training, so your diet has to be sufficiently high in carbs to help you power through your workouts. On the other hand, if you consume too many carbs, you could end up singing the Spare Tire Blues. What to do? In this article we examine ways that you can use a reduced carb diet with your resistance training to help you get leaner and more muscular faster— without burning away your hard-earned muscle tissue. Not everyone is interested in competing as a bodybuilder, but you can sure learn a thing or two about dieting from them. Having gotten my start in competitive bodybuilding in the late ‘70s, I experienced the infancy of the modern-day low-carb diet, first hand. The late Dr.Robert Atkin’s first book, Dr.Atkin’s Diet Revolution, was published in 1975 and quickly grew in popularity as the diet du jour. Bodybuilders were amongst those who jumped on the bandwagon, and low carb diets became part of the pre-contest training regimen of many of the top champions. Three-time Mr.Olympia Frank Zane and Mr.Universe Tom Platz were early proponents of low carb diets. So was yours truly, an up-and-coming young Lee Labrada. The common wisdom in those days was to limit carbohydrate intake to just 40 grams per day, usually consumed just before the workout. I initially liked the low carbohydrate approach because it curbed my appetite, an advantage for any precontest dieter. But this came with a price. My low carb diet also had the nasty side effect of leaving me tired and listless for much of the day. The workouts aggravated this effect. Of the small amount of carbs that I did allot myself each day, I ingested all prior to my workout. This provided me with a temporary burst of energy which my muscles gobbled up during weight training. After the workout, it was back to being tired and listless again. To make matters worse, sometimes I ran out of energy during the workout—a “crash.” Crashing was no fun, because at that point the only way I could go on was by the sheer strength of my will. Muscles are fuel hogs during workouts, and once again, their preferred fuel for high intensity training is carbohydrates. The low carb diet worked well for some competitive bodybuilders of that era, allowing them to get ripped to ridiculously low levels of body fat. But there was another big drawback to the low carb approach: it also cost bodybuilders valuable muscle size. That’s because strict, low carb diets can wreak havoc on muscle tissue. Sure, you burn lots of fat, but you also burn lots of muscle. Why? First off, stores of glycogen (stored glucose from carbohydrates) inside your muscle tissue and liver are compromised when your food intake is too low in dietary carbohydrates. And with low stores of glycogen, it is difficult for your muscles to exert the sustained, high intensity effort required to lift weights. That means your strength gets compromised. When that happens, your training poundages go down and there is less muscle stimulation, which sets you up for muscle loss. After all, your body never keeps what it doesn’t need. If you’re lifting lighter loads, your body doesn’t need the added muscle. Secondly, when you diet, you’re almost always in a hypocaloric state (taking in less food calories than you burn on a daily basis.) When you’re hypocaloric, your body looks for the “missing energy” it needs to function in other places. After all, it’s not getting it from the food! Your body can get the “missing calories” from two places: stored body fat (you want to reduce this!) or muscle (“don’t you dare touch this,” you say!) Unfortunately, muscle tissue is easy to break down. The amino acids in muscle can be broken down and converted to glucose for energy by your liver. During an intense weight training workout, the lack of carbohydrates forces your body to break down muscle tissue to supply the energy. Not a good thing! Carbohydrates are actually protein-sparing. “ When blood sugar levels are low or are suboptimal during exercise, the body will initiate the creation of new sugar by breaking down glycogen (stored sugar) and protein for amino acids through Cori Cycling and other processes. Sugar is used exclusively for anaerobic energy production – contracting a muscle, lifting weights and even all-out sprints are examples of anaerobic exercises. If your blood sugar is uneven or low, the ability of the muscle to forcefully contract and to do so fully is slightly impaired. This results in suboptimal muscle performance,” says Douglas Kalman MS, RD, FACN. By the early ‘80’s, low carb diets had fallen from favor with bodybuilders for these obvious reasons. Low carb diets waned as the USDA food pyramid embraced diets that were high in carbohydrates and low in fat. The food industry followed suit, and began producing low fat, high carb foods for dieters. This set the stage for the high-carb dieting paradigm that has ruled the pre-contest bodybuilding diet until the last few years. The Achilles’ heel of the high-carb diet is that too much of a good thing can also be counter-productive making it hard for you to lose as much body fat as you want. Excess carbs will stimulate an abnormally high insulin (a fat storage hormone) response, causing you to gain unwanted body fat. The question then, is: How many carbs do I consume to get ultra-lean and ripped, while holding on to all of my hard-earned muscle? The answer is, enough to fill your glycogen reserves (stored carbohydrates) in both your muscle tissue and liver, plus enough to power your workouts. That leaves very little dietary carbohydrates left over at the end of a day to turn into fat. Here’s one way to integrate a reduced carb diet into your precontest training regimen. The Reduced Carb Diet During the low carb phase of your training, I recommend consuming 150-200 grams of complex carbohydrates per day for an average male weighing 200 pounds. This works out to about.75-1.0 grams of complex carbs per pound of bodyweight. That’s higher than is typically considered a low-carb regimen, but keep in mind that as a bodybuilder, you are hardly the typical person. You have a higher than average amount of muscle, train hard with weights, and are in better shape. That being the case, your carbohydrate requirements will be higher. “Low” carbohydrate is relative, both to your size and metabolism. You should stick to consuming only complex carbs from sources such as oatmeal, whole grain cereal, yams, sweet potatoes, whole grain rice, beans, lentils, and peas. That’s because these complex carbohydrates are broken down slowly by your body, keep your blood sugar stable, and keep your insulin levels down. Complex carbs such as these are considered to have a low “glycemic index,” a measure of how quickly a carbohydrate is broken down by your body into blood sugar. Remember, it’s necessary to keep your blood sugar level as stable as possible in order to manage your insulin levels. Consume your carbohydrates along with proteins and fats, never alone. When combined with the aforementioned, the breakdown of carbs is slowed down even more. Take in 50 grams of your carbs in the meal prior to your workout (about 1-1.5 hours before), then 70 more grams in the meal immediately after your workout. This is for two reasons. One, the carbs immediately prior to your workout will help to fuel your training. Two, the carbs immediately after your workout will replenish glycogen stores in your muscle tissue. Replenishing glycogen stores within 30 minutes after a workout will enable you to take advantage of your body’s compensatory mechanism, enabling you to actually store more carbs as glycogen. Your post workout meal should always be your highest-carb meal of the day. If you follow the guidelines that we’ve discussed, you will have about 50-100 grams of carbohydrates left to dispense over your remaining meals. Of this remaining amount, I recommend consuming up to 75% of it in the meals prior to your pre-workout meal, with the remaining 25% in the meal after your post-workout meal: Meal one 20g of carbohydrates Meal two 20g Meal three 20g Meal four (pre-workout) 50g WORKOUT Meal five (post workout) 70g Meal six 20g On days when you don’t train, cut your carbohydrate intake back to 100 grams, spread out evenly over each meal. You won’t need the extra carbs on your day off. One important caveat: whether you are training that day or not, be sure to consume sufficient protein and healthy fats (most fats of plant or fish origin) to fuel your body and help recuperation. A product such as Labrada’s EFA Lean is an excellent choice for this. Being in a slight caloric deficit (eating fewer calories than you burn) is necessary for you to lose unwanted body fat, but cutting your overall calories back too far will cause you to lose muscle mass. Says Douglas Kalman MS, RD, FACN], “When you do not eat sufficiently, weight loss and muscle loss can occur 24 hours per day. If your meal timing and overall nutrient ratio is sub par, this can greatly hurt your ability to gain muscle since the effects of progressive resistance overload make your muscles scream for the right nutrients at the right times. Under eat or eat at the wrong times and watch your muscles grow…smaller and not stronger. Understanding nutrient timing is paramount to avoiding inappropriate muscle loss.” Training on the low carb diet… It is important to structure your resistance training so that it is brief, heavy and intense. Brief workouts consume fewer calories than longer workouts, which will help you conserve energy so that you don’t feel beat for the rest of day. High intensity workouts are also more productive for stimulating muscle tissue — that means “GROWTH.” High intensity workouts burn glycogen and carbs primarily. Combined with the meal carbing regimen I’ve recommended, you’ll be a like an F-16; powerful, yet fueled up just enough to get the job done. Take a serving of Labrada’s SuperCharge! Xtreme Pre-Workout N.O. formula prior to your training to give you extra energy, focus and pump. For workouts, check out my weekly workouts posted here: Weekly Muscle Building Workouts Cardio on the low carb diet… To help the fat burning process along on a low carb diet, there’s nothing like adding a little cardio to your workout. Cardio should take the form of 30 minutes of stationary bicycling, stair-stepping, or jogging on the treadmill, immediately following the workout, 3-5 times per week. While on a low carb diet, keep your cardio intensity level to 70-80% of your maximum heart rate. You can roughly calculate your target heart rate by taking 180 and subtracting your age. So if you are 30 years old, your target heart rate is about 150 beats per minute. By doing your cardio following your workout, you’re in a state where you’ve used up the glycogen necessary to train your muscles with heavy weights, and your body will be ready to switch over to burning stored fat for energy. If you can’t do your cardio after your training because of time constraints, or because you are too tired, try doing it in the morning, prior to breakfast. Because you are in a fasted state upon awakening, you are already burning fat for energy. This makes for a good state to be in when you start your cardio, enabling you to burn even more stored fat! Not to mention that it is an energizing way to start your morning. Speaking of energizing, there’s no reason that you have to feel tired when you are on a low carb training regimen. The idea is balancing your carbs so that you have enough to fuel your activities, but not more. Try this reduced carb training regimen 4-6 weeks prior to your bodybuilding competition or to improve your physique for the summer. Your reward will be a leaner, more muscular body that turns heads everywhere you go! Until next time, I am Lee Labrada Your Lean Body Coach™When was the last time you played table tennis at a hotel? Probably never. Or spent time in a hotel lobby listening to vinyl records on a state-of-the-art turntable while lounging in a purple chair that could easily accommodate a small family? Likely never. Called room service with an old-school rotary-dial phone, or taken a ride in a hotel shuttle bus that happens to be a 1967 orange and blue VW van? Not since 1967 — maybe. Hotel Zed (pronounced the Canadian way) is the retro-kitsch dream of Victoria hotelier Mandy Farmer, whose idea of a hotel experience involves fun things to do while staying in funky rooms decked out in purple, blue and black geometrically challenged carpets, even brighter-coloured Jetsons-era furnishings and framed street-cred Victoria graffiti tags on the walls. I couldn't stop dreaming about it. - Hotelier Mandy Farmer Farmer, president and CEO of British Columbia's Accent Inns hotel chain, says Hotel Zed, which opened recently, is the happy ending to her decade-long vision of offering an edgy, eclectic, modern and retro accommodation experience in Victoria that rebels against the ordinary. "I wanted to create a place that was fun," says Farmer, 40, whose business card identifies her as a rebel and bike lover. "It's ridiculously fun. This is really out there, the mix of new and old, but not just old." She says she pitched her cutting-edge Zed zeitgeist hotel dream to the bottom-line-conscious Accent Inns directors at annual planning meetings for at least a decade and always received the same firm answer: no. "'Mandy, give up, move on, you've got to do something else. Why would anyone want to sit in an old car?"' was the answer. "But I couldn't stop dreaming about it." The conservative mood in the boardroom started to shift as the global economy struggled, and Farmer's pitch for a new Victoria-vibe hotel concept was greeted with fresh ears at the executive level, she says. Two years later, and with at least $1 million invested, the 62-room Hotel Zed has risen from what was a traditional mid-town, street-front, box-like hotel that formerly served as an independent hotel owned by the company. Farmer stands outside the hotel lobby and points to the jagged, diamond-shaped facade. "We had these hideous awnings covering this," she says. "As soon as we took them off and I saw this, I knew we could do something with this property." The formerly bland white hotel wall that faces Douglas Street, Victoria's main artery downtown, has been painted over with what looks like a Rubik's Cube of pink, purple, orange and lime squares. Drapes tie-dyed Farmer says the wall has become an unofficial photo studio as groups of people, including parade marching bands and wedding parties, stop to pose in front of the almost psychedelic backdrop. Truckers have posted messages saying the wall's burst of colours adds vibrancy to the city. Farmer says the rooms are equally colourful. "If orange isn't your colour, we've got the blue," she says about the doors and walls. The carpets are multi-coloured and the drapes appear tie-dyed. The dressers are repainted — lime — 1960s government-standard grey metal desks. "If you get it, you get it." Comics are in the bathrooms. Despite the homage to 1960s home decor, the rooms come with state-of-the-art Wi-Fi equipment that transmits what's on your phone, tablet or laptop to the room's 40-inch TVs. There's also step-by-step instructions on the proper use of the room's rotary phones. Postcards mailed free But there's no coffee in the rooms, says Farmer, who wants guests to come to the equally colourful and interesting lobby for a cup of coffee and a chance to listen to some music — on headphones — play board games or type out a postcard on a manual typewriter. Hotel Zed will mail the typed postcards home for free, she says. Farmer says she has visions of the lobby, which comes across as a comfortable living room from decades ago, and the table tennis lounge, complete with Wii games, serving as glorified rec rooms for guests. Outside, VW van driver Stan Yaxley, a retired transit driver with more than 30 years experience, honks his horn to summon another group of guests to pile into the van for a trip downtown. Farmer says the room rates top out at $150 a night, with the average price being in the $100 range.Tom Mulcair is promising that an NDP government would move toward legalizing marijuana. In a live interview with Vice Canada, the NDP leader said he would decriminalize pot immediately if elected and then look at making the drug legal in Canada. "We are on track to full legalization, but it is more complicated than snapping your fingers. We are not going to have weed being sold at the LCBO tomorrow morning," Mulcair told the live studio audience. In a parliamentary report published in June, the NDP pledged it would study the regulation and legalization of marijuana. Now the NDP leader is going further by suggesting legalization is inevitable. The NDP leader noted a wider societal push toward legalization and spoke about U.S. states that have legalized cannabis. "It's going to get done. I mean that is the direction that it is going in. Look at Oregon. Look at Colorado," he said. "We are getting more and more information, and that's the kind of thing that will be the way for the future." Mulcair pledged that under a New Democrat-led government, no one would get a criminal record for possession or use of marijuana. Under Justin Trudeau, the Liberals have promised to legalize marijuana. The Conservatives have said they will keep the drug illegal and promise further crackdowns.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. Nov. 21, 2017, 6:38 PM GMT / Updated Nov. 21, 2017, 8:23 PM GMT By Courtney Kube and Corky Siemaszko Four weeks after his funeral, more remains of slain U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson have been identified, the Pentagon confirmed Tuesday. The remains were retrieved from the spot near the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, where Johnson and three other American soldiers were ambushed and killed on Oct. 4 by ISIS-linked militants. Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in an ambush in Niger. U.S. Army Special Operations via AP They were found during a Nov. 12 inspection of the site by a joint task force force of FBI and military investigators and later identified via DNA testing, Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement. “We can confirm that the Armed Forces Medical Examiner has positively identified these remains as those of Sgt. Johnson,” she said. It was not clear if the bone fragments would be buried with Johnson, who was laid to rest on Oct. 1 at a cemetery in Hollywood, Florida. And there also was no immediate response to the grim discovery from Johnson's pregnant widow, Myeshia Johnson. But Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., a close family friend, said it was a shame she had to find out about it via the news. Related: Trump says he did not'specifically' order Niger mission "He left a Gold Star Family and to learn about his final moments on TV and in the newspaper is a shame for this nation," she told reporters Tuesday. "It is a shame for any Gold Star Family to go through the pain and agony of learning about their son’s last moments on TV." Later, in a statement, Wilson said it "is difficult to find the words to describe how dismaying it was to learn that some of Sgt. La David Johnson's remains were found in Niger weeks after his funeral." “I want the family to know, though, that I will continue to push and push and push for a thorough investigation of both the ambush and La David’s final hours," Wilson wrote. Johnson, a 25-year-old father of two from Miami Gardens, was killed alongside Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia. NBC reported last month that the deadly ambush by 40 to 50 militants stemmed in part from a "massive intelligence failure." House and Senate armed services committees are now looking into the scope of the U.S. mission in Niger and whether the Pentagon is properly supporting the troops on the ground there. Johnson's tragic death led to a political fight with President Donald Trump after he called Myeshia Johnson as she was driving to collect her husband's body from Dover Air Base. Myeshia Johnson said she asked that it be placed on speakerphone so Wilson and the others in the car could hear it. "I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband’s name, and that's what hurt me the most because if my husband is out there fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country, why can't you remember his name?" Myeshia Johnson told ABC's "Good Morning America." "And that made me cry even more." Myeshia Johnson, wife of U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson, kisses his coffin at a graveside service in Hollywood, Florida, on Oct. 21, 2017. Joe Skipper / Reuters file Wilson confirmed Johnson's account. "He said, 'But you know he must've known what he signed up for,'" she said. That sparked a heated denial from Trump, who called Wilson "wacky." "I didn't say what that congresswoman said, I didn't say it at all," Trump told reporters. "And she knows it." Later, Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, waded into the controversy by ripping Wilson for going public with the details of the president's call to Johnson's widow. And he claimed the congresswoman delivered a 2015 speech at an FBI field office dedication in which she "talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building," rather than keeping the focus on the fallen agents for which it was named. Video of the speech contradicted Kelly's claim.Let’s reach into the magical treasure chest of maps and pull out a real winner. Ah, yes, a classic, a 1996 Magic Kingdom park map. Let’s see what we find when we take a look back in time... This week’s map is special because it was during preparations for the 25th anniversary celebration. I think you’ll find a few special memories. We start our journey on the front and back cover of the Magic Kingdom Map. As you can see there is no photograph of a highlighted attraction or of Cinderella’s castle, but a plain yellow silhouette of the Magic Kingdom Icon. The back of the Magic Kingdom map features an advertisement from Kodak like so many other maps did until 2012. Personally, although this is a simple front cover design for a Disney Map, I think it is one of my favorites due to its uniqueness. The other two parks also had similar front cover designs of their park icons. Let open the map and continue our journey. We are greeted by a description for the all-new “Mickey’s ToonTown Fair, A place described as a location where we can find all our Disney Pals, while exploring Mickey and Minnie’s house. The biggest feature of the ToonTown fair was the Hall Of Fame, (Now Pete’s Silly Sideshow Meet and greet) a location where you could meet Mickey and the Fab 5. This section of the map also features the nightly “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks. Also featured is the Spectromagic nighttime parade, later replaced by the Main Street Electrical Parade during the Summer Nighttastic promotion. Unfortunately, Spectromagic has never to returned, though I feel its many floats and characters, with updated light effects, was better than those of the Main Street Electrical Parade. It was built to the right scale for the Magic Kingdom and I really miss it. Before we journey to the map itself, I wanted to share what I think is the most unique page. Yes it is plain, but it included an announcement for the preparations to turn Cinderella’s castle into a Birthday Cake Castle. We all know how well that turned out. Let’s move along and take a look at the Park in July of 1996. As you can see, the map was not very detailed or life like, instead breaking up the six themed lands of the Magic Kingdom into six different colors. Blue (Main St. U.S.A.), Purple (Tomorrowland), Yellow (Mickey’s ToonTown Fair), Pink (Fantasyland), Red (Liberty Square), Orange (Frontierland), and lastly Green (Adventureland). Some of the notable attractions at the time that are now extinct include Mr. Toad’s Wild ride, Legend of the Lion King, The Skyway, and Snow White’s Adventures all in Fantasyland. In Tommorowland, Take Flight, The Timekeeper and Alien Encounter are no longer with us. Each and every one of these attractions are near to my heart, as I have so many personal memories of experiencing them on every trip to the Magic Kingdom. The skyway, now extinct both in the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland was a family favorite, offering unique sky high views of the park. Legend of the Lion King was replaced by the 3-D show, Phillarmagic, and included a retelling of the Lion King story through puppets and actors. Alien Encounter was a thrilling sensory experience like no other, putting you up close and personal with a dangerous Alien and his escape. The opening of Stitch’s Great Escape was a sad day for me personally. The waits for Alien Encounter were always a minimum of 30 minutes, because it was a real crowd pleaser. Stitch is a tame attraction with waits between 0 and 5 minutes. Perhaps a park map in the not too distant future will show a replacement for Stitch’s Great Escape. Well, that will do it for July of 1996. I hope you enjoyed this unique look at vintage Magic Kingdom. I leave you with a picture of a Vintage Walt Disney World Ticket from the early 1990’s before the days of Park Hoppers and soon to be Magic Bands. Are there attractions from 1996 which have gone away that you wish were still around? Changes for the better than you are glad to see off the map?TONY Abbott's gay sister is getting married. The Prime Minister's sister Christine Forster has proposed to her partner Virginia Edwards, according to New Idea. Ms Forster, a Liberal councillor at the City of Sydney, allegedly popped the question to Ms Edwards, 56, in the NSW outback. The pair, who has told their story to New Idea, says they're looking forward to their big day. "We got engaged when we were away with friends on a trip to Broken Hill," Christine told the women's magazine. The pair is excitedly planning their nuptials despite same-sex marriage not yet being legal in Australia. "And instead of bridesmaids, we're going to have drag queens," says Ms Edwards. Ms Forster, 49, said they will have an intimate wedding. "It will be close friends and family. Tony and Margie will definitely be there," she said.Human Rights Watch has criticized Malaysia in its annual report published today. ‘The Malaysian government’s promised human rights agenda fell far short in practice in 2012,’ said Asia deputy director Phil Robertson. ‘As elections approach, the government will need to demonstrate its willingness to
in three years' time. When Jane reached 21, in 1790, Perceval's career was still not prospering, and Sir Thomas still opposed the marriage. The couple eloped and married by special licence in East Grinstead. They set up home together in lodgings over a carpet shop in Bedford Row, later moving to Lindsey House, Lincoln's Inn Fields. They had thirteen children together. Perceval's family connections obtained a number of positions for him: Deputy Recorder of Northampton, and commissioner of bankrupts in 1790; surveyor of the Maltings and clerk of the irons in the mint – a sinecure worth £119 a year – in 1791; and counsel to the Board of Admiralty in 1794. He acted as junior counsel for the Crown in the prosecutions of Thomas Paine in absentia for seditious libel (1792), and John Horne Tooke for high treason (1794). Perceval joined the London and Westminster Light Horse Volunteers in 1794 when the country was under threat of invasion by France and served with them until 1803.[6] Perceval wrote anonymous pamphlets in favour of the impeachment of Warren Hastings, and in defence of public order against sedition. These pamphlets brought him to the attention of William Pitt the Younger, and in 1795 he was offered the appointment of Chief Secretary for Ireland. He declined the offer. He could earn more as a barrister and needed the money to support his growing family. In 1796 he became a King's Counsel and had an income of about £1,000 a year (equivalent to £97,000 in 2018). Perceval was 33 when he became a King's Counsel, making him one of the youngest ever. Early political career: 1796–1801 [ edit ] In 1796, Perceval's uncle, the 8th Earl of Northampton, died. Perceval's cousin, who was MP for Northampton, succeeded to the earldom and took his place in the House of Lords. Perceval was invited to stand for election in his place. In the May by-election he was elected unopposed, but weeks later had to defend his seat in a fiercely contested general election. Northampton had an electorate of about one thousand – every male householder not in receipt of poor relief had a vote – and the town had a strong radical tradition. Perceval stood for the Castle Ashby interest, Edward Bouverie for the Whigs, and William Walcot for the corporation. After a disputed count, Perceval and Bouverie were returned. Perceval represented Northampton until his death 16 years later, and is the only MP for Northampton to have held the office of prime minister. 1796 was his first and last contested election; in the general elections of 1802, 1806 and 1807, Perceval and Bouverie were returned unopposed. When Perceval took his seat in the House of Commons in September 1796, his political views were already formed. "He was for the constitution and Pitt; he was against Fox and France", wrote his biographer Denis Gray. During the 1796–1797 session, he made several speeches, always reading from notes. His public speaking skills had been sharpened at the Crown and Rolls debating society when he was a law student. After taking his seat in the House of Commons, Perceval continued with his legal practice, as MPs did not receive a salary, and the House only sat for a part of the year. During the Parliamentary recess of the summer of 1797, he was senior counsel for the Crown in the prosecution of John Binns for sedition. Binns, who was defended by Samuel Romilly, was found not guilty. The fees from his legal practice allowed Perceval to take out a lease on a country house, Belsize House in Hampstead. It was during the next session of Parliament, in January 1798, that Perceval established his reputation as a debater – and his prospects as a future minister – with a speech in support of the Assessed Taxes Bill (a bill to increase the taxes on houses, windows, male servants, horses and carriages, in order to finance the war against France). He used the occasion to mount an attack on Charles Fox and his demands for reform. Pitt described the speech as one of the best he had ever heard, and later that year Perceval was appointed to the post of Solicitor to the Ordnance. Solicitor and attorney general: 1801–1806 [ edit ] c. 1806 ) The House of Commons ( Pitt resigned in 1801 when the King and Cabinet opposed his bill for Catholic emancipation. As Perceval shared the King's views on Catholic emancipation, he did not feel obliged to follow Pitt into opposition. His career continued to prosper during Henry Addington's administration. He was appointed solicitor general in 1801 and attorney general the following year. Perceval did not agree with Addington's general policies (especially on foreign policy), and confined himself to speeches on legal issues. He was retained in the position of attorney general when Addington resigned, and Pitt formed his second ministry in 1804. As attorney general, Perceval was involved with the prosecution of radicals Edward Despard and William Cobbett, but was also responsible for more liberal decisions on trade unions, and for improving the conditions of convicts transported to New South Wales. When Pitt died, in January 1806, Perceval was an emblem bearer at his funeral. Although he had little money to spare (by now he had eleven children), he contributed £1000 towards a fund to pay off Pitt's debts. He resigned as attorney general, refusing to serve in Lord Grenville's ministry of "all the talents", as it included Fox. Instead he became the leader of the Pittite opposition in the House of Commons. During his period in opposition, Perceval used his legal skills to defend Princess Caroline, the estranged wife of the Prince of Wales, during the "delicate investigation". The Princess had been accused of giving birth to an illegitimate child, and the Prince of Wales ordered an inquiry, hoping to obtain evidence for a divorce. The government inquiry found that the main accusation was untrue (the child in question had been adopted by the Princess), but it was critical of the behaviour of the Princess. The opposition sprang to her defence and Perceval became her advisor, drafting a 156-page letter to King George III in her support. Known as The Book, it was described by Perceval's biographer as "the last and greatest production of his legal career". When the King refused to let Caroline return to court, Perceval threatened publication of The Book. But Grenville's ministry fell – again over a difference of opinion with the King on the Catholic question – before The Book could be distributed. As a member of the new government, Perceval drafted a cabinet minute acquitting Caroline on all charges and recommending her return to court. He had a bonfire of The Book at Lindsey House, and large sums of government money were spent on buying back stray copies. A few remained at large and The Book was published soon after his death. Chancellor of the Exchequer: 1807–1809 [ edit ] On the resignation of Grenville, the Duke of Portland put together a ministry of Pittites and asked Perceval to become Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. Perceval would have preferred to remain attorney general or become Home Secretary, and pleaded ignorance of financial affairs. He agreed to take the position when the salary (smaller than that of the Home Office) was augmented by the Duchy of Lancaster. Lord Hawkesbury (later Liverpool) recommended Perceval to the King by explaining that he came from an old English family and shared the King's views on the Catholic question. Perceval's youngest child, Ernest Augustus, was born soon after Perceval became chancellor (Princess Caroline was godmother). Jane Perceval became ill after the birth and the family moved out of the damp and draughty Belsize House, spending a few months in Lord Teignmouth's house in Clapham before finding a suitable country house in Ealing. Elm Grove was a 16th-century house that had been the home of the Bishop of Durham; Perceval paid £7,500 for it in 1808 (borrowing from his brother Lord Arden and the trustees of Jane's dowry), and the Perceval family's long association with Ealing began. Meanwhile, in town, Perceval had moved from Lindsey House into 10 Downing Street, when the Duke of Portland moved back to Burlington House shortly after becoming prime minister. One of Perceval's first tasks in Cabinet was to expand the Orders in Council that had been brought in by the previous administration and were designed to restrict the trade of neutral countries with France, in retaliation to Napoleon's embargo on British trade. He was also responsible for ensuring that Wilberforce's bill on the abolition of the slave trade, which had still not passed its final stages in the House of Lords when Grenville's ministry fell, would not "fall between the two ministries" and be rejected in a snap division. Perceval was one of the founding members of the African Institute, which was set up in April 1807 to safeguard the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Perceval had to raise money to finance the war against Napoleon. This he managed to do in his budgets of 1808 and 1809 without increasing taxes, by raising loans at reasonable rates and making economies. As leader of the House of Commons, he had to deal with a strong opposition, which challenged the government over the conduct of the war, Catholic emancipation, corruption, and Parliamentary reform. Perceval successfully defended the commander-in-chief of the army, the Duke of York, against charges of corruption when the Duke's ex-mistress Mary Anne Clarke claimed to have sold army commissions with his knowledge. Although Parliament voted to acquit the Duke of the main charge, his conduct was criticised, and he accepted Perceval's advice to resign. (He was re-instated in 1811). Portland's ministry contained three future prime-ministers – Perceval, Lord Hawkesbury and George Canning – as well as another two of the 19th-century's great statesmen: Lord Eldon and Lord Castlereagh. But Portland was not a strong leader and his health was failing. The country was plunged into political crisis in the summer of 1809 as Canning schemed against Castlereagh, and the Duke of Portland resigned following a stroke. Negotiations began to find a new prime minister: Canning wanted to be either prime minister or nothing, Perceval was prepared to serve under a third person, but not Canning. The remnants of the cabinet decided to invite Lord Grey and Lord Grenville to form "an extended and combined administration" in which Perceval was hoping for the home secretaryship. But Grenville and Grey refused to enter into negotiations, and the King accepted the Cabinet's recommendation of Perceval for his new prime minister. Perceval kissed the King's hands on 4 October and set about forming his Cabinet, a task made more difficult by the fact that Castlereagh and Canning had ruled themselves out of consideration by fighting a duel (which Perceval had tried to prevent). Having received five refusals for the office, he had to serve as his own Chancellor of the Exchequer – characteristically declining to accept the salary. Prime Minister: 1809–1812 [ edit ] The new ministry was not expected to last. It was especially weak in the Commons, where Perceval had only one cabinet member – Home Secretary Richard Ryder – and had to rely on the support of backbenchers in debate. In the first week of the new Parliamentary session in January 1810 the government lost four divisions, one on a motion for an inquiry into the Walcheren Expedition (in which, the previous summer, a military force intending to seize Antwerp had instead withdrawn after losing many men to an epidemic on the island of Walcheren off the Dutch coast) and three on the composition of the finance committee. The government survived the inquiry into the Walcheren Expedition at the cost of the resignation of the expedition's leader Lord Chatham. The radical MP Sir Francis Burdett was committed to the Tower of London for having published a letter in William Cobbett's Political Register denouncing the government's exclusion of the press from the inquiry. It took three days, owing to various blunders, to execute the warrant for Burdett's arrest. The mob took to the streets in support of Burdett, troops were called out, and there were fatal casualties. As Chancellor, Perceval continued to find the funds to finance Wellington's campaign in the Iberian Peninsula, whilst contracting a lower debt than his predecessors or successors. King George III had celebrated his Golden Jubilee in 1809; by the following autumn he was showing signs of a return of the illness that had led to a Regency in 1788. The prospect of another Regency was not attractive to Perceval, as the Prince of Wales was known to favour Whigs and disliked Perceval for the part he had played in the "delicate investigation". Twice Parliament was adjourned in November 1810, as doctors gave optimistic reports about the King's chances of a return to health. In December select committees of the Lords and Commons heard evidence from the doctors, and Perceval finally wrote to the Prince of Wales on 19 December saying that he planned the next day to introduce a regency bill. As with Pitt's bill in 1788, there would be restrictions: the regent's powers to create peers and award offices and pensions would be restricted for 12 months, the Queen would be responsible for the care of the King, and the King's private property would be looked after by trustees. The Prince of Wales, supported by the Opposition, objected to the restrictions, but Perceval steered the bill through Parliament. Everyone had expected the Regent to change his ministers but, surprisingly, he chose to retain his old enemy Perceval. The official reason given by the Regent was that he did not wish to do anything to aggravate his father's illness. The King signed the regency bill on 5 February, the Regent took the royal oath the following day and Parliament formally opened for the 1811 session. The session was largely taken up with problems in Ireland, economic depression and the bullion controversy in England (a bill was passed to make bank notes legal tender), and military operations in the peninsula. The restrictions on the Regency expired in February 1812, the King was still showing no signs of recovery, and the Prince Regent decided, after an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Grey and Grenville to join the government, to retain Perceval and his ministers. Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, after intrigues with the Prince Regent, resigned as foreign secretary and was replaced by Castlereagh. The opposition meanwhile was mounting an attack on the Orders in Council, which had caused a crisis in relations with America and were widely blamed for depression and unemployment in England. Rioting had broken out in the Midlands and North, and been harshly repressed. Henry Brougham's motion for a select committee was defeated in the Commons, but, under continuing pressure from manufacturers, the government agreed to set up a Committee of the Whole House to consider the Orders in Council and their impact on trade and manufacture. The committee began its examination of witnesses in early May 1812. Assassination [ edit ] At 5:15 pm, on the evening of 11 May 1812, Perceval was on his way to attend the inquiry into the Orders in Council. As he entered the lobby of the House of Commons, a man stepped forward, drew a pistol and shot him in the chest. Perceval fell to the floor, after uttering something that was variously heard as "murder" and "oh my God". They were his last words. By the time he had been carried into an adjoining room and propped up on a table with his feet on two chairs, he was senseless, although there was still a faint pulse. When a surgeon arrived a few minutes later, the pulse had stopped, and Perceval was declared dead. At first it was feared that the shot might signal the start of an uprising, but it soon became apparent that the assassin – who had made no attempt to escape – was a man with an obsessive grievance against the Government and had acted alone. The assassin, John Bellingham, was a merchant who believed he had been unjustly imprisoned in Russia and was entitled to compensation from the government, but all his petitions had been rejected. Perceval's body was laid on a sofa in the speaker's drawing room and removed to Number 10 in the early hours of 12 May. That same morning an inquest was held at the Cat and Bagpipes public house on the corner of Downing Street and a verdict of wilful murder was returned. Perceval left a widow and twelve children aged between three and twenty, and there were soon rumours that he had not left them well provided for. He had just £106 5s 1d in the bank when he died. A few days after his death, Parliament voted to settle £50,000 on Perceval's children, with additional annuities for his widow and eldest son. Jane Perceval married Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Carr, brother of the Reverend Robert James Carr, then Vicar of Brighton, in 1815 and was widowed again six years later. She died aged 74 in 1844. Perceval was buried on 16 May in the Egmont vault at St Luke's Church, Charlton, London. At his widow's request, it was a private funeral. Lord Eldon, Lord Liverpool, Lord Harrowby and Richard Ryder were the pall-bearers. The previous day, Bellingham had been tried, and, refusing to enter a plea of insanity, was found guilty. He was hanged on 18 May. Legacy [ edit ] Perceval was a small, slight, and very pale man, who usually dressed in black. Lord Eldon called him "Little P". He never sat for a full-sized portrait; likenesses are either miniatures or are based on a death mask by Joseph Nollekens. Perceval was the last British prime minister to wear a powdered wig tied in a queue, and knee-breeches according to the old-fashioned style of the 18th century. He is sometimes referred to as one of Britain's forgotten prime ministers, remembered only for the manner of his death. Although not considered an inspirational leader, he is generally seen as a devout, industrious, principled man who at the head of a weak government steered the country through difficult times. A contemporary MP Henry Grattan, used a naval analogy to describe Perceval: "He is not a ship-of-the-line, but he carries many guns, is tight-built and is out in all weathers".[20] Perceval's modern biographer, Denis Gray, described him as "a herald of the Victorians". Perceval was mourned by many; Lord Chief Justice Sir James Mansfield wept during his summing up to the jury at Bellingham's trial. But in some quarters he was unpopular and in Nottingham the crowds that gathered following his assassination were in more cheerful mood. Public monuments to Perceval were erected in Northampton, Lincoln's Inn and Westminster Abbey. Four biographies have been published: a book on his life and administration by Charles Verulam Williams, which appeared soon after his death; his grandson Spencer Walpole's biography in 1894; Philip Treherne's short biography in 1909; Denis Gray's 500-page political biography in 1963. In addition there are three books about his assassination, one by Mollie Gillen, one by David Hanrahan, and the latest by Andro Linklater entitled Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die. Perceval's assassination inspired poems such as Universal sympathy on the martyr'd statesman (1812): Such was his private, such his public life, That all who differ'd in polemic strife, Or varied in opinion with his plan, Agreed with one accord to love the man. One of Perceval's most noted critics, especially on the question of Catholic emancipation, was the cleric Sydney Smith. In Peter Plymley's Letters Smith writes: If I lived at Hampstead upon stewed meats and claret; if I walked to church every Sunday before eleven young gentlemen of my own begetting, with their faces washed, and their hair pleasingly combed; if the Almighty had blessed me with every earthly comfort—how awfully would I pause before I sent forth the flame and the sword over the cabins of the poor, brave, generous, open-hearted peasants of Ireland! American historian Henry Adams suggested that it was this picture of Perceval that stayed in the minds of Liberals for a whole generation. In July 2014, a memorial plaque was unveiled in St Stephen's Hall, Houses of Parliament, close to the place where Perceval was killed. Michael Ellis, Conservative MP for Northampton North (part of Perceval's old Northampton constituency), had campaigned for the plaque.[25] Memorial at Lincoln's Inn Family [ edit ] Portrait of Perceval Spencer and Jane Perceval had thirteen children, of whom twelve survived to adulthood.[2] Jane (1791–1824) married her cousin Edward Perceval, son of Lord Arden, in 1821 and lived in Felpham, Sussex. She died three years after marrying, apparently in childbirth. Frances (1792–1877) lived with her mother and three unmarried sisters in Elm Grove, Ealing. On her mother's death the sisters moved to nearby Pitzhanger Manor House, while her brother Spencer took over Elm Grove. Maria (1794–1877) lived with her unmarried sisters in Ealing. Spencer (1795–1859) was, like his father, educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. After Perceval's assassination Spencer junior had been voted an annuity of £1000 (equivalent to £65,000 in 2018), free legal training at Lincoln's Inn and a tellership of the Exchequer, all of which left him financially secure. He became a Member of Parliament at the age of 22 and in 1821 married Anna, a daughter of the chief of the clan Macleod, with whom he had eleven children. He joined the Catholic Apostolic Church and was created an apostle in 1833. He served as a metropolitan lunacy commissioner. Charles (born and died 1796) Frederick James (1797–1861) was the only one of Perceval's sons not to go to Harrow. Due to his fragile health he was sent to school at Rottingdean. He married for the first time in 1827, spent some time in Ghent, Belgium, was a director of the Clerical, Medical and General Life Assurance Society and a justice of the peace for Middlesex and for Kent, but generally led a quiet and retired life. Widowed in 1843, he married for the second time the following year. A grandson, Frederick Joseph Trevelyan Perceval, who was a Canadian rancher, became the 10th de jure Earl of Egmont (he did not claim the title) and was the father of the 11th earl. [2] Earl of Egmont (he did not claim the title) and was the father of the 11th earl. Rev. Henry (1799–1885) was educated at Harrow, where he was the only Perceval to become head of school. He went to Brasenose College, Oxford. In 1826 he married his cousin Catherine Drummond. For 46 years Henry was the rector of Elmley Lovett in Worcestershire. Dudley Montague (1800–1856) was educated at Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford. Like his brother Spencer, he was given free legal training at Lincoln's Inn but was not called to the bar. He spent two years as an administrator at the Cape of Good Hope, where he married a daughter of Gen. Sir Richard Bourke, future Governor of New South Wales, in 1827. Back in England he obtained a treasury post and defended his father's reputation after it was attacked in Napier's history of the Peninsular War. In 1853 he stood unsuccessfully against William Gladstone in the election for an MP to represent Oxford University. Isabella (1801–1886) married her cousin Spencer Horatio Walpole in 1835 and was the only one of Perceval's daughters to have children. Her husband was a lawyer who became an MP in 1846 and served as home secretary. They lived in the Hall on Ealing Green, next-door to Isabella's four unmarried sisters. John Thomas (1803–1876) was educated at Harrow. After a three-year career as an officer in the Grenadier Guards and a term at Oxford University, he spent three years in asylums and became a campaigner for reform of the Lunacy Laws. In 1832, just after his release from an asylum, he married a cheesemonger's daughter. Louisa (1804–1891) lived with her unmarried sisters in Ealing. Frederica (1805–1900) lived with her unmarried sisters in Ealing. In her will she left money to build All Saints Church, Ealing, in memory of her father (he was born on All Saints Day). It is also known as the Spencer Perceval Memorial Church. Ernest Augustus (1807–1896) was educated at Harrow. He spent nine years in the 15th Hussars, seven of them as a captain. In 1830, he married his cousin Beatrice Trevelyan, daughter of Sir John Trevelyan, 5th Baronet. They settled in Somerset and raised a large family. Ernest served as private secretary to the Home Office on three occasions. Arms [ edit ] Coat of arms of Spencer Perceval Notes His supporters were taken from an ancestor Sir Roger de Perceval, who lived in the era of Edward I[27] Crest A thistle proper erect Escutcheon Argent on a chief indented gules three crosses pattées of the field[27] Supporters On either side an eagle volant sable[27] Motto Sub cruce candida ("Under the Holy Cross") War cry: Yvery Cabinet of Spencer Perceval [ edit ] See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] References [ edit ]This column contains spoilers about Breaking Bad and Mad Men. If you’re online at all, perusing television sites or participating vociferously on Twitter, nitpicking the beautiful elements of truly great series, then you are part of a phenomenon that few people saw coming. You are the people who make the pursuit of brilliance more daunting than it already is. When Breaking Bad finished its midseason finale on Sunday, amateur pundits (and paid critics) were out in force with their findings. Now, remember that these people are, by and large, enormous fans of the series, so dedicated to it that it’s almost unhealthy. And a significant number of them were unhappy. They wanted more bang for their eight episodes. They didn’t want Hank to put the pieces together about Walt while sitting on the toilet. They didn’t want AMC breaking up the final 16 episodes into two eight-episode seasons one year apart. In the next breath, they proclaimed its brilliance, tacking on a nitpick here and there. That’s life in the instant-analysis online world. And with proof from a multitude of showrunners that they actually read what’s being said about their shows, you have to wonder how much Xanax they have stored in the honey jar. The Wire – the best television series ever created -- nevertheless suffered the slings and arrows of die-hard fans when season five rolled around. The problem for series creator David Simon was that the bar had been set ridiculously high. In that context, extremely loyal fans were underwhelmed by a season that was, in hindsight and separated from what came before it, exceptional. The problem is, viewers don’t separate. Now, was season five of The Wire the best of the run? It was not. McNulty's dubious actions were the source of much anger. Others were bored by the journalism angle. But it was still great television. And lost in the complaining at that point was either an understanding or an appreciation of exactly how difficult it is to make one brilliant season, let alone four in a row. Simon was lucky that the Internet agitprop of hyperfocused fans wasn’t yet at the level it is today. Matthew Weiner, however, is right in the mix of social-media fueled viewership that demands, well, everything. His own brilliant series, Mad Men, also walked into season five with enormous expectations. I think it’s a much more difficult task to evaluate where season five of Mad Men stands in connection to the previous four than The Wire. Which means that season five of Mad Men was still exceptionally great, despite prodding about Megan Draper’s value (singing or talking), the diminished roles of certain characters and a number of plot decisions by Weiner and his staff. What’s happening these days is that social-media has essentially decapitated contemplation. So few loyal viewers are letting the episode sink in or even revisiting it with another watching before going online to praise or complain. That in some way devalues the effort of the particular episode and in some way robs people like Weiner or Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan of having their work judged as a whole. Granted, we don’t live in a time when judging a season based on all 13 completed episodes is ever going to happen. Well, sure, it can happen after the fact – when people later concede that they liked the season more than they had, ahem, bitched about it earlier. You can still see these contrite admissions online periodically. Fans revise their opinion, and it’s often like a weird kind of public apology for things said online in the heat of the moment a year (or more) earlier. With Breaking Bad, Gilligan is in a tough spot because of the decision to break the 16 episodes in half, separated by a year. By the very construct, the storytelling was changed. Season five opened with a flash forward to one year in the future of Walter White. His hair is back. He’s got a car with out-of-state plates. He’s bought a very powerful gun. He looks to be on the defensive. It was a wonderful device, but – predictably – people complained when episode eight did not address that scene in some way, much less wrap it up. Some people voiced concern that the first eight episodes were too slow. Others said it was clear Gilligan and his writers were rushing too fast in an effort to make it all work. All of this chatter while no one knows anything about, much less has seen, the final eight episodes. I have a feeling Gilligan and Breaking Bad will be just fine in the end. Like Mad Men and The Wire, the series is already first-ballot Hall of Fame material. In fact, it could be that Gilligan is the lucky one. Weiner likely still has two more seasons to go. That’s a potential for 26 more episodes to be combed over and picked at by hard-to-please (but loyal and loving) fans. It could be a social media bloodbath, however. Voices of dissent and displeasure mixing in with choruses of praise and unfiltered do-no-wrong adulation. It could drive Weiner insane. At least when he was a writer on The Sopranos – a series already in the Hall of Fame -- he didn’t have to listen to all the complaints that the series was going on too long, going nowhere with its plot and then having the most controversial ending imaginable. That was David Chase’s problem. And he ran off to Europe to get away from the din. It’s kind of quaint to think about that now. That Sopranos shocker was June 2007. Twitter was in its infancy. Facebook, too, was barely open to everyone by then (2006). Imagine if The Sopranos ended last night? Internet = broken. Any plea to have patience with real greatness and not rush to judgment (particularly if the end hasn’t come) is likely to go unheard. But it’s a strange phenomenon when viewers who adore a show and are fanatical about it – particularly on the powerhouse platform that is social media -- are often the quickest ones to tear that show asunder. Maybe the best advice to those series creators who put their souls into trying to create brilliance is to focus on the work, keep their heads down and don’t peek at what the world is saying. Like asking for critical restraint, that too will never happen. When the whole world is talking about your show, it’s hard not to listen. But maybe it’s harder still not to be affected by it. Email: Tim.Goodman@THR.com Twitter: @BastardMachinePosted 05 August 2012 - 04:20 AM a release candidate for Without further ado, have a gander at this component list: 1ppv4: Core paperdolls 1ppv4: Extended palette entries 1ppv4: GUI additions for BGII 1ppv4: Avatar fixes 1ppv4: Female Dwarves 1ppv4: Thieves Galore 1ppv4: Smart Avatar & Armour Switching 1ppv4: Softer Spell Effects 1ppv4: Core content patches 1ppv4: Consistent spell and scroll icons 1ppv4: Spell tweaks 1ppv4: Restored flame sword animations 1ppv4: Colourable Quarterstaves 1ppv4: Legacy Shields v2 1ppv4: Additional Shield Animations (core) 1ppv4: Wizards' Staves (core) 1ppv4: Additional Helmet Animations (core) 1ppv4: Attachable wings (core) 1ppv4: Increased paperdoll object variety (core) 1ppv4: Core updates and item patches «««« [main 1ppv4 update component] 1ppv4: Improved projectile effects 1ppv4: Fixed animations for solars and elementals 1ppv4: Miscellaneous content fixes Now take a look at those three screenshots: What must one gather before venturing forth? Known issues: New in 4.1.0: now go forth and enjoy let me know what is broken Good morning, afternoon, or whatever time it may be where you restAre you feeling excited? With the impending release of BG:EE news have circulated about 1pp's inclusion. I am not only happy to confirm these reports, but also to be in a position where I can give you a taste of what is to come, just in case you should not be suitably excited as yet. How about... oh, I don't know,1ppv4?(yes, let us pretend v3 happened in an orderly fashion)(and see if you notice anything different. here is a hint: the vast majority of content has never been publically released beforeScreenshots are inadequate in light of this eight-years-in-coming monstrosity of moddidity and I would never dream of insulting you.So sit back while you download and head over here for the one time chance to... see me click a bunch of stuff on screen? But also the mod. Whichever you prefer. All you need to do is answer the following riddle and type in the one-word answer (to prove your desert). It goes thusly:And just in case you were too excited by the prospect of seeing a poorly recorded screen capture to notice the link above, here it is again:- Possible incompatibilities between the spell tweaks component (individualised armour effects) and some other mods? (if in doubt/causing issues, remove or skip the component for now)--- Scale shields now have their own animations- Fixed GUI overlap on low resolutions- Improved carried/description imagesawkward emotional wave to all of youCan't believe it. Eight years since v1, and here we are. Thank you for sticking with BG, and me. Edited by Erephine, 02 November 2012 - 06:01 PM.There will be no open cast mining on Great Barrier Island or in the Coromandel, Prime Minister John Key assured Parliament today when he came under sustained attack over Government proposals to open up some of the conservation estate's protected land. Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party joined forces to question Mr Key and Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee, who yesterday announced the proposals to remove 7058 hectares from the protected status of schedule four of the Crown Minerals Act. Opposition MPs focused on the impact mining would have on tourism, concerns which Mr Key rejected. "New Zealand's land mass is just under 27 million hectares and maybe, at most, 7000ha might be taken out of schedule four," he said. "That's unlikely to turn back the 747s heading for New Zealand...and if it was going to have such a disastrous impact, can someone explain why we had a record number of tourists last year while there were 82 mines operating in the conservation estate -- with 74 of those permits granted by the Labour government," he said." Mr Key acknowledged none of the 82 were in schedule four land, protected because of its high conservation value. He parried questions by asking MPs whether they thought any of the 82 mines should be closed down. Labour leader Phil Goff wanted to know whether mining in the Coromandel and on Great Barrier Island would be the "surgical incisions" Mr Key had previously referred to, or like the huge open cast Martha Mine at Waihi, with its 40 million tonnes of tailings. "I can rule out any open cast mining in those areas," Mr Key said. He had not previously given that assurance. Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell asked Mr Brownlee whether Ngati Rehua would have a role in the discussions about the schedule four land on Great Barrier Island. Mr Brownlee said he had already told the Maori Party's co-leaders, Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples, that he would personally meet Ngati Rehua representatives. "They will have a great deal of influence on the Government's final decisions," he said. Opposition to the Government's proposals, which are open for public discussion for the next six weeks, has been steadily mounting since the announcement was made. In other developments today: * Mr Key said he didn't have a problem with his Auckland Central MP Nikki Kaye opposing mining on Great Barrier Island. Ms Kaye said the argument for allowing it
all need it,” Gibbons said. “Everybody’s gassed this time of year and there’s been so much intensity lately, too. That wears on them.” The grind is nothing new to Donaldson, who played 158 games with Oakland in both of the last two seasons, but his offensive production has slowed of late. Even so, he’ll be playing just about every day as long as the games mean something, so Thursday’s off day will have to suffice for now.Dion Lewis is catching the eye of some NFL teams. According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, multiple teams have reached out to the New England Patriots as recently as last week to check in on the availability of the running back. Howe emphasizes that the Patriots are not shopping Lewis and it's other teams making the call in hopes to acquire him. The New England Patriots are back and ready to defend their Super Bowl title! Take a second to sign up for our FREE Patriots newsletter! So far New England hasn't jumped into trade conversations, but given the team's depth at running back with Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead and James White, Lewis could be looked at as an expendable, luxury piece as the October 31 trade deadline gets closer. New England also has preseason standout D.J. Foster as another running back currently on their practice squad. Lewis enters 2017 after having a 2016 season where he rushed for 283 yards and caught 17 passes for 94 yards in limited action coming off an ACL tear in the previous season. Against the Chiefs in the opener last Thursday, he rushed twice for 9 yards. For more Patriots news, follow Tyler Sullivan on Twitter: @TylerSullyImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered in London on 22 May last year Facebook was the firm that hosted a conversation by one of Fusilier Lee Rigby's killers five months ahead of the attack, the BBC has learned. Michael Adebowale said he wanted to kill a soldier and discussed his plans in "the most graphic and emotive manner", according to the UK's Intelligence and Security Committee. The ISC said the social network did not appear to believe it had an obligation to identify such exchanges. Facebook said it does tackle extremism. "Like everyone else, we were horrified by the vicious murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby," said a spokeswoman. "We don't comment on individual cases but Facebook's policies are clear, we do not allow terrorist content on the site and take steps to prevent people from using our service for these purposes." The ISC's report said, however, that the company should do more. "Had MI5 had access to this exchange, their investigation into Adebowale would have become a top priority," it stated. "It is difficult to speculate on the outcome but there is a significant possibility that MI5 would then have been able to prevent the attack." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Facebook said it was horrified by Fusilier Lee Rigby's murder The ISC does not identify Facebook as the host service in the edition of its report released to the public, but the BBC understands it does do so in the complete version given to the Prime Minister. In it, the committee states that the company's failure to notify the authorities about such conversations risked making it a "safe haven for terrorists to communicate within". It highlights that the UK's security agencies say they face "considerable difficulty" accessing content from Facebook and five other US tech firms: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo. The companies in question have said in the past that they have a duty to protect their members' privacy. "If the government believes that it needs additional powers to be able to access communication data it must be clear about exactly what those powers are and consult widely on them before putting proposals before Parliament," said Antony Walker, deputy chief executive at TechUK, a lobbying body that works with Facebook. Automated checks The ISC's report identifies a "substantial" online exchange during December 2012 between Adebowale and a foreign-based extremist - referred to as Foxtrot - who had links to the Yemen-based terror group AQAP, but was not known to UK agencies at the time. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Michael Adebowale has been jailed for a minimum of 45 years Foxtrot is reported to have suggested several possible ways of killing a soldier, including the use of a knife. After the murder of Lee Rigby an unidentified third-party provided a transcript of the conversation to GCHQ. The information was also said to have revealed that Facebook had disabled seven of Adebowale's accounts ahead of the killing, five of which had been flagged for links with terrorism. This had been the result of an automated process, according to GCHQ, and no person at the company ever manually reviewed the contents of the accounts or passed on the material for the authorities to check. GCHQ notes that the account that contained the phrase "Let's kill a soldier" was not one of those closed by Facebook's software. The agency added that the social network had not provided a detailed explanation of how its safety system worked. ISC said that among the information Facebook did disclose was the fact it enabled users to report "offensive or threatening content" and that it prioritised the "most serious reports". However, the committee reflected that such checks were unlikely to help uncover communications between terrorists. It acknowledged that in some other cases, Facebook had indeed passed on information to the authorities about accounts closed because of links to terrorism. However, it said the failure to do so after deactivating Adebowale's account had been a missed opportunity to prevent Lee Rigby's death. "Companies should accept they have a responsibility to notify the relevant authorities when an automatic trigger indicating terrorism is activated and allow the authorities, whether US or UK, to take the next step," its report concluded. "We further note that several of the companies attributed the lack of monitoring to the need to protect their users' privacy. However, where there is a possibility that a terrorist atrocity is being planned, that argument should not be allowed to prevail." But one digital rights campaign group has taken issue with these recommendations. "The government should not use the appalling murder of Fusilier Rigby as an excuse to justify the further surveillance and monitoring of the entire UK population," said Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group. "The committee is particularly misleading when it implies that US companies do not co-operate, and it is quite extraordinary to demand that companies pro-actively monitor email content for suspicious material. "Internet companies cannot and must not become an arm of the surveillance state."Mr. Genachowski says he believes he has the legal authority to act because he argues that his plan would help spread broadband service more widely across the country, a priority that Congress has established as one of the F.C.C.’s mandates. It is not clear whether the latest proposal will garner the support of the majority of the five-person commission. While he has a fair chance of securing the votes of the two other Democrats, he faces a potential fight with one of those commissioners, Michael J. Copps, who has been public in his support for stricter regulation of broadband Internet service. Mr. Genachowski will also face significant opposition from Republicans in the House of Representatives, who last month warned against attempts to regulate broadband service and the Internet. The chairman intends to say that he believes the proposal is necessary to guarantee that the Internet continues to provide an incubator for innovation by start-up companies. “Broadband providers have natural business incentives to leverage their position as gatekeepers to the Internet,” the text of the speech says. “The record in the proceeding we’ve run over the past year, as well as history, shows that there are real risks to the Internet’s continued freedom and openness.” The proposal will allow broadband companies to impose usage-based pricing, charging customers higher prices if they make heavy use of data-rich applications like streaming movies. Users who use the Internet only to check e-mail, for example, could be charged lower prices for using less data. The F.C.C. also will allow companies to experiment with the offering of so-called specialized services, providing separate highways outside the public Internet for specific uses like medical services or home security. But companies will be required to justify why those services will not be provided over the open Internet and to demonstrate that their implementation does not detract from a company’s investment in the more widely used open Internet infrastructure. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. As for broadband service delivered over wires, providers to homes or offices will be prohibited from blocking lawful content, applications, services and the connection of nonharmful devices to the network. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The companies also will be subject to transparency requirements as to how their networks are managed. For wireless broadband, the fastest-growing segment of the industry, the proposal includes a transparency requirement and “a basic no-blocking rule” covering Web sites and certain applications that compete with services that the broadband provider also offers. But Mr. Genachowski says he recognizes “differences between fixed and mobile broadband,” and therefore will allow for flexibility for wireless rules. But he said he planned to “address anticompetitive or anticonsumer behavior as appropriate.” The issue of an open Internet, or net neutrality, dates to at least September 2005, when the F.C.C. unanimously voted to classify Internet access service as an “information service” subject only to regulation under powers previously given by Congress to the F.C.C. That kept it out of the more-regulated category of “telecommunications services,” which, like telephone service, are subject to rate review and other regulation by the commission. At the same time, the commission adopted an Internet Policy Statement that set out principles for an open Internet and expressed its view that it had the jurisdiction necessary to ensure that providers of Internet access operated their services in a neutral manner, not discriminating on the basis of content. In 2008, the F.C.C. issued a finding that Comcast had violated federal Internet policy when it secretly blocked or slowed down the transmission by its customers of information via BitTorrent, a so-called peer-to-peer service that allows users to share large files. Comcast challenged the F.C.C.’s order, claiming that the commission lacked the authority to regulate how it managed its Internet service because doing so was not ancillary to any legal authority given to the commission by Congress. In April, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in Comcast’s favor, saying that the F.C.C. lacked the authority to enforce nondiscrimination principles over an information service. Since that ruling, the commission’s authority to regulate broadband service has been uncertain and hotly debated.“Beneath the pavement – the beach!” cried the Situationists of Paris 1968. “Beneath the pavement – the swimming pool, bowling alley, private cinema and car museum!” reply the oligarchs of West London. But perhaps not for much longer. Swept up in a craze of burrowing, residents of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea have been progressively undermining their streets with elaborate warrens of luxury bunkers, as reported last year, digging deeper and wider with ever more precarious consequences. Now the boroughs have had enough. The City of Westminster, which saw almost 200 basement extension applications during 2011/12, has announced it wants to put an end to the iceberg homes of the super-rich, which have caused flooding, sink holes and structural damage to neighbouring buildings in the past – as well as endless disruption during the construction process. “It is about restricting developments akin to the decks of a nuclear submarine that are too large and cause real disruption for our residents,” said Robert Davis, Conservative deputy leader of the council. “Currently the national planning guidance allows developers and homeowners to down periscope and build whatever size they like,” he added. “Our residents have asked us to tackle this issue; this is what we are doing.” The plans look set to limit extensions to 50% of the property's garden size, with depths of no more than one storey. The council will also seek to enforce a 1.2m minimum depth of soil between a garden and the roof of a basement extension. In the past there has been no such minimum depth, leading to ongoing problems with drainage – and increasingly barren back yards. Westminster's move follows Kensington and Chelsea's proposals, currently being reviewed, which also limit the size of basements to 50% of the garden, as well as forbidding extensions beneath listed buildings and demanding the compulsory installation of pumps to prevent flooding from sewers. There are signs that something of a “basement tax” is also being enforced, with supersized domestic extensions now subject to the same affordable housing contributions as commercial developments. In August, hedge-fund manager Reade Griffith was hit with a £825,000 levy (under Section 106) for his plans for a two-storey basement beneath two large villas in Notting Hill – of an area equivalent to eight average-sized new-build family homes, complete with plunge pool, spa pool, a cinema room, games room, bar and a wine store. It was also subject to an additional £42,500 payment to the Greater London Authority, in the form of a community infrastructure levy, unheard of for single private dwellings. But will such one-off payments provide a deterrent? Alan Waxman, founder of developer Landmass London, thinks owners are unlikely to be put off. “If they are building around 1,000 square metres, that could be worth some £10m,” he said. “So even if it cost £4m to do and the fee is £800,000 the owner could still double their money.” Westminster's policy will now be subject to consultation and could be in place by 2015 at the earliest – leaving the next year open, before restrictions come into effect, for a frenzied flood of applications.Clare Jones woke up from an operation with teeth missing (Picture: SWNS) A hospital patient came round from an hysterectomy operation to find some of her teeth missing. Clare Jones, 47, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, woke up with a gaping hole in her mouth and bleeding gums after undergoing routine keyhole surgery on July 15. The mum-of-two signed a declaration confirming she had one denture, which was taken out before she went under the knife at Royal Stoke University Hospital. But she noticed another two front teeth had been removed while she was in theatre. MORE: Man hitches ride on train, gets cold, begs driver to let him inside She says the botched op has massively knocked her confidence (Picture: SWNS) Medics at the hospital could not explain what had happened and she has now been told an investigation to uncover the truth could take two months. Clare said: ‘Nobody seems to have any recollection of the teeth being taken out, it’s just unbelievable. Advertisement Advertisement ‘I woke up from an operation with two teeth missing, and I cannot believe that I still have not been able to get a straight answer from the hospital. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Two teeth were taken out and no-one can tell Clare why (Picture: SWNS) ‘They obviously had to remove them to put something in to help with my breathing during the operation. ‘But they haven’t told me that. If they had admitted it and apologised and said they will replace the teeth then I wouldn’t be so angry.’ She added: ‘Now I have been left without any confidence and I won’t smile at anyone because I have a huge hole in my mouth. ‘I can’t afford to have that much work done at the dentist and that sort of thing terrifies me so I am not looking forward to having it all sorted.’ Liz Rix, Chief Nurse at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, said: ‘The Trust is aware of the concerns raised by Clare Jones and her family. ‘We have set procedures in place to investigate all concerns raised by patients and we will be responding to the family in due course.’Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and a New America fellow. He is the author of " Jimmy Carter " and " The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society. " He also is the co-host of the podcast "Politics & Polls." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely the author's. (CNN) Donald Trump's presidency has already been filled with many points of drama, but his speech to a joint session of Congress this Tuesday presents him with a true monumental task. It takes place at a critical junction in his relations with an increasingly restive Republican Congress. Trump's greatest firewall against the Democrats has been the fact that he enjoys a united Republican government. As of now, the GOP has been very reluctant to challenge the administration and generally remains optimistic about the political benefits that will accrue from this moment of Republican control. Yet there are growing concerns among congressional Republicans that there has been little momentum in building a legislative agenda — other than some recent talk from Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin about tax reform. Over the past month, President Trump has unleashed his blizzard of executive orders — yet Congress has been sitting around and waiting for the same kind of action on legislation. It is still waiting for a workable bill to come its way This was supposed to be the Republican moment. But with a little over of a third of the Hundred Days almost over, Capitol Hill sounds like crickets chirping in the dead of night. The early months of a presidency can be critical. Franklin Roosevelt, who would send 15 major bills to Congress by the end of his Hundred Days, had legislators working on an emergency banking bill just days after taking office. The Economy Act, which cut spending, passed a few days after FDR began work in the White House.. On the night of John F. Kennedy's assassination, Lyndon Johnson was already meeting with advisers to plan how he would move forward a massive tax cut and civil rights bill through the Senate, while mapping out a schedule for sending to the Hill a host of other domestic bills. Notwithstanding the controversial election that brought him into office, George W. Bush was pushing within weeks for a massive supply-side tax cut and a federal educational bill to show that he would govern like he had a mandate. By the end of January in President Obama's first term, the House had passed a massive economic stimulus bill and both chambers had voted in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. More importantly he was already working on health care and financial reform. Meanwhile, the talk about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act has been just that so far -- talk. There are no bills to vote on. The first major bill that Trump signed happened earlier this month. It was legislation repealing rules that the Obama administration put into place requiring disclosure from energy and oil companies for payments that are made overseas. The bill is significant, but certainly far short of another New Deal. Republicans were forced to go back to their districts empty-handed to face angry protesters at town hall meetings. Why is Trump moving so slowly on the legislative front compared with his nonstop pace on everything else? If you asked him, the President would certainly blame the Democrats. He would say that the Democrats are obstructing and delaying so that he can't get anything done. But the fact is that Republicans control the House and the Senate, so charges of obstruction make little sense. And in fact it's not clear whether Trump even has much interest in the legislative process. This is where his background in business might not serve him well. Congressional politics is slow, messy, incremental and often frustrating. None of this is the kind of experience that Trump enjoyed in the world of business. The command-and-control structure of the corporation, where the CEO is boss, doesn't exist in our separation of powers, where the president has to work with or find ways to work through many other actors with fiefdoms of their own. One House Republican lawmaker who supports Trump complained : "They are not reaching out to their allies here in the House and Senate. The danger is they become more insular and it creates more problems." Trump's decision to fill many of his cabinet positions with people who have little experience in Washington doesn't help when it comes to the messy legislative process, either. Cabinet officials have often been instrumental early on in helping a president design his legislative proposals and strengthening support on Capitol Hill. While his Cabinet members are very conservative, many of them, such as Mnuchin and Ben Carson, are not well versed in the ways and means of D.C. or interested in building new policies. They are, as Trump's chief strategist Stephen Bannon told CPAC, interested in "deconstructing the administrative state." The President hasn't seemed very interested in the core issue that brought him into office — jobs. Although after the election there was talk of a proposed infrastructure bill, the initial idea found considerable opposition when Democrats discovered that most of the money would go toward contractors and bankers rather than workers. Since then there has been little push for any kind of legislation, even though it would have been an opportunity to put the Democrats on the defense. Instead, Trump has focused on other issues, such as refugees, thus far pushing aside the one policy area that might allow him to start loosening the legislative barriers. If Republicans get too restless, especially as they confront local protesters at town halls, they can easily start to cause problems with issues that Trump does tackle. Some might be more willing to investigate the controversies that have arisen, such as with Russia. To be sure, the Hundred Days ain't even close to over yet. There is still more than enough time for Trump to start moving on the legislative front and to put his opponents in a defensive position. Tuesday's address to Congress serves as an opportunity for him to get this part of his term going. If he tries a rapid-fire approach, as he has done with executive orders, with legislation, then congressional Republicans will move the bills with speed and muscle. But he has to keep them on his side. Most members of Congress understand that moments of partisan unity like the one Trump now enjoys are few and far between. Time is the most valuable commodity in American politics, and with every day the opportunities for passing legislation fall away. Follow CNN Opinion Join us on Twitter and Facebook Trump needs to be careful right now. Many Republicans are clearly grumbling that the pace of the legislative agenda is not just halting but almost non-existent. Trump should not confuse partisan loyalty with love for him. The Republicans want bills to be sent their way. The longer he waits, the more that frustration builds and the more temptation there could be for the GOP to break with him. Then President Trump might find out, like presidents before him, just what Congress can do to a commander in chief they don't like.Asian-American Rabbi Changes The Face Of Judaism New York's Central Synagogue is one of the most prominent synagogues in the country, and its new leader is going to be an Asian-American woman. Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdal shares her story. MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Now it's time for Faith Matters. That's the part of the program where we talk about matters of faith, religion and spirituality. Today we want to focus on a new faith leader who is changing the face of her religion. She is Angela Warnick Buchdahl. She has been named senior rabbi of the Central Synagogue, which is in Midtown Manhattan in New York. When she formally assumes her post on July 1, she will take the helm of one of the most prominent Reform synagogues in the country. Now as a woman leading a major U.S. synagogue, Rabbi Buchdahl stands out, but she also stands out in other ways. According to the leading Jewish publication, The Forward, she was the first woman to be ordained as both a cantor and a rabbi, and she is believed to be the first Asian-American to obtain either post. And she is with us now. Welcome, Rabbi. Thank you so much for joining us. RABBI ANGELA WARNICK BUCHDAHL: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. MARTIN: And congratulations. And I do want to clarify for those who are listening that we are speaking with Rabbi Buchdahl in advance of the Sabbath. So that being said, the short version of your story - your father is a Jewish-American, your mother grew up in Japan, but ended up in Korea, which is where your parents met. And you were raised in Tacoma, Washington. Am I right so far? BUCHDAHL: Yes, but I was born in South Korea as well. MARTIN: And you were raised Jewish? BUCHDAHL: My whole life. MARTIN: What made you want to be a rabbi? BUCHDAHL: I loved being a part of the Jewish people, and I just - I was a kid that just was always interested in questions about God. I guess that was a piece of it. And then I had wonderful role models along the way. MARTIN: At the time that you were contemplating this, there were not that many women serving in either role, either as a rabbi or as a cantor. I believe that now almost a third of rabbis in the reformed tradition are women, but you were an early pioneer in that. And I wondered if you received any discouragement? BUCHDAHL: You know, the first time I told my parents I wanted to be a rabbi, I think it really blew their minds a little bit. My mother, obviously, as a Korean Buddhist, I think it was outside of her world. And for my father, who was not a particularly religious Reform Jew, they found it both surprising. But they've come around and feel extremely proud. And I think that, you know, I do, I think, earn the name pioneer for being, I think, the first Asian-American rabbi or cantor. But in terms of women, there were many women who paved the way. In fact, the first woman that became a rabbi was ordained a month before I was born. So across the world, when I was in South Korea, she enabled me to have this dream 40 years later to, you know, to take a position like this. MARTIN: Can I ask you, though, for people who are not aware, being both a cantor and a rabbi is unusual also. BUCHDAHL: Yeah, it is unusual. MARTIN: And they're different roles, so can you explain? BUCHDAHL: Most rabbis have to be tone deaf. (LAUGHTER) BUCHDAHL: No, they're both clergy, they're both spiritual leaders of a community, and a lot of the training is similar. But cantors also lead the music of the worship and the musical education of the community as well. MARTIN: Talk a little bit more, if you would, about why you sought this role as senior rabbi. I mean, some people actually find leading a congregation taxing. You know, they actually kind of, you know, they find - it's political in some ways. I mean, you both represent the congregation. You are teaching, serving, ministering to the congregation internally, but you're also the external face of the congregation as well. BUCHDAHL: You know, I feel so fortunate. I think Central Synagogue is on the forefront of what is the most exciting movement in Judaism, which is radically open and hospitable and diverse and inclusive and innovative. And I think many people think, wow, you represent the new face of Judaism in some way. And I would say, actually, if you look back across Jewish history, we've always been a diverse people. We've always been innovating and flexible, and that's why we've survived and thrived through all the centuries when many other peoples have - are no longer in existence. So the fact that I'm an Asian-American woman, you know, young mother, all of these things - in so many ways, I embody what I think Central stands for and what's happening in the Jewish world today. And - so it's exciting to be able to feel like we can - I can embody that vision in a way and lead such a prominent and influential community to really create different models for the larger - not just Jewish world - but for the larger movement for progressive religion and what that means in this world. MARTIN: Well, speaking of modeling that and changing the face of the religion, did anyone ever question your Jewishness when you were growing up? BUCHDAHL: Absolutely. You know, the traditional Jewish definition traces your lineage through your mother, even though in biblical times, it was your father. But I'll share a story with you that was quite amazing. A week after my nomination was announced in December, I went to the Reform Movement's Biennial Conference, which is the largest gathering of Jews - 5,000 Jews in San Diego. And people came up to me and they said, Angela, your appointment is enormous for the Jewish people. It's good for the Jewish people. It's good for women. It's good for Jews of color. It's good for cantors. And it was amazing to me how symbolic it felt for people, and I was very touched and moved by that. And I know how much it was bigger than - it's just bigger than me. And it's for this larger mission that we're a part of and what God wants, I think, for our people. And I also think that - I had the privilege of leading a service with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the movement, with whom I'd worked for over a decade in my previous congregation. And he shared a story of how we would lead services together. And inevitably, after every service, someone would come up to him and say now Rabbi, Angela, now just tell me, where is she from? And asking it like that. And he always said, you know, I would always tell them she's from Tacoma, Washington. And they'd say, well, that's not exactly what we were asking. And he would laugh and say, and I knew that's not what they were asking. But he wanted them to kind of dig a little deeper on what it means to be a Jew in the world. And it was quite astonishing after a lot of the questioning I've gotten throughout my life and my mother - the many ways that she hasn't always felt fully embraced - she came to that Biennial service and she watched as I led 5,000 Jews in prayer, and as - she knew that I'd just been named to one of the most, you know, important congregations in the country. And I got to introduce her to the 5,000 Jews gathered there and to thank her publicly for being a Korean Buddhist who raised two Jewish children and the many, many non-Jews in our communities that are also sharing in raising Jewish families. And there was a rousing ovation for her, and it was a very moving and empowerful movement for everyone in the room - me and my mother included. MARTIN: What about you, though? A sticky question - did you ever question your Jewishness? BUCHDAHL: It's an important question. I think, inevitably, you go through your adolescence and you're always trying to figure out what's your identity. And I did it at different stages, but particularly then. And I would say that I had both the external questioning from outsiders who said, are you truly a Jew? And you don't look Jewish. That's funny, you don't look Jewish, was one of everybody's favorite lines. But I had an internal question as well because I think growing up in Tacoma, Washington in a very small Jewish community, on the one hand, I was the Jewish representative. But on the other hand, I didn't feel like I - I didn't have the all-embracing and absorbing Jewish world that, you know, Jews who grew up going to day school in New York had. And I would read these books like "Ella of All-of-a-kind Family" and I thought to myself, now that's a really Jewish life. And I didn't - my family didn't look like that. So part of why I feel like it's important to be in a position of leadership is to let people know Jewish families look all different ways today. MARTIN: Before we let you go, are there other ways that you feel you, as senior rabbi, can inspire people to rethink, perhaps their relationship with their faith, their relationship with their community? I know it's a bit of an amorphous question, but I - and, you know, and I don't want to be reductionist about it and say, oh, well, you're, you know, an Asian-American woman so therefore, of course, everything is going to be different because that's not really the point. But I did want to ask is there something that you feel you can inspire people to rethink that they might not have otherwise? BUCHDAHL: I think that people often think of Judaism as a closed and rather tribal, insular people. And it's not just who I am or how I look, but when I look back at Jewish history, I'm always amazed at the openness of our tradition and flexibility and innovation of our tradition. And if you, you know, even go to Israel today, you'll see people from Ethiopia and Morocco and Russia - all different colors, all Jews for centuries and centuries. So I guess part of the story I'd like to say is that my life is representative of the Jewish story. It's not just a 21st century phenomenon, but it's actually the larger Jewish historical story. And we're at a time of tremendous possibility and openness, and I think that part of what I'd say is that everyone is welcome to kind of just see what we're about. And that it's changing and shifting under our feet in the most exciting way. So I feel really fortunate that this is part of what I get to work on in my life. MARTIN: That was Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl. She will soon take the post of senior rabbi at the Central Synagogue, which is in New York City. She was kind enough to join us from our bureau in New York City. Rabbi Buchdahl, thank you so much for joining us. Congratulations. Shabbat shalom to you. BUCHDAHL: Thank you, Michel. Copyright © 2014 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Because the previous 20 years, extreme sporting activities have actually been significantly prominent amongst teenagers as well as adventurous young grownups alike. With the dawn of X Games, a sports occasion created by ESPN, an expanding number of adolescents and also young grownups are investing their weekend break trip delighting in experience sports that entail speed, unique equipment, height, risk, as well as adrenaline rush. Extreme sports have become a popular classification of sporting activities, besides the traditional ones like football, rugby, basketball or baseball. Risky sporting activities like ice climbing, electric motor cross, wave leaping, snowboarding and surfing are several of the sporting activities that can be classified as extreme. One needs to make certain that every law have been complied with and sports tools as well as gear have actually been inspected and also tested to guarantee security, as the slightest mistake can lead to fatal injury or death. Since severe sporting activities involve a bunch of information, expenses and also threats, this kind of sports can not be done as constant as the conventional ones. Moreover, due to the exact same factor, an extreme sporting activities follower ought to consider obtaining sporting activities video camera like helmet or motorsports cams from GoPro Camera to catch and also tape their amazing moments. As the number 1 mold of wearable sports electronic cameras in the globe, GoPro has years of experience in establishing electronic cameras and installing accessories for the most hardcore of sporting activities. Consequently, the company has won lots of coveted honors and also recognitions, including Motorcyclist publication's "2009 Product of the Year" honor and also the "Editors' Choice Award" from both Popular Mechanics and Backpacker Magazine. Several of the most popular GoPro Camera kinds on the marketplace today are the GoPro Camera HD Motorsports HERO and the GoPro Camera HD Helmet HERO. Flaunting expert high quality full HD video clip that looks impressive even on a 52-inch television, the GoPro Camera HD Motorsports HEROoffers incredibly easy to make use of features -many thanks to the easy to use default setup. Just power on and press the shutter switch. Developed for web surfers, motorcyclists, auto sporting activities fanatics, and other extreme sports fans/athletes, the GoPro Camera supplies 3 video clip recording alternatives. User could opt the 1080p/30fps recording that offers utmost High Definition experience, 960p/30fps tape-recording which makes it possible for max large angle to record your every technique and also steps, or the 720p/60 fps that permits you to videotape in liquid-smooth slow-motion. The Digital Signal Processor (DSP) technology, coupled with cutting edge sensor technology present you the richest and also most organic colour available in wearable sporting activities cam. Hence, you can relocate back and forth between various environment setups without giving up direct exposure changes as well as video top quality. Known for producing very stable video clip recording at the highest speed of the most extreme sporting activities, GoPro creates the video camera to offer amazingly steady video integrated with additional Automatic 5Mp Photo Capturing attribute that can fire pictures every 2, 5, 10, 30 or 60 secs. Take your GoPro Camera HD Motorsports HEROwherever you go winter sports, snowboarding, or anytime and anywhere, carefree. The waterproof/shockproof polycarbonate housing safeguards the video camera from dangerous aspects or unintentional fall/shock as well as allows it to dive down as deep as 60 meters under water. The GoPro Camera HD Motorsports HERO features Automatic Gain Control to bring professional-quality noise, lowering noise of wind noise at broadband without any sort of hands-on setups or modifications. There are several picture taking methods that you could pick, including triple-shot as well as self-timer try. With memory ability that could function with 2GB SD Card memory capability approximately 32GB SD Card (not consisted of), you could use up to 9+ hours of video clip and countless pictures using your GoPro Camera HD Motorsports HERO. A growth port on the back of GoPro Camera HD Motorsports HERO enables customer to click in Bakpac modules for add-on functions
rather raise awareness about its dangers. Apparently it's a message people want to hear—not only did they sell out the 40,000 seat Citi Field, but the 20,000 seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, which was rented for overflow, is also sold out. (And only men allowed.) Some media outlets are having a hard time getting access to the event, but fortunately, there are tickets for the anti-Internet rally on eBay! They were originally sold for $10, but now some bids have soared as high as $124.50! Is Thom Yorke supposed to do a surprise DJ set or something? There will also be a counter-rally outside CitiField called “The Internet Is Not the Problem." Organizer Ari Mandel says his goal is to draw attention to child molestation in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. “It’s infuriating that these rabbis are so focused on the Internet, instead of far more serious dangers,” Mandel tells the Times, which has more on the hottest ticket in town (aside from GoogaMooga).Disney’s recently announced decision to offer a refund to parents who purchased its popular “Baby Einstein” videos vindicates researchers who had been attacked by the company. Their study, published in the prestigious journal Pediatrics, showed that each daily hour of viewing of these kinds of “educational” videos by children aged 8-16 months was associated with a decrease in vocabulary of about 6-8 words. When the study was published, Disney’s CEO Robert Iger demanded that the researchers retract the press release that accompanied it. They refused. Now, Disney is offering refunds. The videos seem to make children more similar to the real baby Einstein than to the adult genius they were trying to replicate: Einstein himself developed language late and did not speak until he was four. So parents, what can we do now to healthily distract the littlest ones? There’s gotta be something…As Katie wrote yesterday, the nation is undergoing something of an uptick in crime. Hopefully, it’s only a temporary increase, given that the nation–overall–has been seeing a continuing decline in violent crime. In an interview with Police Foundation President Jim Bueermann, Cuomo discussed if this was due to illegal guns, but also mocked Second Amendment advocates, labeling them as a bunch of people who “just like guns.” Overall, the conversation was grounded in the impact of illegal guns, especially in New York City, where shootings have increased. As you already know, criminals will always find ways to gain access to firearms; most of them obtain them through straw purchasers, which won’t be stopped through expanded background checks, or through a shady federal firearms license dealer. Either way, all parties involved are breaking the law because … that’s what criminals do. The Department of Justice announced that new gun regulations regarding high-powered pistols and gun storage are coming this November. The government will also expand the definition as to who cannot own firearms, mainly dealing with domestic abusers. Regarding New York City’s increased levels of violence, there might be a renewed debate regarding re-instituting stop-and-frisk, which has been criticized as racial profiling. In 2013, a federal judge ruled that thousands of stop-and-frisk incidents violated those citizens’ constitutional rights. At the same time, a better argument for ending stop-and-frisk* is the fact that you’ll have to frisk a lot of people to find weapons, questioning it’s effectiveness and use of resources (FiveThirtyEight): Beginning in 2007, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to get the NYPD’s data on its stop-and-frisk encounters and what was found. In 2012, the NYPD made more than 532,000 stops, each of which could progress to a frisk or to a full search. The police found guns only 715 times.1 In other words, guns were found during 0.1 percent of stops. That figure casts doubt on whether stop-and-frisks are useful in finding weapons and taking them off the street, but it is also the least generous way of judging the NYPD’s program. Officers might stop passers-by for a variety of reasons (matching the description of someone involved in a crime, appearing to be involved in a drug deal, etc.), and, in many of these cases, the goal is not to find weapons. The NYCLU data set shows that 23 percent of all stops and searches were prompted by concerns about a possible weapon. The police did find guns more often in these cases (36 of every 10,000 weapon-related stops compared with seven of every 10,000 non-weapon-related stops). However, this still seems like a low success rate, and it may be skewed. Police officers write up their reasons for a stop afterward and can retroactively claim gun-related causes after finding the weapon, even if they weren’t the true reason for the stop. The volume of stops meant that the NYPD wound up finding hundreds of guns, even though the chances of finding one on any particular stop were small. Overall, the guns found through stop-and-frisks accounted for about 18 percent of all 3,928 guns that New York City found and traced through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2012. Fighting criminality isn’t easy–and of course, liberals and conservatives don’t want firearms falling into the hands of criminals. But the availability of firearms to citizenry isn’t the problem. It’s a constitutional right for us to own firearms. The vast majority of gun owners and concealed carry permit holders are not criminals–and follow their respective state’s gun laws. And, yes, some Second Amendment advocates like guns–many own them–but they’re also protecting one of our oldest civil rights–a right that protects us from an authoritarian government. This isn’t an endorsement, just throwing it out there.Nowadays, around the world people are turning to chocolate to show love, celebrate holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween and even birthdays. Recently studies have even suggests that the more chocolate you eat, the lower your risk of hear disease. Luckily - New York City is home to a number chocolate themed restaurants. Our love affair with the fermented, roasted ground cacao seeds began at least 4,000 years ago in Mesoamerica when long ago, chocolate was prized to cure sickness, appease gods and even ward off scorpions and sustain warriors. We won't go too deep into the history of chocolates but here's a good read on it. style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2430780616696920" data-ad-slot="7211152445" data-ad-format="auto"> Chocolate restaurants and dessert bars makes the perfect location for you to take a loved one with a chocolate addiction for their birthday or even for Valentine’s Day and even if you are just perusing for a spot to enjoy nice decadent desserts, these top full-service confectionary eateries in NYC ought to be on your radar. The Chocolate Room 51 5th Ave, Park Slope - Brooklyn The Chocolate Room, a wine bar and chocolate-centric restaurant has been serving some of the highest-end chocolate desserts in Brooklyn since 2005. Featuring signature desserts, cakes, homemade ice cream, and shakes or floats. The signature desserts include brownie sundaes, Chocolate Room pudding, chocolate fondue for two, and banana split. Even Oprah herself (yes, Oprah) couldn't resist the Chocolate Room's three-layer Belgian chocolate layer cake, but other favorites include the hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, brownie sundaes and chocolate caramel popcorn chocolate. For those who doesn’t live in Brooklyn or don’t have time to stop in, there’s an online store for anyone who wishes to get their hands on the chocolaty treats. Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar 11 West 31st Street, Manhattan - website With two locations in Manhattan, Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar is a great spot for couples looking for romantic evening. On Sundays, they offer “Couple’s Night Out” which with advance reservation will provide “cozy candlelit table” decorated with rose petals and complementary Jacque Torres truffles end the night right. Boasting five varieties of chocolate martinis including Strawberry, Mint, Raspberry, Almond and of course the Classic. That’s four more than most establishments and chocolate dessert menu consisting of truffles by Xocolatti and Jacque Torres, and an array of desserts from Chocolate Pizza to Dark Chocolate Fondu ChikaLicious Dessert Bar NYC 203 East 10th Street, Manhattan - website If you want fun, fresh, and innovative desserts, this is the dessert-only place to go in NYC. Praised as one of the best places to get an ingeniously realized chocolate dessert. This is a very small and intimate eatery that seats just 20 people at a time. The beauty of this establishment is the fact that it is built around an open kitchen where you can watch the pastry chefs craft with intensity like a world class artists. Chikalicious has a rotating menu that changes every day and line can be seen out the door. style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2430780616696920" data-ad-slot="7211152445" data-ad-format="auto"> Spot Dessert Bar NYC 13 Saint Marks Place, Manhattan - website The Spot Dessert Bar is a truly unique dessert spot by world-renown chef Ian Chalermkittichai. When you enter, you are walking into a creative new world full of delicious tastes and flavors. This bar utilizes unique ingredients such as Yuzu, Kobacha, and Green Tea in order to give their customer’s a luxurious dining experience. The number one seller at the Spot Dessert Bar is the Chocolate Green Tea Lava Cake. It is a warm cushy dark chocolate cake with green tea ice cream. Their dessert menu is loaded with cupcakes, macaroons, cookies, ice cream, sorbet, hot drinks, bubble teas, and so much more. Max Brenner 841 Broadway, Manhattan - website Max Brenner is a chocolate bar that promises to help remind you of your love for chocolate. They offer thick chocolate milkshakes, creamy chocolate fondue, and delicious chocolate pastries. The chocolate theme is alive, well, and expressed everywhere within their bar. From the designs, the music, and the menu – you will be swimming in all things chocolate. The first thing you want to try at Max Brenner is their $5.95 chocolate shot. It is a concentrated shot of chocolate and sends dark heavenly goodness cruising through your veins in a matter of seconds. They also have a wide range of hot chocolate flavors for you to choose from including: Chocolate Italian Thick Mexican Spicy Swiss Whipped Choco-Pops Hazelnut style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2430780616696920" data-ad-slot="7211152445" data-ad-format="auto"> To top everything off, they also have a full selection of chocolate milkshakes, cookies, cakes, waffles, and fondue! They even have delicious fruit smoothies, if you need something a bit milder to complement all the chocolate. Taureau NYC (sweet fondue) 558 Broome Street, Manhattan Taureau in NYC sells lots of different types of fondue. Patrons can enjoy and choose from a wide selection of cheese fondue and dessert fondue. While this is not an exclusively chocolate establishment, they do have chocolate fondue which is delicious. Taureau is a popular place to go because it has more than just chocolate. Just because your spouse is a fan of chocolate does not mean you feel the same way. With this bar, you can enjoy cheese, marshmallow, or many other dessert fondues. They offer a little something for everyone. So Is This A Good Idea? You might be asking yourself – is going to one of these chocolate bars really a good idea? After all, eating your weight in chocolate isn’t exactly healthy. What a lot of people do not know is there are a lot of health benefits to having a little chocolate in your life. As long as you do not over indulge yourself or spend a lot of time at these dessert bars, you will be fine. When Should You Go? Valentine’s Days, after dinner dates, or as a birthday surprise are some of the best reasons to take someone to one of these chocolate themed businesses. If you are having a date night, consider eating elsewhere then taking her or him to one of these chocolate connoisseurs to finish off the evening. As you can see, New York doubles as a chocolate covered city. From chocolate cheese cakes to chocolate fondue, you can turn your chocolate fantasies into reality in NYC. Between these six establishments, you should have no trouble finding the perfect chocolate dessert for your craving.Cerberus (pronounced /ˈsɜrbərəs/),[1] or Kerberos, (Greek form: Κέρβερος, [ˈcerberos])[2] in Greek and Roman mythology, is a multi-headed hound (usually three-headed)[1][3][4] which guards the gates of Hades, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping. Cerberus featured in many works of ancient Greek and Roman literature and in works of both ancient and modern art and architecture, although, the depiction and background surrounding Cerberus often differed across various works by different authors of the era. The most notable difference is the number of its heads: Most sources describe or depict three heads; others show it with two or even just one; a smaller number of sources show a variable number, sometimes as many as 50. Contents Etymology The name "Cerberus" is a Latinised version of the Greek Kerberos, which may be related to the Sanskrit word सर्वरा "sarvarā", used as an epithet of one of the dogs of Yama, from a Proto-Indo-European word ḱerberos, meaning "spotted"[5] (This etymology suffers from the fact that it includes a reconstructed *b, which is extremely rare in Proto-Indo-European. Yet according to Pokorny it is well distributed, with additional apparent cognates in Slavic, British and Lithuanian).[6] The use of a dog is uncertain,[7][8] although mythologists have speculated that the association was first made in the city of Trikarenos in Phliasia.[9] Cerberus is said to be the sibling of the Lernaean Hydra, the Nemean Lion, the Sphinx, the Ladon, and the Chimera. Full article ▸Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. April 4, 2016, 10:40 PM GMT / Updated April 4, 2016, 10:40 PM GMT By Maggie Fox The Zika virus is not only spreading across the Americas — it has reached the South Pacific, also, and Fiji is the latest country to report the virus locally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added Fiji on Monday to its list of countries that pregnant women should avoid because mosquitoes there are carrying the virus. Last week, the CDC added the island of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia to that list. “Travelers to areas with cases of Zika virus infection are at risk of being infected with the Zika virus,” the CDC said in its notice. “Mosquitoes that spread Zika are aggressive daytime biters. They also bite at night. There is no vaccine or medicine for Zika virus. The best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites.” U.S. travelers have brought Zika home with them and the CDC’s documented several cases of sexual transmission of the virus. In areas where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes circulate, such as Florida and South Texas, small outbreaks of Zika are likely, the CDC said. But most experts think air conditioning and window screens will keep the virus from spreading explosively in the U.S. in the same way it has in Brazil and Central America. “To help stop the spread of Zika, travelers should use insect repellent for three weeks after travel to prevent mosquito bites,” the CDC advised. Zika is believed to cause often severe birth defects and a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, but most people who get it won’t even know. “People who do have symptoms have reported fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes,” the CDC said. CDC advises Zika patients to take acetaminophen to relieve fever and pain. “Do not take aspirin, products containing aspirin, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen,” CDC advises. That’s because Zika is a close relative of dengue virus, and people infected with dengue who take aspirin or other NSAIDs can hemorrhage. “Travelers to areas with Zika should monitor for symptoms or sickness upon return. If they become sick, they should tell their healthcare professional when and where they have traveled.” Pregnant women whose male partner has traveled to a Zika-affected area should use condoms for the entire pregnancy, CDC advises.According to latest reports, The Vanbex Group, a leading digital currency and blockchain professional services firm, has entered into a strategic partnership with Shanghai Blockchain Network Technology Co. Ltd., the parent company of Chinese cryptocurrency exchange 19800.com, CHAIN-FINANCE reported. Officially launched in March this year, 19800.com already has over 20,000 registered users with an average daily trading volume of more than US $1.5 million, according to the exchange operator. “With their lineup of online products, blockchain-based products and services, 19800.com is already a highly active player in the market and we believe it’s only a short time before they are global leaders within the industry”, Kevin Hobbs, Vanbex Group director, said. This follows the recently announced partnership between Vanbex Group and d10e, which is going to host a two day blockchain-related event in San Francisco on July 19-20. Shanghai Blockchain will be sponsoring the conference with the help of Vanbex Group, providing virtual reality (VR) technology developed by Time Technologies (Canada), an affiliated partner of Shanghai Blockchain. “We have confidence that the Vanbex Group is the right company to help us expand our trading platform 19800.com as well as our other venture opportunities into the North American market”, said Weitao Li, GM of Shanghai Blockchain Technology Network. After securing US $5 million in funding last year, Shanghai Blockchain, a China-based blockchain technology company, has focused on digital assets, research and development and its trading platform, 19800.com. Established in 2013, The Vanbex Group specializes in business development, product marketing, and communications for decentralized technology, cryptocurrency, and blockchain. It partnered with a Washington-based bitcoin hardware wallet provider KeepKey in February to build brand awareness and showcase the premium product to consumers everywhere.Check this out for a public service announcement: Someone is running around Cologne, Germany, covering up fast food billboards with real home recipes. Pretty simple, cheap stuff, too. Turkey and zucchini fried rice instead of a Big Mac, and spaghetti (which, okay, isn’t terribly healthy either) instead of a “King des Monats”–Deutsche for the “King of the Month” burger. It just goes to show that while fast food companies may market themselves based on convenience, it really isn’t that much harder to keep some putenschnitzel (turkey) and zwiebeln (onions) in the fridge. It’s also probably a lot healthier than the ground up blood vessels that come in your chicken nuggets, too. Many thanks to Nerdcore for pointing this out (as well as suggesting that someone make an adbusting cookbook), and to Google Translate for decoding “putenschnitzel.”The border wall between Mexico and America was one of Donald Trump's most talked about and controversial policies during the election campaign. But since taking office in January, Republicans have been hit with several roadblocks in their quest to get the massive project underway. While Congress hasn't agreed to the policy, companies have started to develop prototypes of the wall if and when the government gets the green light. According to the Associated Press, about 200 organisations have shown an interest in designing or building the wall. Pictures posted on Twitter by the US Customs and Border Protection show huge slabs of grey, high, concrete walls. The government has also uploaded a video of teams in San Diego drilling holes for concrete footings, illustrating how work is well and truly underway. Credit: US Customs and Border Protection Eight prototypes have been developed, half are made of concrete and the other half will be constructed with 'other materials', according to a government statement. Customs and Border Protection Acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello says: "We are committed to securing our border and that includes constructing border walls. Our multi-pronged strategy to ensure the safety and security of the American people includes barriers, infrastructure, technology and people. "Moving forward with the prototypes enables us to continue to incorporate all the tools necessary to secure our border." The new border aims to have walls between 18-30 feet high and a 150 feet (45m) electronically monitored no-man's land between America and Mexico. border wall Credit: US Customs and Border Protection President Trump initially stated that he wanted parts of the wall to be see through so that authorities would be able to easily spot drug smugglers. He said on Air Force One: "As horrible as it sounds, when they throw the large sacks of drugs over, and if you have people on the other side of the wall, you don't see them-they hit you on the head with 60 pounds of the stuff? It's over." "As crazy as that sounds, you need transparency through that wall." border wall Credit: US Customs and Border Protection It's no surprise that the wall, also known as Executive Order 13767, still has questions about how it will be funded and by whom. From the outset, Trump insisted that Mexico would pay for it, which was stringently denied by his neighbouring country. The President said he was considering slapping a 20 percent tariff on Mexican imports, however that idea was heavily criticised by Republicans and Democrats. In August, Trump even threatened to shut down the government to get the project started, telling a rally: "The obstructionist Democrats would like us not to do it, but believe me, if we have to close down our government, we're building that wall." Sources: Associated Press, Wired Featured Image Credit: US Customs and Border ProtectionChaos Outside of Turkish President Erdogan’s Washington Speech A planned speech by the controversial Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan descended into violence and chaos Thursday, with one journalist physically removed from the event site by Turkish security personnel, another kicked by a guard, and a third — a woman — thrown to the sidewalk in front of a Washington think tank where he was to speak. A small group of protesters gathered across the street from the Brookings Institute near Dupont Circle in Washington, with one holding a large sign reading “Erdogan: War Criminal On The Loose,” while another used a megaphone to chant that he was a “baby-killer.” When the protesters tried to cross the street, Washington police officers blocked traffic and physically separated them from Turkish personnel. A Secret Service agent standing nearby told a colleague that “the situation is a bit out of control.” This is happening outside Brookings pic.twitter.com/dG4QQZ32xd — Yochi Dreazen (@yochidreazen) March 31, 2016 Later, a shoving match between what appeared to be a Brookings Institute worker and Turkish security broke out. “I am in charge of this building,” the apparent Brookings employee shouted as the two tangled. A Foreign Policy reporter and others holding cameras outside the event were also scolded by Turkish security. One cameraman was chased across the street by Turkish guards. Local Washington D.C. police officers were forced time and again to get between Erdogan’s security forces and journalists and protesters. At one point, an officer placed himself between one of Erdogan’s security guards and a cameraman he was moving to confront, while another angrily confronted several Turkish security guards in the middle of the street, telling them, “you’re part of the problem, you guys need to control yourselves and let these people protest.” Another Turkish security official pulled his colleague away after he began arguing with the officer. Other members of Ergodan’s team stood in front of the Brookings building, motioning for the protesters to come closer, and making obscene gestures. There were also confrontations between Turkish security and D.C. police. The Turkish officials wanted police to remove protesters, and the cops refused. In a statement late Thursday, Brooking’s spokesperson Gail Chalef said that the think tank did its “best to ensure that journalists and other guests who had registered in advance for the event were able to enter.” She added that she believes all journalists who registered were able to attend. At one point, just before Erdogan arrived, the protest briefly turned violent. Scuffle breaks out as erdogan appears to arrive pic.twitter.com/6SdO0aans9 — David Francis (@davidcfrancis) March 31, 2016 As he arrived, law enforcement arranged a wall of large vehicles in front of Brookings, presumably to block anti-Erdogan protesters across the street. This appears to be erdogan arrival. Notice wall of trucks ambiance vans separating him from protestors pic.twitter.com/31D4kj43tK — David Francis (@davidcfrancis) March 31, 2016 This post has been updated. Photo credit: YOCHI DREAZENUPDATE: EAGnews report prompts company to discontinue ‘skewed’ crossword puzzle UNION GROVE, Wis. – Eighth-graders in Wisconsin’s Union Grove school district were assigned to fill out a “Liberalism vs. Conservatism” crossword puzzle, and they learned some new and very questionable “facts.” Students learned conservatism is “the political belief of preserving traditional moral values by restricting personal freedoms … ” Conversely, they learned liberalism is “the political belief of equality and personal freedom for everyone, often changing the current system to increase government protection of civil liberties.” The crossword puzzle was part of a civics assignment that was forwarded to EAGnews by Tamra Varebrook, a local conservative activist whose eighth-grade daughter received the lesson at Union Grove Elementary School yesterday. Varebrook said she posted the assignment on her Facebook page to share with other parents who might not be aware of the blatant political bias and effort at indoctrination, disguised as “civics.” “The definitions of conservatism and liberalism make me sick,” Varebook told EAGnews. “I think it’s horribly distorted and it’s biased.” Varebrook, who serves on her local Republican Party board and has appeared in commercials promoting conservative values, said she was particularly disturbed by the definition of conservatism as “restricting personal freedom.” “It’s insinuating conservatives don’t believe in people having civil liberties. That it’s only for old-fashioned fuddy-duddies,” Varebrook said. “That’s completely negative. It’s completely false.” Last time we checked, it’s the big government progressives who are determined to restrict personal freedoms. You know, the bans on sugary drinks, fatty foods, snacks at school lunch time, salt intake, etc. But apparently that’s not the case, according to Sunburst Visual Media, the puzzle’s producer, or the Union Grove school district. Varebrook said she doesn’t believe her daughter’s teacher is the problem, but rather the curriculum she’s forced to teach. “I don’t think her teacher is a radical indoctrinator, it’s the curriculum,” she said. “It’s not factual. Every piece of homework I’ve seen paints conservatism in a negative light. “I can only imagine what high school is going to bring.” On the back side of the crossword puzzle was a political survey students were required to fill out to identify their beliefs, something Varebrook believes is equally troubling. “It’s about guns, it’s about freedoms, it just goes on and on,” Varebrook said. Varebrook said her daughter is 13 years old, and likely has little interest in political philosophy. “She didn’t pick up on (the bias), she was just happy to get it filled out,” Varebrook said. Varebrook plans to email her daughter’s teacher about political bias in the assignment, but is skeptical of what good it will do. “My guess is most students got this done in class and didn’t bring it home,” Varebrook said. “I put it on my Facebook and people were just shocked. “I think if it’s shared, parents will question their kids to see what’s going on in the schools.” We certainly hope they do. h/t Vicki McKennaA vending machine "cafe" serving hot meals, snacks and drinks at all hours of the day was launched in the heartland yesterday, with more on the way. The first of its kind, the machines are part of a new wave of food vending machines - including ones that slow-cook food and serve freshly prepared dishes - that will be rolled out under a government initiative to make the food service sector more manpower-lean. Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam launched the first VendCafe, operated by JR Vending, at the void deck of Block 320C Anchorvale Drive yesterday. The cluster of vending machines, including two that dispense hot meals such as seafood hor fun, has stand-up dining tables. The pilot project is supported by enterprise development agency Spring Singapore and the Housing Board (HDB). There are plans to roll out more VendCafes in the coming year, which may involve other operators. Spring and HDB also announced that they are reviewing the tender requirements for bidders of new coffee shop spaces to encourage operators to optimise the use of manpower and space. Mr Tharman, who is also Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, said technology can be harnessed to address the current manpower shortage while meeting consumer needs. "The F&B sector takes up almost five per cent of our total workforce; we can't keep growing manpower, in particular foreign manpower," he said yesterday. With vending machines set to feature more prominently here, 16 companies and technology providers showcased their wares last Tuesday at VendTech Singapore, the first networking event for providers, food and beverage and retail companies and landlords. Nine of the companies have not entered the Singapore market yet. The event was organised by Spring, which is supporting eligible food companies through grants. One exhibitor at VendTech, Mr Popiah, manufactures and supplies popiah skins and ingredients, and also has 11 outlets at coffee shops and foodcourts. It will launch 10 machines selling traditional and fusion popiah at offices and housing estates by the end of the year. The company is also in talks with malls. Compared to opening a new outlet, a vending machine saves about 40 per cent in cost, while operating 24 hours a day, said general manager Lewis Tan, 23. Mr Jing Quek, founder of vending and automation solutions provider Konbini, showcased a "vending oven" at VendTech, which maintains a temperature of between 60 and 70 deg C and slow-cooks food. A raw egg put into the machine, for example, comes out soft-boiled. "Rather than pre-cooked food that's kept warm, you can put in uncooked or semi-cooked food", said Mr Quek, 33. Indian food-tech company Frshly will sell hot meals from restaurants at its machines when it launches next month. It currently has 10 restaurant partners, including Ponggol Nasi Lemak and Cali Grill and Bar. Customers can order from up to 25 meal options, stocked just before mealtimes, from five to seven restaurants at each unit. "Consumers in Singapore are super intelligent and tech savvy, and I think acceptance of this concept will be better than other places," said Mr Satish Chamyvelumani, chief executive officer of Owl Tech, which owns Frshly. Five machines will be launched by the end of next month at business parks and industrial areas. Civil servant Yvonne Hong, 28, is keen to try the new vending machine fare. "With so many food options in Singapore, vending machine food is usually a last resort. But if these fresh food machines become more common, I think that will change."The fallout from the imploded Hillary Clinton campaign is prompting demands from Democratic progressives for an immediate change at the top, in this case the resignation of interim DNC chairperson Donna Brazile, says Norman Solomon. By Norman Solomon It’s time for Donna Brazile to go. Like Debbie Wasserman Schultz before her, Brazile has lost credibility as an honest broker at the Democratic National Committee. The DNC chair should be evenhanded — but, thanks to leaked emails, Brazile’s cover is blown. At the same time that Brazile was publicly claiming to be neutral in the fierce Clinton-Sanders primary battle, she was using her job as a CNN political analyst to give the Clinton campaign advance notice of questions that would be asked during a CNN debate between the two candidates. Yet Brazile seems tone deaf about her integrity breach — just as the Democratic Party establishment has been tone deaf about the corrosive effects of servicing Wall Street and wealthy contributors. As the Washington Post reported a week ago, “Donna Brazile is not apologizing for leaking CNN debate questions and topics to the Hillary Clinton campaign during the Democratic primary. Her only regret, it seems, is that she got caught.” Consider Brazile’s response after the email hack exposed the chasm between her public claims of being evenhanded and her furtive effort to help Clinton gain an improper debate advantage over Sanders. “My conscience, as an activist, as a strategist — my conscience is very clear,” Brazile said in a radio interview, adding that “if I had to do it all over again, I would know a hell of a lot more about cybersecurity.” But the current DNC chair’s lack of encryption knowledge is hardly the problem. Brazile has functioned as a shameless cog in the Clinton political machine. That machine hasn’t just broken down; it is now kaput. In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory, the DNC must undergo a far-reaching shakeup. And — with no time to waste — we can’t wait several months until Brazile’s planned departure from the DNC chair job in March. That’s why several hundred activists who were Bernie Sanders delegates to the Democratic National Convention just voted to “call for the immediate resignation of Donna Brazile as chair of the Democratic National Committee.” A lopsided tally came in over the weekend, with 96 percent — 337 to 13 — in favor of pushing for Brazile to resign. The straw poll was conducted by the Bernie Delegates Network (which I coordinate), an independent group sponsored by the online activist organization RootsAction.org in partnership with Progressive Democrats of America. “The DNC must either change or it will die,” says PDA executive director Donna Smith. “And that change starts with Ms. Brazile’s prompt resignation.” RootsAction has launched a nationwide petition campaign calling for Brazile to resign immediately. A Symbol and Symptom Brazile’s duplicitous behavior is a symbol and symptom of the Democratic Party leadership — which remains unwilling to admit that its chronic alignment with Wall Street, big banks and harmful trade deals has been key to sagging electoral fortunes. The national Democratic Party has long been in the grip of those who assume that following along Wall Street — with minor quibbles and facile populist rhetoric — is the pathway to the White House. That claim has now been thoroughly discredited, as election returns from the Rust Belt attest. The old guard at the DNC should not be allowed to hang on. Despite all the pseudo-populist gestures, Donna Brazile and her Clinton Inc. allies can be expected to do little more than tinker with corporate-fueled DNC machinery that is long overdue for the junk heap. The Democratic National Committee is now a relic of mechanisms spinning toward oligarchy. Every day that goes by with the old leadership in place is a day wasted for the essential work to come. Norman Solomon was a Sanders delegate from California to the Democratic National Convention. He is co-founder of the online activist group RootsAction.org, which has 730,000 members. Solomon is executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. [This article originally appeared at The Hill, http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/presidential-campaign/305831-for-the-good-of-the-party-its-time-for-donna-brazile ]Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN has been very active over the past year. Through various enforcement actions it targeted hundreds of sites and services, with many shutting down or leaving their hosting providers. In addition, a strong focus on prolific uploaders resulted in several settlements with pirating BitTorrent, file-hosting, Usenet and Facebook users. When it comes to civil anti-piracy enforcement, BREIN is without a doubt one of the best known players in the industry. The group, which receives support from Hollywood and other content industries, has shuttered hundreds of smaller sites in recent history and took on the likes of Mininova and The Pirate Bay. In 2016 BREIN continued its enforcement actions in full swing. Besides targeting pirate sites throughout the world, it also increased its focus on individual uploaders of infringing content. The group just published a detailed overview of what it accomplished over the past 12 months. This provides some clear insights into its anti-piracy priorities and offers a glimpse of what to expect in the near future. To begin, BREIN stresses that copyright enforcement is needed to make sure that legal offerings can flourish. The main reason why people pirate is because the content is free, it says. “This means that enforcement is essential. Not only for creation and production, but also for online and offline distribution and further investment in innovation in these areas.” To ensure a broad impact, BREIN targets a wide range of pirate sources, services, and facilitators. While it’s impossible to make piracy go away completely, it hopes to disrupt the ecosystem enough to lower its prevalence. “The purpose of enforcement is the disruption of illegal supply and use. BREIN therefore uses a ‘full spectrum’ approach that covers all players,” the group notes. This strategy includes targeting websites and their hosting providers, search engines, social media, advertisers, payment providers, but also uploaders of infringing content and those who consume it. Looking at the numbers we see that the anti-piracy group is closing the books on a productive year. BREIN pulled 231 illegal sites and services offline, for example. This includes 84 linking sites, 63 streaming portals, and 34 torrent sites. Some of these shut down completely and others were forced to leave their hosting providers. In addition, BREIN also took action against or caught 26 prolific uploaders, removed 18 Facebook groups where infringing content was being shared, removed 2,559,525 search results from Google, and took down 4,159 ads for illegal content. With regards to uploaders,
surname is pronounced ‘Bouquet’. It also starred Clive Swift, Josephine Tewson, Judy Cornwell, Geoffrey Hughes and, for Series One only, Shirley Stelfox. With the programme set to be revived later this year, The Telegraph reports that it has topped shows like Top Gear, Sherlock and Strictly Come Dancing as the BBC’s most popular show abroad. Other shows to feature highly in a report from BBC Worldwide include Blue Planet and The Life of Mammals. Broadcast rights for the first series of Keeping Up Appearances have been sold overseas on 992 occasions, with subtitled and dubbed versions airing in Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands. The show is also available on PBS in the US, as well as Netflix and Amazon Video. Press Creator Roy Clarke attributed the show’s popularity to the fact that “everyone knows a Hyacinth”. He added: “Wherever you are it seems there’s a Hyacinth next door, or just down the road, or in the family.” See a list of the BBC’s most popular shows overseas below, in terms of how many times each programme has been sold internationally. Sharethrough (Mobile) Keeping Up Appearances (Series 1) – 992 The Life of Mammals – 958 Wild South America: Andes to Amazon – 930 Wild Africa – 871 Blue Planet – 864 Reports state that the BBC are working on a prequel, currently called Young Hyacinth, which will be set in the 1950s.Strength coaches often drop cryptic references that pay homage to the power of the nervous system: "If your performance starts to improve after set 7 or 8, that's your nervous system getting excited," or "Too much low-rep work can fatigue the nervous system," or my personal favorite, "While you might feel physically recovered and ready to train, your nervous system is actually a mangled wreck hooked up to an IV in a hospital bed surrounded by a team of concerned-looking physicians and a defibrillator." As a young trainee, the nervous system seemed like a mysterious, powerful yet delicate tool that only true strength training savants could fully control. I realized that joining the ranks of the lifting elite required making my nervous system my willing servant. Unfortunately, in my human physiology course, the nervous system confused the shit out of me. Between the synapses, calcium ions, nodes of ranvier, glial cells, and acetylcholine, it wasn't anything I'd expected. I was lost between theory, practicality, and applicability. So I sought out a way to dissect the concepts from the nervous system, leaving the fluff behind. The Autonomic Nervous System Enhancing performance is about balancing stress and recovery, both of which are controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS has two subsystems: the parasympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system. That's really where the complication stops, because I'm taking it back to middle school science class. The sympathetic division excites. It's known for preparing you for either "fight or flight." The parasympathetic division, by contrast, inhibits. It's known for allowing you to "rest and digest." Remember the story about being in a forest and suddenly encountering a black bear, whereupon your sympathetic nervous system provides an immediate surge of jacked-up energy so that you can get the hell out of there? And when you finally make it to a safe place, your parasympathetic nervous system stops you from feeling like a fiending crack addict? Knowing when to excite and when to inhibit is crucial to performance. But most times, "knowing" isn't enough because the ANS regulates itself unconsciously. Most people wax and wane between sympathetic and parasympathetic control, which is like idling a car. Sure, you're prepared for action, but you're not going anywhere. And even though you're not moving, you're still "on," which means you're eventually going to run out of gas. In other words, you don't get shit accomplished and you still pay the price. Understanding the balance between these two subsystems is important for optimal function, so here are 12 tips to enhance the nervous system's ability to seesaw between stress and recovery to improve performance. 1. Don't dwell over your training. A good training session is representative of being able to excite the nervous system. After all, training is stressor – it breaks the body down, meaning that at some point you have to respect the body's ability to know when it's okay to destroy itself. Some guys get all bent when they can't hit a PR or have a bad day in the gym. But you can't linger over what happened last week, last leg day, or even last set. It's likely that the bad day was your body saying, "Not only can't I handle this, but I can't handle what it's going to take to recover from this." So if you miss your squat PR and do 10 drop sets of leg presses to make up for it, you're going all Plaxico Burress and shooting yourself in the leg. Fact is, if you're having difficulties with what is usually a manageable workload, you probably need to get the hell out of the gym, not create extra fatigue. Save your motivation and excitation for next time. 2. A big event requires a big recovery. Excitation and inhibition are closely intertwined, making recovery after competition more important than recovery after training. Anytime you perform above your normal capacity (or in an emotionally roused state), you have to recover above your normal capacity. Keep in mind that this extends beyond competition. If you go to a seminar, or anywhere you're training in front of a crowd you're aiming to impress, you're probably training in an overly excited state. So when you find yourself training in euphoria, rest appropriately. It might mean a few light or off days, but it can extend further depending on how experienced you are. "For a powerlifter," says Dave Tate, "the most cautious time is four to six weeks after your meet." 3. Don't even think about program hopping. Envision someone that is high strung. A "worry wart" or someone without an "off switch," as they say. What do they look like? Chances are you pictured them as thin, frail, jittery, and potentially smoking a cigarette or sniffing cocaine. Stressing over whether you're on the "optimal" program is a death sentence. It leads to second-guessing, which means you'll never stress yourself enough to spur adaptation. Even worse, you'll always be on edge, never letting your parasympathetic nervous system take over. This is the danger of idling. "Am I doing enough?" "Is what I'm doing working?" These are warning signs. The best athletes don't question their programs. They hit it hard, go home, and get it out of their mind. Have confidence in what you're doing. 4. Relax. The easier your parasympathetic nervous system kicks in, the better off you are as an athlete. You recover from stressful events faster, which means you can perform at higher levels with more consistency and frequency. Many world-class athletes have dominant parasympathetic nervous systems, which gets them into trouble because they don't stress themselves beyond necessity. This shows when they apparently "slack off" during practice. But if they're good enough to compete with the rest of the team while only playing at 80% of their capabilities, they aren't going to use the extra 20%. Turning yourself off is just as important as turning yourself on. Do things that disengage yourself from reality, allowing your parasympathetic nervous system to kick in easier. Ever notice how some athletes play a ton of video games? After practice, they go home, rest, and escape from it all. Although I'd prefer you do something more useful like read a book, there's a lesson there. 5. Nap. Taking naps and falling asleep quickly are hallmarks of being able to suppress your sympathetic nervous system to expedite recovery. Don't be afraid of it. "If there's a skill that's overlooked," Dan John says in 40 Years of Insight, "it's the ability to nap when necessary. If my athletes struggle with getting or staying asleep, we're going to have issues down the line. Training oneself to relax is the first step." 6. Pick your aggressive spots. Sympathetic activation is short lived, and as mentioned, nothing is worse than letting it idle. Turn it on, let it do its thing, and shut it down. Save the heavy metal and head butting for just before your big sets, not during your pre-workout foam roll. 7. Do compound lifts. The big lifts are far more "exciting" as compared to isolation exercises. They activate more motor units and affect the body on a global level. In the end, it all comes back to the bear-in-the-woods reaction. Getting stronger and bigger is a protective reaction to avoid death and harm. A 500-pound squat is more life threatening than a 500-pound leg extension. This creates a larger stressor, and larger stressors make the body say, "Holy shit, this is severe. I need to do something so that I'm prepared for this next time." I don't have any studies to prove this, and I certainly don't recommend it, but I'm sure you'd progress faster on chin-ups if you did them suspended overtop a crocodile infested river. 8. Train hard, recover harder. A larger sympathetic nervous system excitation warrants a larger inhibition by the parasympathetic nervous system to recover. High intensity activities that fatigue a large amount of motor units like sprints, plyometrics, and shock training require careful planning so that fatigue can be managed. Just doing more of the good stuff isn't always good. In fact, it rarely is. 9. Reconsider your training split. Doing a barrage of leg exercises on Monday will affect your capacities on Tuesday. Sure, you can still train, but you won't be as sharp as you could be. Look at the Westside method. Traditionally, it's all intensity, all the time, either by lifting a personal maximum or maximally accelerating the bar. Bigger, gifted guys can get away with training like this because they need the concentrated stress. But smaller guys from the less favorable end of the gene pool might be better off following up a high intensity day with a lighter day. Recovery can't happen if you're constantly under maximal duress. 10. Celebrate special occasions. Disengaging from your "fitness self" on special occasions is hallmark of longevity in this craft. Few things are as relaxing as spending time with family and friends. This is parasympathetic dominance at its best. Sure, I've gotten up early in the morning to train on holidays. Hell, this year I woke up at three in the morning to train before going on a 10-day vacation. I know a thing or two about hustling, and I don't have a problem with personal inconveniences while working towards a goal. But later, when it's time to sit down and relax, don't be the person that can't enjoy a day of wine, family, and home cooked food. If you're one of those guys eating clean on Thanksgiving, then I'm not sure I ever want to meet you. As Arnold Schwarzenegger said: "...having a good time is not nearly so damaging as people think." 11. Account for doing something different. By some margin, the body enjoys the familiarity and comfort that "routine" brings. You can get pretty damn efficient running away from that black bear. Your escape route is planned, you know how fast it runs, and you know its tendencies. So when the bushes rustle as you're spearing salmon, it's not as worrisome as it once was. But when you look over and see Sasquatch emerge from the greenery, your body behaves like it did when it first encountered the black bear. You don't know if it's fast, if it's hungry, or if it's going to hold you down and sing the entire first act from The Lion King until you beg to be eaten. It's a new stressor. And your body reacts accordingly. When you rotate your lifts frequently, or do something new, your body gets stressed more than usual. Now, there are some guys that are so advanced that rotating through lifts on a weekly basis is the only way they can spur progress. But for a lot of us, we can stick to the same lifts and see progress just by varying the volume and intensity. 12. Learn how to breathe. I saved this tip for last because it's the most important of them all, and worth repeating: learn how to breathe. I first learned about the importance of breathing from Bill Starr, as he wrote about it in The Strongest Shall Survive. Starr detailed a breathing technique he used to calm himself down before lifting in competition (a great example of preventing "idling," by the way). But along with using breathing techniques to control your heart rate and physiological processes, you need to genuinely learn how to breathe. There are dozens more qualified than I am when it comes to this, but sometime between not wanting to be a fat kid and having six pack ambitions, we adopt a tendency to keep our gut "sucked in." But by doing this, we don't fully utilize our diaphragm. Instead of sucking your gut in and being a manly man, allow your stomach (specifically, below the lungs) to expand as you inhale. The next time you find yourself lying on the couch dead-to-rights tired, take notice of how you're breathing. I'll guarantee that your stomach is lax and visibly expanding. That's the way it should be. Remember this for those nights that you're stressed or not sleeping. What Does It All Mean? I realize that even though I dismissed the complicated terms, the shit is still complicated. What you need to take away from this, however, is that the body is constantly balancing between stress and recovery. Being dominant in either sympathetic activation or parasympathetic activation is a very real thing. The great athletes know how to stay "off" and have dominant parasympathetic nervous systems. For the rest of us, however, the most important thing to remember is to avoid idling, as it's death to both performance and recovery.In Peru’s capital city, vulnerable communities pay a premium for water as poor infrastructure, population growth, and climate change pressure supplies. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue Nearly 1 million people in Lima, Peru, are not connected to city water supplies. Instead, they receive water from tanker trucks and other private sources—many times at a significantly higher price. Click image to enlarge. Households in Lima, Peru, that are not connected to city water supplies are paying up to six times as much for water as households with a connection, according to a survey released in May by the National Superintendence of Sanitation Services (SUNASS). Rapid population growth and a lack of corresponding infrastructure improvements have left some of the city’s most vulnerable communities without affordable, reliable water supplies—a situation that could worsen due to climate change. More than 700,000 of Lima’s 9 million residents do not have a household water connection, the survey found, while many of those who are connected receive water only a few hours each day. The desert capital is one of the driest cities in the world, with a per capita water availability of less than 500 cubic meters (17,657 cubic feet), according to the National Water Authority of Peru. The city receives 25 millimeters (1 inch) of rainfall annually. High prices for informal water supplies are a serious problem globally, especially in growing urban areas where poor people are disproportionately affected, according to the United Nations. In New Delhi, for example, an estimated 4 million people are unconnected to piped supplies and rely on water tankers, which sell water to residents at a price of up to $US 47.41 per 5,000-liter tank, The New York Times reported. In Mali, families unconnected to water utilities do not benefit from water subsidies, forcing them to pay higher prices, the Guardian reported. Even in California, poor families in the San Joaquin Valley must pay extra to secure safe drinking water supplies due to pollution from nitrates, according to Environmental Health News. Lima faces a particularly potent mix of population growth, insufficient infrastructure investment, and dwindling water supplies, hindering equal and affordable access to water. The city’s population is more than nine times larger than it was in 1950, leaving city water utility Sedapal scrambling to provide water access. According to industry experts, the Peruvian government would need to invest $US 19 billion to meet demand for water and sewage, the Lima-based Semana Economica newspaper reported. At the same time, the city’s most important source of water—the Rimac River—is slowing. The river snakes down from the Andean glaciers to provide 75 percent of Lima’s water. Though river discharges fluctuate by a wide margin during the wet and dry seasons, glaciers that supply the river water are disappearing. Glacial coverage in Peru shrank by 40 percent in the past 40 years, Reuters reported. High Water Costs The northern and southern districts of Lima are the areas most affected by water insecurity. The northern districts, which began as settlements in the early 1980s, have struggled with poverty and water access for years. Households in these areas without in-home water access receive their water from water trucks and tankers every few days.Canada’s economy grew at a modest pace in the latest quarter as business investment rose faster than expected while debt-laden consumers curbed their spending. Canada’s gross domestic product rose at a 1.8 per cent annualized rate, Statistics Canada said Friday. That was a bit higher than economists’ projections and nearly in line with the Bank of Canada’s 1.9 per cent forecast. A construction worker works on building new homes in Calgary, Alberta, May 31, 2010. ( TODD KOROL / REUTERS ) Still, it was the third quarter in a row Canada’s economic growth remained sluggish as the financial crisis in Europe and political deadlock in the U.S. continue to loom over global growth. “The Canadian economy did slightly better than expected in the second quarter, but the pace was still nothing to write home about,” Doug Porter, deputy chief economist with BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note to clients. While Canada is outperforming its peers in terms of output and job growth, as an export-oriented nation it remains challenged by events beyond its borders, federal finance minister Jim Flaherty told reporters at a press conference in Toronto. Article Continued Below Canada’s growth so far this year has been “modest and softer than expected by private sector economists” at the time the federal government released its 2012 budget last March, Flaherty said. “The key risk remains the situation in Europe and the pressing need for European leaders to firmly and permanently deal with their sovereign debt and banking crisis,” he said. The U.S. is also a concern, he added. Flaherty didn’t rule out taking future action to stimulate the economy “if we ran into a serious world economic crisis.” However, he said, at the moment Canada is “on track.” Friday’s GDP report is the last piece of major data before the Bank of Canada prepares to hold its regular rate-setting meeting on Wednesday. Few economists expect the central bank rate to change any time soon, despite recent warnings by bank governor Mark Carney that it can’t stay this low forever. “With inflationary pressures already subdued, this second-quarter (GDP) figure supports our long-held view that interest rates are likely to remain low for a long time,” David Madani, an economist with Capital Economics, wrote in a note to clients. The Bank of Canada’s trend-setting rate has been unchanged for nearly two years at an ultra low 1 percentage point. Article Continued Below North American markets, meanwhile, responded positively to signs the U.S. Federal Reserve would be willing to take more action to boost job creation and economic growth. The U.S. economy grew just 1.7 per cent in the latest quarter, while the unemployment rate, though down from its post-recession high of 10 per cent, is currently 8.3 and has been stuck above the 8 per cent level for three years. Canada’s jobless rate, by comparison, is 7.3 per cent. The Fed has already ploughed more than $2 trillion into two rounds of bond purchases that helped lower long-term interest rates, measures that Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke said had helped the economy recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression. In a nod to more action, Bernanke noted that the economy could suffer years of damage if unemployment remains high. In Canada, the GDP data provided business with another opportunity to dispute Carney’s statement last week that companies are sitting on too much cash, instead of investing in growth. Business investment in machinery, plant and equipment rose a hefty 9.4 per cent and was the main growth driver between April and June, Statistics Canada said. “These results show that recent concerns that businesses are preferring to hold cash rather than to invest in new technologies and facilities are greatly exaggerated,” Jayson Myers, president and chief executive officer of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said in a statement. Canada’s debt-laden consumers, meanwhile, slowed their spending for the second quarter in a row. Consumption rose a tepid 1.1 per cent, somewhat faster than the 0.7 per cent rate in the previous quarter, but still well below historical norms. At the same time, real personal disposable income grew by 3.5 per cent, while savings rose to 3.6 per cent from 3.1 per cent in the previous quarter. Businesses inventories surged by $15.2 billion in the second quarter, $7 billion more than in the first three months of the year, Statistics Canada said. But demand for exports slowed and imports rose substantially, dragging down overall growth. In June, gross domestic product grew 0.2 per cent from May, propelled by output in the mining, oil and gas sector. Output declined in the wholesale and retail trade sectors as well as manufacturing. The sluggish economic growth prompted a warning from Ottawa. The Finance Department recorded a shrinking deficit for the first three months of the 2012-20113 fiscal year, but cautioned that the fiscal outlook is at risk of deteriorating. In its monthly Fiscal Monitor, the department said the deficit for the first three months of the 2012-13 fiscal year was $2 billion — less than half the $4.2-billion recorded for the same period last year. The department said that’s consistent with its plan to reduce the 2012-2013 deficit to $21.1 billion. But it also warned that a weak economy poses a mounting risk for the fiscal situation. From April to June, federal revenues rose 4.7 per cent because of higher income tax payments and a hike in the Employment Insurance rate, while expenses rose at a more modest pace. For the month of June alone, the deficit was $1.1 billion, compared with $2.3 billion for June 2011. With files from The Canadian PressJust days after a United Nations panel warned that failure to dramatically and quickly curb the burning of fossil fuels would do "irreversible damage" to the planet, the U.S. electorate on Tuesday voted in a Congress even more committed to the carbon status quo. Controversial projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline enjoy strong backing by the Republican House and Senate leadership. Some newly elected politicians want gas and oil production boosted to turn America into "the next Saudi Arabia," and have questioned the existence of climate change. Despite a few bright spots, especially at the local level, the election results suggested that — if anything — Washington would become even more resistant than it already has been to legislate action on global warming. “We had some wins, but it was pretty much a bloodbath,” said Wenonah Hauter, the director of national environmental group Food and Water Watch. “I think the election showed that the strategy the Democratic Party has used of betraying its base and relying on TV ads instead of relying on a local infrastructure to get people to the polls isn’t working.” Keystone For Republicans, the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast, has become a symbol of everything wrong with the Obama administration. Obama has repeatedly delayed a decision on whether to approve the pipeline as his administration investigates the potential environmental consequences of bringing nearly a million barrels a day to U.S. refineries. Those delays, Republicans say, have cost American jobs. The GOP-led House of Representatives has voted eight times to approve the Keystone. Those votes were largely symbolic because Democratic Party control of the Senate meant that the bills would be shot down each time — even before they reached the Executive Branch, whose approval was needed because the pipeline crosses an international border. Now, however, Republicans control the Senate, and some Democrats have signaled that they are willing to vote in line with Republicans to get the Keystone through. That means Congress could produce a filibuster-proof majority to strip the president's power to approve cross-border pipelines, leaving it up to Obama to veto or sign the bill. It’s unclear what he’ll do, but environmentalists are hoping he'll hold fast against the pipeline. “He knows that Keystone would tar over every accomplishment he’s made,” said Jamie Henn, one of the founders of environmental group 350.org. “I don’t see any benefit in him approving it. It will ruin his reputation, and it will guarantee big protests.” Climate-denying caucus The midterms have raised the profile of several politicians who continue to question the broad scientific consensus that human activity is causing climate change. Most significant among them is Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, who won reelection by a landslide. Analysts believe that Inhofe will be appointed the chair of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, which is currently chaired by Democrat Barbara Boxer. That’s significant because Inhofe has said several times that he doesn’t believe in global warming. In 2003, he said, “increases in global temperatures may have a beneficial effect on how we live our lives.” In 2012, he said, “The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He [God] is doing in the climate is to me outrageous.” His book on the topic is titled, The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future. Some newly elected Republicans are also unsure of the science of climate change, including Iowa freshman Joni Ernst. “I can’t say one way or another what is the direct impact [of climate change], whether it’s man-made or not,” Ernst said recently. She has also said she supports the idea of abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency. Colorado Republican Cory Gardner, who beat out incumbent Mark Udall in a closely watched race, has also questioned whether man-made global warming is real. “I believe the climate is changing, [but] I disagree to the extent that's been in the news that man is causing it,” he said at a recent debate. The resurgent climate-change deniers could make things much harder for the EPA, which is currently implementing some of the most far-reaching environmental regulations in decades, designed to limit the carbon gas output of power plants. While an all-out repeal of President Obama’s most recent policies is unlikely (any stand-alone repeal could be vetoed by Obama), EarthJustice president Trip Van Noppen said that Republicans were more likely try to whittle down the EPA’s power by seeking to defund new rules through attaching riders to bigger spending bills. “They’ll be ordering the administration not to spend any funds on moving the climate rules forward,” he said. “That would make it a harder fight for all concerned.” Coal country comeback Republicans have long complained about a “war on coal,” arguing that Obama’s order to the EPA to limit carbon-gas pollution from power plants effectively killed the coal industry. Those claims have been sharply questioned, of course, but the messaging was effective for candidates such as current Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who won his Kentucky Senate seat for the sixth time on Tuesday. McConnell beat expectations against Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, especially in coal-rich counties in the east of the state. McConnell in his victory speech pledged to end the “war on coal.” And in West Virginia, Republican state Sen. Evan Jenkins won an expensive victory over longtime Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall in an election fought as a referendum on the “war on coal.” “West Virginia now has a representative in Evan Jenkins who can truly fight back against the Obama war on coal...” National Republican Congressional Committee chair Rep. Greg Walden said on Wednesday. Rhetoric in the House and Senate will likely be ramped up, but it’s unclear what effect the influx of pro-coal Republicans will have on policy. “Congress hasn’t passed a major piece of climate change legislation in the last two years either, so it’s not going to change the status quo that much,” 350’s Henn said. All politics is localPolice made 36 arrests and seized a range of illegal party drugs at a trance music event in Melbourne on Saturday night. The police dog squad was used to patrol the Above & Beyond event at Hisense Arena, with officers seizing ecstacy, amphetamines, cocaine, cannabis, GHB and MDMA. Senior Sergeant Mark Pilkington said police were concerned that despite warnings, people continued to bring drugs to music festivals. “They are manufactured by criminals and therefore people have no idea what they are taking or the real risks involved,” Senior Sergeant Pilkington said. “We will continue to police these events in an attempt to minimise the risk to those using these illicit drugs." Of the 36 people arrested, two were charged and bailed, one received a summons notice and one received a cannabis caution. The other 32 people were referred to a drug diversion program. On December 1, police arrested 92 people for drug-related offences at the Stereosonic music festival at the Melbourne Showgrounds.It’s no secret that inactivity is bad for your health, but it may be worse than previously thought. According to a new study, it’s even more deadly than obesity—twice as deadly, in fact. Researchers at Cambridge University studied more than 334,000 men and women over 12 years. After measuring height, weight, waist circumference and self-reported levels of physical activity over that time span, it was found that moderate physical activity helped to lower a person’s chances of premature death. Researchers concluded that exercise that burns around 100 calories a day, such as a brisk, 20-minute daily walk, can reduce the risk of an early death by 16 to 30 percent. “This is a simple message: just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who are physically inactive,” said study leader Professor Ulf Ekelund, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge University. "Although we found that just 20 minutes would make a difference, we should really be looking to do more than this—physical activity has many proven health benefits and should be an important part of our daily life." Furthermore, based on recent data on deaths in Europe, researchers found that exercise was more important than body weight for longevity. Of the 9.2 million deaths amongst European men and women each year, 337,000 of these were attributed to obesity, but twice that many were attributed to inactivity. “Our society is made up of a melting pot of beautiful people of all shapes and sizes, and it is the goal at ACE to help all of those people live their most fit lives,” says ACE Exercise Physiologist Jacque Ratliff. “You don’t have to spend three hours a day lifting weights in the gym or competing in ultra-endurance events to be doing something positive for your health. Small, manageable bouts of physical activity, as this study proves, is an important step to living our most fit lives.” Please visit www.acefit.com for free health and fitness information. The study was published January 14, 2015, in the online edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.Is the human race worth saving? That's the unanswered question looming in the background of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Guillermo del Toro's sprawling, take-no-prisoners follow-up to his comparatively timid first stab at Mike Mignola's unconventional comic book superhero four years ago. The red-skinned, cigar-chomping Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is still a demon fighting on the side of the angels, alongside pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), amphibious empath Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and their colleagues at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. But does an ungrateful, greedy world deserve their efforts? Given a choice between heroism and happiness, between saving the world and saving one's beloved, will self-interest always win out? Amid a welter of eye-popping creature-feature smackdowns and stunning visions of grotesquerie, Hellboy II finds time to toy with questions like these. If Hellboy II is a Middle Movie, as it seems to be, answers may or may not be forthcoming in Hellboy III. Ironically, it's Christmas Eve as Hellboy II opens in a prologue set in 1955, when Hellboy was but a little Hell-BOY (as opposed to the current fully-grown Hell-MAN) living with his adopted father Prof. Bruttenholm (John Hurt) at an army base. The season is a reminder that salvation has already come to mankind—though Hellboy, like many kids at Christmas, isn't thinking about the Savior, but about that other fellow who comes at that time of year. And when he asks Bruttenholm to tell him a story before bed, the professor cracks open a big old book and reads a mythic tale of primeval paradise lost—but it doesn't bear much resemblance to the early chapters of Genesis. In the beginning, the tale goes, men, elves and... 1Donald Trump's polices will end up hurting his voters, a former U.S. Treasury secretary said on Wednesday. "The people who will be the victims of populist policies are the lower income and middle class people in whose name the policies are offered," Larry Summers said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Even Trump's attempts to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. would be damaging, he said. Summers, a Harvard professor who was President Clinton's Treasury secretary and director of President Obama's National Economic Council, said pressuring companies to relocate to the U.S. would backfire. Final tally: Obama created 11.3 million jobs "Yes, our president-elect has made four or five phone calls to four or five companies, largely suspending the rule of law and extorting them into relocating dozens -- or perhaps even a few hundred jobs -- into plants in the United States," Summers said. But he warned that the decline in the value of the Mexican peso against the dollar -- which he said was a direct consequence of Trump's rhetoric -- will end up costing the U.S. many more jobs. "It is a major change in the relative attractiveness of locating production activity in Mexico, versus locating it in the American heartland, and the consequence of that is measured not in the dozens or hundreds, but in the thousands or ten thousands or even hundreds of thousands of jobs," he said. Davos 2017: Complete coverage Summers was speaking during a debate on rising inequality and the series of anti-establishment votes in 2016. The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, said that in supporting Brexit and Trump, voters have sent a very strong message to leaders that they have to do more to reduce inequality. "There are things that can be done, fiscal, structural reforms, monetary policies... it probably means more redistribution than we have in place at the moment," Lagarde said. Much hinges on the specifics of the reforms, however. Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said Trump's proposed tax cuts could actually kill jobs. "The trade deficit will get larger and that means overall, you might save 100 jobs at Carrier, but overall the jobs in manufacturing we lost will get worse," Stiglitz told CNNMoney's Richard Quest. Trump aide: Stop freaking out about his comments Summers said the growing gap between rich and poor could only partially explain the success of populism. "The United States has just elected the world's most visible symbol of conspicuous consumption, that is a bizarre manifestation of a concern about inequality," he said. He said many people -- "the center of the country" -- felt their concerns were being ignored by governments focused on fighting for people in developing countries, recent immigrants and for minorities. "They feel that they are not being heard, and they expressed their not being heard in the Brexit vote, in the Italian referendum and of course in the U.S. presidential election," he added.Suit: Oakland firefighter rolled truck at airport to avoid plane A veteran Oakland firefighter rolled his fire truck at the Oakland International Airport last year because he was swerving to avoid a wayward airplane during a drill, according to a lawsuit he filed Wednesday. Mitchell Ow, 56, says in the lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court that the Port of Oakland, which operates the airport, “allowed an aircraft to enter an area where a known fire-safety drill was taking place” on June 24, 2014. As a result, Ow had to make an “sudden maneuver in order to avoid a collision with said aircraft,” the suit says. “In so doing, the vehicle he was in was caused to tip, thereby causing his severe personal injuries.” Ow’s attorney, Steven Bell said the plane was a private jet whose pilot had not been told about the drill by the control tower. The suit accuses port officials of “gross negligence, carelessness and failure to properly advise others of the time and location of the drill” and of creating an “imminent danger” to drill participants and passengers in the plane. Keoni Wagner, an airport spokesman, said he could not comment on the suit. Ow was alone in an aircraft rescue rig when it tipped over on a taxiway during a turn in front of the Oakland Maintenance Center, authorities said. Oakland Fire Department officials said they believed the plane’s presence distracted Ow and may have led him to brake his special rig, which is designed to spray foam on aircraft during fires. In doing so, the weight of the firefighting foam and water his rig may have shifted, causing the truck to tip over, officials said. Ow was taking part in a simulated red-alert drill to test emergency response time to airport incidents. Ow, a 29-year veteran of the Oakland Fire Department, “is never going to work in any capacity” as a result of serious orthopedic injuries and a traumatic brain injury, Bell said. Ow was assigned to Station 22 at the airport, where drills take place monthly. Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
. Image copyright Pacemaker Image caption Armed police carried out raids following the shooting In the aftermath of the attack, armed police wearing protective masks carried out raids on property in the area. There has been an ongoing feud between loyalist factions in Carrickfergus for some time. It is understood one line of enquiry is that the shooting could be connected. Image caption Traffic was diverted as investigations continued PSNI Supt Darrin Jones said that while the investigation was "still at an early stage police are following significant lines of enquiry". "Firearms being discharged in a residential area, particularly during daylight hours when children are in the vicinity, is concerning," he added. "We need the community to give us the information needed so we can remove the dangerous individuals who carried out this attack from our streets and put them before a court of law. "There will be a continued police presence in the area as we search for those who carried out this brutal attack." Image caption The incident occurred in the Pinewood Avenue area of Carrickfergus Alliance MLA for East Antrim Stewart Dickson said a "shooting is a very violent incident and it will undoubtedly have caused a great deal of fear and concern". Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart said he was "shocked" to hear of the attack and that there was "no justification for such actions". Detectives are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.The majority of selfies that you come across on social media will capture women in various pouts and poses to best accentuate their features. However, in a refreshing trend online, people are sharing their 'ugliest' faces alongside their more photogenic ones. In a hilarious selection of images compiled by BoredPanda pretty woman are sharing their before and after selfies of them pulling their most unflattering poses. Female netizens share a normal headshot followed by one of their faces totally contorted making them appear virtually unrecognisable. While their initial photos are guaranteed to attract all kinds of compliments the second shot may just have followers running for the hills. In a hilarious gallery gallery of images women have shared their before and after photos of their 'ugliest' selfies While their initial headshots might be picture perfect the women are barely recognisable in their second snaps The snaps see the subjects go from brooding beauties to class clowns as they make every effort to contort their face to its very worst Awkward camera angles and minimal makeup help to make for very unflattering second photographs This inventive snapper uses a hairdryer in order to make her mouth appear distorted This girl's Snapchat friends were sure to be in for a shock when they received her second snap This woman turned the camera upside down in order to achieve multiple chins in this impressive transformation The addition of a mouthful of popcorn certainly helps this woman to achieve a new look This stunning woman achieves a remarkable transformation by emulating bucked teeth and bulging eyes By taking a snap from a lower angle this teen appears somewhat less appealing During a vintage style photo shoot this woman couldn't help but have a little fun Without her makeup - or her chin - this woman appears to be a completely different person This girl achieves an almost demonic second selfie by capturing herself from below This woman proves that selfies can certainly be deceiving with her hilarious second photo This woman swapped her innocent looking pout for a contorted grimace in this hilarious before and after shoot A blonde goes from bombshell to bizarre with her impressive contortion of her faceJUANA RIVAS has decided to hand her children over to the authorities but may still face prison. The Public Prosecutor has asked for prison without bail for ignoring a court summons despite a previous judge allowing her to walk free. After being told by the Granada court that any decision concerning custody of her children must be made by the Italian authorities, Juana Rivas has accepted that decision. She has voluntarily surrendered her two children to the Guardia Civil today and it is reported that they have now been handed over to their father. Spanish born Juana married an Italian who she met in London whilst studying English and they subsequently had two children. They finally settled in Sardinia but she returned to Spain late last year taking their two children without her husband’s agreement as she claims that he had attacked her mentally and physically and also abused the oldest son. Her case having been seen as being of major importance to women fighting against violence has caused a flurry of social media activity and once the children were handed over to the Guardia Civil, women’s groups started to protest the decision. Complaints have been presented already to the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) questioning the decision to hand back the children without giving them a chance to testify and demanding that the father – who denies violence against Juana – be refused permission to return to Italy with them. In addition, the associations complain that neither the Public Prosecutor nor the Office of the Prosecutor for Gender Violence have acted properly during the course of the investigations and subsequent decision making process.Remarkable revelations have emerged from the testimony of FBI head James Comey outlining the fact that Hillary Clinton did not administer a sworn oath to tell the truth during her 3-4 hour questioning over the email scandal, nor was the interview recorded or filmed. Comey dropped the revelations during a four and a half hour House hearing on Thursday. Comey was grilled by House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who asked the FBI head directly whether Clinton told the truth during the meeting. Comey replied that he had “no basis to conclude” that Hillary was untruthful during the interview, but admitted that he was not one of the interviewers. “I don’t think the agents assessed she was evasive,” Comey said. The response prompted Chaffetz to ask whether the FBI had concluded that Hillary had lied to Congress regarding dissemination of classified material. It’s “Still a crime to lie to us,” Chaffetz noted. The FBI director said that he could not answer the question because investigators have not examined the transcript of Clinton’s congressional testimony, adding that that they would need to receive it from Congress. “You’ll have one,” Chaffetz told Comey. “You’ll have one in the next few hours.” When Comey revealed that it is not FBI policy to record interviews as part of investigations, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) told the FBI head “Well, that’s a problem.” FBI regulations state that except for rare circumstances “Under the current policy, agents may not electronically record confessions or interviews, openly or surreptitiously.” Congressional leaders are asking for the transcript of Hillary’s meeting with investigators to be made public. “It’s pretty clear … that the American people would like to see what Hillary Clinton said to the FBI,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday. Chaffetz also intimated that Comey and the FBI went easy on Hillary because of her political standing. “There is a legitimate concern that there is a double standard,” Chaffetz said. “If your name isn’t Clinton or you’re not part of the powerful elite, Lady Justice will act differently.” Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) called the situation a “double-track justice system.” “If you are a private in the Army and you email yourself classified information, you will be kicked out. But if you are Hillary Clinton and you seek a promotion to commander in chief, you will not be,” Gowdy said. “I understand why people are confused by the whole discussion. I get that,” Comey replied. “But you know what would be a double standard? If she were prosecuted for gross negligence.” he remarked. “That would be celebrity-hunting. That would be treating this person differently than John Doe.” the FBI head suggested. Chaffetz concluded that he is ‘mystified’ by the outcome of Comey’s FBI investigation. “I have defended your integrity, every step of the way. I stand by that. But I am mystified and I am confused because you listen to your fact pattern and come to the conclusion that there is no consequence,” Chaffetz said. “I don’t know how to explain that.” The full house hearing can be viewed below: Clinton will appear today in Pennsylvania, where she is scheduled to address the shooting of multiple police officers in Dallas. Hillary tweeted Thursday that “America woke up to yet another tragedy of a life cut down too soon. Black Lives Matter.” America woke up to yet another tragedy of a life cut down too soon. Black Lives Matter. #PhilandoCastile -H — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 7, 2016 —————————————————————— Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.com, and Prisonplanet.comArticle written by: Philip Shaw Philip Shaw Theme: Romanticism Romanticism Published: 15 May 2014 Professor Philip Shaw considers the composition of 'Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey', and explains how Wordsworth uses nature to explore ideas of connection and unity. Five years have passed; five summers, with the length Of five long winters! And again I hear These waters, rolling from their mountain springs With a soft inland murmur. Once again Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs, Which on a wild secluded scene impress Thoughts of more deep seclusion, and connect The landscape with the quiet of the sky. Revisiting Wordsworth’s ‘Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey, on revisiting the banks of the Wye during a tour, 13 July 1798’ is the climatic poem of Lyrical Ballads (1798). Although Wordsworth and his circle commonly referred to the poem as ‘Tintern Abbey’, the significance of the full title is worth considering. Firstly, we are told that the poem is ‘written a few miles above Tintern Abbey’. The poem’s perspective on the abbey, therefore, is elevated and distant, and perhaps even detached. Secondly, we discover that the poet has been here before: he is ‘revisiting’ the Wye valley. Thirdly, we are informed that the poem was composed ‘during a tour’ – written, that is, during the course of a pleasure trip in which several different places of interest are visited. Finally, we learn the poem’s exact moment of composition: 13 July 1798. Lyrical Ballads: 1798 edition The original 1798 edition of William Wordsworth’s poem ‘Tintern Abbey’, printed in The Lyrical Ballads. View images from this item (36) Usage terms Public Domain What should we make of the title’s eagerness to establish an exact time and precise place? In the poem’s opening lines we learn that the speaker is revisiting the Wye after a period of five years. The man who visited the region during a walking tour from London to North Wales in the summer of 1793 has changed significantly; at that time Wordsworth was an anxious, aimless and disillusioned young man: the father of an illegitimate child to a woman in revolutionary France, the recent author of two unnoticed poems, and a political radical beset with concerns about Britain’s entry into the war against France. Looking back on this turbulent period, the opening lines insist that then as now the poet receives a healing influence from nature: just as the ‘lofty cliffs … connect / The landscape with the quiet of the sky’, so the disunited perceiver of this scene is rejuvenated and made whole. To some degree, therefore, ‘Tintern Abbey’ presents absorption in natural beauty as the solution to mental, political and social disconnection. The imagery of unity and connection in these opening lines is strongly influenced by William Gilpin’s concept of the picturesque. In Observations on the River Wye (1782) Gilpin notes that ‘Many of the furnaces on the banks of the river consume charcoal which is manufactured on the spot, and the smoke (which is frequently seen issuing from the sides of the hills, and spreading its thin veil over a part of them) beautifully breaks their lines, and unites them with the sky’. With its description of ‘wreathes of smoke / Sent up in silence from among the trees’ the elevated perspective of ‘Tintern Abbey’ casts a similar veil over a landscape rapidly succumbing to the effects of industrialisation. Gilpin goes on to document the ‘poverty and wretchedness’ of the homeless taking shelter in the abbey ruins; an image of social deprivation that the poem seems simultaneously to acknowledge and efface in its mention of ‘vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods’. Description of Tintern Abbey from Observations on the River Wye and several parts of South Wales by William Gilpin William Gilpin’s Observations on the River Wye and several parts of South Wales (1800) describes the picturesque qualities of the ruins of Tintern Abbey, and contrasts them with the miserable living conditions of those who worked nearby. View images from this item (9) Usage terms Public Domain Illustrations of Tintern Abbey From Four Views of Tintern Abbey by Frederick Calbert (1815), in which the ruins of the Abbey are portrayed as a tourist or leisure site. View images from this item (2) Usage terms Public Domain Seeing into the life of things Like thousands of travellers before him, Wordsworth’s perception of the valley and its picturesque centrepiece is informed by the aesthetics of tourism and by the genre of the landscape poem. But ‘Tintern Abbey’ is distinguished from other writings on this subject written in the late 18th century by its complex integration of landscape description, self-reflection and sheer philosophical ambition. After the opening description the speaker claims that he owes to the memory of his initial visit ‘sensations sweet / Felt in the blood and felt along the heart’ that have calmed and restored him in difficult times. More daringly he states that the landscape has inspired ‘another gift, / Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood / In which the burden of the mystery’ of the world is ‘lightened’ and, with ‘an eye made quiet by the power / Of harmony, and the deep power of joy, / We see into the life of things’. Wordsworth, that is, looks beyond surface appearance to gain insight into a deeper level of existence. Distinguishing the ‘coarse pleasures’ that his younger self took in the forms of nature from the sober reflections of his mature self, the poet states that he has ‘felt … a sense sublime’: Of something far more deeply interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of the setting suns, And the round ocean, and the living air, And the blue sky, and in the mind of man – A motion and a spirit that impels All thinking things, all objects of all thought, And rolls through all things. In contrast to the superficial unity of the picturesque, Wordsworth uses repeated connectives (‘And the round ocean, and the living air’) as a means of fusing mind and nature in a living whole. The ‘sense sublime’ that ‘rolls though all things’, including all ‘thinking things’ is, as many critics note, a pantheistic life-force, an echo of the ‘One Life within us and abroad’ celebrated by Coleridge in ‘The Eolian Harp’ (1795). The language of my former heart Here, on this triumphant note, the poem might have ended. But instead the poem introduces a new figure, the poet’s sister Dorothy. In Dorothy’s ‘wild eyes’ Wordsworth is able to ‘read’ his ‘former pleasures’. The sister, in whom the poet is able to ‘behold … what I once was’, thus serves as a final point of connection between past and present. With Dorothy established as a ‘dwelling-place’ for recollections of this moment in 1793, Wordsworth concludes ‘Tintern Abbey’ with a confident assertion of the ability of memory to overcome distinctions of time and space. Written by Philip Shaw Philip Shaw is Professor of Romantic Studies at the University of Leicester. He maintains research interests in British Romantic writing and the visual arts. His publications include: Suffering and Sentiment in Romantic Military Art (2013), The Sublime (2006), Waterloo and the Romantic Imagination (2002), and, as editor, Romantic Wars: Studies in Culture and Conflict, 1789-1822 (2000). He is currently working on studies of literature, war and aesthetics in the 18th and 19th centuries.Sols 1344-1345: Touch and Go 16 May 2016 d on Wednesd ay. So we had to decide which scientific observations were most important and work to fit them into the plan. I helped select a target for a ChemCam observation of "Impalila," one of the freshly-exposed rock surfaces, and was glad to see that it made it into the plan. Mastcam will acquire a multispectral observation of the broken rocks before MAHLI takes pictures of "Stampriet," Impalila, "Narubis," and "Swartmodder." As I mentioned in my previous blog, it's difficult to get MAHLI close to these targets, so the camera will be placed no closer than 5 cm from any of the targets; we can't get any closer than 25 cm to Swartmodder. After MAHLI imaging is completed and the arm stowed, the rover will drive toward the west, hopefully getting back to the Sol 1311 location, where the rover was before we decided to return to the Lubango area. The drive planned last weekend completed successfully, moving MSL less than 6 meters into position for contact science on the rocks broken by the rover wheels. Planning is restricted this week, so we are planning 2 sols' worth of activities. The first sol (1344) includes a "touch and go" that requires extra Rover Planner staffing, as both arm activities and a drive are planned. It's great to be able to do so much in one plan, but we had to cram a lot of stuff into Sol 1344 because the drive has to be completed before the afternoon MRO communications relay to allow another drive to be planneay. So we had to decide which scientific observations were most important and work to fit them into the plan. I helped select a target for a ChemCam observation of "Impalila," one of the freshly-exposed rock surfaces, and was glad to see that it made it into the plan. Mastcam will acquire a multispectral observation of the broken rocks before MAHLI takes pictures of "Stampriet," Impalila, "Narubis," and "Swartmodder." As I mentioned in my previous blog, it's difficult to get MAHLI close to these targets, so the camera will be placed no closer than 5 cm from any of the targets; we can't get any closer than 25 cm to Swartmodder. After MAHLI imaging is completed and the arm stowed, the rover will drive toward the west, hopefully getting back to the Sol 1311 location, where the rover was before we decided to return to the Lubango area. Sol 1345 observations cannot be targeted because they will be taken after the drive, so ChemCam and Mastcam will perform routine sky measurements. That's it! by Ken HerkenhoffImage caption Pope Francis has said dealing with sex abuse is vital for the Church's credibility. Pope Francis is to set up a Vatican committee to fight sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church and offer help to victims. The announcement, by the archbishop of Boston, follows a meeting between the Pope and his eight cardinal advisers. It comes days after the Vatican refused a UN request for information on alleged abuse by priests, nuns or monks. One of the main Italian associations of clerical abuse survivors has said it has "little trust" in the Vatican. Pope Francis has said dealing with sex abuse is vital for the Church's credibility. Earlier this week the Pope expressed his compassion for the many victims of sex abuse by priests around the world. Scandal Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston, said the proposed panel of experts could provide codes of conduct for clergymen, guidelines for Church officials and better checks for would-be priests. Catholic Church abuse scandals Germany - A priest, named only as Andreas L, admitted in 2012 to 280 counts of sexual abuse involving three boys over a decade - A priest, named only as Andreas L, admitted in 2012 to 280 counts of sexual abuse involving three boys over a decade United States - Revelations about abuses in the 1990s by two Boston priests, Paul Shanley and John Geoghan, caused public outrage - Revelations about abuses in the 1990s by two Boston priests, Paul Shanley and John Geoghan, caused public outrage Belgium - The bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, resigned in April 2010 after admitting that he had sexually abused a boy for years - The bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, resigned in April 2010 after admitting that he had sexually abused a boy for years Italy - The Catholic Church in Italy admitted in 2010 that about 100 cases of paedophile priests had been reported over 10 years The Catholic Church in Italy admitted in 2010 that about 100 cases of paedophile priests had been reported over 10 years Ireland - A report in 2009 found that sexual and psychological abuse was "endemic" in Catholic-run industrial schools and orphanages for most of the 20th century "Up until now there has been so much focus on the judicial parts of this but the pastoral part is very, very important. The Holy Father is concerned about that," he said. "We feel that having the advantage of a commission of experts who will be able to study these issues and bring concrete recommendations for the Holy Father and the Holy See will be very important." He added that the move was in line with the approach of the former Pope, Benedict XVI, who referred to the "filth" in the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict was, however, accused of failing to do enough to address the problem. The Commission will keep the Pope informed about programmes in place for the protection of children, will formulate suggestions for new initiatives, the Vatican said in a statement. The archdiocese of Boston was the centre of a child sexual abuse scandal involving Catholic priests in the US in 2002. It ultimately led to the resignation of the archbishop at the time. The Catholic Church has faced a raft of allegations of child sex abuse by priests around the world and criticism over inadequate responses by bishops. Earlier this year the Pope strengthened Vatican laws on child abuse, broadening the definition of crimes against minors to include sexual abuse of children. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child put a wide-ranging questionnaire to the Holy See - the city state's diplomatic entity - last July, asking for detailed information about the particulars of all sexual abuse cases notified to the Vatican since 1995. The Vatican refused, saying the cases were the responsibility of the judicial systems of countries where abuse took place. Vatican officials are due to be questioned about child abuse, among other issues, by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in January.It’s my personal preference to incentivize fellow developers, in order to truly get the best out of them…but when funds are scarce or when personalities are too strong, draconian measures must be put in place. (Sometimes, it just makes sense to replace cash with pain as the currency to dole out.) However, to be fair, there should be some code of conduct, since it wouldn’t be just to not have a proper system installed. So, here are some proposed punishments that match their dirty deeds: Crime: Using string concatenation to create SQL, instead of using prepared statements or other similar frameworks/data structures. Punishment: Be forced to build a chair from moldy wood and rusted nails while blindfolded and then to work from that chair for a year. Crime: Going on vacation to another part of the world for several weeks and forgetting to commit your code before leaving. Punishment: Building security will occasionally “forget” that you are an employee, and assuming that you are a domestic terrorist, they will tackle you and blast you in the face with pepper spray. Crime: Immediately shirking blame and rejecting the claim of a bug in your code, even without hearing the evidence. (Even worse, not apologizing for your behavior when your code is actually found to be the cause.) Punishment (First Offense): Find the dirtiest computer mouse in the department and be forced to keep it in your mouth for an entire day. Punishment (Second Offense): Find the dirtiest computer mouse in the department and be forced to hold it in your ass for an entire day. Punishment (Third Offense): 2nd offense punishment, followed immediately by 1st offense punishment. Crime: Knowing that a reliable library already exists with desired functionality and writing your own anyway, even though a deadline is approaching. Punishment: For the next year of your life, you will be required to maintain legacy, never-reusable COBOL code from 1979. More importantly, you will be required to work (and sweat your ass off) inside the VMS machine that currently executes the program, and you will be required to wear the polyester suit of the original programmer while working. Crime: Putting the majority of your program’s logic and flow inside a database stored procedure, instead of inside your actual application. Punishment: For your next project, a wall will be placed between you and your computer, and you can only touch your keyboard and mouse via a pair of glory holes. Most of the time, you will only come into contact with your equipment, but occasionally, you’ll encounter “the equipment” of someone else…which may then require a handjob in order to push your next code changes to Github. Peter Bolton is the author of Blowing the Bridge: A Software Story and has also been known to be a grumpy bastard on occasion. AdvertisementsYou can choose to receive EDENEWS, or Eden press releases, or both and also occasional promotions. Please enter your email address below to be taken to a registration form. You will receive a confirmation message with a link to click to confirm your request. Also, note that your email and information will not be shared with anyone. Print Article Protein builds muscle, organ, and all body tissue. It aids digestion. It provides structure to hair, fingernails, and ligaments. It produces stomach acid, aids the movement of muscles, helps us to see, produces antibodies, and delivers oxygen to blood. It is essential to life. Proteins are amino acids linked together in chains. Of twenty-two known amino acids, eight are classified as 'essential,' signifying the body does not produce them so they must be obtained from food we eat. The other fourteen amino acids are considered non-essential, signifying the body is capable of making them so they are not diet dependent. Glutamic acid is a 'non-essential' classified amino acid that is very common in plants and animals. Besides being a building block of protein, glutamic acid is vital in the transmission of nerve impulses, and is even manufactured in the brain. A typical human contains 4.4 pounds of glutamate or Glutamic acid. It is a main component of proteins and peptides, and present in most tissue. Virtually every food contains glutamate. It's a major component of protein rich food like meat, eggs, poultry, milk, cheese, and fish. Glutamate or Glutamic acid is also ubiquitous in grain, beans, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, nuts, sea vegetables such as kombu, and even mother's milk. The following list shows common food content amounts: Food Source Serving Size Amount of Natural Glutamic Acid Chicken breast, roasted 1 each 8.62 grams Chicken breast, batter fried 1 each 8.50 grams Turkey breast 3 oz. 3.86 grams Ground beef, broiled 3 oz. 3.28 grams Sirloin, roasted 3 oz. 3.54 grams Avocado & Cheese Sandwich on Wheat 1 each 4.07 grams Fish Sandwich 1 each 3.38 grams Pretzels 5 pieces 0.91 grams Garbanzo Beans 1/2 cup 1.27 grams Baked Potato w/Cheese 1 each 3.02 grams Baked Potato, plain 1 each 0.78 grams Tomato Paste, Unsalted 1/2 cup 1.93 grams Walnuts 1 oz. 1.42 grams Peanut Butter 2 Tbsp. 1.60 grams Sunflower Seeds 1 oz. 1.21 grams Buttermilk Pancakes 1 ea. 1.53 grams Couscous 1/2 cup 2.14 grams Lobster, boiled 1 cup 5.06 grams Yellowtail Fish 1 fillet 12.94 grams Salmon 1 fillet 12.68 grams Egg 1 each 0.63 grams Yogurt, plain 8 oz. 2.51 grams Hot Cocoa 1 cup 1.88 grams Milk 1 cup 200 mg to 1.68 grams depending on the amount of fat in the milk Kelp (kombu) 1/2 cup 0.11 grams Wakame 1/2 cup 0.08 grams All measurements are from "Nutrients In Food" compiled by Elizabeth S. Hands for the USDA and The USDA Website There are two common forms of glutamic acid, L-glutamic acid and D-glutamic acid. L-glutamic acid found in protein is referred to as 'bound' or 'protein bound' glutamic acid. In real, natural foods amino acids are rarely free. Rather, they are linked or bound in long chains to other amino acids in peptides or proteins. D-glutamic acid 'outside of protein' or 'free glutamic acid' is artificially and chemically produced outside of the body. This is what is known as monosodium glutamate or MSG. Asian cultures have used sea vegetables to enhance the flavor of food for centuries, especially kombu. Kombu is traditionally used to make broth called 'dashi' and more recently kombu extract. Though both are sources of glutamic acid, kombu extract is a concentrated form. Keep in mind, though, that this glutamic acid is 'bound to protein', L-glutamic acid. Dashi and extract is simply kombu simmered in water to extract the flavor essence of glutamic acid. Kombu is one of the lowest sources of glutamic acid, if you look at the above chart, compared to other high protein foods. In 1907 a Japanese chemist, Kikunae Ikeda, was experimenting with food flavors in a quest for what the Japanese consider the perfectly balanced combination of flavors, 'umami'. Professor Ikeda captured what he believed was umami by isolating glutamic acid from seaweed and other plants such as wheat, beets, corn, and molasses. In 1909 the Ajinomoto Corporation of Japan patented it as monosodium glutamate or MSG and sold it in the U.S. as Accent, a flavor enhancer. This chemical is not food like kombu sea vegetable, but rather a toxic concoction and excitotoxin. When we eat food containing protein, our body breaks it down or hydrolyzes it in the stomach and lower intestines through the action of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. In a healthy person, the body controls the amount of glutamic acid that it takes from protein. Excess glutamic acid is not stored by the body, preventing toxicity. It is passed off as waste. Utilized this way, glutamic acid from eating protein is harmless. In the chemical MSG manufacturing plant, however, the bound glutamic acid in the above mentioned foods is broken down or made 'free of protein' by various processes (hydrolyzed, autolyzed, modified or fermented with strong chemicals, acids, bacteria, or enzymes, which are often genetically modified) and refined to a white crystal powder that resembles salt or sugar. Chemical MSG contains 78% glutamate, 12.2% sodium, and 9.6% water. This chemical form is known as D-glutamic acid. It usually contains some L-glutamic acid, pyroglutamic acid, and other contaminants. This factory made version causes serious reactions. From our research there is no D-glutamic acid, pyroglutamic acid or other contaminants in the protein found in plants and animals, only L-glutamic acid. When pure, manufactured, MSG is ingested a rapid effect occurs from the glutamate. This 'free of protein' glutamic acid, or glutamate unlike the naturally occurring 'protein bound' glutamate, is not attached to other amino acids. The normal digestive disassembly process does not happen because there are no 'peptide' bonds to slow the process. The sudden increase in free glutamic acid is then rapidly absorbed and can raise blood levels of glutamate eight to ten times causing toxicity. Chemically produced MSG is found in a very wide variety of foods both in the supermarket and in natural food stores. It may not be, and commonly is not, declared on the label because it is a "processing aid" used in an ingredient. When MSG is used as a processing aid, it is not required by the FDA to be declared on the label. MSG is in hydrolyzed animal, vegetable (textured vegetable protein TVP), and milk protein. Calcium and sodium cassinate are by-products of hydrolyzed milk products. It is found in maltodextrin from processed corn and cornstarch. Bouillon cubes, autolyzed yeast extracts and chemically manufactured malt syrups contain small amounts of it. Whey protein, protein isolates, smoke flavorings, barbecue chips, and cheap and imitation soy sauces contain it. It is also found in chemically made gelatins and even in children's vaccinations. We assure you that Eden Foods does not use the chemical MSG in any Eden Beans, Edensoy, or any food item that we offer. There is much confusion, contradictory information and studies in the public domain. Most of it skewed or flawed, having been paid for by the manufactures of MSG. Commonly documents are incorrect in referring to chemical MSG as L-glutamate, when in fact it is D-glutamate. Eden Foods realizes there is a real danger in consuming MSG. The following websites may give you some reassurance regarding natural glutamic acid found in foods and its difference from chemical MSG:Cybersecurity reports reveal only a portion of all cyber-attacks on US central bank and identifies 51 cases of ‘information disclosure’ involving the Fed’s board Federal Reserve was hacked more than 50 times in the past five years The Federal Reserve detected more than 50 cyber breaches between 2011 and 2015, with several incidents described internally as “espionage”, according to Fed records. The US central bank’s staff suspected hackers or spies in many of the incidents, the records show. The Fed’s computer systems play a critical role in global banking and hold confidential information on discussions about monetary policy that drives financial markets. The cybersecurity reports, obtained by Reuters through a Freedom of Information Act request, were heavily redacted by Fed officials to keep secret the central bank’s security procedures. Fed chief Janet Yellen says interest rates will rise 'in coming months' Read more The Fed declined to comment, and the redacted records do not say who hacked the bank’s systems or whether they accessed sensitive information or stole money. “Hacking is a major threat to the stability of the financial system. This data shows why,” said James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington thinktank. Lewis reviewed the files at the request of Reuters. The records represent only a slice of all cyber-attacks on the Fed because they include only cases involving the Washington-based Board of Governors, a federal agency that is subject to public records laws. Reuters did not have access to reports by local cybersecurity teams at the central bank’s 12 privately owned regional branches. The disclosure of breaches at the Fed comes at a time when cybersecurity at central banks worldwide is under scrutiny after hackers stole $81m from a Bangladesh Bank account at the New York Fed. Cyber thieves have targeted big financial institutions around the world, including America’s largest bank, JPMorgan, as well as smaller players such as Ecuador’s Banco del Austro and Vietnam’s Tien Phong Bank. Hacking attempts were cited in 140 of the 310 reports provided by the Fed’s board. In some reports, the incidents were not classified in any way. In eight information breaches between 2011 and 2013 – a time when the Fed’s trading desk was buying huge amounts of bonds – Fed staff wrote that the cases involved “malicious code”, referring to software used by hackers. Four hacking incidents in 2012 were considered acts of “espionage”, according to the records. Information was disclosed in at least two of those incidents, according to the records. In the other two incidents, the records did not indicate whether there was a breach. In all, the Fed’s national team of cybersecurity experts, which operates mostly out of New Jersey, identified 51 cases of “information disclosure” involving the Fed’s board. Separate reports showed a local team at the board registered four such incidents. The cases of information disclosure can refer to a range of ways unauthorized people see Fed information, from hacking attacks to Fed emails sent to the wrong recipients, according to two former Fed cybersecurity staffers who spoke on condition of anonymity. The former employees said that cyber-attacks on the Fed are about as common as at other large financial institutions. It was unclear if the espionage incidents involved foreign governments, as has been suspected in some hacks of federal agencies. Beginning in 2014, for instance, hackers stole more than 21m background check records from the federal Office of Personnel Management, and US officials attributed the breach to the Chinese government, an accusation denied by Beijing. Target for spying Security analysts said foreign governments could stand to gain from inside Fed information. China and Russia, for instance, are major players in the $13.8tn federal debt market where Fed policy plays a big role in setting interest rates. “Obviously that makes it a very clear [hacking] target for other nation states,” said Ari Schwartz, a former top cybersecurity adviser at the White House who is now with the law firm Venable. US prosecutors in March accused hackers associated with Iran’s government of attacking dozens of US banks. In the records obtained by Reuters, espionage might also refer to spying by private companies, or even individuals such as British activist Lauri Love, who is accused of infiltrating a server at a regional Fed branch in October 2012. Love stole names, email addresses and phone numbers of Fed computer system users, according to a federal indictment. The redacted reports obtained by Reuters do not mention Love or any other hacker by name. The records point to breaches during a sensitive period for the Fed, which was ramping up aid for the struggling US economy by buying massive quantities of US government debt and mortgage-backed securities. In 2010 and 2011, the Fed went on a $600bn bond-buying spree that
those that became emblems of the Black Lives Matter movement. RELATED: Grand jury declines to indict jail employees in Sandra Bland's death Encinia - who joined DPS in June 2014 - stopped Bland on July 10 for an improper lane change near Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, and where she had recently taken a new job. Video of the incident - from a bystander and a dashboard camera in Encinia's cruiser - recorded an increasingly confrontational encounter between the two after Bland refused to put out a cigarette, with Encinia at one point brandishing a stun gun and yelling at Bland, "I will light you up!" Data curated by FindTheData Encinia has never spoken publicly about the arrest. The only account made public is from the affidavit he filed and the recordings, where he could be heard telling a supervisor the traffic stop was not over when he pulled Bland out of the car. "The traffic stop was not completed," he said, in the video. "I was trying to get her out over to sign." Later, he told the supervisor he repeatedly tried to de-escalate the situation, parts of which were out of the frame of the camera, and that Bland kicked him and tried to get away. Later, he can be heard saying he needed Bland on the sidewalk "because I don't want to be out in the middle of the road while we're arguing or whatever." RELATED: Bernie Sanders says Sandra Bland would still be alive if she were white Three days after the arrest, jail staff found Bland hanging in her Waller County jail cell from a noose made from a trash bag. Her death, ruled a suicide by medical examiners, sparked disbelief from her family in Chicago and fueled outrage among many across the country over how police use force in encounters with civilians. After the video surfaced, DPS Director Steven McCraw said Encinia violated department standards and the department's courtesy policy and placed him on administrative duty. Following news of the indictment, DPS announced it was beginning termination proceedings against Encinia. "Following the Waller County grand jury indictment of Trooper Brian Encinia today, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will begin termination proceedings to discharge him from the department," the agency said, in a press release Wednesday night. The indictment follows an announcement in December by special prosecutors that the grand jury had declined to indict any members of the Waller County jail staff or sheriff's office. Jordan said that while the grand jury will continue reviewing other Waller County cases, it had concluded its review of Bland's arrest and death. Previously, state regulators had found that the Waller County jail was in violation of minimum jail standards, and faulted the jail for not putting Bland on a stricter observation watch and missing warning signs that she was a potential risk for suicide. Bland's family has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in Houston and has repeatedly criticized Waller County's handling of Bland and the grand jury's review of her death. Cannon Lambert, one of the Chicago-based lawyers representing Bland's relatives in their lawsuit, said the family still had questions. "We just don't understand why it took six months to charge him for lying when you can see he was lying in the videotape they have had from the very beginning," he said. "We also don't understand why [Encinia] wasn't charged with assault when he said 'I'll light you up, and with battery for grabbing [Bland] when she was in the car." "Why didn't they charge him with false arrest?" he continued. "The whole arrest was predicated on a phantom kick - why didn't they charge him with abuse of police power -- all he had to do was give her the warning." The charge the trooper now faces is a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted, Encinia could face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal called the grand jury decision a "slap on the wrist." "What I'm looking for is for the accountability to be placed where it needs to be," she said. "That's what I want to see." The state Office of the Attorney General - which is representing Encinia in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Bland's family against the trooper, DPS, the Waller County Sheriff's Office, and two Waller County jailers - will not be representing him in the criminal case, according to an OAG spokeswoman. RELATED: Waller County's request to end lawsuit asks why relatives didn't bail out Bland The outcry following Bland's death led state lawmakers to hold several hearings on jail procedures and safety and for state regulators to change how inmates are evaluated for mental health issues after they are arrested. After the announcement of the indictment, House County Affairs Committee Chairman Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, who presided over hearings to investigate policing and safety in the state's jails, said in a statement he was "glad that Sandra Bland's family will get their day in court." "In my opinion, Trooper Brian Encinia's actions were the catalyst for the death of Sandra Bland," he said. "Trooper Encinia is innocent until proven guilty and it is now up to our justice system to make the final determination." More on HoustonChronicle.com: Cindy George and Dylan Baddour contributed to this report.Correction, 6/8/2015: An earlier version of this article suggested that all of those profiled are members of the BDS movement. While this is true of most, some are, instead, affiliated to other groups and movements, such as Anarchists Against the Wall. Israeli members of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and Israeli pro-Palestinian activists explain their positions. Deb: 'It's a basic human right to refuse to slaughter each other' "The first time I came to Palestine I was 17. I was part of an exchange programme and I noticed right away that there was some confusion between the terms 'Jewish' and 'Israeli' in Hebrew. So if you were Jewish but not Israeli, as I was, or Israeli but not Jewish, like many people, somehow your identity wasn't 100 percent. That really interested me: the relationship between Jews and Palestinians, although nowadays we say Jews and Arabs because the word Palestinian is too friendly. Of course, before 1948, the Jews were also Palestinian. I'm not an activist who goes to the barricades, although I did when I was younger and worked for a programme that brought Jews and Arabs together. At that time, in the early 1980s, I thought that you could work towards reconciliation but not think about politics. Later on, I realised that without justice, there is no reconciliation. So the question is: 'Whose justice and what does it consist of?' If you don't come out and support this boycott movement your real motivation will be fear: fear of what people will think of you, fear of ostracism, fear of your friends not speaking to you. I think that we have to understand human rights today as interactive; it can't be about 'I worry about my human rights, you worry about yours'. That doesn't work anymore. The basic human right we need today is the right not to be enemies, the right to refuse to slaughter each other. We can't actualise this right by ourselves, we need others to do it with us." Yaar: 'In that moment I knew I could never be a part of the Israeli army' "My family returned to Israel from Antigua when I was six years old. I'd been used to a place that was warm, welcoming and non-violent, and where all religions are studied and even young children are taught about the importance of human rights. Then suddenly I found myself in a country where everyone seems brainwashed and they don't accept you unless you are exactly like them. So, I felt far removed from the violence and militarism of Israeli society. Then, when I was 15, I went to my first demonstration.It was close to a settlement and I remember very vividly that a child of about my age was shot in the head with a rubber bullet. That experience changed me forever and I knew then that I would not go into the army. Before that, I had thought that maybe I'd be a paramedic, a soldier without a uniform who'd work in a hospital and do something good. But in that moment, when I experienced the violence, the tear gas, the rubber bullets, the attacks of the Israeli soldiers who beat me and my friends, I knew I could never be a part of that organisation. I felt completely alone. And I still feel alone because our group is so small. A couple of hundred people within Israeli society support the BDS movement. Perhaps there are 10 or 20 core people who are really active. Even people who believe the occupation of 1948 was good but that we should not occupy the land from 1967 are considered traitors. Israeli society is more violent, right-wing and extreme than it's ever been so our voices cannot be heard." Haggai - 'I was sentenced to two years in prison' "I grew up in a very leftist house, but I got involved in activism myself at around the age of 15 or 16. I just started asking questions and went looking for answers about local politics. I went to a summer school that brought Palestinians and Israelis together. And then, after the second intifada broke out, I served in the army in the Occupied Territories, and that's how I got involved. I saw life inside the West Bank and realised that it's not something I can be a part of. At first I said: 'Okay, I don't want to serve in the Occupied Territories.' But as time went by, I realised it wasn't just the Occupied Territories, it was the army; I couldn't be a part of the army. The more I went there, the more I got involved and the more I realised I couldn't be a part of it and had to do something active against it. When I refused to serve in the Occupied Territories, I did it with a group of friends. We did it openly and declared that our refusal was because of the occupation. I was sentenced to two years in prison. I don't know if I would have done it if I'd known I would get that long, because I went to prison saying: 'Okay, three months, it's not a problem, I can do three months.' I don't know if I would have said: 'Yes, two years, no problem.' It wouldn’t have been so easy to make the decision but I'm not too sorry that it happened in the way it did, because the fact that we spent so long in prison had a big impact on people: we got more media attention and a book was published about our trial, which students of philosophy and law now study. So I know the things we said about the occupation got out there. We get a lot of support from Palestinians; they were and still are happy to hear our story. When I go there and tell people my story, they say: 'It's amazing that Israelis are also willing to go to prison because of this.' That's a very strong bridge builder for solidarity and action. Sometimes I'm really optimistic, especially when there are demonstrations taking place. It feels for the first time like, perhaps, civilians are willing to stand up and fight and say: 'We are not going to be silent for'security' reasons and we are not going to just do what the government tells us.' What the separation has done -with its walls and laws and checkpoints- is make it easier for one side to demonise and dehumanise the other. So, younger people here have probably never even met Palestinians, unless it was while they were in the army when they are in a fighting situation. And it's the same on the other side. That makes it much easier for Israelis to say that all of the Palestinians are monsters and terrorists and for the Palestinians to say that all of the Israelis are killers. It's a very basic matter of human contact." David - 'If you step on the necks of the Palestinians you feel stronger' “I grew up in a family where politics wasn't discussed. I knew nothing about the history of Israel. Well, I knew the history but not in terms of what really happened. There was never any discussion about the Palestine issue. But when I was 18, I enlisted in the army. By the time I was 19 I had seen what happened to the Palestinians and had a change of heart. I felt the evil and saw those affected by it. Palestinians are abused, they are a sort of medium for abuse, they are dominated. If you step on their necks you feel stronger; it's a sort of self-aggrandisement through abusing people. So after one or two years I read a book by Mokuza, which was about how people are brainwashed into doing the things that 'big brother' wants. I was very interested in how this happened. I couldn't understand how society could be convinced so quickly to do insane things. I saw that when I was in the army, I saw it in my friends, in my unit; how they obey the orders they are given automatically, without thinking. I decided not to be in the army any more. Since about 2010, I've been involved in demonstrations in the Occupied Territories, in all kinds of activities. I've been involved in the demonstrations at Bil'in since the beginning, since 2005. I look at the activists I really admire like towers of justice. But there are too few of them in Israel. We're far below the critical mass needed to change anything. We're just like a child putting a finger on the wall. But I think only outside pressure by the international community, by international activists could have an impact, as it did in South Africa." Michal - 'This is starting to look like a fascist state' "I was born into a very Zionist family. My parents were born here, they fought for this country, they're devoted Zionists and they're also right-wing. They're a bit militant: my father is a colonel in the army. I could have been a normal Israeli - loving my country, being proud of it and supporting it by hook or by crook. I like my parents, but I know what's going on. I know that Palestinians also have rights. I heard about the demonstration in Bil'in and I thought: 'Come on, you can't be a supporter of Palestinian rights and a Palestinian state and peace and love and everything and just not do anything.' The first time I went to a demonstration in Bil'in, I was by myself, and it was like when Alice fell into the rabbit hole and found herself in a strange and alien land. That was exactly how I felt because nothing was normal. My first time was kind of extreme, because the violence inflicted upon the peaceful demonstrators by the army was really extreme: they went into the village and started shooting tear gas and stun grenades. That was the first time I was shot by a stun grenade. I was shocked and started to wonder how people had been going on with this uprising for so long. I began talking to people- leftist activists and Palestinians - and started looking for the truth myself. I realised that for my whole life the truth had been hidden from me; I was intoxicated, I was lied to. I'd heard about people being driven out of villages in 1948 but I'd always heard it from one side alone: 'Yes, we had to do it because they started it' or 'they weren't really afflicted'. Ever since then I've felt I had to do something. It wasn't moral for me to go on with my life without devoting it to ending this wrongdoing on one side and the misery on the other. I'm not very optimistic. There are all these laws against NGOs and leftist organisations; this is starting to look like a fascist state. Saying that we need the world to boycott and sanction Israel is like saying: 'World, please help. We can't do it ourselves, we need your support, we need your action because we can't do it on our own.' It's not that I think nothing will change; things will change, they have to change. I'm doing my best to change things. There is no other choice. What would I do – go on with my life, do my job, look aside like nothing's going on? There are things going on. Every day, land is being confiscated from Palestinians in the West Bank and given to Jewish settlements. Every day, the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank -to move from one place to another, to visit their relatives in Israel, to live wherever they want - are being eroded. We're now in Jaffa. It's a very ancient city and a very touristic place. There is a big board with the history of Jaffa: Arabs are not mentioned. There is a beautiful and exciting Palestinian culture and Israelis are missing so much in denying it." Ronnie - 'As an Israeli Jew I have an extra responsibility to fight this system' "I am a conscientious objector to military service in the Israeli army, an activist with the Israeli group Anarchists Against the Wall and a member of Boycott from Within, an Israeli group that is part of the global, Palestinian-led BDS movement. This is something I take on because it is the moral thing to do, it's the basic thing to do if you're Jewish. I am here as a privileged Israeli Jew and the state gives me extra privileges as it takes away rights from non-Jewish people. So as a human being I must boycott, but as an Israeli Jew I have an extra responsibility because it is this system that gives me extra privileges. So I have to fight against this. I see that change is happening. I don't know when we'll win. But we have to look at this as a global movement, to connect all of the struggles around the world into one unified struggle to re-give the most basic thing: justice. Human rights are what we want. It should not be difficult." Aital - 'There will never be reconciliation without acknowledgement of the Nakba and the right of return' "I founded an organisation called Zochrot. It means'remembering'. We work to raise awareness of the Nakba and to support the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Israelis know almost nothing about the Nakba, but we believe it is essential to know what happened and to acknowledge our responsibility for it. We organise tours for Israelis and Palestinians in Israel where we show them signs of Palestinian life and Palestinian villages and listen to the tales of Palestinian refugees from those places. They tell us about their lives there, about the Nakba and how they were expelled or ran away and prevented from returning. We also publish booklets about these places in Hebrew and Arabic and teach about the Nakba in high schools and universities. We have to acknowledge what we did to Palestinians – we expelled them, we prevented them from returning home. We believe that without the acknowledgement of the Nakba, without support for the right of return for Palestinian refugees, there will never be reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. I was born in Argentina and came here when I was five. My family went directly to a kibbutz. I was quite left-wing, but when I turned 18 I went into the army without any hesitation. There was no question about it for me because to be a good citizen you have to serve in the army; it's part of citizenship here. I am more proud of the fact that my two oldest children have refused to serve in the army and I hope the next two will also refuse to go. I'm not very proud of it, but I was an excellent soldier. But when my time in the army was just about coming to an end, the war in Lebanon began in 1982. I was called up as a reservist to fight there. I was against this war from the very beginning so I thought a lot and decided to refuse to serve there. I was sent to jail. This was a very important moment for me because it was the first time I put a line: 'This is my limit. I won't cross it. I don't support this war at all.' I was 23. I met many great people in jail; some of them are still friends today. It was important for me and my political formation and understanding. Then, when the first intifada began, I knew I would not fight. If I believe Palestinians should have their own state and Israel should withdraw from the West Bank, how can I go there and suppress a Palestinian uprising? So I refused again, and was jailed again." This article first appeared in the February issue of the Al Jazeera Magazine. For more compelling stories, download the magazine for iPads and iPhones here, and for Android devices here.In honour of Kanz and Omega's playthrough of the AA series, I decided I might as well rank the series' best and worst characters, since case rankings are done all the time and since it's been a long time since we've had a comprehensive ranking of AA characters. I don't think my taste in characters is way out there, so there shouldn't be a lot of surprises as we get near the top, but then again, there might be two or three controversial rankings. As a rule of thumb, I tend to like well-executed and fascinating villains more than I like heroes, so expect to see a few of these alongside the top. That said, a lot of Ace Attorney's good guys are really, really well-done, while a good bunch of villains (save for the few great ones) tend to fall flat on their face. Please note that this ranking will only include characters featured in games up to and including Ace Attorney Investigations. Since I haven't played AAI2 or Dual Destinies yet, I will not bother ranking characters featured in these games. One other thing: I'll be cheating a bit with my rankings and will consider PW1-PW3 Phoenix as one character, and AJ Hobonix as another. Why do I do this? Because contrary to even, say, Ema Skye, Nick's character in PW1-3 and AJ is so radically different that I almost feel like they designed the 'Hobo character' first, and then decided to name him Phoenix Wright due to executive pressures. So yeah, in order not to be unfair to Shu Takumi's protagonist, I'll divide up the entries. Contents show] Tier Eleven: The Dreaded Turnabout Edit Yes, I made a tier just for a single character. I'm sorry, but I just hate that person too much. Please note that that person is ranked lower than all the victims. Make of that what you will. 127. Wendy Oldbag Edit Cases: 1-3 (Witness), 2-4 (Witness), E-3 (Witness), E-5 (Witness) Let me get things straight: Oldbag was fine in 1-3. The dev team was obviously aiming for an annoying first witness who let her anti-Powers/pro-Hammer bias get the better of her common sense; that’s par for the course as far as PW witnesses go. The awful, awful thing about her character is how they just keep recycling it in nearly every single game. She was a huuuge pain in the ass in 2-4, since on top of being her usual annoying, uncooperative self, she also happened to be the toughest witness in the game, IMO – and for bad reasons, with really unclear contradictions and the like. The rest of the case is amazing, but she just brings it down. Oldbag has NO business being in a final case. You’d figure since she hates Phoenix, she’d be a lot more fun around Edgeworth or something (especially since she has that huge crush on him), and lo and behold: here comes AAI, in which she's just as bad as usual, and where she not only appears once, but twice! First in the terrible E-3 case, where she brings nothing of value, and then – since apparently they haven’t learn their lesson from 2-4 – in yet another final case… and in the showdown against the Big Bad, too. Even if they have some sort of Oldbag quota to fill, couldn't they at least have her be the first witness and get out or something? Save for Edgeworth in 2-4 and 3-5 as a whole, I feel like the AA series hasn’t handled cameos well at all, and Oldbag is most definitely the worst offender. Can’t we get back, like, Morgan, who’s actually interesting and could be delved upon a bit more? Or, hell, the whole cast? I hate Oldbag. Tier Ten: Turnabout Victims Edit Get ready for a bit of boredom, but we'll have to trudge through this sooner or later anyway, so might as well get this done with and get to the good, meaty characters (or the ones we love to hate). 126. Ka-Shi Nou Edit Case: E-5 (Victim) Thoroughly uninteresting guy whom we still know nothing about even after finishing the case. The double-murder setup in both embassies was cool, but where Coachen was an interesting victim, that guy definitely is not. It’s just such an anticlimax to go back to this murder after the whole Shih-Na/Yew stuff. 125. Dustin Prince Edit Case: 2-1 (Victim) Nothing interesting about the case, nothing interesting about its victims. He’s a… policeman. Woohoo. Next. 124. Buddy Faith Edit Cases: E-1 (Victim), E-3 (Side Character) Well, what can you expect from a guy murdered just because he walked in on the killer committing another crime? Nearly as bland as Prince, but at least he did something before dying, as opposed to just being… there. 123. Cindy Stone Edit Case: 1-1 (Victim) The first victim! Yay! Just as bland as the others, but apparently, she did genuinely love Larry. From the top of my head, she’s probably the only character in the series to actually love the guy. That has to count for something. 122. Ini Miney Edit Case: 2-2 (Posthumous Character) This is the one that died in the car crash. The twist alone would normally be enough to at least move her up a few spots up the list, but I find Mimi’s façade to be incredibly annoying, and since Mimi… mimicked her sister’s personality, I guess Ini’s to blame for this. At least she had the good sense to die in a car crash, which is more than I can say for Oldbag (if it ever comes to that, I’m rooting for the car). 121. Cece Yew Edit Case: E-4 (Posthumous Character) I have nothing. Can’t even recall if we knew anything about her aside from the fact that she was an important witness/defected from the smuggling ring. If it is the case, that has to be enough to put her above these other jokers. 120. Ami Fey Edit Cases: Various (Posthumous Character) She has to be the least relevant character in the entire franchise. Well, I have nothing negative to say about her, at least, and I think it was stated somewhere that her lingering spirit might be why that urn keeps breaking again and again. Which means she’s responsible for that cute as hell Maya/Mia picture at the end of T&T. 119. Sean 'Bat' Dingling Edit Case: 2-3 (Quasi-Posthumous Character) A blustering idiot, but his name is so hilariously bad that he ranks above Ami and her cohorts. 118. Akbey Hicks Edit Case: E-2 (Victim) That guy looks like Kristoph. I remember being really pumped up for AAI, thinking Edgeworth’d meet a younger Kristoph, but alas, it was not to be. Plus the whole Interpol shtick is a pretty cool deal, though I expected him to put up a better fight than this. 117. Glen Elg Edit Case: 3-3 (Victim) Hey! Look! Another terrible name! 116. Doug Swallow Edit Case: 3-1 (Victim) That guy was one of the few that was on to Dahlia. Plus he acted like a bro by warning Phoenix about the spawn from hell that is Dollie. Sadly for him, he’s not compelling at all beyond this. 115. Kane Bullard Edit Case: 3-2 (Victim) Dude was an ******, but as far as victims go, that’s a point in their favour. At least they have some character. Sadly, we barely even learn about Bullard aside from the fact that he blackmailed Atmey, and since we only ever learn of his existence after the first day of trial, well… he wasn’t going to rank very high. 114. Mack Rell Edit Case: E-4 (Victim) These awful names…! I don’t like that guy’s design for some reason. It just… stands out, I don’t know. That said, Rell was Yew’s accomplice, which makes him a bit less bland – and a lack of blandness is good in these rankings! Not much more to say beyond that, sadly. 113. Romein Letouse Edit Case: 4-3 (Victim) Awful name streak currently set at 2. Letouse was chill and had a cool gun on one hand, but had that streak of terrible flashbacks on the other. 113 sounds about right. S-Siren. 112. Bruce Goodman Edit Case: 1-5 (Victim) He was a… good man. Stood up to Gant and everything. That takes some balls. 111. Pal Meraktis Edit Case: 4-2 (Victim) Pal Meraktis. Mal Peraktis. Malpractice. Hah. Bad pun aside, that dude is almost the real villain of 4-2, and that ‘killer nearly acted in self-defence’ is pretty much the only good thing 4-2 has going for it. That, and he almost ran over the terrible train wreck that is Hobonix. 110. Deid Mann Edit Case: E-4 (Posthumous Character) This right here. That has* to be the single best name in AA history. 109. Neil Marshall Edit Case: 1-5 (Posthumous Character) Neil looked alright and did manage to overpower a serial killer. Aside from that, not much to note about the guy. 108. Celeste Inpax Edit Case: 2-4 (Posthumous Character) When you first see her appear in your Court Record, she’s shrouded in an aura of mystery. Her name as well reinforces the idea that she might be really, really important to the case. Turns out she ain’t. 107. Russell Berry Edit Case: 2-3 (Victim) That guy was an idiot. “Oh, Acro may be planning to hurt my daughter in X days? Let’s not do anything for now and go meet him at that exact time/date, instead of, say, GO TALK TO HIM RIGHT AWAY.” Awful case aside, though, he seemed kind – and they had to pull the “wrong target” twist sooner or later. 106. Byrne Faraday Edit Case: E-4 (Victim) I cannot for the life of me remember anything about the guy except that he was Kay’s father and one third of the Yatagarasu. That, and I don’t like his design that much (like Mack Rell, it just seems weird). Tier Nine: Turnabout Vaguely Interesting Victims and Other Non-Entities Edit Nothing much to distinguish this tier from the last one, but I feel like these victims are slightly more interesting than the last batch. 104(T). Missile Edit Cases: Various (Item) Aww. Missile is adorable. Not much to say about the guy, since he really is little more than an... item... as far as character importance goes, but he's adorably useless and makes for a more compelling character than a lot of the riff-raff we've seen thus far. 104(T). Shoe Edit Case: 2-4 (Item) Let's be frank here: Shoe is a top-tier character and a fantastic villain. Great reveal, great breakdown, a *** to cross-examine - all-around awesome. Problem is: if I rank him higher, I kinda spoil the whole "Shoe is the secret mastermind behind 2-4" shtick, and that just won't fly. Newbies to the series could get spoiled. And, well... Shoe would want it this way. Shoe's okay with 84. Because Shoe knows deep down that, in the end, he'll be Number One. Long story short, I've always liked the "Shoe is evil" meme, though it wouldn't feel right to rank the cat any higher when the reason for its awesomeness doesn't derive from the game itself. Just like Zak is a jerk, but we'll get back to that later. 103. The Blue Badger Edit Cases: 1-5 (Item), E-3 (Item) The wriggling piece of plywood is actually really funny in 1-5, eliciting great reactions from everybody involved. I might be alone in this, but its presence in 1-5's 2nd trial day and its unexpected resurgence in Ema's account of SL-9 is one of the very rare instances of mood whiplash/comic relief I've tolerated in high-tension, high-drama final cases. 102. Gregory Edgeworth Edit Case: 1-4 (Posthumous Character/Victim) That Atticus Finch expy really did sound like an all-around inspiring/awesome guy, and he raised a damn fine son… that said, getting shot by Von Karma can only get you so far. 101. Turner Grey Edit Case: 2-2 (Victim) Hey, look! Someone who’s actually alive! And human! And not Oldbag! Grey’s way too fidgety for my tastes, and let’s face it, he was kind of an ***. BUT we did get to talk to him, at least. Glad he died, though. 100. Colin Devorae/Oliver Deacon Edit Case: E-3 (Victim) As much as I hate E-3, Devorae was a pretty good victim. Looks like the bad guy at first (even if everyone who has played 3-2 knows the kidnapping is probably staged, meaning the culprit has to be Lance), but he did stand out for his daughter in the end. 99. Manny Coachen Edit Case: E-4 (Side Character), E-5 (Victim) Coachen had potential – shame we didn’t get to interact with him a bit more. I like his sleazy/creepy design, plus he made for an interesting E-5 victim (as opposed to the bland pile of boredom that is Ka-Shi Nou). 98. Valerie Hawthorne Edit Case: 3-4 (Victim) What I like about her: - Has the ability to make you go “Oh *” when you first see her name and realize that this case will herald Dollie’s return as the first recurring villain in the series. From her name alone. That’s pretty cool. - She’s actually pretty rounded for a victim. A greedy douche at first who staged her sister’s death so they could make off with the diamond… but then feels guilty and tries to turn things around. I like that. 97. Jack Hammer Edit Case: 1-3 (Victim) The fact that he was 1-3’s real villain is a very nice twist (because let’s face it, Dee only acted in self-defence and is almost blameless in all this, manslaughter aside, although she did blackmail him). That said, I have no idea how his plan of murdering Dee would have ever actually worked. “Ha! I have now just drugged Powers, leaving him without an alibi! The plan is perfect!” And you, Einstein? Where’s your alibi? And why the hell would Powers ever murder Dee? 96. Bruto Cadaverini Edit Case: 3-3 (Side Character) Dude looked cool as hell – a damn shame we didn’t get to meet him. Still, he gets some props for utterly terrifying Tigre, although his position as head of the mob does help a lot. Tier Eight: Turnabout Interesting Victims and Terrible Characters Edit Just to make things clear: the victims in this are all good characters and definitely in the victims' top tier. The actual characters, however, are either bland or terrible. 95. Wocky Kitaki Edit Case: 4-2 (Defendant) Let’s face it, Wocky is utterly terrible. In a game filled with awful defendants, Mr. Haircut here just has to be the worst of them all. Stupid, non-cooperative, annoying gimmick – all-around terrible. I think the main problem here is that he wants to get convicted, yet lacks a real reason for it. Lana wanted a conviction to protect Ema (no doubt she saw that as a liberation as well). The fact that she constantly kept pushing for a guilty verdict, yet still held out to that one, mad hope of seeing the real murderer, explains why she didn’t fire Phoenix outright when he turned out to be way more competent than anticipated. Wrighto himself in 3-1 didn’t want Dollie convicted, but still wanted to avoid a guilty verdict as well. That’s cool. Ron Delite in 3-2 has a damn good reason to gun for a guilty verdict. But Wocky? Just because he’s dying anyway, he absolutely wants to go down as a murderer. Because it’s cool. Screw that guy, seriously. There are many problems with 4-2, but I’d say the second-biggest one is its defendant. As for the worst flaw in 4-2… 94. Wesley Stickler Edit Case: 4-2 (Witness) …that’d be panties politics, as embodied by Mr. Stickler right here. Just looking at him makes me think of horrible 4-2 Day One memories. He has a terrible gimmick; his testimony is nothing refreshing for the series, and well… the case really is* that uninteresting, at least until late Day 2 where it gets slightly more bearable. He had potential, too, if you take away the panties and just have him be the usual obnoxious witness who never thinks they’re in the wrong and then surprisingly turn out to be correct in the end… but no, they had to raise the panties question again. I hate that guy. 93. Mike Meekins Edit Cases: 1-5 (Witness), 4-4 (Side Character), E-3 (Defendant/Witness) I think I hate that
using the AT&T version of Microsoft’s new Lumia 950 as my daily-use smart phone. And I was able to take the Lumia 950 to the U.K. and get real-world experience with the device’s battery life and camera, in particular. Put simply, the Lumia 950 isn’t going to convince any Android or iPhone fans to come running to Windows phone, though to be fair that was never the plan. The question is whether this thin and light wonder ticks all the right boxes for Windows phone fans, and provides the flagship experience that had been missing in action on this platform for about 18 months. Functionally, I’d say it does, mostly. But despite Microsoft’s telegraphing of its marketing aims for the Lumia 950, many are still complaining about things that either don’t matter or were unavoidable. So let’s get some of that out of the way first. Yes, the Lumia 950’s polycarbonate shell is thin and plastic-feeling, but that contributes to the device’s very low weight and provides numerous advantages: Hidden microSD and SIM card slots, a user-replaceable battery, and the chance to buy high-quality third-party replacement shells with rich textures. That shell also sports wireless charging capabilities, unlike any iPhone ever made. Yes, the Lumia 950 is being sold in a curiously limited way—in the U.S. you can get it locked from AT&T or the Microsoft Store, or get it unlocked via AT&T—and, no, it will not work on Verizon. I’ve been explaining the why’s of that since July, and I’m not going to repeat it here: Put simply, the 950 won’t work on Verizon because of Verizon, period. More to the point, this was no surprise. Yes, the Continuum feature is severely limited since the Lumia 950 cannot run Windows desktop applications. But Continuum’s very existence points to a future of Intel-based Windows phones, I think, that will be able to run desktop applications. And even in this more limited version, Continuum on Lumia 950 is a platform-unique bit of functionality that gives Windows phones a very real differentiator, and one that some users will truly find useful. Complaints about the device’s specifications are ludicrous. With a hexacore processor, a stunning 5.2-inch QHD (2560 x 1440, 564 ppi) display, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage (expandable via microSD), the Lumia 950 is absolutely a flagship-class device. And then there’s that camera. Even given the overly-negative world of tech journalism/bloggerism today, not to mention the echo chamber that is Twitter, the negative reactions to this wonderful camera have truly stunned me. Yes, as I’ve observed again and again, Apple and Samsung in particular have really stepped up their games with the cameras in the handsets that have appeared since the holy Windows phone trinity of the Lumia 1520, Icon, and 930. And yes, it’s fair to say that the Lumia 950 doesn’t give us the same genre-busting, head-spinning jump that we got with the Lumia 1020. But. Isn’t it just possible that such a leap is in fact not possible in cameras this small? That by essentially matching the best that Apple and Samsung have to offer—and handily beating at least Apple in low-light situations—the Lumia 950 has in fact done what it needed to do in order to remain competitive in this very important category? Having actually used the Lumia 950 to take several hundred photos now, I can say this: It takes fantastic photos. It takes photos that are on par with, or better than, the photos I’ve taken on vacations with iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 6 Plus, Lumia 930, Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1020. As noted in my first impressions article, it excels in particular in low-light situations, and when you consider that virtually any modern smart phone can take a decent photo on a bright, crisp day, this is actually a big benefit. The iPhone cannot touch it. The new Camera app is good, and while a nostalgic part of me will always pine a bit for the Nokia and Lumia-branded camera apps of the past, this app retains enough of the DNA to remain true to the Lumia flagships of the past. What I mean by that is that the app still provides fully automatic and wonderfully malleable manual modes of operation, with the latter offering discrete control over white balance, focus, sensitivity, shutter speed, and brightness. There’s a wonderful Rich Capture mode for those who prefer auto—it’s like HDR on steroids—plus a Living Images feature that essentially creates short videos around each still photo. This will all be familiar to the Lumia user and fan. Lenses are of course present. But some things are missing in action, key among them—to me, at least—a way to shoot panoramas. The Lumia 950’s Camera app—like all flagships since the 1020—also offers multiple ways to save photos each time you take a shot. This time around, you can simply save a single 16 MP JPEG, a single 8 MP JPEG, or you can save two images: An 8 MP JPEG (for sharing) and a 16 MP DNG (for archival), which is a type of RAW image file. The Lumia 950’s camera has optical image stabilization for still photos. It can shoot 4K video. And those videos can utilize digital image stabilization. All that’s missing is a holster that adds a standard camera mount so that we can use the thing with a tripod. It has a dedicated camera button for crying out loud. Why doesn’t every smart phone have a dedicated camera button? Long story short, if you’re a fan of the cameras in previous Lumia flagships, you’re going to love the Lumia 950. Looking past the camera, I have found USB-C to be mostly good news, though of course this requires yet another cable type to worry about. The big benefit in day-to-day use is obvious enough: In under 30 minutes, you can charge a completely dead Lumia 950 to 50 percent and get on with your life. (Battery life has been excellent for me, and I’ve had no issues getting through a day of constant photography as a tourist in London.) USB-C also makes Continuum more viable, since you can drive more—and do so more reliably—over a wire than you can with Bluetooth/Miracast-based solutions. (To be fair, this is not something I’ve used a lot yet since I’ve been traveling. I’ll have more to say about Continuum this week.) Windows Hello has been a bit of a bust, though I do appreciate the Star Trek nature of this particular differentiator. To be clear, it does work. But I’ve found it to be a tad too slow, and find that entering a PIN is fast enough. The lack of tap-to-wake does make this a bit more tedious than it needs to be, of course. I’d prefer a fingerprint reader. Windows 10 Mobile is familiar, and I still have an extreme bias for its superior user experiences and thoughtful design. Most readers have probably read the term “grid of icons” enough to understand my disdain for iOS’s and Android’s out-of-date UIs, but Windows phones have always worked better, and they still do. It starts with the wonderful Glance screen, which provides the time, date, your next appointment, and notifications, all without having to touch the screen or press a button. And it extends to the superior Start screen and its live tiles that likewise provide useful peeks within apps: The latest news headlines and photos from MSN photos, your unread emails, your recent photos, and the latest weather, among many other possibilities. Android and iOS are dumb. But Windows phones—Windows 10 Mobile—is smart. The app gap is a letdown that the Lumia 950 cannot, of course, overcome. For the most part, I’ve learned how to live without many of the apps that most people cite as reasons for sticking with other platforms. But in using Android and, more frequently, the iPhone 6S Plus in recent months, I can say this: In the same way that returning to the welcome embrace of the Windows phone user experience was exhilarating after the dull dumbness of those other UIs, giving up key apps that really work—Google Maps, for example, or a version of Facebook that is actually updated regularly and can do such basic things as upload photos—was a bit heartbreaking too. The basics are there. Facebook, Twitter and Untappd. Audible and Amazon. Spotify and Netflix. Even The New York Times. But dig deeper and you’ll be disappointed. To be fair, this is not a surprise. And as I noted before, the Lumia 950 is aimed at the fans, not at people who may go iPhone or Android. Honestly, the only major gripe I have with the Lumia 950 is the price. Unfortunately, this is a very big problem. At $550 unlocked—or a bit more through AT&T, which has its own screwy ways of extracting money from its subscribers’s pockets—the Lumia 950 is simply too expensive. Now, I write that knowing that a new iPhone 6S (with 16 GB of storage) starts at $650 and goes up from there, and that comparable Samsung flagships are similarly priced. But Microsoft isn’t really competing with these highly popular handsets. It’s competing with phones like the Google Nexus 5X, which costs $430 when configured like the 950. Microsoft’s new flagship is simply too expensive. $400 unlocked sounds about right. And this, ultimately, is the deal breaker. Microsoft can’t claim that the Lumia 950 is a gift to fans if it’s priced out of the reach of most of those fans. And it can’t charge this price for a phone that lacks a meaningful app ecosystem, has absolutely zero in the way of mobile payments, and is only available from one major carrier in the U.S., no matter how good the camera. These things just do not add up. So with Lumia 950 I find myself in a strange position. I love this phone, despite a few issues, and I point unreservedly to its camera as a key selling point. I will continue using it. But recommending it … hm. That’s a bit of a gray area. If you’re a diehard Lumia fan and can afford this phone, you won’t wait for my review to buy it. You will forgive the plasticy back and enjoy the camera and gorgeous screen. You’ll goof around with Continuum and then, probably, never use it again. If you’re a more casual Lumia fan who’s iffy on the pricing but looking for an unqualified “go for it,” I just don’t feel comfortable making that recommendation. $550 is a lot of money, and if you’re already using a Lumia 930, Icon, or 1520, in particular, get another year out of that device. Surface phone is coming. And if you’re wondering if the Lumia 950 measures up in some way to high-end Apple or Samsung headsets, you’re already missing the point. The Lumia 950 is, in many ways, a stop-gap measure, not a serious try for the throne. There is so much to like about the Lumia 950. But there is a lot to debate as well, and if the pricing was a bit lower—OK, a lot lower—that wouldn’t be the case. Microsoft needs to make the Lumia 950 a no-brainer. And it’s just not quite there yet. Tagged with Lumia, Lumia 950Two days after learning that local quarterback recruit Kyle Allen would not consider signing with Arizona State, Todd Graham received much happier news. On Thursday, four-star quarterback Manny Wilkins announced a verbal commitment to Arizona State to join the Sun Devils' 2014 recruiting class. Scout.com ranks Wilkins as the No. 15 quarterback for the class of 2014. Though the California native is projected as a pro-style player, he certainly has dual-threat capabilities. Wilkins made two visits to the campus at Arizona State, including one over Memorial Day weekend. Even though he left without a scholarship offer, the Sun Devil coaching staff extended one his way this week and Wilkins was quick to accept. The 6-foot-3, 185 lb. recruit also has offers from Arizona, Colorado State, Utah State, and Wyoming, and it looked like the Wildcats had the inside track before this weekend. However, Wilkins built up a solid report with offensive coordinator Mike Norvell and decided to give his verbal to the Sun Devils. Receiving a commitment from Wilkins is big news, but the Sun Devil coaching staff will have to work to maintain their relationship with him. Last year, Arizona State had a verbal commitment from quarterback Joshua Dobbs, but Dobbs spurned the Sun Devils on signing day and elected to enroll at Tennessee. Wilkins' highlight video makes him look like a man playing amongst boys, and that is definitely the case. The rising senior plays for San Marin High School in Novato, California, which plays in the Marin County Athletic League. Though the MCAL is not known for regularly producing elite college talent, the league's Back of the Year award went to highly touted Cal quarterback Jared Goff this fall. As for Wilkins, he was named Second Team All-League, and he figures to improve upon that distinction this year. Wilkins is also the second four-star recruit to verbally commit to Arizona State for 2014. He joins defensive back Jaleel Wadood who committed to the Sun Devils back in January. The Buzz on Wilkins <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Hopefully Wilkins ends up being awesome so after 300-yard, 5-TD games we can nonchalantly say, "That's just Manny being Manny".</p>— Joe Healey (@JoeHealey42) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeHealey42/status/340203446823165954">May 30, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Manny Wilkins' stock was only going to rise more following other QB commits. ASU wasted no time landing the four-star signal caller.</p>— Devils Digest (@DevilsDigest) <a href="https://twitter.com/DevilsDigest/status/340191974550282240">May 30, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>I've followed Bay Area recruits closely for five years, and few have been as hyped as @<a href="https://twitter.com/manny_wilkins11">manny_wilkins11</a>Big pickup for @<a href="https://twitter.com/footballasu">footballasu</a></p>— Kerry Crowley (@KO_Crowley) <a href="https://twitter.com/KO_Crowley/status/340224209613623296">May 30, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>"Reminds us a little of Oregon’s Marcus Mariota in terms of methods, but (Manny) Wilkins may be a bit more fundamentally sound"- ESPN</p>— Brad Denny (@BDenny29) <a href="https://twitter.com/BDenny29/status/340207408175513600">May 30, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Wilkins and his family are aware of what happened with Josh Dobbs and ASU earlier this year and said that isn't a possibility with him.</p>— ASUDevils.com (@ASUDevilscom) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASUDevilscom/status/340192286711373824">May 30, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>First time this century that an ASU recruiting class received pledges from two four-star players prior to June @<a href="https://twitter.com/ogleel_2">ogleel_2</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/manny_wilkins11">manny_wilkins11</a></p>— Devils Digest (@DevilsDigest) <a href="https://twitter.com/DevilsDigest/status/340209607169433600">May 30, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/manny_wilkins11">manny_wilkins11</a> Welcome to the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23SunDevil">#SunDevil</a> Family! <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23ASU">#ASU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23GoDevils">#GoDevils</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23NorCal">#NorCal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Represent">#Represent</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23EastBay">#EastBay</a></p>— Jedi ASU (@JediASU) <a href="https://twitter.com/JediASU/status/340207880026329088">May 30, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Wilkins' 2012 Highlight Video <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XTpacHvx7H8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Bassist Mikey 'Shoes' Shuman tells Gigwise about the future of Queens Of The Stone Age Fans may be waiting a little longer than they first hoped for a new Queens Of The Stone Age album, with bassist Mikey 'Shoes' Shuman revealing that the band are currently 'taking a break'. It took QOTSA six years in between 2007's Era Vulgaris and their astonishing 2013 comeback...Like Clockwork. Last year, frontman Josh Homme revealed that the band had new songs ready and were hoping to enter the studio as soon as they could. Now bassist Mikey 'Shoes' Shuman, currently preparing to release his new album with Mini Mansions, reveals that they're instead taking some time apart. "Mini Mansions is my focus right now," Shuman tells Gigwise. "There will be future stuff with Queens, we're just taking a break since we had a long, long two years of touring. We'll take a break to do other stuff." Speaking of the QOTSA's initial urgency to re-enter the studio, he said: "We were eager because we were in a good spot, having fun and the record had done really well. But we decided to take a break because we had been going so hard for so long, and we really worked on that record for a long time. It's not like we're sick of each other and don't want to do it - it's just better to step back for a second and come back once the world has had a little bit of a break from you." He added: "I think music and working with different people is the kind of process where you gain things along the way. Whether it's a big band, a small band, a different production or crew - you learn something from everybody, well I do. By the time you're older you've figured it out, and that's what's great about Queens - it's a very open family and everyone is free to do what they want and bring different aspects about what they do to the table." - Check back soon for more of our interview with Mikey Shuman Mini Mansions' new single 'Vertigo' has helped to launch their new album, The Great Pretenders. The track in question features no less than guest vocalist Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys. "We thought about a couple of different things, and we were in the studio looking for some kind of different character that hadn't yet been touched on by Tyler or my voice and we actually heard some kind of British-type thuggish kind of voice in the track, on that second verse," Mikey 'Shoes' Shuman told Gigwise. "I always thought it as some kind of character out of a guy Ritchie movie, that's how I always saw that voice coming in. It's a very West Coast hip-hop-influenced song, so we wanted to give it that sense of different dudes coming in and giving it that different verse. Alex has more of like a sexy, swagger that what we were initially going for, which turned out better than anything we could have imagined, really." Listen to 'Vertigo' by Mini Mansions featuring Alex Turner below Mini Mansions recently completed a UK tour with Royal Blood, and will release their debut album The Great Pretenders on 23 March.Continue Reading Below Advertisement You'd be surprised if either of them could bounce back to normal after a breakup. After all, can they even remember where their personality ends and their partner's begins? Well, it turns out it's not just the disgustingly clingy couples who have to worry about this problem. Any loving relationship, no matter how short, completely messes with your sense of self. There's a reason why ending it feels like waking up in a bathtub full of ice and finding one of your kidneys has been stolen. How Bad Can it Be? Three different studies have found that after a relationship ends people tend to go through a serious identity crisis. No matter how strong or independent you think you are or you were before the relationship, your ability to know who you are gets thrown totally out of whack after a breakup. Whether you realize it or not, in your brain your significant other's personality started to merge with yours. Despite the terrible cliche, they really are "your other half." To put it in the nerdiest terms possible, they are the Spock to your Kirk. Continue Reading Below Advertisement So why does this even matter? "Self-concept clarity," while not something you've probably ever thought about before, actually affects your life in massive ways. People who don't really know who they are tend to be more depressed, think less of themselves and are more likely to make rash decisions or changes that might not be good for them. Sometimes this can lead to good things after a breakup, like a decision to lose weight. Other times it leads to rushing into rebound relationships, career or school changes, or drastic image changes. Pray that you only wind up with a tattoo.If basketball doesn’t work out for Kansas freshman Josh Jackson, he probably has a future in track and field. Even among a loaded freshman class composed of nearly a dozen players projected to go in this year’s lottery, Jackson’s athleticism is on a level all its own. Not only does he run faster, jump higher, and get off the ground quicker than just about every player in the country, he knows how to harness those tools within the context of a basketball game. Jackson makes one or two plays a game where he looks like an NBA player going up against college kids at a summer camp. No fast break is safe against Jackson. At 6-foot-8 and 207 pounds, he has a rare combination of size and speed that allows him to eat up the space between him and anyone with a head start. With a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Jackson doesn’t have exceptional length for a player his height, so his ability to make these types of chase-down blocks tells you he’s getting really high in the air: Kansas loves to run alley-oops for Jackson on set plays. He’s in the air so long that he can vacuum any ball into his catch radius and then throw it down with authority: Even more impressive than his ability to move up and down is the way he moves side to side. Jackson plays like a video-game character whose turbo button is stuck; when he gets down in a defensive stance and slides his feet, it’s very difficult to get around him. Watch how easily he bottles up this isolation from Duke’s Luke Kennard — one of the top scorers in the country and an NBA prospect in his own right — staying in front of him without giving him room to raise up for the shot, then forcing Kennard to commit a turnover: Jackson affects the game defensively in a way few young players do. In the last five years, there have been nine NCAA wing players taken in the top 10 of the NBA draft who are at least 6-foot-6, and none of them blocked shots and stole the ball at a rate anywhere near what Jackson has done in his first two months at Kansas: Jackson’s defensive productivity is largely due to his aggressiveness; he averages 4.4 fouls per 40 minutes of action and has already fouled out of two games this season. Coach Bill Self has played Jackson almost exclusively as a small-ball power forward over the last month, which puts him in a lot of situations where he can both contest shots and pick up fouls. A season-ending injury to highly touted freshman center Udoka Azubuike in the middle of December thinned the Jayhawks’ big-man rotation, and neither Landen Lucas nor Carlton Bragg Jr. have been much of a threat on offense, making Self’s preferred two-post offense less effective than usual. It’s a dramatic change of pace for Self, who is using Jackson much differently than he did Andrew Wiggins three years ago. Wiggins (6-foot-8 and 200 pounds) was about as big as Jackson is now, but he rarely (if ever) spent time as a small-ball PF. Without Azubuike, Lucas and Bragg are the only two traditional big men in the Kansas rotation, and they combine to average 35.8 minutes a game. In 2014, Self played four frontcourt players who were at least 6-foot-8 besides Wiggins — Joel Embiid, Tarik Black, Perry Ellis, and Jamari Traylor — and they combined for 80.5 minutes a game. Self’s decision is partly a reflection of the state of his roster, but it’s also a nod to the way the game is changing at every level. Playing four-out opens up the floor for Jayhawks guards Devonte’ Graham and Frank Mason to get into the lane, while also getting another shooter and playmaker in Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk in the lineup. The key to making the lineup change work is Jackson’s ability to clean the glass and hold up in the post, and he has been respectable in both categories, averaging 6.2 rebounds per game and holding opponents to only 0.571 points per possession on post-up plays, according to the numbers at Synergy Sports. One of the big questions when it comes to projecting Jackson is how much the team that drafts him will play him as a small-ball PF. In recent years, teams have found a lot of success by slotting bigger and more athletic wings at the 4 and creating mismatches against more conventional big men. Harrison Barnes has taken a leap forward in Dallas this season after moving full time to PF in the wake of injuries to Dirk Nowitzki, while Aaron Gordon’s progress in Orlando has stagnated because a crowded frontcourt rotation has pushed him to SF. However, even if the composition of his future NBA roster gives Jackson the opportunity to play at power forward, it won’t be an easy decision for his NBA coach, because Jackson has a shorter reach and a narrower build than players of his ilk drafted in the last five years. The part of Jackson’s game that wouldn’t suit a move to small forward in the NBA, and his biggest red flag in general, is his poor perimeter jumper. He wasn’t considered a bad shooter coming into college, and the release on his jumper, while far from textbook, is not ugly enough to be considered broken. It’s not nearly as unorthodox as the way Lonzo Ball shoots, except Ball is making 3s and Jackson isn’t. His production on the perimeter just hasn’t been there; he is shooting 26.9 percent from 3 on two attempts a game, and the lack of success appears to have weighed on his game. He has lost confidence in his shot, passing up a lot of open looks within the flow of the offense. “My mechanics could get a lot better. My confidence in the shot could get better. The biggest thing is having confidence in it,” Jackson told reporters earlier this year. “I will try to continue to get better. I see how hard the other guys go in practice, how bad they want to win. I don’t want to be the guy on the team who didn’t try hard enough.” When Jackson is at the 3-point line, opposing defenders play way off him, daring him to shoot. By sagging so far from the arc, Jackson’s defender also clogs up the driving lanes for the rest of the Jayhawks players. At the NCAA level, Jackson is such a good athlete that the no-respect strategy is only so effective, since giving him too much room on the perimeter just allows him to get a running start and pick up momentum before he gets into the lane. However, when going up against the type of defenders he will face in the NBA, Jackson’s poor jumper makes him relatively easy to defend. In this one-on-one sequence against Indiana’s OG Anunoby, Jackson ends up being forced into a pull-up jumper that has very little chance of going in, something that happens far too often when he’s asked to create his own shot: Jackson is averaging 14.7 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting, mostly from getting out in transition, moving without the ball, crashing the offensive boards, and getting to the rim, where he’s a fairly creative finisher, particularly with floaters. When he’s asked to score from the perimeter, he’s a man without a country. According to the tracking numbers from Synergy Sports, Jackson is scoring only 0.789 points per possession on catch-and-shoot jumpers and 0.682 points per possession on jumpers he’s created off the dribble, which is the primary reason why he has been such a poor scorer in isolations and pick-and-rolls. He’s no higher than 36th percentile in the nation in either of these situations. It’s still early enough in the season for him to turn around his shooting numbers, and his shot can look good at times when he’s stepping into it and shooting with confidence. His free throw percentage (54.2 percent on 4.5 attempts a game) is troubling, though. Being a bad free throw shooter in college often means a player will be a bad outside shooter in the NBA; below-average free throw shooters who shot well from the college 3, like Justise Winslow, have not been able to translate those percentages to the deeper NBA 3-point line. Through the first two months of the season, Jackson’s NCAA shooting numbers are as bad as any big wing drafted in the top 10 in the last five years: The frustrating part about Jackson’s shooting woes is how well rounded he is in every other aspect of the game. He has a high basketball IQ and a great feel for the game, which you can see in his passing numbers, as he averages 3.1 assists on 2.2 turnovers a game. One of the most devastating plays in the Kansas playbook is the 4/5 pick-and-roll with Jackson and one of their big men; he has great vision, and he knows how to manipulate the defense to create an easy look for his teammates. Jackson is a very unselfish player who regularly looks to pass once he gets into the lane. Azubuike’s injury will rob him of a lot of assists this season, since neither Lucas nor Bragg are anywhere near as capable at finishing. No matter how gifted he is as a finisher and a passer, though, there’s a pretty clear ceiling to how good a wing player can be on offense without a jumper. Kawhi Leonard is the gold standard for players whose broken jumpers were fixed once they got to the NBA, but he’s the exception that proves the rule — and he was a career 74.4 percent free throw shooter at San Diego State. Jackson is also older than your average college freshman — he turns 20 in February, more than six months before Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram does. He is still plenty young enough to get better, but he may not have quite as much room to grow as some of the other players in his draft class. Either way, if there’s a tweak that could fix his shot, it’s not going to come from the Kansas coaching staff. “Can he do things better with his shot? Absolutely. Can it become quicker? Absolutely,” said Self. “Now, can he tighten it up and do some things differently? Absolutely. But that will probably be on somebody else’s watch. That won’t be on our watch as much. I don’t see a reason why when you have a young man for a very brief period of time why you want to totally cloud his brain with something other than very, very few, simple things.” If Jackson could consistently shoot, he would have an argument, along with Washington’s Markelle Fultz, as the no. 1 overall pick in the draft. But NBA teams can’t assume from his body of work that he can, which means teams will have three options as far as nurturing the talents he does have. It could try to live with his poor shooting at SF and make spacing the floor at the other four positions a priority, which is what Charlotte does with Kidd-Gilchrist. It could hope he becomes strong enough to survive as a small-ball PF and play him in the high post and as a roll man, similar to his role with Kansas. Or it could give him control of the offense and use him as a point forward, similar to what Milwaukee does with Giannis Antetokounmpo. That’s the biggest stretch, as he would have to improve significantly as a ball handler and he doesn’t have anywhere near the length that allows Giannis to cover the length of the court with occasionally loose dribbling. But Jackson’s vision and passing ability make that at least a conceivable path. Jackson’s defense is good enough that his NBA team could find a way to work around his lack of shooting. Nevertheless, poor shooting has been the Achilles’ heel of many similarly talented players, and NBA teams have a checkered history of being able to fix it. For as athletic and skilled as Josh Jackson is, the knock on him is simple: It’s hard to get excited about a prospect who can’t shoot.This story originally ran on March 13, 2014. If you mention “desalination,” most people probably think you mean taking salt out of seawater, and they probably think you’re talking about what happens in desert nations in the Middle East. While the United States doesn’t desalinate as much as Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, the country's share is growing, and the state that desalinates the most is Florida, “the land of 1,000 springs.” Hear the audio version of this story. Communities around the state are by and large taking salt out of brackish water from the ground. Brackish water is a lot less salty than ocean water, which makes it cheaper to process. Within the state, the region that’s desalinating the most is South Florida. Why salt The reason South Florida’s turning to a saltier water source is that relying entirely on our traditional water source, the Biscayne Aquifer, is no longer an option. That's because we’re not the only ones who rely on the Biscayne: the Everglades do as well. And that already damaged ecosystem would continue to deteriorate if we kept increasing our water withdrawals. We also risked ruining the Biscayne Aquifer itself. Charlie DaBrusco, director of environmental services with the city of Deerfield Beach, explains, “The more cities that wound up pulling water out of the Aquifer, the more saltwater intrusion became a problem.” Very salty seawater started to get mixed in with freshwater. So in the last several years, communities in South Florida and nearby have built facilities to tap into another aquifer, the Floridan Aquifer. Within the South Florida Water Management District, which stretches from Orlando to the Keys, cities and utilities have more than quadrupled the amount of water they can desalinate, from about 60 million gallons a day in 2000 to about 250 million gallons a day in 2012. Most of the state already relies on the Floridan, a huge groundwater source that lies underneath the entire state and parts of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. In Central Florida, the water in the Floridan Aquifer is fresh and close to the surface, much as the Biscayne is for us. But as water in the Floridan Aquifer moves south, it picks up salt from the rocks it flows through. In South Florida, the Floridan Aquifer is farther down, more than 1,000 feet, and it’s saltier. The cost To get that salt out, utilities have to use more energy to filter the water, which means more money. Though it depends on the size of the facility and how salty the water is, the cost to process Floridan water is 30 percent to 300 percent more expensive than the Biscayne. But most likely consumers of desalinated water probably didn’t notice a big difference in their water bill. That’s partly because water pricing isn’t a real-time reflection of actual costs and partly because the proportion of water coming from the Floridan is still small in most parts of South Florida. For water customers of Miami-Dade County, a facility for desalinated water just opened up in Hialeah earlier this year.* Once it's fully operational, that plant will provide 7.5 million gallons a day (mgd) of Floridan Aquifer water. But the county supply is about 310 mgd. In the South Florida Water Management District, as a whole, desalinated water provides less than 10 percent of the water used. Despite the cost, the Floridan Aquifer is still a pretty good alternative to the Biscayne because it’s drought-proof. The Floridan is so deep and sits below a layer of non-porous rock, it doesn’t depend on rainfall here. Answer for future water needs? But it does depend on rainfall in Orlando. “Maybe 5 years ago, people were thinking [the Floridan Aquifer] was a sustainable source,” says Jeff An, assistant director of public services for North Miami Beach. But now, An adds, state agencies and cities in South Florida realize “the Floridan Aquifer is not really a long-term solution.” Remember that layer of rock protecting the aqu
’s CEO, Shoaib Shaikh (who coincidentally shares a name with the Sohrab Goth police officer), was arrested, and Bol’s broadcasting license revoked. Shaikh and four other Axact officials were charged with fraud, forgery and illegal electronic money transfers. The charges were later expanded to include money laundering and violating Pakistan’s Electronic Crimes Act. Shaikh and those allegedly involved deny any wrongdoing, and the case is yet to go to trial. In an online statement, Shaikh alleged that this was a conspiracy “to break our resolve, to derail Bol, to shut down Axact”. Pakistan’s broadcast media relished the chance to bring this new rival down to size. There were allegations of money laundering, of servers being used to air porn films. Prominent journalists hired by the channel began to jump ship. The brand new media titan was crippled before it had even launched. In some photographs of Shaikh being led away in handcuffs, Hyder, reporting on the case, stands at his side. For Hyder, who has made a career of delicately balancing relationships with law enforcement and criminals, Bol’s fall from grace was devastating. On Facebook, he posted messages and links calling for his followers to stand with Bol. Privately, he felt differently. “I was reporting on the scandal, but working for Bol, so I had to stand with another face,” he told me over the phone in September. “My friends and family members were asking me: what about the porn films? What about the fake degrees? What about the money laundering? My father asked me why I had a job there when they are involved in porn films. I had no answer.” With the criminal charges against Bol in process, the government refused to grant a broadcasting licence. Staff continued to go into the office, even going out to film news items, despite having no channel to air them on. Some videos went online, but in a country where only 10% of the population has internet access, this felt futile. Hyder wrote to me: “These are very difficult days in my life. My news is not going on air. I cannot send tickers. I am disturbed, I am mentally disturbed. My family is facing financial difficulties and for me to not be on air, on screen, it’s very difficult.” In September 2015, as the Karachi operation marked its second anniversary, Hyder left Bol and started a new job as senior crime reporter at another new venture, Channel 24. It was a homecoming – he had an audience and a renewed sense of purpose. He is now turning his attention to the times when the police get it wrong. He spent much of his time off speaking to the families of people wrongfully killed in encounters. As police killings of militants stepped up in mid-2013, many terrorists fled Karachi. Police began to victimise their families, demanding bribes. Some of those who refused to pay were killed. Hyder gathered evidence of 50 such deaths. His “best friends” in the police force are not happy. “I am doing my work,” Hyder said, firmly. “I am not a servant of police officers.” The police claim that they have halted the Talibanisation of Karachi. Bombings have been less frequent in 2015, though targeted killings of police and media workers continue. I asked Hyder if he was still on the Taliban hitlist, or if six quiet months without regular television appearances had reduced the threat to his life. “Yes, I’m still in the fourth position on the hitlist.” He burst out laughing. “I am very proud.” He paused. “When you are on a terrorist hitlist, everybody knows that you’re a real journalist.” • Follow the Long Read on Twitter at @gdnlongread, or sign up to the long read weekly email here.About Project Able is as much a creative documentary, as it is a journey. Our names are Imani Barbarin and Matt Curcio. We are recent college graduates with disabilities with one question we want to try to answer so that we may move forward with our lives: What does independence look like for people like us? This film will chronicle our look towards the future as we find our independence through the strength and weaknesses of others like ourselves. We met in college where we bonded over the difficulties we were having as a part of the very small community of physically disabled students at our school. We realized very quickly that we had some of the same issues: how to get around the sprawling campus, how to be independent without seeming stubborn and how to ask for the help we need without feeling weak. We came to see that for all of the difficulties we were having, we couldn’t find people among the larger disabled community talking about the challenges we were facing. According to the Center for Disease Control, just over 16% of adults in the United States have a physical functioning difficulty. If that is really the case, then where are these people? It seems that on the cusp of adulthood, people with disabilities seem to fade from society—always there, but never heard. Young adults and need to hear the truth about growing up disabled: that it is hard, but possible and that there are people like themselves who have succeeded in doing so and even those who just as we are. Through this documentary, as much as it is meant to be an expression of hope and inspiration, we hope to establish a resource of solidarity for those currently journeying along side us across the nation. The physically disabled community is one that has been silenced for many years and we plan to, through this documentary, become a voice to the voiceless. Join with us in this adventure and take a peek of the world through our eyes as we attempt to shed light on the disabled life to the public at large in Project Able. The documentary will be filmed (with the assistance of a small crew) from the point of view of its creator’s (Imani and Matt) as we begin to ask the question: What does it look like for us to be disabled despite our physical disabilities? To answer this basic question we will take our audience through our own stories over the years, sharing our insights on our trials, failures, success and futures. As we travel through our own stories, we will be making pit stops along the way to ask questions and interview the disabled community along with the general able-bodied community around America. We will be talking to a diverse group of individuals with physical disabilities and giving them the chance to share parts of their stories and dreams. We will be interviewing disabled college-age students, teenagers and adults with the hopes of getting a better answer to our original question. But we will also be asking tough questions to families, friends and doctors of those with life-altering physical disabilities. Since they are the ones we are “dependent” on we will turn to them for their perceptions and wisdom on how they would like to see their loved ones achieve independence. Finally we will be speaking with some “surprise” guests who everyone, disabled or able-bodied, will be able to recognize. So that we can hear their stories and thoughts as well. Does independence mean being financially independent? Does it mean being able to get dressed by your self? Does it mean having your own family? A full-time job? Or something entirely different. Project Able will be answering these questions and much more. We are looking for donors to help get Project Able off the ground. If this is a documentary that you believe you could financially support we would be more than grateful and blessed by your participation. With your help we can bring this documentary to life!Video I have been fascinated by champion eaters for over 30 years. When I was in Berkeley, Calif., in the 1970s I made a pilgrimage to Oakland to visit Eddie Miller, known as Bozo, the world champion chicken-eater. Bozo was in the Guinness World Records book for eating 27 two-pound roast chickens in one sitting. A remarkable feat of gluttony. I remember trying to tell my friend Alice Waters about Bozo, and she clamped her hands over her ears and said, “I just can’t listen to this kind of thing. It’s against everything I stand for.” Photo Bozo reminded me of Kafka’s Hunger Artist — except in his case it wasn’t fasting, it was the exact opposite. Also, I loved the fact that Bozo called his daughters Cooky, Candy and Honey, and that there was a framed cross-stitched sampler next to his front door that read, “NOTHING EXCEEDS LIKE EXCESS.” Alas, I never made a film about Bozo Miller, but I’ve been given a second chance with Bill Simmons, known as El Wingador. El Wingador is a man truly committed to a certain kind of excellence — or at least, a certain kind of excess. Sure, I could have picked a different eating champion, but I guess I have an affinity for chicken. It is evident that chicken is his favorite competition food — particularly chicken wings. I asked him, “Why not hot dogs?” The simple and compelling answer: “Hey, my name is ‘El Wingador,’ not ‘El Hotdogador.’ ” A New Jersey native, he is the five-time champion of the Wing Bowl and has come out of retirement to compete once again this year. I hope we will all be watching his attempt to recapture the throne on Friday. • A bit of background about how I came to make this short film. I had been hired by the ad agency Draftfcb/Chicago to shoot a campaign for KFC’s new grilled chicken, or KGC. KFC vs. KGC. For a 30-second spot on the grilled hot wings, I cast El Wingador. On the spur of the moment, I decided to shoot a little extra. This film grew out of that shoot. The ad campaign proved so successful that I became the first non-KFC employee to be given the coveted Breakout Bucket Award.Turns out the vast, new world of Star Wars Rebels isn't populated solely by Jedi with meticulously manicured facial hair. Nope, there's a whole universe of new aliens and Jedi fighters to get excited about. Here are the new Star Wars faces we met at Hasbro's big Toy Fair reveal. Advertisement The first new Rebels character was spied by Newsarama. As you can see above, they found one "mysterious female Mandalorian" on a bit of packaging, who is also on team Rebel. So that's exciting. Moving on is a great look at character Zeb Orrelios, whose character design was based on the original Ralph McQuarrie design for Chewbacca. And that is just rad. Advertisement Next up is Ezra, a young and allegedly "POV" character for the audience. We're sure his youth and oddly shaped lightsaber won't prove insufferable at all. He is not being called a Jedi but "force sensitive" we don't know what that means (Edit: Ok ok ok you guys schooled me – apologies!) But we DO know that at some point he steals a Stormtrooper helmet and gives it a little paint job for himself, and that is just adorable. Advertisement Advertisement Image via Lucas Siegel's twitter. Another new character, Imperial Agent Kallus. And that is all the information Hasbro was willing to give up on him. Advertisement More shots of Kanan and his scuba gear. Advertisement The Inquisitor and his massive lightsaber actually looked better in toy form than they have in concept art and stills from the actual TV series. Advertisement Advertisement The Inquisitor's TIE Advanced Starfighter (also based on the McQuarrie designs) looked aces. As did the AT-DP and various other space contraptions. However the star of the Star Wars show was the brand new X-Wing Starfighter which was priced at a mere $39.00 Advertisement Advertisement Unfortunately they didn't have the Rebels version of R2D2 and C-3PO on display but they did have new droid Chopper out. We like this droid.GUEST: Aldon Morris is the Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University. His earlier books include ‘Origins of the Civil Rights Movement: Black Communities Organizing For Change’. The academic field of Sociology is defined as “the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society,” and simply put, “the study of social problems.” Today the US has a rich and burgeoning field in academies across the country, studying myriad social problems through empirical measurement, research and statistics. But it was not always so. There was a time when American scholars believed that humans and our social problems were determined by a set of so-called natural laws and social issues were simply explained by way of those natural laws. That approach to sociology buttressed existing ideologies around race and gender instead of questioning them. Then, came the African American scholar and scientist W. E. B. Du Bois, best known for his seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk. Although he is not given credit for his pioneering work on scientific sociology in the US, my guest Aldon Morris aims to change that with his new book.In May of 2006, Apple teamed up with Nike to announce a running tracker for use with the iPod nano. To put this moment in perspective, Apple had just opened its now-iconic flagship Fifth Avenue store days earlier. Usain Bolt shook in his golden Puma shoes as the world was encouraged to get off its collective behind and run with the help of their music players. Apple and Nike kept the momentum in 2009 when Apple announced its iPhone 3GS with built-in Nike+ support, and again in 2010 with the Nike+ GPS app, which eliminated the need for its proprietary shoe sensor. 2012 brought NikeFuel, a proprietary point system that tracks your activity; it's like a calorie, but with more dancing cartoon characters. Nike ruled the running roost and, for a time, it was good. But with all its success, Nike’s cumbersome Web interface for Nike+ was left to languish, and its competitors caught up. Developers took advantage of the iPhone’s GPS capabilities and created a whole host of outdoor running apps, attempting to topple the king that was Nike+. Finally, in June of this year, Nike redesigned its entire Nike+ offering. Since we have a small (but growing) contingency of runners at Ars, we wanted to see how Nike's updated Nike+ Running app stacked up against some of the competition. Strava Run Strava looks fantastic. The simple Web interface is accompanied by an even lovelier mobile UI for iOS and Android devices. Nike+ has its bells and whistles that encourage the average Joe to get off their couch, but Strava's clean interface seems to be more appealing to those who already wake up at 5am and just want a no-nonsense analysis of their performance. In addition to tracking your data, it allows you to plug in your latest endeavor manually, along with the ability to track your routes via GPS. Integration with various Garmin devices is also available, should you not want you take your iPhone along for your trek. But not everything is roses: Strava’s social features are pretty shallow. While you can add friends, share runs with the requisite social networks, join clubs, and compare stats down to the section of road, there’s no way to directly challenge a buddy in a race or achieve a goal together—a much-loved feature in Nike+. Strava offers its own “Strava Challenges," which are running or cycling goals that encourage certain aspects of training such as climbing a certain number of feet or beating your personal best. Depending on your locale, however, their challenges can be impossible to complete and therefore may end up being useless to you. Signing up for an account via Strava's signup form or Facebook was simple, and within minutes I was ready to strap on my FiveFingers and go out for a light jog. Right away, a huge disappointment that I discovered during my run was the lack of on-screen audio controls. My running headphones aren’t remote-equipped, so changing tunes was a task that severely hampered my pace. Strava offers a premium subscription plan, which adds an incredibly detailed analysis of your activities as well as filtered leaderboards based on age and weight to see how you measure up to your competition. While it isn’t for everyone, I found myself wondering if I should at least try the premium plan just to see if I would enjoy the extra data points. Strava's premium features do come at a pretty high cost for what you get, though. For $6 per month or $60 per year, Strava charges a pretty penny for its more detailed analysis of your performance. While some of the features may seem a little gimmicky ("Suffer Score"? Really?), serious statistics-oriented athletes may still relish the extra details. After my run, I felt conflicted about how to think about Strava. Nike’s app was better suited for my song-changing disposition, while Strava’s simple interface encouraged me to crunch numbers like an out-of-shape Ivan Drago. I found myself glancing at the app’s simple display of my stats throughout the day, something I’ve never done with Nike+. There were no emoticons asking me if it was chilly outside, no prominently displayed buttons asking me to share my less-than-ideal workout with others. And while I don’t think I’m ready to switch from Nike+, Strava delighted the statistician in me by showing me the raw numbers. RunKeeper RunKeeper is another longtime competitor in the fitness tracking game, using GPS and manual entry to track your running, cycling, or even cross-country skiing activities. The app seems to be the preferred alternative to Nike’s offering, boasting over 6 million users in 2011. What sets RunKeeper apart from the rest of the pack is the amount of data that it allows you to store within your profile. You can track your weight loss and fitness level as well as your sleeping habits. The ability to see multiple data points and how they relate to one another is delightful, and is no doubt useful to someone who wants to see if their habits have any correlation with one another. RunKeeper’s website is one of the more bland entrants in the design category. While Strava’s interface is decidedly minimal and Nike’s colorful, RunKeeper seems to be aiming for a unique kind of “boring” aesthetic. On the plus side, it does let you enter information manually, something Nike does not allow. The iOS and identical Android app is in a similar predicament; it’s not especially delightful to look at, but it gets the job done. The ability to change the screen orientation is a huge boon for me, as I like to take a glance at my iPhone while it's strapped to my arm. RunKeeper’s running mode suffered from an oversight similar to Strava’s app: no built-in playback controls. While you could choose a playlist before you began your run, changing songs involved the same home button double-tap and swiping as it did on Strava’s app. During my run, RunKeeper surprised me with a “coach” that relayed statistics to me every few minutes in a very pleasant voice, similar to Nike’s. And unlike the rest of the apps I tested, RunKeeper's GPS tracking was more precise than the competition. It gave me a reading down to the hundredth of a mile rather than the tenth that has become the norm. Like Nike, a pace/elevation chart was also available, but what comes as a bittersweet feature is the inclusion of speed in the chart. Unfortunately, the speed overlay is the same color as the pace overlay, which is not very helpful when they’re all displayed together. What may make RunKeeper more appealing than other fitness apps is its Health Graph. Unlike Nike or Strava, RunKeeper allows a variety of fitness apps to access your account and add their own data to it using RunKeeper’s Health Graph API. With the ability to track weight loss, sleeping patterns, diet, and body measurements, RunKeeper is marketing itself as a central hub for all of your health-based activity, running included. Another fitness service, MapMyRun, offers a similar API, but RunKeeper’s Health Graph implementation seems to be significantly more popular. The integration extends beyond apps into physical products like the Withings WiFi Body Scale and FINIS SwimSense Performance Monitor, just to name a few. In looking for an app that integrates with RunKeeper's Health Graph, I stumbled upon the weightlifting-specific app Gym Hero. When asked why he decided to use RunKeeper's Health Graph, Gym Hero cofounder Jannis told me it was mostly about consolidation. “We’re a two-man gang doing this next to our day job, so creating our own graph was out of the question. We wanted to build upon the health graph because it’s a great idea (consolidating all your health related data in a place that’s open and where you can pull out your own data anytime)," he told Ars. The Health Graph, app promotion on its site, and a dedicated following make RunKeeper quite popular despite some of its downsides. It is pretty easy to see why. With a fresh coat of paint, RunKeeper could be the ideal fitness database for developers and users alike. Nike+ Running Nike’s now-redesigned experience was a much-needed change to the company's previous unusable site and buggy iOS app. First, Nike added to its iOS app GPS coordinates for your outdoor runs along with a map of your route, viewable (sometimes) on Nike’s website. No longer is the Nike+ sensor necessary to track your runs through the wild roads of suburbia. On the app's splash page, Nike prominently displays your total miles along with information pertinent to the masses like number of runs, calories burned, and the day you last ran. Any goal you have created on the website shows up at the bottom of the screen, a little reminder of a promise you once made to yourself and can still keep if you put those sneakers on. The ability to start a run almost always remains in a corner, save for when looking at a previous run. But a feature I previously took for granted in Nike+ Running was its music integration. Where I would occasionally pause a workout when attempting to change a song, the buttons now have their own section in their respective corners. Touchscreen mishaps are now a thing of the past with this new layout, and switching songs has never been easier—an oversight by almost every other running app I looked at. The run was pretty accurate in my experience, never missing a beat when I climbed a set of stairs or decided to do some light fartlek training. The soft voice of what I can only assume to be Siri’s more beloved sister popped up, informing me of my pace and distance. When finished, you have the option of syncing your run with Nike’s online presence. On Nike’s redesigned website, nearby routes that were plotted and named by other runners are suggested to you as well. I’m not a man who would go four miles away from his home to run another four miles, but I did see the appeal in this feature. When synced and viewed online, a visual representation of your pace as it relates to your elevation is shown underneath your GPS route. After I synced my most recent run, the shockingly abrupt and flashy appearance of Fuelee, Nike+’s mascot, alerted me to an achievement of sorts: my fastest 5K. (I closed his little window, silently hoping that I would see him do yet another jig the next time I logged in for some other unforeseen accomplishment.) The price to be a part of Nike’s + community has steadily decreased since its inception, no doubt due to free alternatives that may lure prospective buyers away. With somewhat pricey options like the Nike FuelBand, SportWatch GPS, and SportBand, the purchase of an iOS or Android device is enough to get you in the club. And although each runner has his or her own preferences when it comes to apps, the Nike+ Running app is still top dog in my book. Its appealing interface, both mobile and stationary, makes it easy to learn and use. And its use of NikeFuel, while forgettable, is just interesting enough to keep me running a little longer. I’m coming for you, Usain.Marvel's Netflix Phase 1 series - Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage - have all been big successes with fans, and 2017 is going to be exciting as the final Netflix Phase 1 series Iron Fist hits screens. After Iron Fist, entirety of the MCU Netflix Phase 1 saga will culminate with The Defenders, a series that brings all four Marvel Netflix "street heroes" together to defend NYC against the combined threats of The Hand ninja clan and a powerful unnamed villain played by Sigourney Weaver. As we here at Comicbook.com have started to look at all the various threads of the Marvel Netflix shows that are building towards The Defenders event, we've come up with an important question: Is Wilson Fisk/Kingpin going to be in The Defenders? The Powerful Evil Elite Each of the Marvel Netflix series contains a basic formula that has become apparent, with secondary villain reveals, big twists halfway through the season, and a final episode where the traditional hero we know finally emerges. However, there is a subtle connection between the bad guys in these Marvel Netflix shows, and it's that they all belong to a similar pool of NYC's wealthy and/or powerful business and political figures. Here's the recap: Daredevilhas wealthy businessman/organized crime boss, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio). Jessica Jones has high-powered NYC attorney Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss) and her firm, Hogarth, Chao and Benowitz. Luke Cage has political power player/organized crime boss, "Black Mariah" Dillard. Iron Fist will introduce ruthless NYC business magnates The Meachum family: father Harold (David Wenham), son Ward Meachum (Tom Pelphrey) and daughter Joy (Jessica Stroup). The Defenders will also add Sigourney Weaver's villain, who it is probably safe to assume is a white-collar sort of threat, rather than a blade wielding ninja or gun-toting crime boss (though with the Aliens icon, gun-toting ninja skills are definitely possible!). It's hard to see all these powerful people involved in these Marvel Netflix shows and not surmise they could be tied together by the events of The Defenders - and if they are, then Wilson Fisk would need to be a part of that miniseries. The Kingpin Connection Last we saw Fisk, he had graduated from ambitious and ruthless businessman to the official "Kingpin of Crime," running this from prison and setting up Matt Murdock to fail the Frank Castle case. In fact, Murdock's last meeting with Fisk went pretty violently, with Fisk beating him down, and indicating that he may be figuring out Matt Murdock's Daredevil alter ego. There's no doubt that Fisk will eventually get himself freed from jail, and doing so in time for The Defenders would make sense. Since we know from a first teaser trailer that The Defenders will feature The Hand's big attack on NYC; Daredevil season 1 & 2 clearly established that Wilson Fisk is the bridge between The Hand's home in the East, and its operations in The West. So if Madame Gao and her ninja clan are making a big assault on NYC, Fisk would almost certainly be a prime chess piece to move. We still don't know how Wilson Fisk first came across The Hand - only that his experiences with the clan gave even him a healthy respectful fear of them. There's no telling, then, how active Fisk would need to be in The Defenders; after all, he manipulated Matt Murdock and the Frank Castle case from a prison cell, so he could conceivably do the same in The Defenders....Of course, seeing the Kingpin back out on the street, possibly facing the team head-on in combat, would be pretty awesome, too. Who Else is Involved? The following other supporting characters from the Marvel Netflix series have already been confirmed for The Defenders: MORE DEFENDERS: Iron Fist Trailer / Marvel Netflix NYCC Panel Recap / Defenders Villain Reveal / Defenders Take Stage / Iron Fist Clip / The Hand Revealed in Iron Fist Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, and Luke Cage season 1 are all available on Netflix. Iron Fist will premiere on March 17, 2017. The Defenders expected later in the year. The Punisher does not have a release date yet.How much do clouds weigh? How much does a cloud weigh? This interesting question crops up every now and then on the internet. If you Google it you’ll find a whole spectrum of answers from the absurd to the just plain wrong. (There are plenty of very bogus explanations about some of the science involved too!) Image: pranav One answer is that a cloud does not weigh anything! That’s why it floats. This might seem like a facetious answer, but it seems to make some sense. We’re taught in school about the difference between mass (the amount of ‘stuff’ in something), and weight (the force that gravity imposes of this ‘stuff’). A cloud, clearly, has mass. We know this because it contains water which falls out frequently as various forms of precipitation. So if it has mass, it must have a weight, so why doesn’t it fall out of the sky? What else can you think of that has mass and just floats? Maybe a children’s Helium balloon with a small mass on the end, or a hot air balloon? Do these things have weight? If you floated either of these over to set of bathroom scales, they would not measure any weight. Could you describe a balloon as ‘weightless’? After all, it is not registering any weight on a scale. Hold onto that thought for just a moment … What’s going on here? Well, yes, there is gravity acting on the balloon, creating a force pulling it down, but there is an equal and opposite force holding it up and this is called buoyancy. Air, despite its transparency, is not a bunch of nothing, it’s a complex soup of gases and vapours, and actually has quite a bit of mass * In fact, there the approximately 5 quadrillion metric tonnes of air in our atmosphere! For more details on this, you can read this article about the atmosphere. 5,000,000,000,000,000,000 Kg * Stop the madness We’ll take a slight detour here to bring shame to some people who ought to know better. This is all related to the mass of air. There’s a famous experiment, probably performed daily in some school somewhere on the planet, that tries to demonstrate to students that air has mass. It goes something like this: You take two balloons, inflate them, and suspend them on either side of a finely balanced beam. The beam is initially level, as each side has equal forces acting on them. Then, you pop one of the balloons, and sure enough, if the balance is sensitive enough, the side with the full balloon drops. The air inside the full balloon is small, but enough to tip the balance down; as this air has weight. "Proof that air has mass?" This is a 100% utterly bogus explanation. Yes, the full balloon will drop, but for a different reason. Why should letting the air out of the balloon (transferring it to the other side of the rubber) make a difference? Imagine if the balloon were made out of a mesh stocking, or better still a paper lunch sack? If you put two identical paper lunch bags on the balance beam instead of two balloons, then crumpled one up, would you expect the crumpled side to rise as that bag no longer contained air and so weighed less? Of course not. So what’s really going on, why does the side with the full balloon fall? The true explanation is that when you inflate a balloon you blow air into it under pressure. The tension of the rubber balloon skin keeps the air inside under pressure. As the air is under pressure there is more mass inside compared to the same volume of air under ambient conditions. In inflated balloon weighs more than an open-ended (uninflated) balloon because the air inside is under more pressure (so there is more of it for the same volume) than air outside. (The bogus explanation is analogous to simplifying 19/ 95 by cancelling the nines! You get the correct answer, but for the totally wrong reason!) Returning to Helium balloons The Helium in the child’s balloon has mass, but Helium is significantly less dense than the air surrounding it (less mass for the same volume). The Helium in the balloon is displacing the heavier air. This causes an upwards force equal to the volume of balloon multiplied by the difference in the densities. This is called Archimedes’ principal. It’s why boats float even when they are made from iron (which is denser than water). A simple lump of iron thrown into a pond would sink quickly to the bottom, but, if fashioned into a hull shape so that it can displace sufficient volume of water (the mass of which is equal to the iron), it will float. The Helium in the balloon is displacing air. This buoyancy results in lift. If you let go of an untethered Helium balloon, it will accelerate upwards, but, if you add a mass to the string to exactly balance this out it becomes ‘weightless’. So clouds and balloons really are ‘weightless’ then? Well, no, they’re not, and this bit gets a little harder to explain, so hold onto your hats … Further down the rabbit hole When an object is floating neutrally in a fluid, it’s not really weightless, it’s actually distributed its weight throughout the rest of the supporting fluid (and eventually back into the ground!) Huh? Tell that again? What? That’s right, when a balloon floats up in the air, it’s still pressing down on the ground with the same force it did when laying uninflated on the ground. It’s just that this force is distributed over such a wide area that it’s too small to measure. Think about a kids bathing pool. Imagine you floated a heavy toy boat in that pool. The boat is neutrally buoyant and is displacing sufficient volume of water such that the mass of water displaced by the hull is equal to that of the boat. The boat does not sink. It floats. Now imagine the kids bathing pool is on a set of scales. Before the boat was added it would weigh a certain amount. After the boat is added, the scales would increase to include that of the boat. Even though the boat is floating ‘weightless’ in the water, what has happened is that, through buoyancy, the weight of the boat has been transferred to the water and this, in turn, is transferring this this force through the floor of the pool and into the ground. It’s the same when a plane flies through the air! When a plane is flying it’s pushing down on the ground with just the same amount of force it did when sat on the runway, it’s just that when it’s in the air, this force is distributed through the air to the ground (via a tiny pressure increase in the fluid) over such a massive area that it’s just impossible to measure. We're starting to get a few more clues towards our solution, but we still need more information … What is a cloud? We gracefully skipped past this at the start, but what exactly is a cloud? Obviously it's different from the air surrounding it (it looks different), but what is its composition? What are clouds made of? A cloud is a visible mass of condensed water vapour. As described before, our air is a complex soup of gases. Nitrogen and Oxygen make up the lion’s share, but there are also measurable concentrations of Carbon Dioxide, and smaller concentrations of Helium and the “Rare Earth Gases” such as Argon, Neon, Krypton and Xenon. Also present in various quantities is water vapour. Water vapour is practically always present in the air in various quantities depending on conditions. When water in the atmosphere condenses out of the air (changes from a vapour phase to a liquid phase), it either forms water droplets or ice crystals, depending on the local conditions. It is these small particles that scatter the sunlight passing through them (randomly across the spectrum), to make them appear white (or grey from shadowing and shading if they are dense). Pretty! Return to the rabbit hole There’s a bunch more pseudo-science typically taught that needs clarifying and correcting. You might have been told at school that warm air can ‘hold’ more moisture than cold air, and this is why clouds form. Sort of like equating air as a sponge that can absorb water proportional to temperature. You were probably told that warm air 'picks' up moisture, then precipitates this out when it cools down and can no longer 'hold as much'. This is garbage! You might have been told that as warm ‘moist’ air cools down, as it drops below something called a 'dew point temperature' (the point that it can no longer ‘hold’ any more moisture), then the air becomes saturated and the vapour condenses out, forming clouds. This is also incorrect (though it certainly makes it easier to understand). Science Water molecules are present in air, and they are bouncing around as vapour (along with all the other molecules of gas). At any time there as some molecules that are traveling slowly, and some that are traveling quickly. In fact, there’s an entire spectrum of velocities. It is the average velocity of the molecules that actually gives us our definition about what temperature is (more strictly the definition of temperature is the average kinetic energy of the molecules). This spectrum of energies explains how and why evaporation happens. If you pour water on the ground it slowly evaporates away. The more energetic molecules escape from the surface of the liquid, having sufficient energy to ‘boil’ away and turn to vapour; even at ambient temperatures. (The molecules left behind have a slower average speed, and this explains why evaporation cools things down). Pools of water with a large surface areas evaporate quicker, as there is more surface area for molecules to escape from, than similar volumes of water with smaller surface areas. Pools of water at higher temperatures evaporate quicker because they already have molecules with higher average speeds. We’re getting further away from clouds but this also explains why adding salt (or other substances) to water raises its boiling point. The presence of other particles in the fluid is a colligative property; these other particles obstruct the water molecules as they try to make their escapes. It also slows down evaporation. Why did I mention this colligative property? Well, here is a thought experiment: Put out two beakers of water at the same temperature, in air of the same temperature/pressure in a closed region. One of the beakers should be filled with pure water, the other with strong saline (salt water). If the ‘carrying capacity’ of air is dependent on its temperature then we’d have expected no difference, but the water that gets in the air (at the same temperature) is dependent on liquid, not the air. The ‘carrying capacity’ of the air is not proportional to the temperature. In fact the air has nothing to do with
ips fully around its star about every 18 hours, while Earth takes a year to complete an orbit. [Oozing Super-Earth: Images of Alien Planet 55 Cancri e] Previous studies of 55 Cancri e suggested it might possess strange properties. Some work suggested the exoplanet was covered with oozing "supercritical fluids" — high-pressure, liquidlike, gas-like substances — while other research suggested the world was made largely of diamond. This animated video shows a possible scenario for the hot, rocky exoplanet called 55 Cancri e, (Image: © NASA/JPL-Caltech) To help solve the mysteries of 55 Cancri e, astronomers used NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to monitor infrared emissions from the exoplanet for 75 hours total during the summer of 2013. The resulting thermal map revealed a strong difference in temperature between the planet's dayside and nightside. 55 Cancri e is tidally locked, meaning it always keeps the same face pointed at its star. On the dayside, temperatures on 55 Cancri e can reach about 4,400 degrees Fahrenheit (2,427 degrees Celsius). On the nightside, temperatures can dip to about 2,025 degrees F (1,107 degrees C). The nightside may be kept warm by heat conducting through the rock from the dayside, said study lead author Brice-Olivier Demory, an astrophysicist at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England. The varying brightness of exoplanet 55 Cancri e plotted. Image released March 30, 2016. (Image: © NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Cambridge) The nightside's relatively cooler temperatures suggest that 55 Cancri e does not possess a thick atmosphere that could carry heat from the dayside to the night side, Demory said. It also suggests this planet is not covered with a large envelope of water, ruling out the possibility that supercritical fluids envelop 55 Cancri e, Demory added. About halfway between the dayside and the nightside, the researchers discovered that 55 Cancri e possesses a hotspot. They suggest this hotspot might be due to lava flows, and because the planet is hot, this lava may flow better than it does on Earth, behaving more like water does at room temperature and less like solid rock. A potential alternative explanation for this hotspot is that 55 Cancri e may possess an atmosphere only on the dayside of the planet; on the night side, the atmosphere would freeze out, Demory said. It remains uncertain whether such an atmosphere, if it exists, would convey enough heat to explain this hotspot, he said. "We are far from having a comprehensive picture of this exoplanet," Demory told Space.com. "It is likely that Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, will help in our understanding of this surprising world." The scientists detailed their findings online March 30 in the journal Nature. Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.Bitcoin is a fad, just like bimetallism before it, according to one Nobel Prize-winning economist. The observation came from American economist Robert Shiller, who compared the cryptocurrency to the bimetallism fad of the late 19th century when both gold and silver were accepted as legal tender. "I'll take bitcoin, too, because I know I can sell it and get out of it. There seems to be some strange enthusiasm for it," Shiller said on CNBC's "Closing Bell." "People get excited about things like new monetary standards. Remember bimetallism? It went into a fad, everyone was talking about it for a while. And then it faded." Bitcoin hit a record high of $5,856.10 on Friday, according to data from industry website CoinDesk. Its market capitalization, which is the total value of all the bitcoin in circulation, reached $96.7 billion, according to Coinmarketcap.com. "I think gold is a bubble, but it's always been a bubble," hedged Shiller. "It has some industrial uses, but it basically it's like a fad that's lasted thousands of years." On the markets front, the economist noted that he's seeing some worrying signs in his data around the anniversary of the fateful 1987 stock crash. "Confidence in the valuation of the market is indeed the lowest it's been since 2000," warned the economist. "And when it got low in 2000, the market fell about 40 percent. So it was bad." "I think there's a danger, but I'm not saying to sell everything. I'm still in the market myself."A veterans’ advocate courted for a job by the Canadian Forces had his offer of employment rescinded because he wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to complain that injured military personnel, including a soldier who died, weren’t being treated properly. The Canadian Forces had offered the job in June to retired Master Warrant Officer Barry Westholm, acknowledging that his advocacy for injured soldiers was just what was needed to turn around the Joint Personnel Support Unit. Westholm had been a JPSU sergeant major before quitting in 2013 to protest the poor state of affairs in the unit that is supposed to take care of injured troops. Westholm replied to Lt.-Col. Chris Robidoux, JPSU deputy commander, that he was interested in becoming involved in the plan to set a new direction for the unit. But Westholm stipulated he would work for free since he felt an obligation to help the injured. However the job offer was rescinded two months later because Westholm sent emails to Trudeau, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance outlining how the current system failed military personnel, including Pte. Leah Greene. Westholm emailed Trudeau on July 22 to complain that Greene, who suffered a spinal injury during her military service that left her partially paralyzed, had run into roadblocks trying to get help from the Canadian Forces and government. Greene, who for years had been dealing with bureaucratic red tape, chronic pain and mental issues, died July 26. After her death, Westholm also sent emails to various ministers questioning why the system failed the soldier, highlighting problems both with the JPSU and Veterans Affairs in the Greene case. He also sent an email to Sajjan and Vance requesting Greene’s family be awarded a Sacrifice Medal. Robidoux, who originally offered Westholm the job, chastised the retired veteran for his emails. “You have repeatedly made slanderous, inappropriate and ill-informed statements about the JPSU and its personnel to our CDS, MND, PM and many others,” Robidoux wrote in an Aug. 22 email. The officer stated it would be “very inappropriate to invite” Westholm to be part of the team planning to improve the JPSU system. He concluded Westholm wouldn’t “be a good fit.” The focus is more on optics, making sure no one in the leadership is embarrassed. Retired Master Warrant Officer Barry Westholm Westholm now questions whether the military is serious about fixing the system. “They don’t seem to want to hear about where the problems are and how they can be fixed,” he said in an interview. “The focus is more on optics, making sure no one in the leadership is embarrassed.” Westholm said he was surprised by Robidoux’s response, noting the officer was well aware of his advocacy for injured troops and highlighting problems with the system. In fact, Robidoux acknowledged in his initial email it was an opinion piece Westholm wrote in June, critical of JPSU, that prompted him to reach out with the job offer. “Clearly you are a very passionate and knowledgeable person, and just the kind of person that we need to help move our yardsticks,” Robidoux wrote in a June 22 email. Westholm provided the correspondence to the Ottawa Citizen. Robidoux sent Westholm an official letter Sept. 1 apologizing for the language he used in his email chastising the veteran. But the job offer was no longer on the table. The Canadian Armed Forces recognizes the importance of diversity and actively looks to recruit candidates with different views. Canadian Forces spokesman Navy Lt. Kelly Boyden Canadian Forces spokesman Navy Lt. Kelly Boyden said the military cannot discuss specific individual employment issues. “We can advise that the Canadian Armed Forces seeks to hire, recruit and retain the very best candidates for available positions,” he added in an email. “The Canadian Armed Forces recognizes the importance of diversity and actively looks to recruit candidates with different views, experiences, and skill sets needed to meet the needs of our members.” There has been praise for JPSU, originally created to offer programs to help mentally and physically injured troops resume their military careers or more commonly, to make a gradual transition into the civilian world. But critics such as Westholm have continually raised concerns that injured personnel aren’t getting the attention they need because of the staff shortages and excessive workloads in JPSU. The unit has had three commanding officers in the past year. In addition, recently released documents obtained under the Access to Information law show the military leadership was well aware as far back as February 2014 that the JPSU was in dire straits with not enough staff and a growing number of injured soldiers to help. Despite the severity of the problems, the Canadian Forces leadership continued to claim injured personnel were receiving a top level of care. dpugliese@postmedia.com Twitter.com/davidpuglieseHome secretary Theresa May says it would be wrong to act before full facts about Derrick Bird's killing spree are known The home secretary, Theresa May, today promised a review of Britain's gun laws following yesterday's shootings in Cumbria, but said it would be wrong to act before the full facts about Derrick Bird's killing spree were known. David Cameron later backed up her comments, warning against any rash response, an approach endorsed too by Labour's former home secretary Alan Johnson. The prime minister and May plan to visit the area tomorrow to make sure the police, emergency and health services and local councils have all the support they need. May told MPs: "Undoubtedly, yesterday's killings will prompt a debate about our country's gun laws. That is understandable – and indeed it is right and proper. But it would be wrong to react before we know the full facts. Today we must remember the innocent people who were taken from us as they went about their lives. Then, we must allow the police time to complete their investigations." Cameron, speaking at a press conference in Downing Street, said: "The right thing to do is, of course, to look at all of these issues and have an open mind. "But we should be clear that in this country we have some of the toughest gun control legislation anywhere in the world and we shouldn't make any kneejerk reaction to think that there is some instant legislative or regulatory answer." The prime minister added: "Of course we have to do everything we can to stop these dreadful events, but you can't legislate to stop a switch flicking in someone's head and for this dreadful sort of action to take place." Cumbria police confirmed that Bird – who went on the rampage in the UK's most deadly shooting incident since the Dunblane massacre – had been a licensed gun holder. May, in a statement to the House of Commons, said he had held a shotgun licence since 1995 and a firearms licence (for a.22 rifle) since 2007, adding that police had confirmed to her that his licences covered the firearms seized yesterday. Twelve people were killed and eight remained in hospital today after the 52-year-old taxi driver went on the apparently indiscriminate shooting spree. Bird shot dead his twin brother and at least one colleague before driving through rural west Cumbria firing seemingly at random at people in towns, villages and on country roads before killing himself. More than 100 detectives are beginning to piece together the sequence of events and trying to establish his motive. Eleven people were injured during the three-and-a-half hour incident, which paralysed the county as police, hunting the gunman on the ground and by air, ordered people to remain indoors. Cumbria police said they may never completely uncover the reason for what they described as the "most exceptional and challenging incident" the small force had ever dealt with. The alarm was raised in the harbour town of Whitehaven at 10.30am. By then, it is believed, Bird's twin brother, David, and the family solicitor, Kevin Commons, were already dead. It ended only when the gunman's body was found in a copse outside the hamlet of Boot at 1.40pm. All 12 people killed by Bird have been named locally, but the identity of only one has so far been officially confirmed by police – that of Commons, 60, who worked for KJ Common solicitors. A statement on Cumbria police's website this morning listed 19 locations where shots were fired by Bird, including 10 sites where people were killed, and the village where he was found dead. Detectives renewed their appeal for witnesses. "We have now concluded a 150km land and air search of the known and possible routes [Bird] could have used and as a result we are not expecting to find any further victims." Eight people who were injured remained in hospitals in Cumbria and Newcastle upon Tyne today – four were said to be in a stable condition and four described as comfortable. There were unconfirmed reports that the gunman, from Rowrah, near Frizington, who was divorced with two sons and had recently become a grandfather, had argued with colleagues at the taxi rank the previous night. One friend, Peter Leder, told CNN Bird had said to him: "You won't see me again." According to one woman in Whitehaven, Bird "shook them [his colleagues] by the hands one by one and said, 'There's going to be a rampage in this town tomorrow and it's going to start with my mother'... They just laughed and didn't take him seriously". Others spoke of a reported family row over the will of Bird's seriously ill mother, involving Commons. Commons's home was last night cordoned off by police, and letters from his law firm were visible on a windowsill of Bird's home. It is thought that after killing his brother and Commons, Bird headed to Whitehaven and shot a fellow taxi driver, named locally as Darren Rewcastle. Witnesses said Bird then drove through the town with a gun hanging out of his car window. Police released a map showing Bird's progress south to Egremont, Gosforth and Seascale, where the killings continued. Bird's spree is the biggest mass shooting since Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and an adult at Dunblane primary school in March 1996, before killing himself. The police helpline number for witnesses is 0800 096 0095.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Colin with his advice for anyone in his situation. It is England's only clinic for children experiencing difficulties in the development of their gender identity. The Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Centre in north London has been going since 1989 but this week I became the first journalist to be allowed access to its clinical rooms and some of its staff and patients. To look at the centre from the outside it is nothing impressive. It resembles an office block. But what happens inside is crucial to the happiness of every child who goes in seeking help, guidance and support. The reception area is welcoming: warm yellow walls with two smiley receptionists who are courteous in their approach. In the waiting room, there are a couple of children in school uniforms, one munching on an apple, the other staring straight ahead as if deep in thought. The staff here understand it must be a daunting experience for any child to come and wait to speak to psychologists and psychiatrists about their innermost feelings. Image caption About 1,400 under-18s were referred to the service in the past year They work hard to provide them with comfort through a collage of wall paintings featuring animals and other furry objects. Up three flights of stairs, I am introduced to Dr Polly Carmichael, the woman in charge and one of the country's leading clinical psychologists in the area of transgender children. 'Real phenomenon' "It's important that we make people feel welcome here," says Dr Carmichael. "Every young person who comes to the service is an individual and it's really about getting to know them and creating a therapeutic space where it feels safe to think about all the alternatives and choices they may have." Critics of the service often suggest an irresponsibility on behalf of the staff for talking about transgenderism to children and in some cases agreeing to the use of hormone blockers, or as they're called in the medical world, hypothalamic blockers. Dr Carmichael rejects those criticisms: "This is a real phenomenon - there are young people who feel incredibly distressed around their gender identity and we start from a place where we accept that this is real and respected, but not one where we assume what the outcome will be, or what path that person will ultimately choose." According to figures from the clinic, 32 children under the age of 16 were prescribed blockers last year, compared with 41 in the previous year. Image caption Poppy was nine when she transitioned from male to female 'Gender different from sexuality' The corridors are long and lined with brown doors, all leading to either a clinical space or an office. One of the rooms I'm shown has toys scattered on the floor for those patients who are particularly young - bright building blocks and cuddly animals to put them at ease. In another room across from the lifts sits 16-year-old Colin and his mum Jane. Colin transitioned from female to male two years ago and describes himself as a gay male. I'm given permission to sit in on a session between him and child psychiatrist Dr Victoria Halt. Gender is between your ears, not what's between your legs Colin, Teenager who has transitioned from female to male The purpose is to see how Colin is doing with his transition and whether he's experiencing any distress or anxiety. In Colin's case it has been a smooth ride so far and he comes across as confident, happy and content. He begins to explain that gender and sexuality are not synonymous. "Gender is between your ears and not what's between your legs," he says. "I feel like your gender identity is something really innate within you and it has no correlation to your body... like when I get periods then it's just something that happens to my body - it's not like this is a woman thing, this is just a thing." He tugs at his t-shirt to pull it away from his breasts. He tells me he's wearing a chest binder - a sort of bra that presses down on any breast tissue to create a flat-looking chest. "It's excellent for making people perceive me and my gender correctly but it can also cause a lot of back pain and if I wear it for too long then I've known people who have broken ribs from them. "But I would rather be in pain and uncomfortable than look like a woman." 'I don't want to grow a beard' Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jessica has been having nightmares about growing up a man Read more about two of the UK's youngest transgender children. Cross-sex hormones About 1,400 young people under the age of 18 have been referred to the Gender Identity Development Service over the last year. Three children aged three were referred to the clinic in the past year, compared with none in the previous year. Dr Carmichael says she's noticed that those transitioning are getting younger. "Young people [are] making the full social transition - that means living full-time in their preferred gender inside and outside the home - at earlier ages," she says. "It's something that comes through from those we've seen coming here in recent months." Image caption The clinic says it prescribed hormone blockers to 32 children last year At 16, someone can decide to take cross-sex hormones to look more like the gender they identify with, and at 18 can opt for surgical intervention. Those procedures don't happen here. Patients are sent to University College London Hospital but the key decisions about what is right for them and how they should move forward are concluded in this building. Children and their families have to wait around nine months before being seen by experts here. I meet Poppy - a nine-year-old who has transitioned from male to female and is on the waiting list. "When I was little I used to go to my wishing well in the garden, throw some stones down there and wish I was a girl and that wish came true," she tells me. "I didn't feel like myself as a boy and didn't feel right and something felt wrong inside. I'm so happy now." To critics this is all about interfering with nature. But staff here insist that each case is different and that the media have created an illusion that this is happening on a mass scale when actually it is only occurring in a small proportion of the population. For details of organisations that can provide help and support with gender identity, visit BBC Action Line.NEW DELHI: Implementation of the Goods and Services Tax will be positive for India's rating as it will lead to higher GDP growth and increased tax revenues, Moody's Investors Service said on Sunday."Over the medium term, we expect that the GST will contribute to productivity gains and higher GDP growth by improving the ease of doing business, unifying the national market and enhancing India's attractiveness as a foreign investment destination," Moody's VP (Sovereign Risk Group) William Foster said.The GST will also support higher government revenue generation through improved tax compliance and administration."Both will be positive for India's credit profile, which is constrained by a relatively low revenue base," Foster said.Moody's has a 'Baa3' rating on India with a positive outlook.The biggest tax reform in independent India was rolled out at the stroke of the midnight - the intervening night of June 30-July 1 - by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi The US-based agency expects improved tax compliance to be driven by incentivisation of tax credits in a GST system.It would also usher in greater ease of compliance through usage of a common, shared IT infrastructure between the central government and the states; and a reduction in the overall cost of compliance from simplified tax rates, uniform across the country."We expect the net impact of GST on government revenues to be positive," Foster said.The Goods and Services Tax (GST) will remove plethora of taxes like excise, service tax and VAT and transform India into a uniform market for seamless movement of goods and services.In the GST regime, goods and services will be taxed in the either of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent.Besides certain essential items like health care services, salt, unpacked food grains has been kept at zero rated.IMIsystems announced the RedSky 2 Drone-Defender, their most effective low altitude point and air defence solution against the rising drone threat. The new Drone-Defender system underwent an extensive testing phase in January, where it was briefly tested against various conditions including day, night and adverse weather effects. IMIsystems is expecting to begin delivering its first batch of systems by this year. Last month representatives from 14 countries received a live demonstration of the system’s automated detection, tracking and intercepting capabilities. RedSky can be set to be operated as an active system or as a reactive system that only functions upon triggering an alarm once an unknown object enters its detection vicinity. The original RedSky was a short ranged automatic aerial defence system capable of automatic scanning, tracking and engaging targets using MANPAD missiles. The Red Sky 2 brings the addition of the Drone-Defender component previously not present in the older version of the system. The addition of the Drone-Defender unit will increase its utility to detect and intercept drones. The system is compatible enough to be integrated into the existing defence systems of facilities and easily be relocated to required venues or be mounted on vehicles to protect against aircraft and drones. Its designed to detect, disrupt and neutralise UAVs engaging in hostile activities. Preventing infiltration of sensitive premises such as Military bases, Airports, Stadiums, Critical Government structures. Watch the RedSky 2 in action Technical Specifications Overview ________________________________________________________________ What is IMIsystems? Established in 1933, Israeli Military Industries Ltd (IMI) is an Israel based weapons producer of ammunition, arms and state of the art military technologies primarily for the Israeli army. Owned by the Government, IMI is also a prominent dealer of small-arms across the world. IMI is responsible for the design and production of popular small-arms such as the Uzi Submachine gun and the Desert Eagle.The German Fairy Tale Route[1] (German: Deutsche Märchenstraße) is a tourist attraction in Germany originally established in 1975. With a length of 600 kilometres (370 mi),[2] the route runs from Hanau in central Germany to Bremen in the north. Tourist attractions along the route are focused around the brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, including locations where they lived and worked at various stages in their life, as well as regions which are linked to the fairy tales found in the Grimm collection, such as The Town Musicians of Bremen. The Verein Deutsche Märchenstraße society, headquartered in the city of Kassel, is responsible for the route, which travellers can recognize with the help of road signs depicting the heart-shaped head of a pretty, fairylike creature.[3] Tourist attractions [ edit ] The German Fairy Tale Route passes through various scenic regions, which include eight nature parks including the Hessian Spessart Nature Park, Hoher Vogelsberg Nature Park, Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park, Meißner-Kaufungen Forest Nature Park, Habichtswald Nature Park and the Weser Uplands Nature Park. The towns and cities associated with the Brothers Grimm and located along the route are Hanau, Steinau, Marburg and Kassel. The original Children’s and Household Tales (German: Kinder- und Hausmärchen), edited and published by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in 1812 and known today as Grimm’s Fairy Tales (German: Grimms Märchen), can be found in Kassel. In 2005, this collection was added to the UNESCO World Document Heritage List. Several places along the Fairy Tale Route are connected with the fairy tales themselves. In the town of Alsfeld, visitors can see what is known as the House of Little Red Riding Hood (Rotkäppchenhaus); the spa Bad Wildungen offers a Snow White Museum (Schneewittchen Museum); and Dorothea Viehmann, from whom the Grimms learned about many of the fairy tales found in their collection, was born in what today is the community of Baunatal. According to legend, the hill Hoher Meissner is where Mother Hulda is said to have resided; Sababurg Castle, located in Reinhardswald Park, is referred to as the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Further attractions include the town of Hamelin, of Pied Piper fame; the spa of Bad Oeynhausen, which has a museum devoted to fairy tales and local legends (Deutsches Märchen- und Wesersagenmuseum); and the city of Bremen, which is famous for the tale of the Town Musicians of Bremen. Numerous picturesque medieval towns can be found among the Route's attractions as well. In 1975, the Council of Europe awarded Alsfeld the status of a model European community for the conservation of historic buildings. The old centre of the town of Hann. Münden comprises roughly 700 half-timbered houses; the 1300-year-old town of Fritzlar is famous for its imperial cathedral; and Hamelin contains beautiful examples of Weser Renaissance architecture. The baroque grounds of Philippsruhe Castle in Hanau, the fountain displays in the Hillside Park of Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, as well as the Bremen Town Hall with the adjacent statue of Roland (both of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List) are also of particular interest. The 200th anniversary of the first publication of Children's and Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm was observed in 2012-2013 with a series of events. Many other events, open-air festivals, exhibits, and performances dealing with the topic of fairy tales are held annually. From Hanau to Kassel [ edit ] The German Fairy-Tale Route runs from south to north and passes the following places of interest:[4][5] From Kassel to Fürstenberg [ edit ] Between Kassel and Fürstenberg, the Route offers two alternatives: Mother Hulda Route [ edit ] Sleeping Beauty Route [ edit ] From Fürstenberg to Bremen [ edit ] To the north of Fürstenberg, the Route’s two forks rejoin: Fürstenberg, Polle, Bodenwerder (birthplace of Baron Münchhausen), Hamelin (setting of the Pied Piper of Hamelin), Hessisch Oldendorf (associated with The Legend of Baxmann), Bad Oeynhausen (site of a museum devoted to fairy tales and local legends), Nienburg, Buxtehude (associated with The Hare and the Hedgehog), Bremen (associated with The Town Musicians of Bremen), Bremerhaven. References [ edit ] Literature [ edit ] E. Michael Iba, Thomas L. Johnson: THE GERMAN FAIRY TALE LANDSCAPE - The storied world of the Brothers Grimm, CW Niemeyer, Hamelin, 2015. ISBN 978-3-8271-9139-7 Eberhard Michael Iba: Die Deutsche Märchenstraße. Eine sagenhafte Reise vom Main zum Meer, Eberhard Michael Iba: Auf den Spuren der Brüder Grimm. Teil I: Eine literarische Reise von Hanau nach Höxter (" On the Trail of the Brothers Grimm. Part I: A Literary Journey from Hanau to Höxter "). Strassen (Luxembourg), 2000. ISBN 2-9599793-0-3 (" "). Strassen (Luxembourg), 2000. ISBN 2-9599793-0-3 Eberhard Michael Iba: Auf den Spuren der Brüder Grimm von Hanau nach Bremen. Märchen, Sagen, Geschichten (" On the Trail of the Brothers Grimm from Hanau to Bremen. Fairy Tales, Legends, Stories. ").. Pustet, Regensburg, 1978. ISBN 3-7917-0536-9 (" ").. Pustet, Regensburg, 1978. ISBN 3-7917-0536-9 Michael Pasdzior, Matthias Reinhard: Die Deutsche Märchenstraße. Auf den Spuren der Brüder Grimm ( "The German Fairy Tale Route. On the Trail of the Brothers Grimm" ). Ellert und Richter, Hamburg, 1996. ISBN 3-89234-681-X ( ). Ellert und Richter, Hamburg, 1996. ISBN 3-89234-681-X Dorothee Hemme: Märchenstraßen - Lebenswelten. Zur kulturellen Konstruktion einer touristischen Themenstraße ("Fairy Tale Route - Real World. The Cultural Construction of a Themed Tourist Route"). Lit, Berlin/Munster, 2009. ISBN 978-3-643-10179-2 (Secondary school paper: Zugel. Dissertation, University of Göttingen, 2007) Places along the route:There's been some speculation that the four-game suspension given Tom Brady for Deflategate might be cut in half on an NFLPA appeal, which is highly questionable. But if it happens, the New England Patriots quarterback would be eligible for a Week 3 home game against the Jaguars, and that's a good thing. Not just for Brady, but in a weird way, also the Jaguars. When you're on the back end of a rebuild like Jacksonville's franchise, what better litmus test to gauge progress than playing one of the NFL's most accomplished quarterbacks? Sure, Brady's presence would significantly increase the Jaguars' chances of losing. But if the long-term goal is sustained winning, the best way to see how far they've come or still have to go is to match up against an elite quarterback. It's not like the Jaguars face any this year beyond the Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck or the New Orleans' Saints Drew Brees. The Jaguars are the only AFC team that has never beaten Brady (0-6), regular season or playoffs, and it's possible this could be their last chance to do it unless he's still the Patriots' starter at age 41. Brady is still close to the top of his game. Imagine the euphoria and confidence boost for the Jaguars of winning at New England if Brady is under center. Beating Jimmy Garoppolo wouldn't carry nearly the same weight.... Not much mystery why Patriots owner Robert Kraft agreed to accept the team's penalties for Deflategate: He knew he wasn't going to win on appeal and didn't want to put up with the collateral damage of prolonging a losing battle.... For those concerned how Jaguars placekicker Josh Scobee will fare on extra points from 32 or 33 yards next season, he has converted 42 of his last 44 kicks from 30-39 yards since 2009. The NFL pushing the PAT back 13 yards made a bland part of the game more interesting. Look for a missed PAT to decide a handful of games every year.... What Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill must have thought as he signed that $95.2 million contract extension: "Russell Wilson can thank me later."... It's no secret longtime Clemson baseball coach Jack Leggett has suspect job security, which has fueled speculation about the Tigers pursuing Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan, a former Leggett assistant, if that post opens up. Key point: UF athletic director Jeremy Foley has a strong relationship with O'Sullivan, and he almost never loses a coach he wants to keep due to a lateral move.... Nobody is going to mistake it for Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson, but a few more Stephen Curry vs. James Harden NBA playoff duels like what we've seen already in the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets series will be memorable in 20 years. gene.frenette@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4540Turkey has announced plans to allow schools to teach the Kurdish language as an elective subject, a step aimed at reconciliation that Kurdish minority activists argue does not go far enough. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, told his ruling party members in parliament on Tuesday that if "enough students come together, Kurdish can be taken as an elective lesson, it will be taught and it will be learned''. Erdogan told parliament the measure was "a historic step". The government is trying to stop decades of fighting with Kurdish fighters seeking autonomy in the largely Kurdish southeast. The teaching of Kurdish has long been banned in schools on the grounds that it could divide the country along ethnic lines. In recent years Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has adopted a softer approach, permitting Kurdish-language institutes and private courses as well as Kurdish language television broadcasts. Turkish Kurds seek to preach in own language [Al Jazeera] However, it is the first time Turkish public schools will be able to offer Kurdish language courses at a time the government has faced criticism for dragging its feet on its so-called Kurdish initiative. Activists and Kurdish politicians, however, insist on autonomy and full Kurdish education in schools. Gulten Kisanak, deputy chairman of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), told a meeting of her party in parliament that allowing only elective language lessons for people whose "mother tongue is Kurdish amounts to oppression''. Ankara announced a so-called "Kurdish opening" in 2009 in a bid to persuade fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to end their decades-long struggle. The initiative included investment in Turkey's poorer southeastern region and greater recognition of Kurdish cultural and identity rights, but it faltered amid continued violence and a Turkish nationalist backlash. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition party, has sought national consensus to try to end the fighting that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people since 1984. Erdogan on Tuesday said his party was open to dialogue with all parties, including a pro-Kurdish party, for a solution. In 2011, Turkey's first Kurdish language department opened in the Mardin Artuklu and Mus Alparslan universities. The first alumni of these two schools are expected to graduate in 2015. Batman University is also expected to start up a Kurdish language department in the near future.Loic Remy watches Arsenal victory over West Brom to fuel speculation of a move to the Emirates Poll Should Arsenal sign Loic Remy this summer? Yes No Should Arsenal sign Loic Remy this summer? Yes 2892 votes No 1063 votes Now share your opinion Loic Remy was among the crowd at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday – fuelling speculation of a move to Arsenal. The Newcastle loanee – who scored his 14th of the season during United’s 3-0 win over Cardiff on Saturday – is set to quit Queens Park Rangers this summer and, despite interest from the Magpies, he does not favour a return to Tyneside. VIDEO Scroll down for Wenger: Don't see anything in Remy being here Spectator: On-loan Newcastle striker Loic Remy was in Bacary Sagna's box to see Arsenal beat West Brom Next move: Remy is believed to be set to turn down a return to Newcastle, where he's on loan from QPR Gratitude: Remy gestures to the St James' Park crowd, but he's said to want to move to a big European club Arsenal have been mooted as one potential suitor and Remy was there to see the 1-0 victory over West Brom. The 27-year-old will be hoping to win a place in the France World Cup squad but his future could well be sorted before the finals kick off in Brazil next month. Arsene Wenger is in the market for a new striker with his side’s lack of firepower one of the key reasons their title challenge faltered towards the end of the season. The Arsenal boss is thought to be an admirer of his countryman but was giving nothing away after the game. 'I have just been informed Loic Remy was here. I honestly did not know,' he said, 'I hope he paid for his ticket.' Meanwhile, Remy - who is known to enjoy London life - recently stated his desire to move to a bigger club. 'Nowadays, without being pretentious, I might be able to play for a bigger club, a top-five European club,' he said. 'I do not know... Yes, I will be part of the European top five, or I will be part of a very large club. I'm sure of what I can
create a roadmap for slum rehabilitation and re-development of unauthorised colonies in collaboration with the Delhi government. Advertising These were among the issues, which came up for discussion during a meeting between DDA vice-chairman Balwinder Kumar and Urban Development (UD) Minister Manish Sisodia at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday. While both Sisodia’s office and the DDA confirmed the meeting, both maintained that the meeting was only a “courtesy call” where the issues of slum rehabilitation, unauthorised colonies and requirement of land for schools, colleges and hospitals were discussed. Sources told Newsline that in the meeting that lasted half an hour, Sisodia is learnt to have raised the issue of not having enough land for schools, colleges and hospitals. [related-post] To this, Kumar reportedly suggested that ‘PSP’ (Public and Semi-Public land) was available and the Delhi government could first consider constructing extra floors on increased Floor-Area-Ratio (FAR) or build additional towers in the premises of schools and colleges. “The vice-chairman stated that schools and colleges were allotted land generously, sometimes to the tune of four-five acres, even though the requirement was only 4,000 sqm. So, he suggested that to begin with, extra floors may be constructed with increased FAR so as to accommodate more students,” a source said. Currently, the DDA has in its possession 7,000 acres of developed land and 1,742 plots of developed land, including PSP land. On the issue of slum re-development, the DDA informed Sisodia that 281 slums are on DDA land and a roadmap for slum rehabilitation would be drawn up. Advertising The DDA has suggested that in unauthorised colonies, a scheme may be brought about wherein people can suggest what infrastructure they require.Following my recent look at the Swedish Prog scene, I’ve given myself another task. This time, I’m looking to Sweden’s western neighbour Norway, and its Prog Rock and Metal scene. Although mostly known for its extreme metal scene, over the years many great Prog bands have emerged from Norway. After much thinking, I have come up with 20 bands that, in my opinion, represent the Norwegian Prog scene. As was the case last time, the rules were that a band must be active, and that a band must have at least five studio albums. Without further ado… Solefald As it’s the case with many active metal bands coming from Norway today, Solefald too started as a Black Metal band back in 1995, and over the years and nine studio released they’ve expanded their stylistic palette by introducing different elements in music, ranging from Avant-Garde, Prog Metal, to Electronica and Pop. Borknagar Same as Solefald, Borknagar emerged in 1995 as a Black Metal band releasing first two studio albums under the influence of that genre. With the release of their third album The Archaic Course, the band has introduced the Prog Metal influences to their music. It’s interesting that in its early years Borknagar featured members of Enslaved, Ulver, Gorgoroth, Spiral Architect. The most recent line-up of the band also includes Vintersorg as a vocalist, and Leprous drummer Baard Kolstad. Arcturus Stylistically very close to Borknagar, Arcturus was on hiatus between 2007 and 2011, when the band reunited. In 2015 the band released their actual studio album entitled Arcturian, which saw the band exploring beyond The Sham Mirrors and Sideshow Symphonies, making for more than a solid comeback. Gazpacho Gazpacho are definitely one of the finest Progressive Rock bands coming from Norway these days. The band started their journey in 1996, but it took them a few years to release their debut EP Get It While It’s Cold (37°C). Since then, Gazpacho were on a steady course, releasing nine studio albums in 12 years. Motorpsycho Trondheim-based trio Motorpsycho was formed in 1989, and they are one of the most prolific and hard-working bands coming from Norway. Since 1991, the band has produced 20 studio albums, as well as numerous EP’s, live records, singles, as well as the collaborations with other musicians and bands. Enslaved Enslaved are arguably one of the best-known Progressive Black Metal bands from Norway. Formed in 1991, they released thirteen studio albums in total which vary from old-school Black Metal to more Avant-Garde take on the genre and furthermore to the full-on Prog Metal inclusion on their latest releases. Pagan’s Mind From Skien comes Prog Metal band Pagan’s Mind, who were formed in 2000 under the name Silverspoon. The band, fronted by Nils K. Rue, released five studio albums and two live records. Their most recent studio album is titled Heavenly Ecstasy, and was released in 2011. In 2015, they put out a DVD/Blu-ray Full Circle – Live at Center Stage. Eivind Aarset One of Norway’s most in-demand guitarists, Eivind Aarset has worked with Bill Laswell, Dhafer Youssef, Jon Hassell, Jan Garbarek, Paolo Fresu, Marilyn Mazur, J.Peter Schwalm, Talvin Singh, and Andy Sheppard. Under his name, Aarset has released seven studio albums. The most recent I.E. was released in 2015. Green Carnation Hailing from Kristiansand, Green Carnation was formed in 1990 by Terje Vik Schei. The band released five studio album and one EP in the period from 2000 to 2006, when they disbanded. In 2014, Green Carnation reunited. The band achieved cult status with prog-rock/avant-garde metal fans all over the world in the early 2000s with its 60-minute masterpiece Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness, and is renowned for releasing extraordinary records and DVDs throughout its career. Jaga Jazzist This experimental ensemble has been active for over 20 years, and since 1996 they released seven albums. A band that is known for their unpredictability, Jaga Jazzist‘s every album sounds like nothing that preceded it. With Starfire, their latest effort, the group that has confounded categorization from inception has delivered yet another album unlike any they’ve ever done before. Yet, at the end of the day – despite touchstones ranging from Gil Evans to Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine to Tortoise, Oslo 13 to Motorpsycho and Fela Kuti to Steve Reich - Starfire still sounds absolutely like nobody but Jaga Jazzist. Madder Mortem Madder Mortem‘s origins date back to 1993 when a doom metal band under the name Mystery Tribe was formed by Agnete and BP M. Kirkevaag. They changed the band’s name to Madder Mortem in 1997 and released six studio albums since then. After seven years and the release of excellent Eight Ways in 2009, the band returned last year with the release of Red in Tooth and Claw, which “maintains the trademark Madder Mortem sound, but this time the quirkiness has become even more catchy.“ Panzerpappa Influenced by the Rock in Opposition and Canterbury scenes, Oslo, Norway-based avant-prog band Panzerpappa were initiated by drummer / percussionist / multi-instrumentalist Trond Gjellum, who discovered a like-minded collaborator in saxophonist / keyboardist Steinar Børve and joined with Børve to form a quartet, also including guitarist Knut Tore Abrahamsen and bassist Jørgen Skjulstad, in 1998. Panzerpappa‘s discography includes six albums. Their latest, Pestrottedans, was released last year via AltrOck Productions. Ihsahn After Emperor‘s swansong Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise was released in 2001, Ihsahn went on to form a one-man band under his name, and since 2006 he put out six studio albums. He has branched out from black metal, but there are still clear signs of his heritage within that genre. Now a respected individual in both the black and progressive metal circles, Ihsahn is one of Norway’s prog ambassadors. Shining Oslo’s Shining are truly one of the “hottest” experimental acts from Norway today. With their constantly evolving sound, the band led by Jørgen Munkeby released seven studio albums since 2001. Atop a tight foundation of dance-able rock energy, Shining add an unfamiliar distortion and atmospheric weirdness that sounds surprisingly unsettling, even to a seasoned progger’s ears. Ulver The black-metal-turned-experimental Ulver was founded by Kristoffer Rygg in 1993, and since the release of The Black Metal Trilogy (studio albums from 1995 to 1997), Ulver‘s been everything but a black metal band. Rygg‘s explorations include everything from Pop to Electronica to Contemporary Classical and Jazz to Progressive Rock and Noise Rock. The Assassination of Julius Caesar, the 13th studio album, was released in April 2017, and it once again proves that with each new album Ulver continue to reinvent themselves. White Willow White Willow come from a legacy of Scandinavian bands that have been upholding the symphonic prog rock tradition since it fell out of favour in the UK during the 1980s. Founded in 1992 by guitarist Jacob Holm-Lupo, the band went on to release seven albums since 1995. The band’s most recent full-length release is this year’s Future Hopes, which features artwork designed by renowned Roger Dean. White Willow is an excellent outing for distinctly modern symphonic prog. Rhys Marsh Rhys Marsh, based in Trondheim, is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer. He’s a solo artist, leader of The Autumn Ghost, as well as a part of Kaukasus & Mandala. As a solo artist, Marsh has released five albums since 2008. His take on the Prog Rock genre is often ethereal and haunting. Leprous Leprous is arguably the biggest Prog Metal band coming from Norway. Formed in 2001, the band released five studio albums, and are currently working on a follow-up to 2015′s The Congregation. Leprous are one of the most evocative bands operating within progressive metal today. Extol Extol from Bekkestua are known for playing a variety of different styles of metal which include progressive metal, death metal, black metal and thrash metal. The band has five studio albums under their belt, and they cite Genesis, Rush and Yes as some of their influences. Virus Virus was formed in 2000 from the ashes of his 90’s avant-garde black metal project Ved Buens Ende by Carl-Michael “Czral” Eides (Aura Noir, ex-Dodheimsgard, ex-Satyricon, ex-Ulver), with the idea of creating a new kind of experimental metal / rock. Virus is definitely one of the most unique bands coming from Norway today. Share this: Facebook Twitter Google Pinterest Reddit Digg Email LinkedIn StumbleUpon Tumblr Pocket PrintUPDATED at 8 a.m. Tuesday: The boat that was left on the curb for Cleanup Week in north Moorhead has been taken. I drove by the house this morning on the way to work and it was gone. A Facebook post from Monday night said a couple of guys were loading up the boat to take it away. Here’s a photo from a comment left by Carly Stoddard: Here’s the post I wrote yesterday afternoon about the boat: You see odd stuff on the boulevards of Moorhead and Fargo during Cleanup Week, when the cities’ sanitation departments offer to haul away almost anything for free — and many people roam the streets in their pickups and vans hoping to scavenge useful freebies. But a family in north Moorhead might have accomplished a first. They put a boat on the street. It’s right there on the 900 block of 15th Street, a block east of Robert Asp Elementary School. A fiberglass boat that’s beached between the street and the sidewalk, looking for all the world like the S.S. Minnow after its fateful three-hour tour. What gives? I couldn’t resist my curiosity, so I knocked on the front door of the house that has a boat dry-docked in front of it. A kindly woman named Mary Witt answered the door and didn’t seem all that surprised that I wanted to ask her about the boat. “My husband got it cheap a couple of years ago, for like $200, from a woman who was moving out of town,” she said. “But he already has a boat, so he decided to get rid of it. He’s hoping somebody takes it.” Anybody interested? “There’s been a couple people who’ve asked about it,” Mary said. The Witts better hope somebody takes their boat, because the city won’t. The woman who answered the phone at the city of Moorhead sanitation department laughed when I asked her whether boats were considered a disposable item during Cleanup Week. “No,” said Ruth, chortling. “I don’t know why they would put that out there. We’ve heard all about it. A bunch of people have sent us photos. But we can’t take it.” In fairness to the Witts, the city web site doesn’t specifically list boats as an item that will not be picked up. Televisions, computer monitors, sheet rock, lumber (including old fencing material), concrete, windows and doors are all listed under items that will not be collected by Cleanup Week crews. But not boats. So if you’re looking for a free boat, there is one sitting out front of the Witts in north Moorhead. It was licensed through 2016 and appears seaworthy, if dirty. There are even a couple of old forks laying in the bottom, for some reason. It appears to be an old Starcraft 12-foot model (the outline of an old decal near the stern says “arcraft,” which I assume to be abbreviated from Starcraft, but I might be wrong) with a steering wheel. The glass windshield is intact. Two swivel seats appear usable. There is no motor. The Witts’ Cleanup Week day is Tuesday, so you better hurry if you want a free boat. And bring your own trailer …A third of all trees lost worldwide between 2011 and 2013 were in the northern boreal forests of Russia and Canada ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Russia must better protect its forests from fires, environmentalists said, after a new study showed that Russia is losing several million hectares of tree cover each year. A third of all trees lost worldwide between 2011 and 2013 were in the northern boreal forests of Russia and Canada, which suffered a “massive spike” in tree loss, according to data from the University of Maryland and Google. Russia and Canada, two of the world’s biggest forest countries, lost a combined average of nearly 6.8 million hectares (26,000 square miles) of trees each year, an area equivalent to the size of Ireland. Russia, with the disappearance of an annual 4.3 million hectares, suffered nearly double the tree cover loss of Canada, with 2.5 million hectares, said the study released on Thursday by Global Forest Watch, a partnership led by the World Resources Institute (WRI). “These forests and soils contain vast carbon stocks, so losses represent a significant contribution to the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change,” said Nigel Sizer, director of WRI’s forests programme. He urged governments working towards a new global climate change deal in Paris this December to pay more attention to the management and monitoring of boreal forests. According to the study, some of the tree cover loss is only temporary, as forests can regenerate after the fires that have caused much of the damage. But this could be a very slow process in the boreal regions, it added. Fires accounted for around 70 percent of total tree cover loss in Canada and Russia in recent years, the WRI said. In some regions, boreal forests are burning more now than at any time in the last 10,000 years. Researchers expect that climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of such forest fires, releasing carbon emissions by burning trees and peat soils. "Forest fires have been and remain the most significant factor in forest resources disappearing," said Nikolay Shmatkov, head of WWF Russia’s forestry programme. FIRES WORSE THAN LOGGING Alexander Bryukhanov, a forestry expert based in Krasnoyarsk, southern Siberia, said that in Siberia and Russia’s Far East, annual loss of tree cover is much higher from forest fires than from logging. In Russia's largest region, Yakutia, for example – which is larger than Argentina – areas razed by forest fires each year are a few hundred times larger than areas where forests are destroyed by logging or mining, he said. Low volumes of snow and early melting, together with close to zero rainfall last winter, have created favourable conditions in many parts of Russia for spring forest fires this year. Since the beginning of the year, more than 200 forest fires have been registered on more than 18,000 hectares, according to Russia's state forestry agency Roslekhoz. In 2014, fires destroyed more than 3 million hectares of Russian forests, its figures show. "The official data is usually lower than the real figures - according to satellite data, the total surface area of forest fires in Russia in 2014 was approximately two times bigger," Shmatkov said. Greenpeace Russia says some types of fires, including burning of trees on agricultural land, are not registered. And there are almost no statistics on the harm forest fires cause to nature and people, the green group argues. WEAK FIRE FIGHTING Greenpeace Russia’s Alexey Yaroshenko said bans on burning grass - a common cause of forest fires - are often violated, especially in Central Russia, while state controls on lighting fires in natural areas are weak. Experts say the state should step up measures to tackle the growing number of forest fires. “This should be a clear call to action to look closely at forest management in Russia and Canada in the face of climate change,” said Olga Gershenzon, board chair of Transparent World, a Russian NGO, and founder of ScanEx, a Russian commercial satellite imagery company and Global Forest Watch partner. There is no united system to fight forest fires in natural areas of Russia, said Greenpeace’s Yaroshenko. Systems built in Soviet times are in disarray due to inadequate state support, or on the verge of collapse. "Our forestry legislation has been chaotically amended over the last few years, so that duties are often ‘lost’ between various state federal and regional institutions, while the culprits escape their responsibilities,” Yaroshenko said. WWF’s Shmatkov said the problem would likely worsen due to climate change, with earlier springs, less rainfall and longer droughts. He lamented the low level of sustainable forest management in Russia, due to a shortage of state finance and private-sector interest. Gershenzon called for improvements in monitoring and understanding the causes and types of forest fires, as well as making information about fires available to the public in real time along with maps of land allocation and responsibility. There are some signs of progress in specific regions, environmentalists say. After a public campaign by Greenpeace following large forest fires in February and March this year, the Tverskaya and Bryanskaya regions in Central Russia adopted a more active approach to fighting forest fires, strengthening coordination between public bodies to tackle the problem, Yaroshenko said. (Reporting by Angelina Davydova, editing by Megan Rowling) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.This weekend is going to be one giant party in downtown St. Paul with more than 150,000 people taking in the festivities. With that many people, you know that means traffic, lots and lots of traffic, both in the city itself and roads leading to the fun. Congestion is likely, so free rides offered on public transportation might be the best way to go. Or take a free shuttle. Parking will be a challenge for those who drive, so be prepared. On the upside, at least there is no major road work to speak of. The major draw is the Red Bull Crashed Ice, an event Friday and Saturday in which skaters whiz down a twisting 1,600-foot-long ice track with a drop of 12 stories in front of the Cathedral of Saint Paul. That coincides with the Winter Carnival, including Saturday's Torchlight Parade. The Xcel Energy hosts the World's Toughest Rodeo on Friday and Saturday nights. Here are some things to consider when getting around: In St. Paul, W. 7th Street will be closed from Walnut Street to Kellogg from noon Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday. Other affected roads will be John Ireland Blvd, Dayton Avenue, Marshall Avenue, Old Kellogg Boulevard, Summit Avenue, Mulberry Street, Selby Avenue, and Louis Street. Parking will be at a premium, and it could be costly, too. Rates will run from $10 to $30 depending on the ramp or lot you use. Plan on $20 at St. Paul College (enter on Concordia Avenue), the Minnesota History Center and the Sears store off Marion Street. For free parking, try the State Capitol lots H and J. Note that there is no public parking onsite at Red Bull Crashed Ice. A number of St. Paul restaurants will open their lots and provide free shuttles to the high-flying skating races. They include O'Gara's, Billy's on Grand, Moose Country, Shamrock's, Station 280, Tavern on the Avenue, Tiffany Sports Lounge, the Wild Onion, Gabe's By the Park, the Library and Two Stoog. Shuttles also will run from Cowboy Jack's locations in Bloomington, Woodbury, New Brighton and downtown Minneapolis. The St. Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau has a map showing shuttle locations. Free rides also will be available on Metro Transit buses and light rail lines from Noon Saturday until 1 a.m. To get your free ride, simply download and print your transit pass here, then show the pass to your bus driver or Transit Police officer. Over in Minneapolis, the Wolves are home against Memphis at 8 p.m. Saturday at Target Center. Look for closures on Theodore Wirth Parkway between Golden Valley Road and Hwy. 55 due to the City of Lakes Loppet Ski Festival and Races. Closures will be in effect from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board.CSEW 2017, Pt. 1: CS Myths Debunked It’s Computer Science Education Week! You might be more familiar with this event as #HourOfCode, but these days, a whole lot more than an hour of computer science takes place, so we’re gonna go ahead and use the proper name. Cards on the table: it’s weird that only a single subject gets a whole week of festivities. Would that we had an English Week, a Social Studies Week, a Latin week. CS Ed Week exists in part because of the massive movement to get more students interested in computer science, so we’ll have more code-savvy Americans ready to fill the programming jobs of today — and tomorrow! I could go on at length about the questionable move of keying curricular priorities to labor market demands. Instead, I’m just gonna move past the “jobs” conversation and focus on the intellectual benefits of computer science. That’ll be the point of the five essays I’m penning this week, each on a different aspect of computer science’s role in education. But first, we need to get some misconceptions out of the way. Without further ado, I humbly present: Computer Science Myths Debunked. CS ≠ Computing You’ll sometimes see a “Computer Science” curriculum include things like word processing and image manipulation (Photoshop). These are important skills, certainly, but it’s incorrect to include them under the umbrella of comp. sci. A more general term, “computing,” encompasses all the skills necessary to fluently operate and produce on a computer. Computer science focuses on theories, principles, and engineering that form the foundation for the tools we use on the computer. Put another way, we can do what we do with computers because computer scientists and engineers building on their work have created useful hardware and software. So what does computer science entail? One aspect, human-computer interaction, studies effective ways to build “user-friendly” devices and applications. Another you’ve heard a lot about recently is artificial intelligence, which (I swear) is not about developing Skynet. Rather, AI scientists develop algorithms that enable computer programs to make informed decisions in ways that emulate human decision-making — albeit more rationally and much more quickly. “What about coding?” “Coding” is, if you hadn’t heard, a hip new term for what has been known as “programming” since 1840. Programming is integral to computer science. But it’s a means, not an end. Even if we’re just talking about software engineering — the art and craft of creating programs for people — the code we write is just the material, not the product. Full disclosure: I love programming, and programming languages. I could talk all day about the differences between Python and JavaScript, Clojure and Haskell. Honestly, that’s inside-baseball frippery. These minor details are by no means the true substance of computer science, or even programming. “I could never learn to program” YES YOU CAN Ever build something from LEGOs? Follow a recipe? Make a recipe? Alphabetize your bookshelf? Play literally any game ever with some thought to strategy? These are the skills of programmers. The tools are esoteric, so it seems like the skills are out of reach. I will never tell you programming is easy. It’s not. But you can do it. “I don’t teach math or science. This is not helpful to me.” Hey there. I see you. I was you. I majored in English, minored in Creative Writing. I didn’t take a single Comp. Sci. class in college. I had to scrape my skills together afterward. In doing so, I became a better writer, a better thinker, a better member of my team because I developed new skills in analyzing and understanding systems. You could reasonably define mathematics as “applied logic.” Maybe that’s so, but a similar definition would aptly fit programming. Most of the time when I’m writing code, I feel like I’m immersed in a sea of pure reason. The same thought processes that help me program now help me in other pursuits. Thinking computationally is a habit of mind with value far exceeding its discipline. “I’m not a computer person” I hear this one a lot in my profession. Some folks just don’t “click” with technology. I get it! And learning something in this realm can be intimidating. My humble request is that we all strive for a growth mindset in this, just as in all areas of our practice. We know it’s problematic to say “I’m not a math person,” around students, since doing so implants the notion that it’s acceptable to wall off mathematics as an area of exploration. Instead, the sentiment should be closer to “I still have lots to learn.” The same is true here. The good news? There’s a lot of help. Never has a skillset been more accessible to so many than programming is to you, an internet user. It’s as though several authors inside a great library have set up shop within its halls to teach you their craft. Computer science built the internet, and what you’ll find pursuing programming is the internet at its best: a welcoming community of experts who want to share knowledge and connect with others with similar interests around the world. In the coming days, I’ll be talking about some specific hows and whats of diving into computer science. By its end, I hope you’ll have tried a little bit of programming, maybe developed an interest in going further. If computer science is indeed a new literacy, society improves with every new learner of these concepts. Welcome, friends, to CS Ed Week.NEW DELHI: After a failed GPS experiment, technology finally seems to be working for the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). A pilot project of installing CCTV cameras in 200 buses has not only resulted in improvement of staff behaviour, but even general security. “Two depots — Sarojini Nagar and Rajghat — were part of the experiment. Both have reported an improvement in the efficiency of the staff as well as a drop in the number of crimes, like pick-pocketing,” said RS Minhas, DTC spokesperson.The report has been compiled from the time the CCTV cameras were installed in the DTC buses. Minhas said the first camera was installed in November 2014. “Since then, 200 buses have been fitted with the CCTVs. We plan to install it in all buses over the next few months,” he added.From schoolchildren fighting inside the bus to incidents of mobile theft and pick-pocketing, all the recordings have been kept or handed over to Delhi Police. The report shows that the first incident recorded was of a cellphone theft in November 2014, followed by a fight between schoolchildren in December.Disputes between passengers, against the conductor or driver, as well as accidents with other vehicles have been recorded and resolved as per the CCTV recordings, says the report. “Even incidents of tyre bursting or windows being broken have been recorded,” said Minhas.The project has had a positive impact on operations. “Efficiency has gone up, schedules are being kept, buses get parked in the right slots in depots and behaviour of staff has improved. Even passengers are well-behaved as they know about the CCTVs,” added the official.The biggest achievement, perhaps, is that the CCTV cameras have not been removed or stolen like the GPS devices that were installed on DTC buses a few years ago.Progress toward leaving my corporate job behind The job at my Fortune 500 company is still a grind, but, I don’t need to go into details. Anyone who has worked for a large company or even a smaller one knows that there is very little one can do to alleviate the frustration with playing the game to get ahead. Product Reviews I’ve done several product reviews, as mentioned in previous posts. Recently, I’ve done a couple more where the hiring manager offered to pay for the product on Amazon via gift certificate. I’ve done this twice. The first one was for a product that has no science behind it; it does have a great deal of testimonial evidence on the web. At best it’s alternative medicine. I stated this observation in my review and gave it 4 stars, since it seemed like a nice product. I’ll probably give it away as a gift, since it’s not useful to me. I’ve been contracted for another product where the hiring manager is furnishing a gift certificate to buy the product. It’s for something that I don’t think I’ll use, but, could. I will probably pass it along to someone who would put it to more use. I’m still looking for bigger freelance jobs and have expanded my search to Guru.com. More about that site in another post. I’ve also been adding inventory to my Etsy shop, and going to estate sales to find bargain priced treasures. I now have 10 items in my shop; but I don’t want to carry a ton of inventory, so, the limit will probably be 20 or so until that business takes off. Branding this business has also taken up some time. I’m trying to design a logo, and a catch phrase too. There are any number of logo design web sites that allow you to design your own logo for free. The problem is that you can get only a low resolution image. If you want something you can use on the web, a higher resolution comes with a price. Painting and drawing have been another passion of mine. I’ve sketched via pencil, charcoal and pastel. I’ve also done some oil painting. Some art, worth framing, is hanging on my walls. Oil painting though can be a messy pastime. It requires space, materials, and the willingness to clean brushes, and dispose of all the solvents, etc. I’m not sure I have the time or energy to devote to something like that until I’m ready to retire. I recently bought a Wacom graphics artist tablet and stylus. Not a top tier one, but, nice. It came with an older version of Sketchbook by Autodesk. I’ve since upped the ante and bought a subscription based version of the latest Sketchbook software. Lynda.com has training available for Sketchbook, but, they have also released the Introduction set of videos to YouTube. Sketchbook has a steep learning curve, so, it’ll take a while to know the ins and outs of the software. So far, producing digital art is part science and part art. The tool, Sketchbook, is very feature rich. However, it also needs an artist’s eye to produce good digital art. Why am I trying to even learn? Art has progressed greatly in terms of technology, and I love technology and I love art. This just seemed to be the next logical step. I plan to produce some art for my various “businesses” like the Etsy shop. If they are worthy of framing, I may put up a print on my wall. If I get really good, I may even offer some for sale. Related articlesThe KardiaBand pairs with the Apple Watch and can produce an EKG reading of the wearer's heart rhythm. Photo by AliveCor Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Apple Watch wearers will soon be able to easily monitor the rhythm of their heart whenever and wherever they want. That is if they buy AliveCor's Kardiaband EKG reader, the first medical device accessory for the Apple Watch to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The previous iteration of the KardiaMobile device used a remote sensor linked to a smartphone, but the latest accessory inserts into the band of the Apple Watch. When the sensor is touched, it can capture an EKG reading in 30 seconds and differentiate between normal sinus heart rhythms and atrial fibrillation, the most common abnormal heart rhythm. The medical device also includes a new feature called SmartRhythm, which taps into the Apple Watch's activity monitoring capabilities for correlations between heart activity and physical activity. The feature can identify anomalies or disconnects between the two. RELATED Smartphone apps launched to help atrial fibrillation patients "KardiaBand paired with SmartRhythm technology will be life-changing for people who are serious about heart health," Vic Gundotra, CEO of AliveCor, said in a news release. "These capabilities will allow people to easily and discreetly check their heart rhythms when they may be abnormal, capturing essential information to help doctors identify the issue and inform a clear path of care to help manage AFib, a leading cause of stroke, and other serious conditions." Apple is one several technology companies chosen by the FDA to take part in a new digital health software precertification pilot program. The program was created to accelerate the development and production of health-tracking devices like Kardiaband. While other health trackers are in the pipeline, it's not clear whether Apple itself will make their own devices and add-ons or simply partner with other companies. Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedy been testing a glucose-tracking prototype himself. Even when fast-tracking is made available, getting FDA approval isn't easy. Until now, getting an EKG reading could only happen at a hospital or doctor's office. Now, an accurate reading is at the fingertips of the average consumer. "It's not possible to diagnose atrial fibrillation without FDA clearance," Gundotra told TechCrunch. "That is a big, big play."UC Berkeley freshman Pranay Kumar Chaurasia announced Saturday night that he will run for president under the newly formed BASED. party in this spring’s ASUC elections. Chaurasia, who doesn’t represent any one student group or identity, is running on a platform of promoting campus positivity and unity and improving quality of education by holding professors accountable. The current ASUC party system creates binary thought, hinders individual ideas and does not speak for the entire student body, Chaurasia said, leading him to establish BASED. and run for president. “I don’t want to become part of the system that destroys creativity (and) inhibits progress for the university,” Chaurasia said. “I really have ideas that I think will change the way we think about things here.” These ideas include a pedagogy program for professors to improve teaching, better utilization of data collected from student class evaluations and a campus mentoring system between lower- and upperclassmen. Chaurasia said BASED. was derived from the philosophies and positivity of Bay Area rapper Lil B. Daniel Ahrens, a freshman and one of Chaurasia’s campaign managers, said the BASED. philosophy is “being true to yourself and staying positive” without cynicism. “A lot of people think this campaign is satirical,” Ahrens said. “The only reason people treat it that way is it’s so foreign that it’s entirely focused on the students and not the egos of the people running.” Citing campus divestment issues as a point of contention that creates “unnecessary divisions,” Chaurasia said he hopes — with BASED. — to find holistic solutions to campus problems without falling into political ideologies that inhibit critical thinking. “Right now the movement is small, but that’s what it is: a movement,” Chaurasia said. “And soon the entire campus will be BASED., and that’s my goal — for campus unity.” The 2015-16 ASUC elections will take place April 7, 8 and 9. Contact Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @ayoonhendricks.Share. "It's great to be back." "It's great to be back." Following yesterday's report that Chris Rock was in "serious talks" to host the 88th Academy Awards, producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin have confirmed the popular stand-up comedian has indeed been selected. "Chris Rock is truly the MVP of the entertainment industry," the pair of producers said in their announcement statement. "Comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, documentarian – he’s done it all. He’s going to be a phenomenal Oscar host!" Rock also commented on his role as emcee, saying, "I'm so glad to be hosting the Oscars. It's great
was I thought very interesting, that individuals who were struggling economically or said they were struggling economically in 2012 were significantly more likely by 2016 to have become more anxious and concerned about immigration and wanting to restrict immigration. Let me just, if I'm saying that clearly enough here. People that had worse economic situations in 2012, four years later disproportionately turned against immigration. Why is that? It does seem to me that to some extent this isn't just purely an ideological luxury issue that many people perceive it to be economic even if it might not be, people think it is. Gillespie: Right, and it speaks to a whole host of, beyond any question about economics and as good libertarians I suspect we agree that even illegal or maybe especially illegal immigrants are a boon to the economy to the culture et cetera but regardless of the economics of it, the idea that you are a person in America who has been made redundant or irrelevant in a particular economic moment and you're pissed. Immigrants are the ultimate place where you can focus your anger and ire. Somehow they are getting something that you cannot anymore. Ekins: Right. There definitely seems to be something going on there. It was a theory that a lot of people had that I think to Teixeira and Griffin really showed that empirically. Gillespie: Now of course Teixeira also has been talking about the oncoming iron clad Democratic majority for a decades really. And we all do this where we, going back to Kevin Phillips who had the coming Republican majority at a point when the Republicans looked like they were about to go out of business. He was right for a while then was wrong, right again. One of the things that Gallup and I guess Harris used to do this too, where they would ask people to self-identify both as Republican and Democrat and it was always that there were always more Democrats, people who would identify as Democrats than Republicans but there were always many more people who would identify as conservatives rather than liberal and in most of those things, the self-identified liberal group would never get really more than about 20% of the electorate going back to 1970 and conservatives would be in the 40s, sometimes almost the 50s. Yet over the past half century Republicans keep winning elections, particularly at the state and local level and Democrats keep losing. Is there any worthwhile way of digging through that where there are more Democrat, people who identify as Democrats but there are more conservatives but that's why Republicans win elections? Or is this just these are categories that are so loose that they really don't tell us anything? Ekins: Well I think the first point, it brought to mind a phrase that I think you hear a lot of people say. Where they say, "I'm a conservative, I'm not a Republican." That distinction matters to a lot of people. But as political science research has shown, over time the parties have become more aligned with a particular ideology. Conservatives are more likely to be Republican and liberals more likely to be Democrat than in the past. That doesn't mean though that people are comfortable with the words liberal. For some reason the word liberal has been a bad word and so a lot of people who really are just liberal Democrats would say, "I'm a moderate Democrat," or "I'm more conservative." That's just more semantics. I think that's why we want to ask them, what do they think about public policy? That's the best way to know where people go. I don't know how this maps onto though, the fact that Republicans have been doing better at winning these state and local elections. Other than the idea that they are more organized than the Democrats are right now. Right now Democrats seem to be very focused at the federal level and protests and more like expressing themselves. For instance in Los Angeles it's my understanding that, wasn't there 700,000 people who turned out for the women's march and it was only a couple hundred thousand showed up for the local elections? In the same month. Right now it seems like Democrats are more focused on expressing frustration and anger and Republicans have been more organized and as a result they have been winning more elections at the state and local levels. Gillespie: Let's talk about millennials. A few years ago you did a fantastic survey for Reason and the Roop Foundation about millennials and you've continued to work that ground. Are millennials, are they more or less libertarian than GenXer's or Baby Boomers? You foregrounded a lot of this and I guess we actually wrote something together about this that I'm now in my dotage I'm remembering. It seems that millennials use a different language to talk about politics. Are they, and a lot people confuse that for them being socialists, literally socialists, a lot of millennials love Bernie Sanders. Millennials, at least going back to the Obama years, which would have been the first elections that they could have voted in, overwhelmingly vote for Democrats at the presidential level. What you're take on millennials? Are they more or less libertarian than people in the past or are they more or less liberal or progressive? Ekins: It's hard to answer that question. I would say that GenX in some respects seems to be the more libertarian generation of the groups. With millennials what we found is that they don't seem to stand out on economic policy so a lot of people think that they're all socialists because they like Bernie Sanders. That actually doesn't seem to line up with where the facts are. But they came of a political age, more or less, when Bush was either president or on his way out and the Republican party brand was in shambles and Obama was an incredibly popular brand and figure. So obviously the messengers that they trust, President Obama, John Stewart of the Daily Show, the messengers that they trusted really didn't tell them anything about free market economics. It's actually maybe almost surprising that they're not more statist than they are. It's on the social issues that we see a difference and that they are more libertarian on social issues and civil liberties except for one issue. Free speech issues, I think this is something that we're going to need to keep an eye on. Where younger people are more supportive of the idea that some sort of authority, whether it's the college administrator or the government should limit certain speech that is considered offensive or insulting to people. Gillespie: Wow. You're working on a study about that, is that correct? Ekins: That's correct. It should be out in September. Gillespie: Wow. That is obviously something to look forward to. You also recently identified in a, again at cato.org, five types of Trump voters. What are they and how are they relevant to analysis? Ekins: Yes, this is also part of the Democracy Fund voter study group, we talked about them quite a bit during this podcast. I wrote a separate paper that did a type of statistical analysis, a cluster analysis of the Trump voters. Because a lot of folks have had this tendency to talk about the Trump voter as though it's one type of person, that voted for him for one particular reason. This statistical analysis that I ran, found five different types of Trump voters and they are very different from one another. On even the issues central to the campaign, immigration, matters of race and American identity. They're even very different on the size and scope of government. In way it's amazing that they're all in one coalition here. I could go over some of those groups if you are interested. Gillespie: Yes, please do. Ekins: The first group I'll mention, I call them the American Preservationists. They are the core Trump coalition that put him through the primaries. They're not the most loyal Republican voters though. They're more economically progressive, they're very concerned about Medicare, they want to tax the wealthy some more but they are very, very suspicious of immigration both legal and illegal. They have cooler feeling toward racial minorities and immigrants. They fit the more typical media accounts of Trump voters. What really surprised me about this group is that they were the only group that really felt this way and most likely group to think that being of European descent was important for being truly American. A very unusual group of voters. But they comprised about 20% of the whole coalition. Gillespie: Wow, and they're highly motivated and intensely active. I recognize them daily in the comment section at Reason. Ekins: Yes. But again 20% of the coalition. There was another group that I think would really surprise you that existed in the same coalition. I call them the Free Marketeers. They actually comprised a larger share, 25%, and in many ways they're the polar opposite of the American Preservationists. They were the most hesitant Trump group. Most of them voted for Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio in the primaries and they said that really their vote was against Hillary Clinton. As opposed to being for Trump. These are just, as the name implies, small government fiscal conservatives, they have very warm feelings towards immigrants and racial minorities. They're the most likely group to support making it easier to legally immigrate to the US. They're very similar to Democrats on these identity issues. They're polar opposites to the Preservationists. Gillespie: How do they, I guess I know the answer to this which is it's Hillary Clinton. Because Trump was so out there in terms of trade protectionism and forcing businesses to his will, he did not seem to be at all a free trader or a free marketer. Ekins: Not at all but Hillary Clinton, besides trade didn't seem to be one either. I think they disliked her so much it seems like they, that's why they voted for Trump. But they also have the most in common with the third party voters who voted for Gary Johnson. If they weren't voting for Johnson or staying home, they were in this bucket. Gillespie: You did have one group in your schematic that were, I'm sorry I'm blanking on the title now, but it was the Disinterested or Disaffected voters. Is that right? Ekins: Yes, they were a small group, The Disengaged. They didn't tell us much about their politics, they're the type of people that when they take surveys they just don't have many opinions but the opinions that they did have were, they were suspicious of immigration and the felt the system was rigged against them. That was really a more common thread. It's not a thread that all the Trump voters shared in common but there was a bit more suspicion of immigration which make sense because that was a major part of Trump's campaign rhetoric. Gillespie: Right. That also calls to mind the Drutman analysis where this idea of the system being rigged or the system not working anymore. If not, the system is either actively hostile to you or it just is just totally incompetent in delivering basic things. Like I work hard so I should have a good life, this system isn't doing that anymore. Is that, which also linked Trump and Bernie Sanders 'cause Sanders was running as an outsider and oftentimes in terms that were almost indistinguishable from Trump. Is that really the battleground now of whether or not you are working or are supporting the establishment or are you a marker of the system or are you actively attacking it? Is that the real front of American politics? Ekins: I don't quite see it like that. I did find a group that fit that exactly. Their name is just what you'd expect. I call them the Anti-Elites. They fit just what you're talking about. They don't really align with Trump that much on immigration issues, they're a lot like Democrats on economics and immigration but they really felt like the system was rigged against ordinary people like themselves. And the establishment versus the people. For two of the five clusters, and they're the majority, of the Trump voters, the Free Marketeers and another group that I haven't mentioned yet, The Staunch Conservatives. They're just more conventional Republicans. They don't think the system is rigged. They don't think that people take advantage of you. They think that they have agency and that they through their votes can change the political process, which is the exact opposite of the Preservationists that I mentioned and the Anti-Elites. Which fits that narrative that you're talking about. Now that narrative really does a good job at explaining more of the vote switchers, the people who voted for Obama in 2012 and switched to Trump in 2016, they do feel that way. But that doesn't explain all of the Trump voters. Gillespie: How common was it for people to have voted for Obama and then to have switched to Trump. Ekins: I had the number almost in the top of my head today. It was about 6%, something like that. Sizable enough obviously. But there were also voters, Republicans who voted for Romney who switched and voted for Hillary Clinton or a third party. If I remember correctly it was slightly more Obama voters switched to Trump than Romney voters that left the Republican party. There's a slight net gain, but I think it's important for people to realize that for all the voters that Trump picked up, the Republican party lost a lot of voters too because of Trump. Gillespie: Do we make a mistake, a fundamental mistake when we try to analyze political trends through presidential elections? Because they come once every four years, we had, this time around, we had the two least liked candidates in American history. Is it a problem if we key too much off of who wins the presidency? And we essentially, just as we started the 21st century, with a dead heat where a few thousand votes essentially separated Bush and Gore. We had this bizarre outcome where Trump lost the popular vote pretty sizably but won the electoral vote. To my mind that's not a constitutional crisis, it's a sign that nobody can get to 50%. Is it wrong to look at the presidential races as the way, to tell us where politics is going? Ekins: I think you're absolutely right. People read way too much into presidential elections. If you recall after George W. Bush won in 2004, there were all sorts of magazine covers and books that would show red America being huge and then blue America, the coasting really small and the permanent Republican majority but then, then Obama won then it was demographics is destiny and it's going to be a permanent Democratic majority. Even still a lot of people have read, particularly I would say on the more Republican side of thing of over read too much into this Trump election thinking that, oh if only Republicans appeal on the way that Trump does that's how they win. Here's what we know in political science. This might surprise some of the listeners here, but that economic variables for instance, how fast the economy's growing, what's the labor force participation rate as well as the current president's approval ratings. A couple of these structural variables predict almost every election outcome over the past 100 years. What that means, I'm not saying campaigns don't matter, they seem to have to matter in some respects. Maybe if you didn't run a campaign then you would just get blown out of the water. Assuming you've got two campaigns going, the structural variables seem to be hugely important. They're not always right, they've missed three elections, one of them was Gore versus Bush, as you recall Gore did technically win the popular vote. These models seem to be pretty good. And throughout this entire election campaign I was telling folks, hey look at, I'm forgetting his name, excuse me. There's a few economists that do this Abramowitz did one of these models, Ray Fair at Princeton does a model. If you followed Ray Fair's model, he predicted a Republican win almost the entire election. I thought well, just about any Republican can win this election. I thought Trump might not be able to do that, there are outliers but he did pull it out, and I think part of the reason are these economic fundamentals. Gillespie: Let's close out by talking about libertarians and their way forward for people who are libertarian voters, obviously Gary Johnson and William Weld for all of the tension and controversies within that campaign and whatnot, they had the best, by far the best results of any libertarian party candidate. But beyond the LP, with small L libertarians, what are the issues that libertarians are interested in that seem to give the most possibility of building meaningful alliances and pushing forward over the next couple of years? In the past it's been things like drug legalization, criminal justice reform. Certain aspects of immigration and free trade certainly. Gender equality and marriage equality. Are libertarians, where would you say, given their array of issues, where do those match up with most other groups where we might be able to build meaningful alliances? Ekins: I think it's a great question but I think it's a hard question to really answer. I agree with you on most of those issues, that those continue to be key issues for libertarians particularly criminal justice reform, privacy issues. That's something that really wasn't on the radar in terms of issues until Edward Snowdon really it seems like. But I think another thing for libertarians to think about is thinking about Republicans and Democrats, and realizing that they do have shared interests with both groups. To try to emphasize what we as libertarians are for, not what we're against. I'll give you an example 'cause we're talking about healthcare a lot on the news. I am for everyone who wants to have access to healthcare to able to get it. We live in a country where people have houses, they have access to food and they don't have the government running it. We have found a way that the markets provide these things then we do have a social safety net for those who hit hard times and need help, we have ways to fill those gaps but it doesn't require the government to run it all. When it comes to things like healthcare and other issues like that we are for all of these positive outcomes. The question is what's the best way to do it? What I often hear is some of our libertarian friends talking about what we're against. Let's talk about what we're for, whether that be for criminal justice reform, whether it be for healthcare, whether that be for entitlement reform, drug reform and so forth. Let's talk about the end goals 'cause you think about it, I hear this coming from the political parties all the time. They tell you the outcome that they want to deliver you. Now they're wrong all the time but let's talk about the outcomes that we believe that a freer society that libertarian public policy can help deliver. Let's focus on the positives. Gillespie: All right that sounds like pretty sage advice and I'll be very interested in September when your paper about free speech and millennials comes out because it may be, it'll be interesting to see what's the outcome you're proffering there. And then working to persuade millennials who are more likely to believe in constraints on speech. It sounds like a tough nut to crack but a really interesting one as well. We have been talking with Emily Ekins, she's the director of polling at the Cato Institute and she is also a PhD in political science from UCLA and writes widely on voter attitudes and millennial attitudes as well. Emily thanks so much for joining The Reason podcast. Ekins: Thank you for having me. Gillespie: For Reason, I'm Nick Gillespie, this has been The Reason podcast, please subscribe to us at iTunes and rate and review us while you're there. Thanks so much for listening.AP Photo/U.S. Army, File WASHINGTON — Imprisoned national security leaker Chelsea Manning is renewing her demand in federal court to wear a feminine hairstyle. The transgender former Army intelligence analyst filed the amended complaint Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It says gender-appropriate grooming is part of the recognized treatment for gender dysphoria, Manning’s sense of being a woman in a man’s body. The military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, began giving Manning hormone therapy in February, but officials there have refused to allow her to wear her hair longer than 2 inches. The military has cited “safety and security risks” for the decision. The Army didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing. Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, is serving 35 years for sending classified documents to the WikiLeaks website. © 2015, Associated Press, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This Story Filed UnderBeing one of the founders of Pirate Parties International, Andrew Norton looks back on how it all started, before gazing ahead on what is to come. He reflects on his initial efforts with PPI and wishes for a future similar to that. These articles are part of the weekly series ‘Pirate Visions’ from different prominent international pirates. We asked them to write as individuals and not in their official capacities in their party or organisation. We hope you would like to join us in discussing the future direction for pirates internationally by commenting on this article, sharing it and reflecting upon what the author is saying. —— Seven years ago, PPI wasn’t a thing. It existed, somewhat, in the form of a website and a forum, but it was hardly ever used. There was an international mailing list, open to Pirates worldwide. There were even some international conferences, but they were organised with a single aim in mind – coordinating towards the 2009 European elections. However, by the summer of 2008 it was clear that if there was going to be any real progress, there needed to be something in charge, leading and coordinating. That’s where I came in. During the time I had been the international contact the US Pirate Party had almost died, following an interesting start (US politics is HARD, way too hard for most people). I became the leader in early/mid 2007 where I managed to resurrect the US Pirate Party into an entity that could mostly run itself, and was at least functioning somewhat. Being UK born and raised (I even cut my teeth on UK politics) caused me to have a keen – strong some might say – interest in European politics. Watching what was going on across Europe with the various Pirate Parties showed me one thing above all – each party was operating solo; a dozen different parties operating in a dozen different ways, each doing the same thing with slight variations and duplicating a lot of effort. There was little real communication and not even a real platform to bind them together (although one was thrown together and announced to the press, yet most parties knew it existed only after reading about it in press reports). It was clear that there was something needed to tie all these parties together, some sort of structure to streamline cooperation. At the time, there was very little choice in who could lead it. I came up with the thought, and offered to take on the roll myself. I am European, so I understand European politics, which was important considering the focus was to be on the European elections. However, I no longer lived in Europe, which meant I could act somewhat objectively on the cooperation. Being a native English speaker was important, since English is the Lingua Franca of the Pirate movement, but I could also handle other languages (I had studied French, Spanish and Italian in the past, and I was amenable to trying to read, if not speak, more languages). This was the start of PPI as a thing. The idea was to provide a point of contact and communication, someone that parties could contact for help with resources – ‘fixers’ if you will. Not only that, but also to be an ear and a ‘sounding board’ for the party leaders, giving them someone to vent to when needed (it’s lonely at the top). One important task was therefore to act as a supporting group, in the shadows, holding parties together into a smoothly functioning coherent whole. In addition, where needed, PPI could act as an outside referee or observer, for things like internal party elections if requested (a role undertaken in July 2009 with the US Pirate Party leadership elections for instance). PPI had other actions as well, one of the most important being the “Manifestos at a Glance” project. It might seem unusual to some but while Pirates have the same basic principles, the devil – as they say – is in the details. While all Pirate Parties are for copyright reform, for instance, the reform goal differs. Delegating this to Carlos Ayella of the Spanish PIRATA was important to me, not just to get the job done, but to give a model for future PPI tasks, which would be refined and improved on with subsequent attempts. That was the plan, and it happened, somewhat. The biggest problem was myself. I was one person, and I was thousands of miles, and 5-8 timezones away from most of the parties. Above all else, it was a lot of work, and the strain of it nearly drove me to a nervous breakdown. Through July, I looked for someone like-minded suitably skilled to take over the organisation, while there were a few candidates that looked promising (Samir Allioui of the Dutch party, and Switzerland’s Denis Simonet for instance), it was apparent that it was too much work for one person to handle. This caused the job to fall to a coreteam, who would work to formalise things, while I took a year’s break from all Pirate activity in order to refresh and recharge. This is where PPI, as it was intended to be, failed. Instead a new structure and a new direction became evident. Some took a focus on making PPI a legal entity, which could then help through being able to own its own assets and ensure continuity of options. Others shepherded the rules, regulations, practices and procedures in a different direction. At first it seemed like it was going to be more of the same but the statutes, combined with the manner of running the first meeting in Brussels, led to a structure that was less suitable for a supporting role and more indicative of an international ‘frontman’ group. One thing which became an obvious issue in hindsight, was the Brussels meeting itself. The idea was to help celebrate the election of a Pirate to the European Parliament (with the potential for another if/when the Lisbon Treaty was ratified) with a tour and the use of the facilities (Belgium is often used as a base for international organisations due to the presence of the European Parliament). However, in the end it fostered a Euro-centric attitude in the PPI organization. The problem was that the EU would help cover costs of people coming to tour the parliament but only if they were EU citizens. So it ended up being subsidised for the people who were already close (and thus had lower costs) and incredibly expensive for the non-EU people. It was the start of the Euro-centric era, which has continued to the present day, as well as an underlying aura of incompetence. This also began the era of personal fiefdoms and injecting personal interests in the administration of affairs. Since 2010, at least one of Germany’s two International Coordinators have been on the PPI board at all times. In fact there’s been an incredible dominance of central European party members on the Board since then, with only one non-European on the Board since its founding (US/Canada’s Travis McCrea in 2012-13). The insularity is ensured by mechanisms that let the board pick a place for General Assembly (GA) events that tend to suit them, being able to pick who chairs the meeting, its’ agenda, what kind of vote system will be used (and if it is secret or public), and even at times who is allowed to vote (explained further down in text). PPI was acting in the most covert and undemocratic ways possible, which is odd, in an entity that’s supposed to be representing the Pirate Parties – entities all about transparency, democracy, and accountability – at an international level. From this there has been a string of questionable actions and activities over the past few years. One of the first being the decision to admit Catalonia, on a late application foisted on delegates last moment, with many members unclear on what exactly they were voting on. This had to, eventually, be settled in the Court of Arbitration where it was decided that since “country” can in very specific instances mean a region of a sovereign state, the term ‘country’ is therefore ambiguous, or at least ambiguous enough, for the intent to be ignored to placate those in charge. Lately there has been two consecutive failed attempts to impose membership fees (by an entity that can’t manage to keep a bank account). Most egregious of them all though, was the expelling of the Dutch Pirate Party mid-votes, based solely on an unsubstantiated email. Rather than hold the Netherlands as ‘provisional’ and decide one way or another later (after investigating the validity) the Dutch delegate was excluded from voting. This decision caused many to question if the identity of that delegate – Samir Allioui – had any bearing, as he had been a constant and outspoken critic of the PPI Board. If this were all, it’d be enough to undermine any claim for legitimacy by PPI, but there’s so much more, from ignoring their own statutes, to lies (outright or by omission) about who and what goes on, with double-talk throughout. It makes it incredibly hard to see the organisation, or the movement as a whole, as serious. However, even when they had the breaks, they were squandered. A prime example of this was the WTO meeting in Bali. Having been granted observer status, PPI’s representatives (consisting of one of the co-chairs, his wife, and another German-speaking Board member) did a poor job of selling the party narrative. Nowhere was this better exemplified then in the “paper” that was submitted, which was only a few paragraphs long. This paper was apparently written ‘the night before’ (actually over just a two hour period by Mr Engels, from 23:51 on December 4th to 02:03 on December 5th) and was almost entirely free of substantive content. Nevertheless, they’re quick to mention the fact that the WTO published it (which was ‘talked up’ excessively), overlooking (deliberately?) that as a matter of course the WTO publishes ALL submitted papers, irrespective of quality. Above all else, though, the biggest problem with PPI is that it has become utterly tone deaf. The mandarins, those that have spoken out and challenged the status quo, have been seen as the cause of the issues, a source of strife and a dissent with their cassandraic warnings. Comments and critiques were ignored, based on the source, and group actions were put down (attributed to overly persuasive individuals), although now the PPI board is starting to look increasingly weak. PPI’s biggest problem is that it has become like the Royal Family – a bunch of people that don’t do anything except look at things and ‘represent’. However, when proposals are made to change this, they’ve gone back and cancelled announced events that adhere to Pirate principles, to hold a different event but firmly under their control. As one person put it: “Yes, you can have your online GA, but only about the topics we’re happy for you to talk about, and we’ll be responsible for running it, despite the well-known problems with our handling of online participation in GAs historically. It’ll be fun!” The funny thing is that if this was any other group (say a government) doing this to a Pirate Party, the Pirate Parties would be right out there shouting and denouncing it as a farce. Here, few dare to raise voice, for fear of being seen as querulous. Worse, there’s an unstated assumption that there must be ‘unity’ at all times, and that critique should be private. However, one of the greatest strengths of the Pirate movement is its underlying integrity. Refusing to rock the boat for fear of being seen to rock the boat is perhaps the most dangerous of justifications, since it encourages a mob-mentality where any suitably loud or charismatic mouthpiece can direct things, even if they’re against base principles. It’s cowardly, and a bad sign in general for the Pirate movement. In the meantime, two of the founding parties have already left, Australia left February 11th, while the UK left a week later on the 19th. It’s no surprise to anyone either. Australia was vociferous that a well administrated General Assembly should be held with an open agenda, clearly documented procedures and time for proposals to be openly discussed by all (including within the parties themselves). This was not just the position of its leaders, but of over 90% of the membership at their annual conference. As previously mentioned, this GA was granted but once initial discussion started it was abruptly halted and withdrawn once the scope of potential change, and the lack of ability to dominate, was realised. As a result Australia withdrew. They were tired of being treated as a second-class entity, and refused to take it any longer. The UK party has long been discontent with PPI. In 2013 they held a membership vote over the future of the party’s involvement with PPI. “Should the Pirate Party UK remain a member of Pirate Parties International (PPI)?” While a majority indicated a wish to reduce PPUK’s association with PPI, the biggest single category was to stay and try to make things better. At the time, the best argument (indeed the only argument) for staying was that perhaps we should try and help things along more. We did, we tried, significant time and effort was put in by multiple people (including myself) to try and give PPI the sort of reforms it needed. In the end they were all rebuffed. So, as a result, the PPUK Board of Governors held a vote on the following statement: “The Board of Governors of the Pirate Party of the UK (PPUK) hereby finds that “Pirate Parties International” (PPI) is by its actions and deeds an organisation that is at odds with the principles of PPUK.” It was perhaps the most one-sided vote, and certainly one of the quickest I’m aware of. It was assisted by the fact that the Governors, as a body, had been observing the actions of the PPI board, including their interactions with other members for a considerable period of time (years). The NEC agreed, also having dealt with them for years. PPUK had done all the members had asked, and not only had things not improved, things had actively gotten worse. What will it mean for PPUK? Well, not much to be honest. PPI really hasn’t done anything positive for PPUK. Instead it was a drag of time and effort dealing with their issues, and for that they’ve been insistent that PPUK (and every other party) pay for two years. Of course, not being a member of PPI isn’t the handicap many would like to think it is. I’m currently Chair of the US Pirate Party as well, a position I have held in the past (and stepped down from to form PPI, to go full circle back to the start) and as a result, PPI has never sought the US Party (or any of its state parties) as a member. One state (Florida) did join as an observer member, but there’s been no difference between it and other states as far as support goes. PPI had such potential. It had the means to really push the Pirate movement forward. It could have been a powerful instrument to spread the pirate message and aid parties to fulfill their aims. Instead it has become a private vehicle of privilege, and one that has caused division, strife and wasted effort. It’s such a shame, as it has set the Pirate movement back several years. At least now parties are starting to see it for what it is, and attempt to put PPI behind them, leaving them free to pursue the work of their members, without choking on the detritus of arrogant self-interest. PPUK has national elections in only a few months, USPP is facing a make-or-break year. Without the distraction of PPI, both should be able to operate to their fullest potential, especially with the help of international cooperation free of personal ambition. Yes, international cooperation exists despite (or should that be because of) PPI and, if nothing else, spells doom for PPI. Andrew Norton is the Chair of the United States Pirate Party and the first head of the international umbrella organization Pirate Parties International, as well as a Governor of the UK Pirate Party and Vice Chair of Pirate Party of Georgia.CLOSE Paterson police investigate a homicide at a club on 86 Main St. resulting from a shooting early Sunday morning where five other individuals were injured. Amy Newman/Northjersey.com Members of the Paterson Police Department and Crime Scene Unit investigate the a shooting inside a club at 86 Main St. early Sunday. The shooting left one person dead and five wounded. (Photo: Amy Newman/NorthJersey.com) PATERSON - A shooting inside a crowded club on Main Street left one person dead and six wounded early Sunday, just six hours after a man wanted on charges of attempted murder was shot to death in another part of the city, police said. Authorities said there did not seem to be any connection between the two shootings. The incidents pushed the number of homicides in Paterson this year to 16 and the number of shootings to 37, putting the city months ahead of last year’s pace. The multiple shooting at the illegal after-hours club at 86 Main St. happened at about 5:30 a.m., Police Director Jerry Speziale said. Police had an area in the front and the rear of the building cordoned off. A dirty white sign on the second floor of the building above a barber shop read "T.O.L. Studio." Home invasion: Paterson man beaten during midnight home invasion Other Paterson news: The Egg Platter diner to close, future uncertain A trail of blood could be seen from the rear entrance to about 25 feet into the parking lot, where it ended. Cigarette butts littered the asphalt. Building windows were barred over and graffiti was sprayed on the rear of the building and a beat-up metal door. Bloodstains inside the hallway of 86 Main St. in Paterson from a shooting early Sunday. (Photo: Amy Newman/NorthJersey.com) Through the door to a darkly lighted hallway were bloodstains on the grimy floor where broken ceiling tile lay. The walls were punched in in places, over sky-blue paint waved across half the wall. A door at the end of the hall led to a set of stairs. The identities of the victims have not been released. Police said a man was killed and that some of the people who were shot were from Paterson and some from outside the city. Authorities have not disclosed details of what happened at the club or what they believe prompted the shooting. They have not said whether they think there was one shooter or more. “We’re talking to witnesses now,” Capt. Richard Reyes said. An entrance to a club in the back of 86 Main St., in Paterson where an early-morning shooting occurred Sunday. (Photo: Amy Newman/NorthJersey.com) Reyes said investigators were not sure how many people were in
imprisoned by State Security Department.” Reported by Sung-hui Moon for RFA’s Korean Service. Translated by Changsop Pyon. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.In East Cleveland, one out of every five houses is abandoned. There are so many vacant properties that even when they’re falling apart, the city can’t afford to tear them all down. So when demolition crews came out to raze a crumbling 112-year old vacant home on East 66th Street, they didn’t quite finish the job. This house is now turning into the world’s first BioCellar. The BioCellar, the brainchild of a Cleveland biologist named Jean Loria, will use just the basement of the house–the rest was torn down–and will top it with a greenhouse so crops can grow inside. “We’re turning it into a place for the community to come together and have access to urban agriculture,” says Rob Donaldson, the architect who designed the greenhouse. “We want to turn vacant structures into a community asset.” Why a cellar? At depths below four feet, the ground stays at a constant temperature, so even in the middle of a harsh Cleveland winter, the room won’t get colder than 50 degrees. With light flooding in from the glass roof above, food can grow year round. The BioCellar will run off the grid, with solar panels on the roof, a passive ventilation system, and possibly geothermal heat. The food can be sold locally. But as much as the project may have environmental benefits, its main purpose is to improve the neighborhood and provide jobs. Former prison inmates are building the greenhouse, while learning construction skills. They’ll have the opportunity to grow food there as well, thanks to Mansfield Frazer, one of the leaders of the project. Frazer, who runs the nonprofit Neighborhood Solutions, also owns a vineyard on a former vacant lot nextdoor to the BioCellar. Chateau Hough, named after the neighborhood he hopes will soon see better days, just had its fourth growing season, and Frazer hopes the BioCellar will have similar success. Though the greenhouse will grow a variety of food, one of the first crops will be mushrooms. “All of what we do is wealth creation, and we have to grow what we can grow for the highest dollar amount,” Frazer says. “Shiitake mushrooms are $12 a pound.”Humans have been practicing flow arts for centuries. In recent years, LED technology has progressed to the point where it can truly illuminate and enhance these historic art forms like poi, hula hooping and more. At EmazingLights, we create innovative LED flow arts that are on the cutting edge of technology. We make it our mission to provide flow arts and LED rave toys at a great price that are bright, beautiful and vibrant. EmazingLights is making strides in supplying only the best rave lights on the market for flow artists who love to paint the darkness. These light up rave toys are made by flow artists for flow artists. Discover flow arts like led poi, glowstringing, levitation wands, light up toys and more! Once you start, you just can’t stop. Whether you’re spinning poi or creating magical light trails with your flow wand, it’s hard to stop the flow of these LED light toys. Every flow artist knows how much practice it takes to master your craft. If you’ve put in the hours, it’s only natural that you’re going to need some replacement flow parts when they get a little banged up. We’ve got all the pod poi parts you’ll ever need to just keep spinning. Keep your poi spinning with our replaceable poi equipment. For all you wizards out there, be sure to try out Clear End Caps for your Levitation Wand for brighter and more vivid light trails. Whatever it is that you need, EmazingLights has you covered so you can always glow with the flow.A Very Vintage Take On Our Modern Military In the 1860s, a photographer named Mathew Brady hauled a huge, clunky camera around the Civil War battlefields, capturing portraits and scenes of military life. As camera technology goes, the process used by Brady was all but phased out. Today, a few niche art photographers continue to practice it — including Melissa Cacciola. And in the vein of Brady's Civil War portraiture, Cacciola also focuses on the military. Her latest series, War and Peace, takes two looks at men and women who serve: in uniform and in civilian garb. "Through the photographic lens," she writes in a statement, "we can study just how the airman in his dress blues relates to the man in the Guns N' Roses T-shirt." Hide caption Edward, gunnery sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps (dates of service: 1996-2011): "I wanted to be a Marine forever, but after losing my eye and parts of my skull, I wasn't able to anymore. I refused to accept this as a negative thing and instead I made a conscious effort to find a new path that I was even more excited about." Previous Next Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Sylvia, command sergeant major, U.S. Army Previous Next 1984-present/Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Ted, captain, U.S. Marine Corps (June 2003-present): "The Marine Corps is very good at beating your sense of exhaustion and lack of motivation into submission during your initial ground training — that's what makes you a Marine." Previous Next Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Samantha, staff sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps (2002-present): "Doing humanitarian missions overseas was the best experience of my life, as well as speaking with Wounded Warriors. The opportunity is so surreal, mostly unimaginable." Previous Next Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Lawrence, petty officer first class, U.S. Navy (1998-present): "When I go out there and provide assistance to making our community better... this brings a smile to my face. It also shows the sensitive side of the military, one that is hardly ever seen." Previous Next Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Estee, staff sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps (2002-present): "The experience that has most affected me while I have been in the military was the death of my best friend, Cpl. Ramona M. Valdez." Previous Next Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Sean, yeoman second class, U.S. Navy (active duty 2005-09): "The satisfaction of knowing I am making a positive difference for our country as well as the locals at every place I was stationed was incomparable." Previous Next Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Esther, lieutenant junior grade, U.S. Coast Guard Previous Next 2008-present/Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Kirtan, staff sergeant, U.S. Army (active duty 2000-09): "My yearlong tour in Iraq was a very enlightening experience. I witnessed heroism, tragedy and the true finding of religion." Previous Next Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Sarah, lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy Previous Next 2001-present/Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Brian, lieutenant junior grade, U.S. Coast Guard Previous Next 2003-present/Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Yamili, specialist, U.S. Army (2007-present): "The death of my husband while serving in the Army... made me really sad, but at the same time it made me be grateful to be alive and have such a wonderful daughter." Previous Next Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Tony, petty officer second class, U.S. Navy Previous Next 2004-10/Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola Hide caption Travis, lance corporal, U.S. Marine Corps Previous Next 2002-06/Courtesy of Melissa Cacciola 1 of 14 i View slideshow Cacciola was trained by renowned photographer John Coffer but is somewhat new to the wet plate process. In fact, photography is not really her background, per se, but she makes all of the chemicals and materials by hand — a feat even for a seasoned photographer. She studied historic preservation and restores paintings for a living — which helps explain why she would be drawn to such an antiquated, tangible process. "[There] is a growing feeling that images lose their sense of permanence or uniqueness," she writes in her statement. "Photographs are no longer created with light but with pixilation and computers whose software is engineered to erase our scars and correct anything ordained to be a flaw." But her photos are up-close, personal and untouched. Over the phone, she explained that getting people to participate was the biggest challenge. "They're very private people," she explained. "A lot of people who [agreed] wanted to show that they were just like everyone else. Just because they were in the military didn't mean they were different."Israeli paratroopers walk a dirt road on their way to a Lebanese village during the Second Lebanon War, Aug. 12, 2006 Saad Hariri, who resigned Saturday as Prime Minister of Lebanon, always faced a no-win situation trying to serve in that role. His departure heralds the latest ratcheting up of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran playing out across the region, with significant implications for Israel. To really understand the Middle East – subscribe to Haaretz skip - fb Explained: Who wants war in the middle east Hariri is a good man, but not a natural political leader. His role as the leader of Lebanon’s Sunni bloc was thrust upon him by the assassination of his father, Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in 2005. During his first term as prime minister, from 2009 to 2011, Saad chose, by design, to operate in his father’s imposing shadow. When I visited his compound in Beirut, I was struck not only by the opulent wealth and suffocating security arrangements, but by the extreme deference to Rafik’s memory. In the salon where he received guests, Saad sat in the second chair on the Lebanese side. The first was reserved for a black ribbon-draped portrait of his father. But there was another force that thrust him into that role: his Saudi patrons. Saudi Arabia had long backed the Sunnis in Lebanon’s multi-sectarian political system and during the civil war. But they also provided a base and financial backing for the Hariri business empire. Hariri could not move right or left without Saudi support, nor could he rebuff their orders that he return to Lebanon as prime minister. >>Israel outs a senior Hezbollah target, risking new round of violence ■ Mounting tensions throw Israel into a new state of emergency Saad Hariri, Lebanon's now former prime minister, at a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump, at the White House in Washington, D.C. July 25, 2017 Zach Gibson/Bloomberg Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close During Hariri’s first term, he faced no end of headaches: Hezbollah-affiliated ministers in the cabinet who could bring down his government at any time; the unfinished business of the Special Tribunal investigating his father’s murder; and the taunts and bullying of Hezbollah’s ally, Bashar Assad in Syria. The certain knowledge that Hezbollah, backed by Assad, were the culprits in his father’s killing must have made each day a special kind of torture. Those ressures all reflected Iran’s ongoing attempt to retain its influence in Lebanon, and recover the ground they had lost when the March 14 popular uprising following Hariri senior's assassination resulted in the withdrawal of Syrian troops after 30 years. With sustained support from Saudi Arabia and the United States, Saad Hariri withstood these pressures for a time. But Saudi support wavered in 2010, when Prince Abdulaziz, the son of then-King Abdallah, pursued a rapprochement with Assad. When Hariri refused to play along, Hezbollah withdrew its ministers from his government, bringing it down in humiliating fashion while Hariri met with President Barack Obama in Washington in January 2011. As I watched his face across the Oval Office that day, Hariri seemed almost relieved. Knowing that history, I was frankly surprised when he returned to the premiership late last year, following a protracted government stalemate, so bad that even the Lebanese trash was not being collected. The logjam was only broken when Michel Aoun, a Christian ally of Hezbollah, ascended to the presidency. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS) poses while meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. July, 23, 2017 /AP Why would Hariri return under an even tougher set of circumstances than those that prevailed during his first term? Once again, because the Saudis made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. But this was a new breed of Saudi rulers. King Abdallah had no love for Iran, whom he described as the head of the snake spreading poison throughout the Middle East. But he picked his spots for confronting his rivals, and cut his losses in Lebanon in 2011. His successor, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, and his son Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), seem determined to contest Iran from Yemen to Syria to Lebanon. Getting their man, Hariri, back to Beirut at least gave them a player on the field. Hariri faced a truly impossible task. Hezbollah’s dominance of Lebanese politics has only increased. Despite continued U.S. support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, ostensibly a multi-confessional counterweight to the Shia forces, is has become increasingly clear that Hezbollah can intimidate, infiltrate, and when called upon, dominate them. The winding down of the Syrian civil war made it even worse. As long as the fighting raged, Hezbollah’s priority was shoring up the Assad regime, which has facilitated the conveyance of Iranian weapons into Hezbollah’s hands. As Assad’s future has been assured, under Russian and Iranian sponsorship, Hezbollah fighters have been returning home to Lebanon, and their leadership has been able to refocus on internal Lebanese battles. Rescue workers and soldiers stand around a massive crater after a Hezbollah bomb attack that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, Lebanon. Feb. 14, 2005 /AP Hariri has long known that as prime minister, he lived on borrowed time. At Hezbollah’s whim, at any moment, his father’s fate could become his own. It’s fair to say that the assassination attempt he alluded to in his resignation announcement represented a death threat he always faced. It was only a question of when Hezbollah would choose to operationalize it. The bigger question is whether his resignation is a sign that the Saudis withdrew their support for him once again. At first blush, that would not seem consistent with King Salman and MBS’s overall desire to confront Iran’s proxies on every front. But it is plausible that the Saudis are trying to create the context for a different means of contesting Iran in Lebanon: an Israeli-Hezbollah war. With Assad clearly having survived the challenge posed by Saudi-backed rebels, the Saudi leadership may hope to move its confrontation with Iran from Syria to Lebanon. By pulling Hariri out of his office, they may hope to ensure that Hezbollah gets stuck with the blame and responsibility for Lebanon’s challenges, from caring for Syrian refugees to mopping up Al Qaida and ISIS affiliates. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah delivers a video link message during Ashura, a 10-day ritual commemorating the death of Imam Hussein, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. Sept. 30, 2017 Hassan Ammar/AP That could, the Saudis may believe, lead Hezbollah to seek an accelerated confrontation with Israel as a means of unifying Lebanese support for their dominance. As indicated in a different context - this week’s arrests of Saudi princes in a putative corruption crackdown - King Salman and MBS have little patience to establish their desired order. Israeli leaders have been preparing for the next war with Hezbollah since 2006. Iran’s increasing assertiveness across the region makes clear that, even more than the last war, it will be a fight to diminish the Iranian threat on Israel’s borders. Israel and Saudi Arabia are fully aligned in this regional struggle, and the Saudis cannot help but be impressed by Israel’s increasing assertiveness to strike at Iranian threats in Syria. Israel will have to make its own decision when the time is right for that fight. When the moment of truth arrives, Israel’s allies, with the United States in the lead, should give it full backing. An act of Iranian or Hezbollah aggression may well be the spark, as their malign intentions are perfectly clear. But Israeli leaders will want to take care not to find themselves backed into a premature confrontation by the maneuvers of their allies who sit in Riyadh. Daniel B. Shapiro is Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Israel, and Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the National Security Council, during the Obama Administration. Twitter: @DanielBShapiro'Habitual traffic offender' in Pasco jail after running over motorcyclists Copyright by WFLA - All rights reserved Robert Paul Vance booking photo (Courtesy Pasco County Sheriff's Office) [ + - ] Video UPDATE: The Florida Highway Patrol has amended the charges against Robert Vance. He is now charged with two counts of attempted murder. Vance is still charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injury and driving with a suspended license. His bond is $115,000. PREVIOUS STORY: LUTZ, Fla. (WFLA) - A 31-year-old Land O' Lakes man is facing a variety of charges following a serious crash Monday near the intersection of US 41 and County Line Road in Lutz. Robert Vance is being held without bond at the Pasco County Jail. He is facing one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury and one count of operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver's license. Florida Highway Patrol says Vance is classified as a habitual traffic offender. Witnesses say Vance drove his vehicle over a motorcycle carrying a man and woman before fleeing. Just moments before the incident, the suspect exchanged words with the driver of the motorcycle - identified as Joseph Philipp Calderazzo - and his passenger, Melanie Ann Milinkovich. Copyright by WFLA - All rights reserved Robert Paul Vance booking photo (Courtesy Pasco County Sheriff's Office) Copyright by WFLA - All rights reserved Robert Paul Vance booking photo (Courtesy Pasco County Sheriff's Office) One witness shot video on his cellphone that clearly shows Calderazzo and Milinkovich being knocked from the motorcycle as Vance drives into it. Abe Garcia shared the video with News Channel 8. He says the people on the bikes are veterans and for this incident to happen on Memorial Day is a shame. Fortunately the motorcyclists were not seriously injured, suffering a few minor scrapes and bruises, and were treated at the scene. Vance has an extensive criminal history that includes two stints in state prison. He's been convicted previously on drug, burglary and felony traffic charges out of Brevard County. Additional charges may be filed against Vance as the investigation into Monday's crash continues.The #PumpRules star imparts some valuable advice to our Newlyweds: The First Year Season 3 couples! No one ever said the first year of marriage was easy — in fact, it's notorious for being the hardest year for a couple. With this in mind, we looked to the recently hitched Scheana Shay from Vanderpump Rules to impart some marital wisdom on the couples of Newlyweds: The First Year Season 3, premiering on Sunday, January 3. In the clip above, the SURver admits that cliches might exist for a reason, as she's realized that "communication is key" to the first year of marriage. But that's not all! Find out what not to do in your first year, and how to keep the bedroom spicy well after the honeymoon. So communication is key, but are there any other essentials for your first year of marriage? Scheana Shay: Listening goes hand in hand with communicating, but is one of the most important things you can do. Listen with more than just your ears. If something seems off, talk about it. Know that it's not only about one person in the relationship but the couple as a whole now. If there was anything you could do over for your first year, what would it be? Honestly, just being a better listener. There were things Shay was going through that got downplayed because he wasn't speaking up and I wasn't always paying attention. Sometimes things aren't all out there on the surface and you have to dig deeper to find the root of the problem. Did you learn anything after your first year that you didn’t know before? Umm, A LOT! And we are now in the best place we've ever been in. Sometimes it takes going through something traumatic or unexpected to find out what's really important, what matters, and what could be done to better it. If you could tell our Newlyweds one thing not to do, what would it be? Don't be selfish! You're a team so work together! Any tips on how to keep the romance going after the wedding, the first year, and beyond? Everyone is different but I know for me, Shay likes lingerie. So whenever we want to spice it up, I dress it up. He also said to make sure you know what your partner wants. Reciprocation is key! Don't forget to tune into the season premiere of Newlyweds, on January 3 at 9/8c!Israel’s Housing Ministry is working on plans for thousands of residential units in the controversial E1 area of the West Bank, according to a new report by the anti-settlement Peace Now organization. The report, issued Monday, says that the ministry “is quietly working on” plans to develop 8,372 new units in the 12-square kilometer area of land, which is located between Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, and within the municipal jurisdiction of the latter. Israel’s housing minister said Monday there were no such plans. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up According to the data provided by Peace Now, the Housing Ministry quietly paid NIS 3.6 million ($930,000) to the Ma’ale Adumim council to plan three new neighborhoods to be called Mevasseret Adumim, without a public tender that would have drawn international opposition. “The area of Ma’ale Adumim and E1 is one of the most sensitive areas in terms of the chances for two state solution,” Peace Now wrote. “For these reasons, whenever an Israeli leader tries to promote the plans in E1, the international community strongly condemns them.” Peace Now claims the ministry paid NIS 1.5 million ($385,000) to complete detailed planning for 1,000 units in Mevasseret Adumim South, NIS 1.8 million ($465,000) for a plan for 2,000 units for Mevasseret Adumim East, and NIS 300,000 ($77,000) to test the feasibility of constructing 1,000 housing units in Mevasseret Adumim North. The nonprofit organization, which campaigns for a negotiated two-state agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, largely bases the claims on 200 pages of Housing Ministry documentation, with tables containing more than 1,000 lines of data, obtained following a request under Freedom of Information Act. Housing Construction Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu) denied the claims Monday, telling Army Radio that “there is no planning and no preparation for planning in that area.” In all, the Peace Now report claims the government is planning 55,548 housing units in West Bank settlements, including the E1 building, 78% of which lie to the east of the West Bank security barrier. Successive Israeli governments have considered building in E1 to establish “facts on the ground” and ensure that Ma’ale Adumim, with a population of around 40,000, remains linked to Jerusalem rather than isolated as a Jewish enclave, if and when a Palestinian state arises. Attempts to build have, however, met with stiff international opposition. Palestinians claim a new neighborhood in E1 would ruin the chances for a Palestinian metropolis between Ramallah and Bethlehem, also connected to East Jerusalem, scuppering Palestinian efforts to create territorial contiguity between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank. Earlier E1 construction plans were frozen by Ariel Sharon’s government in 2005. In October 2013, the Housing Ministry — then controlled by Uri Ariel of the pro-settlement Jewish Home party — issued tenders for the planning of tens of thousands of housing units in West Bank settlements, including, among others, thousands of units in E1 and in E2 (Givat Eitam, south of Bethlehem), Peace Now said. International uproar over the tenders prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel the moves in November of that year. But one year later, Peace Now says after obtaining Housing Ministry documents, the ministry — without tenders — hired architects to work on many of the plans that had been canceled, including in E1, E2, Nokdim (south of Bethlehem), Tekoa (northeast of Hebron) and Ma’ale Amos (near Tekoa). “This planning, which contradicts any possible commitment to a two-state solution, continues through the present day,” the Peace Now report says. The international community regards as illegal all settlements in lands conquered by Israel during the 1967 Six Day war and has backed Palestinian claims that continued construction in these areas presents a major stumbling block to an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.Croteam did what Croteam does best and burst onto the VR scene last year with a surprise new game in the Serious Sam universe with Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope in Early Access and a port of the original Serious Sam, with added VR support and full locomotion, also in Early Access. Naturally, the studio’s next three VR projects were suddenly announced today, with little preamble, by way of company blog post. As it turns out, the studio is also working on adapting the next two mainline entries in the frenetic shooter franchise, dubbed Serious Sam VR : The Second Encounter and Serious Sam VR 3: BFE. Each entry will be VR ports of the existing second and third installment in the long-running series. We don’t have anything else to go on at this time, but given how fast-paced, gory, and action-packed the games are on standard flat displays, they should be great additions to any VR gamer’s library. Also of note is that Croteam will bring The Talos Principle to VR, which is a much slower-paced, surprisingly introspective, and thoughtful puzzle game. Intuitively, out of all the studio’s previously released projects, this one makes the most sense for a VR adaptation of them all. For fans of Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope, the wave shooter iteration of the franchise, a large free update called the “Shanti” update is coming soon. “The update will include the new planet (Shanti), new weapons (one melee and one long ranged weapon), new feature (Sam’s personal shield) and a very scary new boss,” according to the blog post. Among the remaining updates, Croteam also assures that the long-awaited Serious Sam 4 is still in development and non-VR titles are moving forward as well. Smaller teams have been established internally to focus on VR projects while SS4 presumably ramps up development towards the finish line. At this point, I’d say it’s a fair assumption it will have VR support. Finally, the core engine used in their games is getting a big overhaul dubbed the Serious Sam Fusion 2017 update which enables better 3D audio, split-screen, more OS support, more controller support, multi-thread rendering, multi-monitor support, and improved overall visual fidelity. What do you think of the existing two Serious Sam VR games? Will you be picking up the next two and any future Croteam VR projects? Let us know in the comments below! Tagged with: croteam, serious samNegotiations, Lecture by Stan Christensen / Arbor Advisors (2007) In this lecture, Stan Christensen talks on Entrepreneurship for Stanford University students on October 31, 2007. Stan Christensen highlights the fact that negotiations are serial events. He notes that it is important for one to realize this as you would encounter the same people in the future. He illustrates this fact from his experience in Seoul. CosmoLearning is promoting these materials solely for nonprofit educational purposes, and to recognize contributions made by Stanford University (Stanford) to online education. We do not host or upload any copyrighted materials, including videos hosted on video websites like YouTube, unless with explicit permission from the author(s). All intellectual property rights are reserved to Stanford and involved parties. CosmoLearning is not endorsed by Stanford, and we are not affiliated with them, unless otherwise specified. Any questions, claims or concerns regarding this content should be directed to their creator(s). If any embedded videos constitute copyright infringement, we strictly recommend contacting the website hosts directly to have such videos taken down. In such an event, these videos will no longer be playable on CosmoLearning or other websites.The University of Florida Police Department says officers did not follow protocol in an incident late last month in which the son of the deputy chief was stopped for suspicion of drunken driving. The University of Florida Police Department says officers did not follow protocol in an incident late last month in which the son of the deputy chief was stopped for suspicion of drunken driving but was allowed to go home with his dad without so much as a traffic citation, despite registering a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit. UPD's statement that the actions of responding officers "were not in line with our department's established directives and procedures" came in response to a public records request filed Wednesday by The Sun in connection with the incident. According to an offense report provided to The Sun, two bicycle patrol officers with UPD stopped a blue Honda four-door sedan shortly after 1 a.m. on June 29 for driving southbound on Fletcher Drive, which is a northbound-only road. The officers reported that the driver — 23-year-old Marc A. Dunn, son of Deputy Chief Tony Dunn — appeared intoxicated. Officer Rodrigo Morales, after talking to and observing the younger Dunn, contacted a superior, Lt. Robert Wagner, who arrived at the scene and instructed Morales to conduct a breath test on Dunn, which showed his blood-alcohol level to be.176. The point at which a driver is considered legally drunk in Florida is.08. Wagner then contacted Deputy Chief Dunn, who arrived at the scene in his personal vehicle and drove his son home, police reported. The younger Dunn's car was left parked on campus, to be picked up at a later time. After being contacted Wednesday by The Sun, UPD spokesman Maj. Brad Barber provided the following written statement: "When this incident was brought to the attention of Chief (Linda) Stump, she immediately recognized and acknowledged that the actions taken that morning involving this incident were not in line with our department's established directives and procedures involving Driving Under the Influence (DUI) investigations. Given that recognition, she directed the initiation and forwarding of a sworn complaint to the State Attorney's Office after gathering further information and reviewing probable cause established during this incident. "The incident has been reviewed internally and appropriate, remedial training actions will be completed as well as any potential disciplinary actions against the officers involved if deemed necessary." Barber told The Sun that UPD on Friday forwarded a sworn complaint against Marc Dunn to the State Attorney's Office after the chief completed her investigation. The Alachua County Clerk of Court's Office, however, had no record Wednesday of the sworn complaint, and Paul Clendenin, chief investigator for the State Attorney's Office, said the complaint was hand-delivered at noon on Wednesday, after UPD had been contacted by The Sun. Barber could not be reached Wednesday evening to clarify his earlier statement. Chief Stump said Wednesday in a telephone interview that Deputy Chief Dunn had committed no wrong by taking his son home. "All of the decision-making actions were completed by officers on scene prior to any notification of Deputy Chief Dunn," Stump said. "He (Deputy Chief Dunn) was not a part of any of the decision-making involving his son." When asked whether the deputy chief had the authority to instruct officers to conduct a proper DUI investigation, Stump said, "he's not over operations. He's not over that division... Actually, Deputy Chief Dunn is the one who contacted me. He did what he was supposed to do in terms of notifying chain of command." Morales and Officer Jordan Craven were on routine bicycle patrol when they noticed Marc Dunn's car driving in the wrong direction, according to the incident report from the morning of June 29. No record of the offense report had been posted to UPD's online crime log as of early Wednesday. Barber told The Sun that reports are not typically filed online until action is taken, which he said had not happened in this case until Friday. Barber said he would update the UPD website to note Marc Dunn's offense report, which did appear later Wednesday evening. The incident report states the following happened after Morales and Craven spotted Marc Dunn's car: Morales stopped the Honda in front of the UF Racquet Club and asked Dunn for his driver's license, registration and proof of insurance. Dunn provided Morales with his driver's license but had to search inside the vehicle for the remaining documents. While looking for his other documents, Dunn told Morales he was the son of Deputy Chief Tony Dunn. As Dunn spoke, Morales picked up the scent of alcohol on Dunn's breath and noticed he was wearing a blue wristband commonly associated with bars in midtown. When asked, Dunn said he had had four drinks that night. Dunn eventually handed Morales two different vehicle registrations and an expired insurance card. One of the registrations was issued in Marc Dunn's name but still had the yellow decal attached to the document. Morales then ordered Dunn to affix the decal to his license plate in order for it to be valid. As Dunn exited his car, both Morales and Craven noticed he was unsteady on his feet and had difficulty removing the decal from the document. Morales then told Dunn he believed he was intoxicated and was concerned about his ability to drive. Dunn said he would call a taxi or have a friend pick him up. Morales then instructed Dunn to remove the wristband and call a friend before closing out the traffic stop at 1:48 a.m., with a warning. Within minutes, another investigator drove by. Morales, who has worked at UPD for more than a year and a half, flagged him down to seek his opinion about the situation and whether he should contact the lieutenant on duty, Robert Wagner. The investigator said yes, Morales should contact Lt. Wagner. Morales used his two-way radio to contact Wagner but then asked him for a phone number to continue the conversation and inform him of the circumstance. Wagner told Morales to detain Dunn until he arrived on the scene. A few minutes later, Wagner advised over the radio that Dunn was not free to leave. After Wagner arrived, Morales told him he did not wish to conduct a DUI investigation of Dunn. Wagner told Morales, according to the report written by Morales, that "he would support my decision with whatever I chose to do next." Wagner then handed Morales a portable breath test and asked him to test Dunn. Wagner told Dunn he either could submit to the portable test, which does not meet the same criteria as an official breath test and is typically inadmissible in court, or he would be subjected to a DUI investigation. Dunn agreed to provide a breath sample but first called his father and told him "they" would be calling him in a few seconds, referring to the UPD officers. Dunn then provided the breath-alcohol reading of.176. At around 2:30 a.m., Deputy Chief Dunn arrived in his personal vehicle to pick up his son. Chief Stump was on vacation at the time of the traffic stop and was notified by Deputy Dunn the following morning. Marc Dunn has had previous run-ins with the law for traffic offenses as well as alcohol use. In June 2009, he was charged with hit and run on allegations he left the scene of an accident with property damage, but the state declined to prosecute after Dunn fulfilled the obligations of his traffic sanctions. In December 2009, he was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct by public intoxication. The charges were dropped in that case as well. Marc Dunn also was cited in 2012 for failure to stop at a stop sign and not having proof of insurance. In March, he was issued a traffic citation for failure to yield for a school bus. A person convicted of a first-offense DUI in the state of Florida can be jailed up to six months, fined up to $500, ordered to serve 50 hours of community service, be placed on a year's probation, have his or her license revoked for at least 180 days and be compelled to attend DUI school. Attempts Wednesday to reach Marc Dunn and Deputy Chief Tony Dunn were unsuccessful.Jawbone's new Up wristband will be available in Australia next month Jawbone's new Up wristband will be available in Australia next month, the company has confirmed. The Up is a device that tracks your movement, sleeping patterns and eating habits. It's classified by Jawbone as a "wellness product". The Up will retail for $149.99 and will be initially available through Apple online, selected Telstra stores, Telstra online and Optus stores from Saturday 20th April. Jawbone's Head of International Partner & Product Development, Jorgen Nordin, said the Up was primarily developed to address lifestyle issues. "The drive of wanting to be better has accelerated over the last couple of years and that has to do with lifestyle decisions and how lifestyle decisions are affecting us," he explained. "We wanted to create a system to help you address all of these things and measure all of these things in a frictionless way." The Jawbone Up uses a range of built-in sensors to measure movement and sleep. It also allows users to log food intake and moods by using a dedicated smartphone application, available for iOS and selected Android devices. Jawbone says it registered over 100 patents for the Up, which went through 46 weeks of user trials and over 2.9m hours of real world testing before being released for the second time. The company initially launched the Up in the US in December 2011 before withdrawing the product from the shelves and offering refunds or replacements to users due to defects. "We've been spending the last year fixing issues with the previous version," said Nordin. The second iteration of the Up remains a
a statistical category). Whoever gets the most points compared to other GMs, wins the fantasy league. Back to brief explanations. Head-to-head Head-to-Head is what I have been playing the most of recently. Head-to-head leagues have GMs picking players for their teams that they think will obtain them the most points. The way that players obtain points is by scoring goals, assists, goalie wins, shutouts, and any other categories that the organizer may think of. How this differs from a Point Based system by having all of the GMs in the league pair up and face off against each other in a 1 vs 1 matchup. Within this matchup, players compete over player statistical categories. For each category, whichever GM has the most of that statistical category gets 1 point. All of these points are added up for each GM, and whoever has the most of these points compared to the other GMs’ points, wins. Sample Head-to-Head scoring in a 1 vs 1 match up. The bold in each row indicates what statistical category they are winning. The score on the right indicates the score that will be measured against the rest of the GMs. Warning: If you are thinking about choosing a Head-to-Head, there is a lot of time commitment associated with these leagues. GMs for these leagues need to set line ups each day, trade players, and pick up players from the free agency to have a successful team. Not for the faint of heart. However if you love depth, you will love this league type. Back to brief explanations. Rotisserie Rotisserie is somewhat of a hybrid of Points Based and Head-to-Head leagues. Rotisserie leagues have GMs picking players for their teams that they think will obtain them the most points. The way that players obtain points is by scoring goals, assists, goalie wins, shutouts, and any other categories that the organizer may think of. This is similar to Head-to-head in every aspect except for the fact that GMs don’t compete against each other in 1 vs 1 matchups, but rather it’s a free for all between the GMs fighting over the player statistical categories. GMs are awarded points each week depending where they rank in each category. I couldn’t find a picture of rotisserie scoring, so here, SALIVATE. (Taste of BBQ – tasteofbbq.com) Warning: If you are thinking about choosing a Rotisserie league, there is a lot of time commitment associated with this league. GMs for these leagues need to set line ups each day, trade players, and pick up players from the free agency to have a successful team. Not for the faint of heart. However if you love depth, you will love this league type. Back to brief explanations. Once you are finished reading this guide, check out Kevin Lavallée’s guide for Fantasy Hockey: Drafting 101! (Cover Photo – Wikipedia – Bri Weldon via Wikimedia Commons)Kellyanne Conway has earned a reputation as being an adept dodger of any question that could cast President Donald Trump in a negative light. So her admission on Sunday that Trump’s approval rating needed improvement was an unusual deviation for the president’s counselor. Conway told ABC’s “This Week” that Trump’s “approval rating among Republicans, conservatives and Trump voters is down slightly. It needs to go up.” She added that voters were urging Trump to focus on fulfilling his campaign promises rather than worrying about a squabbling Congress. “They are telling him just enact your program,” Conway said. “Don’t worry about a Congress that isn’t supporting legislation to get big-ticket items done. And don’t worry about all the distractions, diversions and discouragement that others who are still trying to throw logs in your path are throwing your way. Focus on the agenda and he’s doing that. Nobody can deny these economic numbers.” HuffPostDespite record early voting ranks among Latinos, Arizona took a giant step ahead of the nation into the quagmire of provisional and early ballot mayhem, as outraged Latino voters and allies converged on the Maricopa County Tabulation Election Center in Phoenix today, demanding clarification and proper counting of unprecedentedly massive numbers of uncounted ballots that could potentially affect the outcome of the high profile races of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and U.S. Senate candidate Richard Carmona, among others. Winning 465, 249 votes from nearly 96 percent of precincts reporting last night, Arpaio reportedly defeated challenger Paul Penzone by nearly 10 percent. With 99.76 percent of the precincts reporting, Republican Jeff Flake reportedly defeated Carmona for the U.S. Senate, 809,283 votes to 725,831. But that's not the end of the story. While estimates of uncounted provisional and returned early ballots vary wildly -- from 150,00 to more than 400,000 in Maricopa County alone, and thousands more across the state -- many Arizonans are now questioning the extraordinary levels of provisional ballots issued, and numerous voters have emerged with stories of undue barriers and difficulties at the polls for Latino voters. "We have examples of newly naturalized citizens who registered to vote only to find out a few days before the election that they were not on the voter list," Randy Parraz, President of Citizens for a Better Arizona, noted. "We have examples of others who were deemed to be age ineligible and left off the voter list but who were in fact 18 and over. We have many citizens who requested a ballot in the mail and never received it." "This is a travesty, not just for the Latino community in Maricopa County," Petra Falcon, Executive Director of Promise Arizona in Action, said in a statement, "but for every voter in Arizona, and for every American who believes in democracy." Photo courtesy of Promise Arizona. CBA leader Randy Parraz speaks, as Promise AZ director Petra Falcon stands to side. "Everything we believe in as Americans depends on having a fair election system we can all trust and believe in," added Falcon. "The County Recorder is right in declaring this election undecided. We promise Arizona and the country that we will do everything to make sure that all eyes are on the County Recorder as every vote is counted." "This is about guarding our protected right to vote," said Parraz,If you are working on a novel communication app and you’re running into venture capitalists who won’t give you the time of day because they think messaging is “done”, please ping me on LinkedIn ( https://linkedin.com/in/yeeguy ) or AngelList ( https://angel.co/yeeguy ) — let’s talk! I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many more WhatsApp-sized opportunities waiting to be discovered in communication app space. And as the cost of developing new apps continues to drop, my advice to entrepreneurs who are interested in this space is: try to systematically test and probe as many different combinations of the 12 dimensions as you can! There are probably even more dimensions to examine (please leave your thoughts in comments!) — so suffice it to say that communication apps are playing in a (at least) 12-dimensional space that is IMMENSE and has room for tons of innovation. When we think about how large of a design space is available for communication apps, the number of popular apps suddenly doesn’t seem so large at all and it’s actually kind of odd that app developers have limited themselves to a relatively small corner of the available design space (mostly involving text/photo sharing with private groups of reciprocated connections). If you examine each of the communication apps listed above, you’ll notice that the designers of each app made different choice on these dimensions, below. Each new permutation leads to a novel looking/feeling communication experience and creates a new reason to try out a comm app. Remember: comm apps were supposed to create network effects that would keep users coming back to the most popular apps. New entrants into the space were supposed to face an enormous uphill battle to get any users to “defect” from their existing communication networks. But instead we’ve seen a continuous parade of new (mostly mobile but some desktop/webtop) communication apps launch and grow. AIM, Messenger, and Skype were supposed to have completely ensnared the global population by now. But instead we have a cacophony of comm apps that seems to grow every year: Viber, Tango, Kik, TextMe, TextPlus, Hangouts, Line, QQ, WeChat, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Secret, Whisper, Hipchat, Yammer, Slack, … I find it remarkable that the list of popular apps just keeps growing. I started participating in the Google Glass Explorers program a couple weeks ago and have started to notice some recurring themes/patterns in using a wearable computing device. 1) It’s annoying to people around you if they can’t tell if you’re paying attention to them. Developers of future wearable computing devices should seek to set visible conventions and expectations about when a device is “on” or “off”. It’s really obvious when the user of a smartphone or PC/laptop is paying attention to the people around them vs. the device. Not so with wearables. Google Glass is actually off most of the time, not displaying anything to the user. But the fact that the device is so visibly present in the user’s line of sight makes people around the user wonder what they’re seeing and whether or not the user is actually interacting with the people physically around them or the virtual interface in the device. I’ve wound up adopting the convention of only putting on Google Glass when I’m intending to actually pay attention to the display or when I’m ready to react to Glass notifications (e.g., when I’m working, walking on my own, etc.). When I’m meeting or talking to other people, I’ll rotate Glass up and out of my view, putting them on top of my head like a pair of sunglasses. 2) Most of the apps for Glass (e.g., Evernote, Path, Wordlens, etc.) are single-feature apps and I think this is a bad idea. App developers should think about long-running, persistent computing sessions instead of “micro” sessions. I remember listening to a speech by Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote. He said that his team had been experimenting with Google Glass and other wearable devices and that they had come to the conclusion: “The key difference with wearable vs prior computing devices is session length. You have 1.5 seconds to deliver an experience.” I think that’s a profound statement, but I also think that it’d be a huge mistake for developers to take a big app like Evernote and try to break it up into a collection of individual applets that each have their own unique voice command in the Google Glass navigation menu. Doing so would turn wearable computing into a sort of super-twitchy ADD-riddled cousin of the smartphone experience — where users cycle between a million little applets, one at a time, for 1.5 seconds each. That’s be a looming usability disaster… That mode of app interaction may work for smartphones — because the device is off, stowed in a pocket most of the time, and only comes out for brief bursts of activity. Wearable computing is fundamentally different than smartphone computing. Once I decide to put Google Glass on, it’s going to stay on my face for a while. I’m not going to keep putting them and taking them off as rapidly as I may take out my phone and return it to a pocket. Given that, I’d like to see wearable OS and wearable app developers move towards a paradigm of really long-running computing sessions. I’d like to see Glass constantly record everything all the time and offer all that data to many apps in the background. And then after the apps have processed all that data in smart ways, present back to me the best of what they found. So I just wear Glass and every once in a while I get a notification — “Hey looks like you just were in a cool place, Glass saved 5 photos for you. Want to keep them? [Nod to keep, swipe to review them now, or do nothing to discard in 5 seconds]”. Or “Sounds like you were just having a conversation with two coworkers, here’s a transcription of the meeting notes. Want to save them for editing later?” Each of those notifications could drive a very brief interaction, but the smarts of the interaction are occurring in a persistent, long-running computing session. 3) When I’m wearing Glass, it becomes the perfect place for realtime notifications that I can take action on. I want Glass to tell me that I should take 280 in order to avoid an accident on 101, or that the milk is on aisle 7, or that rain is expected today when I’m standing at the front door in the morning. A wearable device should know everything about my micro-environment — my location, direction I’m facing, velocity of movement, ambient sounds around me, recognizable visual landmarks in front of me, etc. And if wearable computing has been happening in a long-running persistent session (#2, above), then the wearable OS/apps should also understand the bigger picture of where the current moment fits into my overall day/week/month/year patterns of my life. I’m saying all this with just a couple weeks of experience walking around with Google Glass, so please read this all as just initial, early feedback. So far, if I had to reconstruct a “better” Google Glass experience it would look something like this:Islands off Japan. Image: tororo reaction/Shutterstock Languages are cruel, competitive creatures. Two different studies, from two different continents, looked at how languages have trouble playing well with others: One found that isolation allows for diversity because, as the other found, languages crush each other so predictably that physicists can actually model it. A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo finally proved what people have long-suspected: that just as isolation allows for incredible biodiversity—think the Galapagos Islands—it also allows for linguistic diversity. As the publication of the results in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology might indicate, this is one of those very cool, cross-discipline sorts of studies. The study's lead author is from the department of biological sciences and the co-author is from the cognitive and behavioral sciences department. I guess only a team like that would recognize there was something happening among the Japanese languages and the country's many islands. Japan was the perfect place to test this hypothesis, since, as the researchers note: "Japonic languages are distributed across islands of different sizes that naturally allow them to be either separated or connected by geography, thereby forming two naturally comparable conditions." What's more, all of the languages share a recent common ancestor. "The time of their origin is reasonably well controlled and it is thus possible for us to interpret the influence of geographical barriers in a relatively straightforward manner." And indeed, as the researchers measured the degree of beta diversity from basic vocabularies, the geographical proximity and isolation by surrounding ocean independently explained a significant proportion of lexical variation across the Japonic languages. It's not the only similarity between languages and animals discovered by a cross-disciplinary team. Other researchers were able to model the pace at which a dominating language chokes out the competition. There are a few different ways that a language goes extinct. According to UNESCO, "a language disappears when its speakers disappear or when they shift to speaking another language—most often, a larger language used by a more powerful group. Languages are threatened by external forces such as military, economic, religious, cultural or educational subjugation, or by internal forces such as a community's negative attitude towards its own language." Either way, the shift seems to go from the indigenous tongue to the one perceived as more socially and economically advantageous, which can spell "death or doom of minority languages," according to a study in the Journal of the Royal Society. It's so predictable that the researchers, in this case both physicists, of all things, were able to model the pace at which one language swallows the other. Said model, if you're interested. Image: Journal of the Royal Society The researchers looked at the rise of English in Wales, as well as the rise of Spanish in Peru, and the decline of Scottish Gaelic in Sutherland, Scotland, and were able to use their model to pace the linguistic front, which in the case of the Welsh was about 0.3-0.6 km per year. The authors allude to using the tools in order to preserve a language, but there's something retrograde-feeling about looking at the spread of languages without reference to the great linguistic threat—or possible savior—of our time: the internet. It seems like in the near future all populations, whether isolated on an island or not, will be connected to the internet, which brings with it the advantage of knowing English, Chinese, and the world's other heavy hitters. Maybe the next cross-disciplinary linguistics study should be done by computer scientists.We're ecstatic to announce Radiolucent's second record, Electric City! The record was recorded in mid/late 2014 at Domus Sound Studios in our hometown of Athens, GA with Paul Reeves engineering & producing. We can't wait to get this record out to you guys, but first we have to pay off some recording costs & raise the money to mix, master, & release the dang thing. (We know this record is long overdue, but trust us... it's worth the wait.) Up until now, we've relied on the kindness of close friends & family for design work, photography, video production, sound engineering, & more, but also to be front in center at all of our shows. And that's gotten us pretty far, but it's come time to widen our circle of support, so we're asking you for help. They say it takes a village to raise a child, & that's exactly how we feel about this record. As a thank-you for your support, we've come up with a bunch of rad donation incentives, like exclusive t-shirts & posters, autographed CDs & live photos, & even an EP of acoustic recordings available only to Kickstarter supporters. And if you're feeling super generous, we'll even let you come to the studio & hang out with us while we record the acoustic tracks. (Snacks will be provided, no limit on selfies with the band.) Nearly all of these incentives are exclusive to the Kickstarter campaign & will be made to order, so they won't be available after the Kickstarter ends. If we surpass our goal, we've got some overflow rewards in mind that we can't wait to announce, but we'll cross that bridge WHEN we get there. Thanks so much for your support, we couldn't do it without you! Michael, Clint, Mike, Dylan, & Zach P.S. We want to extend a special thank you to the guys @ Society South for providing the live footage.Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump's hints about easing sanctions on Russia have been met with a clear European response -- please don't. On Saturday, Trump is set to hold his first official phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day after a senior aide said Trump is considering lifting penalties put in place after Russia's intervention in eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea. British Prime Minister Theresa May, visiting Washington Friday, made clear the UK's position -- sanctions should remain until Russia and the Ukrainian rebels it backs meet the requirements of a 2014 agreement to end hostilities. If the US moves forward on sanctions without the backing of allies like the UK, Trump risks seriously straining ties with some of its oldest and most reliable allies, European countries are already unsettled by the President's stated desire to get closer to Russia and his suggestions that NATO is "obsolete." Unilaterally easing Russia sanctions "would be another blow to US-EU relations," said Angela Stent, director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University. "If sanctions are removed unilaterally it removes a major basis for trust between the two allies." The Obama administration worked very closely to get the reluctant Europeans to impose sanctions, Stent recalled, only getting European buy-in after a Malaysian Airlines flight traveling from Holland to Malaysia was downed by a Russian-made missile. What's more, she adds, "if the sanctions are lifted in the absence of agreement from our European allies and in the absence of the Russians fulfilling what they're supposed to do with regards to Minsk" -- the 2014 agreement to end the conflict -- "the Russians have gotten away with what they've done in Ukraine." Trump was at his first White House press conference with a foreign leader Friday when he was asked about the possibility of removing penalties on Russia. Standing beside May, a bust of the British wartime leader Winston Churchill between them, Trump walked a careful line. "As far as the sanctions, very early to be talking about that," he said. "We look to have a great relationship with all countries, ideally. That won't necessarily happen, unfortunately probably won't happen with many countries." On Friday night, just hours ahead of Trump's call with Putin, a senior administration official said the current plan of the White House is not to ease sanctions. May, who had spent the previous two days emphasizing UK solidarity with the new American administration, and had publicly warned about trusting Putin, was definitive about her position. "As far as the UK is concerned, on sanctions for Russia in relation to their activities in the Ukraine, we have been very clear that we want to see the Minsk Agreement fully implemented," she said. "We've been continuing to argue that inside the European Union." While Britain has chosen to leave the EU, diplomats said there's no daylight between the UK and the 27 countries remaining in the European bloc when it comes to Russia sanctions. European diplomats told CNN that any decision the organization makes will be determined by EU interests -- and not political decisions by Trump in Washington. Trump spoke of his desire for closer relations with Russia throughout the campaign, touting it as a plus if Moscow and the US could cooperate to defeat ISIS. Trump's desire for better relations with Putin became a fraught issue, as US intelligence agencies charged that Moscow had directed cyberattacks tied to the 2016 election with the aim of helping Trump. Earlier Friday, top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told Fox News that lifting US sanctions on Russia would be up for discussion when Trump and Putin speak Saturday. "All of that is under consideration," Conway said when asked specifically whether lifting sanctions approved by the Obama administration would be considered. Trump had hedged in his White House remarks, saying, "I hear a call was set up and we will see what happens." "I hope we have a fantastic relationship," he said of Putin. "That's possible, and it's also possible that we won't. We will see what happens." After an initial attempt to improve relations with Russia, the Obama administration hit Russian banks, individuals, energy companies and defense contractors with sanctions in 2014 for their support for Ukrainian separatists. After Russia's annexation of Crimea, the US punished Russian individuals with asset freezes and travel bans. And after intelligence agencies reached their conclusion about Russian interference in the election, the Obama administration expelled 35 Russian diplomats. Derek Chollet, a senior adviser for defense and security policy at the German Marshall Fund, said it's not clear Trump will actually follow through on easing sanctions. "This could be yet another idea that they've floated that they end up not doing," he said.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell joined me Tuesday morning: Audio: 04-05hhs-mcconnell Transcript: HH: Right now, though, we bring you the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Honorable Mitch McConnell. Senator McConnell, always great to have you, welcome back, and welcome to the new Hugh Hewitt Show. MM: Yeah, good morning. Congratulations on your new show, Hugh. HH: Well, I like doing the morning. It’s a lot more fun to get ahead of the news rather than try and catch up with it. Let me ask you, Senator McConnell. There are breathless reports nearly every day of cracks in the wall against the Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland. Do you see any cracks in that wall? MM: I don’t see any. We had a couple of our members in blue states that have a contrary view, but there’s, you know, 52 others who are very comfortable with no hearings or no votes. And the reason for that is pretty clear. You’d have to go back 80 years to find the last time a vacancy on the Supreme Court occurred in the middle of a presidential year and was confirmed by the Senate. You’d have to go all the way back to 1888 with Grover Cleveland, a Democrat in the White House, to find the last time a Senate of the opposite party confirmed a nominee to a vacancy on the Supreme Court occurring in a presidential year. If that were not enough, Hugh, as I’m sure you’ve talked on your show repeatedly, Joe Biden when he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1992, a presidential election year, said if a vacancy occurred, they wouldn’t fill it. Harry Reid said ten years ago that the Constitution didn’t require the Senate to even have a vote. And Chuck Schumer, the next Democrat leader, apparently, helpfully said in terms of this particular issue, 18 months before the end of Bush 43’s second term that had a vacancy occurred, they wouldn’t fill it. So look, we know if the shoe was on the other foot, this was a Republican president nominating someone to the Supreme Court for a vacancy occurring in a presidential year, a Democratic Senate wouldn’t act on it. And we’re not going to, either. HH: So I am very justifiably proud about helping jump start #NoHearingsNoVotes. You believe there will be no hearings, and there will be no votes? You’re certain of that, Majority Leader McConnell? MM: Yeah, there will be no hearings and no votes. And I did notice, Hugh, that you picked up on that very quickly. And I think it’s been very helpful, because the left is all in a stew. You know, they’re out there running ads and have paid people to show up at Chairman Grassley’s town hall meetings to try to harass him. But he’s been the Rock of Gibraltar. I think the American people understand that they ought to weigh in. We’re right in the middle of a presidential election. And we ought to hear from them as to who they want the next president to be before we fill this vacancy, not Barack Obama on the way out the door, the lamest of lame ducks, basically tipping the balance on the Supreme Court to the left for who knows how long, maybe the next quarter of a century. This is no small issue, and I assure you the Senate will not act on a nominee by Barack Obama. HH: That doesn’t mean the Senate isn’t doing anything. In fact, yesterday you passed a long-awaited measure that is going to strengthen federal law and provide damages for U.S. companies affected by the theft of corporate intellectual property, according to The Hill this morning. That’s a product of bipartisanship. That’s a product of long overdue gears finally beginning to mesh between the House and the Senate. Hat’s off to you. Do you expect the President to sign that into law when it gets back to his desk through the House? MM: Yeah, of course he will, and you know, this has been an incredibly productive new Senate majority. The American people, even though they chose divided government by having a Democrat in the White House and Republican House and Senate, we’re not saying they didn’t want us to do anything. They were saying why don’t you look for things you can agree on and do those. And if you look back to this new majority, Hugh, a little over a year ago, we put the Keystone Pipeline on his desk. We put the repeal of Obamacare on his desk. We put defund Planned Parenthood on his desk. Of course, we knew he wouldn’t sign them, but we also looked for things that we could actually do together to improve our condition in this country. We did trade promotion authority, we did a rewrite of No Child Left Behind, the elementary and secondary education measure. We did a five year highway bill, which hasn’t been done since the 90s. We did cybersecurity. We did permanent R & D tax credit. We did permanent 179 expensing, which is particularly important to farmers. We did a permanent ban on the internet tax, the possibility of internet taxes. We passed an important heroin and opioid measure. We’re going to continue to do the work of the American people, and despite all of the rhetoric in the country, which I understand, because people are unhappy with the condition of the country, the Senate is passing a lot of important measures that are good for the country. HH: Richard Burr is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says an encryption bill is now circulating, a first draft of it. Do you expect an encryption bill to emerge before you head off to the convention cycle, Majority Leader McConnell? MM: Well, we’re certainly looking at that issue. It’s a tough issue. We’re all concerned about privacy, but we’re also concerned about being able to access these tools that are increasingly being used by groups like ISIL. So it’s an interesting kind of balance between national security and legitimate privacy concerns. Hopefully, we can find a way to thread that needle, because the government is certainly not interested in accessing everybody’s iPhone. HH: The Panama Papers that emerged, Leader McConnell, about the secret financial dealings, according to the Wall Street Journal, of the world’s rich, powerful, and in some cases, allegedly corrupt, from Iceland’s prime minister to David Cameron’s father, to longtime friends and associates of Putin. This is a stunning story that will take some weeks to get its arms around. But offshore banking is now a problem. Do you expect the Senate to hold hearings into the Panama Papers? MM: You know, I don’t know, Hugh. That just, that story is just now emerging, and we’re going to have to take a look at it. But it’s certainly disturbing, and something I think we ought to look into. HH: All right, now let me turn to politics. Your colleague in Congressional leadership, Speaker Ryan, called in yesterday. He’s going to be co-chair of the convention. And he very bluntly said the 112 members of the Rules Committee will write the rules for the convention. And clearly, they might keep 40B, they might not. What’s your advice to that committee about 40B, Leader McConnell? MM: Well, the delegates are going to make that decision at the beginning of the convention. The simple, the fact that 40B, which I gather is the provision that says you have to carry eight states in order to be nominated, was in the previous rule. It doesn’t necessarily mean at this rule. In other words, the convention writes the rules at the beginning of every convention. How different they will be from the previous convention, no one knows at this point. What I can tell you for sure is that no one will be the nominee unless they get 1,237 delegate votes, which is required in order to be the nominee. And so no matter how they write the rules, at some point, someone will get 1,237 delegate votes and be the nominee. If it’s on the second ballot, obviously, it’ll be more interesting to people like you and the viewers around the country, because many states allow their delegates to be free agents after the first ballot. This could be a very, very interesting convention. We’ll see what happens. HH: Now Leader McConnell, you are Mr. Kentucky, so if the two members, the national committee woman and national committee man is on the Rules Committee and they come up and ask your advice, are you going to suggest to them it’s better for the party to have it wide open and to dump those old rules? Or is it better for the party to have just Trump and Cruz nominated from the front of the room? MM: Well, I think what I’m going to do for the time being is not weigh in on this issue, because I’m committed to supporting the nominee, whoever that may be. It’s a good chance I’m going to be a delegate myself, so I’ll have to make that decision at the appropriate time. HH: Do you want to be on the Rules Committee? Or do you want to dodge that one? MM: I don’t think I’ll be on the Rules Committee, but it could be an extremely important committee this time. HH: Oh, my gosh, it’s going to be interesting. There’s a Wall Street Journal editorial this morning, The Real Kasich Threat, that says look, they may turn to John Kasich, the convention, the delegates, the 1,237, because he’s electable. Would that shock you, Senator McConnell? You’ve seen a lot of politics over the years. Kentucky’s a convention state. Would it shock you if the convention developed a mind and will of its own and sought out electability? MM: Look, I want to win the election. And I hope that all the delegates believe that being able to beat Hillary Clinton is important. That’s the whole purpose of this, to win the election, you know, not just to make a point, but to make a difference. And the way you make a difference in political matters is you win the election, and then you get to make policy. HH: Then that goes back to the no hearings, no votes. There’s no point to that unless we get to a Supreme Court nominee. We’ve got to win the election. MM: Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, this is no small matter. You know, the fundamental question is do we want four more years just like the last eight? I want to go in a different direction. HH: Senator Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader of the United States Senate, thanks for joiing us, always a great pleasure to have you. End of interview.Israel’s economy grew at its fastest pace in a year-and-a-half in the second quarter, paced by double-digit growth in consumer spending and imports, while exports continued to gather pace, the Central Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday, citing revised data. The CBS said gross domestic product expanded at a 4% annual pace in the quarter, up from its original estimate of 3.7% just a month ago. That would be it the fastest pace since the final quarter of 2014, when it grew at a 5.8%, figures showed. Growth was strong almost across the board, but consumer spending was unusually strong, running at a 10% annual pace in the quarter while imports surged at a 24.2% rate. Government spending was also up a sharp 8.6% in the quarter. Exports of goods and services, which had been a trouble spot for the economy, continued to gather pace, expanding at a 7.9% rate in the three months. Not counting exports of polished diamonds and startup companies, exports were 10.9% higher in the quarter. With unemployment for the principal working-age population of 25–64 falling to a record low 3.9% in June, the Bank of Israel has expressed concern about the impact of a labor shortage, in particular in the high-tech industry, on continued economic growth. “This difficulty, if it continues to increase, is liable to serve as a limitation on the growth rate in the future,” according to a summary of the last Monetary Committee meeting of the central bank in August. The only evident weak spot was investment, whose pace slowed in the quarter to 5.1%, down from double-digit increases in the previous two quarters, CBS figures showed. Investment in residential construction grew at a 2.9% rate, almost unchanged from the previous quarter and down from last year. Investment in machinery and equipment expanded at a 5.8% rate, down from double-digit increases in the previous two quarters. The second-quarter figure raised the pace of GDP growth in the first half of 2016 to 3%, up from a preliminary estimate of 2.9%. Business-sector GDP, which excludes government, expanded at a 3.8% rate in the second quarter. Excluding startup companies, the increase was 2.8%, the statistics bureau reported. Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close Ofer Klein, chief economist at Harel Insurance & Finance, said last week that figures for August pointed to a 1.3% increase in merchandise exports for the third quarter. “The break in the trend of declining merchandise exports that we have seen in recent weeks, even as the shekel has been strengthening and real wages have been climbing, strengthens our view that we will see strong [GDP] growth figures for the third quarter, too,” he said.Sham Support Contra Net Neutrality Last week, the Federal Communications Commission outlined its plan to repeal net neutrality. In recent months, the organization has received a large quantity of comments supporting this decision via online forms, supposedly submitted by members of the public – but now there’s evidence that many of them were fabricated. An investigation carried out by data scientist Jeff Kao states that the FCC received at least 1.3 million phony pro-repeal comments. Mail merge was used to flood the system with a huge quantity of messages, which were found to be suspiciously similar when analyzed for tone, language, and meaning. Kao’s findings indicate that less than 800,000 of the 22 million comments submitted to the FCC can be classified as truly unique, between three and four percent of the total amount. It’s thought that comments in favor of net neutrality accounted for over 99 percent of these legitimate submissions. “The 1.3 million are very uniformly distributed, from a statistical perspective, which makes it incredibly suspicious,” Kao told Futurism via phone call. “If people take text and modify it themselves, that’s another thing. The distribution of that text would look a lot different from something that was mail merged.” He raised the point of a website set up in support of a segment that aired on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which offered a template that visitors could use to pledge their support for net neutrality to the FCC. The analysis that Kao performed could distinguish between this kind of campaign and submissions that came from a spambot or another similar technique. “I would not be at all shocked to find that this is happening in a lot of places where there’s a public forum, and there’s not a lot of validation,” said Kao when asked about how widespread this kind of behavior might be. PR hacking is commonplace on services that hinge upon user reviews like Yelp and Amazon, and techniques have become quite sophisticated. Whodunnit? Kao was reticent to make any definitive statement on who was behind these spam campaigns in support of a repeal. He noted that while it’s difficult to make any inferences based on the text that was submitted alone, looking into the identities used to log the comments might offer up some clues. “We received over 400,000 pro-internet regulation comments from the same mailing address in Russia,” read a statement regarding Kao’s report from FCC representative Brian Hart shared with Futurism via email. It’s
, as evidenced by their desiccated leaves. But near Wave Hill’s Glyndor Gallery, where the center exhibits art that often has a conservation theme, a copper beech seemed to be doing fine. The tree, which gets its name from the color it turns in the fall, was still grayish-white on Monday. “Look at the roots. It’s like big worms coming up. It’s a very muscular-looking trunk and fascinating to children,” said Ms. Gellens. “They like to get under it and look right up into it.” Many of the trees that are still bare at Wave Hill will have gained foliage by Arbor Day, which falls on Friday, April 29. The center has scheduled a wide range of activities for that week. There will be guided tours focusing on trees, art-making and science workshops, lessons on cooking with conifers and more. “Our take on Arbor Day may not be exactly what the founders intended, which was probably more about planting trees,” said Mr. Bauer. “We’re really celebrating ones that have been here for 100, 200 years. So we have our own kind of focus.” Visit www.wavehill.org to see a full listing of Arbor Week events at Wave Hill, located at 675 W. 252nd St.It’s not often that rookie defencemen get a lot of attention in the Calder Trophy race. Last season Zachary Werenski put up one of the strongest rookie seasons in the last decade for a defenceman, but he happened to break into the league at the exact same time as Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine, so his chance to grab headlines with brilliant two-way play was neutralized by the 76 highlight-real goals scored between the No. 1 and 2 picks. In the last 15 seasons a defenceman has won the Calder Trophy just three times, and when two of those names are Tyler Myers and Barret Jackman, you can understand why voters are a little bit hesitant to evaluate defencemen early. The odds-on favourite to win the Calder this season is probably Brock Boeser, who already has 18 goals in 32 games, with Mathew Barzal being right in the conversation. Clayton Keller would likely be in there too, but most of the focus on the Coyotes has been about how disappointing their season has been, so unless he has a crazy second half, he probably won’t get the attention he deserves. That rookie class of forwards is incredible once again, but they aren’t quite as attention grabbing as last season’s, which could open the door for Mikhail Sergachev. While the Lightning have been lighting teams up all season long, the 19-year-old rookie defenceman has been a huge part of their offence, scoring eight goals already, twice as many as Victor Hedman, and racking up 23 points, one behind the Lightning’s franchise defenceman. Sergachev is an interesting player, a rare talent stylistically, who isn’t afraid of taking offensive risks that most defencemen won’t take. Looking at Sergachev’s tendencies with the puck, he’s a one-man zone-transition machine, leading the Lightning in controlled entries and exits among defencemen. One thing that stands out with him is that when you look at his strengths, they stand out in an extreme way. Only one defenceman in the league logs more scoring chances than Sergachev (Werenski), only two produce more scoring chances for their teammates (Roman Josi and Brent Burns), and only Josi succeeds with more dekes in the offensive zone. That’s some supremely elite company for Sergachev to be in. Stylistically the player he most resembles is Josi, playing almost like a forward in the offensive zone, but he doesn’t have Josi’s skating ability to recover from mistakes, which can lead to some interesting situations for the Lightning. Unfortunately for Sergachev, unlike forwards, rookie defencemen are judged much more on their defensive play, and his as a teenager leaves a lot to be desired. Those offensive skills are tantalizing, but he’s still playing just 15 minutes per game as the Lightning break him in slowly compared to a peer like Charles McAvoy in Boston. Sergachev plays relatively sheltered minutes in Tampa Bay, which isn’t the case for McAvoy, who is playing high-end shutdown minutes with Zdeno Chara, and posting great numbers at the same time. McAvoy isn’t as dynamic as Sergachev offensively, but he’s only four points behind, and he plays a whopping 8:18 more per game. That’s basically the ice time of a fourth-liner, on top of Sergachev’s ice time. While Sergachev catches eyes with flashy, game-breaking play, McAvoy is the steady, all-around defenceman you want on a top pairing. If Sergachev is Josi, McAvoy is the Duncan Keith. Sergachev’s offensive game deserves some major attention this season, but in order to be in that upper echelon of rookies, he might need to take more responsibility down the stretch. McAvoy meanwhile, just needs the chance to stand out to show how great he is.After student journalists at a Kansas high school got a big scoop on their incoming principal's credentials, she resigned from the $93,000-a-year position. The students’ main concerns revolved around Amy Robertson’s education, mainly the institution where she received her master’s and doctoral degrees: Corllins University. Corllins is an unaccredited online school that when searched on Google, produces several websites warning about scams and claims of the school being a diploma mill. CLASSROOM CRACKDOWN: PRINCIPAL SUSPENDS OVER 500 STUDENTS “She was going to be the head of our school, and we wanted to be assured that she was qualified and had proper credentials,” Trina Paul, a Pittsburg High School senior and school newspaper editor told the Wichita Eagle. “We stumbled on some things that most might not consider legitimate credentials.” The Pittsburg Community Schools Board of Education accepted her resignation. PRINCIPAL HELPS 10-YEAR-OLD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS COMPLETE 5K In an email response to the Kansas City Star, Robinson said: “The current status of Corllins University is not relevant because when I received my MA in 1994 and my PhD in 2010, there was no issue.” “The kids had never gone through someone like this before,” Superintendent Destry Brown said. But he said he hoped students would continue to look for answers. “I want our kids to have real-life experiences, whether it’s welding or journalism.” Despite the school district’s thorough screening methods which include calling several references and conducting background checks, Brown said the school district was probably going to make a change to its hiring process. “They were not out to get anyone to resign or to get anyone fired,” said “very proud” Pittsburg journalism adviser Emily Smith. “They worked very hard to uncover the truth.” An anonymously circulated letter also raised questions about Robertson's qualifications. Robertson reportedly is currently working in the United Arab Emirates. The Associated Press contributed to this report.ISIS picked this fight once they started beheading people on your TV screen and nobody nowhere ever picked a fight they believed they could not win. And that's remarkable for what it reveals about ISIS command ideology. They really believe they can win this war. ISIS have taken a leaf from the 9/11 playbook. A lot of empty places and Iraq got carpet bombed in the wake of the twin towers coming down. But, let's face it, the terrorists won that war a long time ago. If the goal of 9/11 was to damage, degrade and destroy the freedom of Western democracy then 19 religious nuts pulled it off. We're a police state now. In 1970s America you could get on a plane to Vegas just by rolling absently up to the check in counter and claiming you're the guy whose name was printed on the ticket. In 21st century America, your toddler's genitals get felt up by a government agent and the parents say yes sir, diddle my kid, this is acceptable because Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and we need to be protected from the bad guys who fuel our cars. Let's face it, al-Qaeda won the war on terrorism a very long time ago. ISIS, new kids on the block, believe they can top that because they're banking on the fact that we're that stupid. One of the strengths of any guerrilla army throughout history is knowing when to stand your ground and when to run like fuck. ISIS will know how to run like fuck. They'll blend away once the rain of US and Euro JDAMs reach a crescendo. But their media wing won't. And that's why I've got serious reservations about 21st century warfare waged the way Western governments are waging it versus ISIS. If you're like me and have been hitting up LiveLeak all week to get some behind the scenes footage beneath the sanitized cool explosions Western news networks have been showing on TV, where the enemy dies clean and there is no unsightly limb separation or agonizing slow death under rubble, then I see an opening for the bad guys. This is where the ISIS media wing will gain some traction through social media. With a proper supply of dead baby footage, they stand a serious chance of enacting some counter narrative of their own. Why? Because air campaigns don't do shit v militias. Never. Nowhere. Ever in time. Air power is an awesome tool but nobody ever won a war from 20,000 feet. Let's talk West Point 101. When you're at war, killing the enemy is always good. Killing the enemy while also killing civilians as collateral damage, while distasteful in the post war analysis (Hiroshima), is, by and large, acceptable (if you want to win). The interesting new paradigm at work here is what I hate to call the 'dead baby dynamic'. Since 21st century warfare has become a live popcorn munching event thanks to the Internet and 24hr TV news, parading casualties in front of news cameras has become a sort of counter propaganda and anti narrative that would've made Joseph Goebbels jizz his pants. For the defeated, if you can supply enough dead kid videos, there's a serious chance that you can convince a sizable segment of the enemy civilian population that war is bad. Because humans are retarded by war. But guess what... war is always bad That's a given. And the truth is grim. Ask the average war protester what he'd do if an intruder broke into his house to steal all his shit and kill his wife and the likely answer is that he is going to freak. Your mild mannered protester will quickly resort to 'warfare' with that burglar and attempt to beat the living shit out of the intruder via the two by four which once boasted his protest sign that now suddenly comes in handy as a weapon while he swings away to break invader skull open. War, despite what Jesus might say, works as the enaction of a policy where you don't die but the guy breaking down your front door does. It's never pretty. Bear with me here, I know I'm stretching the metaphor but the ISIS threat they're advertising on TV is exactly this.... What do you do if there's a guy hanging out across the street openly telling the neighbors he wants to kill your wife? He could be full of shit or he could be serious. Do you call the police? What happens when you are the police? America's self appointed role and Obama's tech heavy foreign policy is to run the numbers through the NSA's mega computer and the resultant actuary tables say that that asshole across the street needs to die. The risk of an ISIS dirty bomb in Times Square and the global wreckage that would ensue outweighs the right for ISIS to exist; so logic dictates letting loose the greatest advantage any war fighter anywhere ever had. The US Air Force. My problem is, can you win that war from the air? Am I advocating for a ground invasion? Nope. I'm just interested in how wars, once put into effect, get won. Air strikes without boots on the ground never work if you're interested in defeating the enemy. What's bothering me about this campaign is the stated objectives. The West says they want to "degrade" ISIS. Surely this is the shitiest and most obscure objective ever enacted as policy. In many ways, war is very simple. You win or you lose. If you want to defeat ISIS you win by occupying the territory they do and leave them no space to run like fuck to. The West is selling this war thinking superior technology from the air can beat 'the idea of ISIS'. The only way you can beat the "idea of ISIS" is to kill every militia fighter hiding in a hole, or, crazy though it might seem, come up with a better idea. Each option is equally impossible so what do you do? Despite the laser guided, infrared and night vision tech getting advertised on our nightly news as a problem solver via destruction, at the very least you need, in order to 'win', a recon team on the ground designating by eyeball who should and shouldn't get killed. That kind of HUMINT shields you from the media explosion of accidentally wiping out a wedding party though it looked, to the pilot, exactly like a terrorist campfire from 20.000 feet. And that's how we know there are already US boots on the ground in Syria and Iraq. Western populations demand clinical war now that Wikileaks and Snowden are all over the government's ass. The war we get sold on TV demands precision lest the population back home on their iPhones throw a shit fit if a baby gets killed. Just imagine if WWII had been fought that way? We'd fucking lose every time a Nazi baby died. Proxy wars are hard to fight in a world where information spillage is everywhere, bullshit is rampant and death is as cheap as it ever was, but it does mean that today, more than ever, attack policy can go against foreign policy if governments don't get a serious grip on the narrative. ISIS are media whores operating in an environment where the threat of a dirty bomb in Time Square is nearly as good as actually detonating a real one. Why? Because social media penetration is a very profound thing that changes the dynamic of warfare in the 21st century from all that's come before. Napoleon would've cried tears of joy and held Moscow if he'd had a media wing broadcasting to the Russian population just exactly why they should speak French. The Internet is changing how wars get fought.. Let's get even more technical. Drones. When you're top dog on the global human hegemony heap like the US military is, conducting warfare while not subjecting your personnel to death is desirable. Obvious right? A functional given since Sun Tzu. Right now, the skies over Raqqa and other places in Syria and Iraq are filled with hardcore Western remote control technology. If you approach a HumVee in Syria or northern Iraq, a guy half way around the world at his work station nods to his supervisor and minutes later, the vehicle and its environs get carpet bombed by a guy who pulled the trigger from the opposite side of the world. The military call it suppression.The politicians call it 'degradation' and I call it war via call center and none of it means you win. It just provides a prescription for endless war. ISIS have done their homework and learned how to challenge civilization. Let's face it, we're living in Blade Runner. Victory will remain elusive for Western governments so long as your population demands safety. And who doesn't demand safety? ISIS doctrine is exploiting this and forcing Western governments to act in a bombing campaign that makes no sense. The world in 2014 is a boiling cauldron of seething rivalry between the great powers but, unlike 1914, nobody can make a big geopolitical move because nukes provide a cap on ambition where nobody can win, so proxy warfare, economic warfare and war via computer espionage have become king. None of the above will work against ISIS. L et's state what we know for a fact. Energy wars are complicated. Any military action by any state actor in the Middle East is by default an energy war. ISIS are formidable because the 'idea' behind ISIS recruits angry Sunni youth from many far flung places and that strikes fear into the heart of power elites in Sunni dictatorships like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and every other Arab state that chucked an F-16 into the recent attack. The Shia in southern Iraq are not afraid of ISIS because they can rely on Iran for support. Mosul has become expendable. Meanwhile, the Kurds, wielding their own excellent militia and capitalizing on US air strikes, will hold Kirkuk, the oil producing gem that cannot be allowed to fall. Interestingly, the Turks, NATO members next door, have chosen to sit the whole thing out because it's getting dangerous for them a) because fellow Muslim foreign fighters are spilling over their borders into the war zone b) because the political situation in Turkey is tenuous and Erdogan got elected by religious conservatives whose goals align with a fundamental idea of Islamic unity and c) because any help Turkey provides v ISIS makes an independent Kurdistan more likely. Remember, ISIS had 49 Turks held hostage a few weeks ago but guess what... they released all of them. Not a single beheading of any kind. Talk about knowing where your bread is buttered. ISIS atrocity is firmly directed against the West. It's a clusterfuck of the first order and a very complicated war fighting environment. Meanwhile, ISIS are loving it. The only real question for Western policy is, where does victory against ISIS lie? The only way to win is via occupation and who has got two million troops to spare to subjugate Sunni Arabia? The cost benefit analysis is exactly what ISIS are exploiting. That's why we get the current air campaign that amounts to a capitulation, Kony 2012 style, to popular opinion because beheading people on TV is making people rage and the public want action. Every smart person alive today knows we're living in a kind of dystopia, a best of times, worst of times consumerist cornucopia that would make Orwell shit bricks. That's why I believe it's reasonable to stand back and resort to, and end on, a philosophical question regarding our species. Warlike upright apes though we may be, we're still apes who managed a moon landing and currently have robots scouring Mars via remote control So the question must be why are we wasting our time with this shit? Should we not be directing our attention to a moon base, a human Mars landing and colonizing the galaxy? I understand the current tactical fight for resources here on Earth, but how many ISIS fighters, and fighters on every side, are smart enough to realize the fundamental question that has been bothering humanity since Thucydides wrote his terrible account of self destruction in the 5th century BC. That question posed 25 hundred years ago remains terribly relevant in 2014. 'Why are we losing the war?' Against ourselves. So there's a US led war party in the desert and every Euro country with an F-16 to spare is piling in to the fray just so they don't miss their chance to get a swing in at the bad guys. Even Belgium rustled up a squadron. It's popcorn material for sure but it's also just an air offensive which means, for Western nations, you've just subjected yourself to never winning a war but continuing it indefinitely. Everyone with a TV or web connection already knows ISIS are the bad guys. Populations hate them. And the ISIS media wing loves this and drinks foreign civilian tears like it's freedom fuel. ISIS have been beheading people on video for a reason. They want attention. The interesting game at work here is the weight of military history working against the idea that air strikes ever won a war. Strategic bombing is nice WWII style but that only works when the enemy have factories to bomb. ISIS have none of that. They've got a loose social network, a hostage civilian population, some stolen Hum Vees and no production capacity of any kind. So where is the win here via JDAM?Israeli police say gunman opened fire at a bar in a busy area, killing two people and injuring at least three more Israeli police have launched a major manhunt for a gunman who opened fire at a bar in the busiest part of Tel Aviv on New Year’s Day, killing two people and wounding at least three others. Police say the gunman entered the bar on the corner of Dizengoff Street and Gordon Street, an area of cafes, shops and many pedestrians, before firing an automatic weapon at a group celebrating a birthday and then fleeing the scene. Israeli authorities have cordoned off city centre streets to traffic and pedestrians, and are escorting residents to their homes and conducting door-to-door searches. The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is to hold an emergency meeting later on Friday night. The motive for the shooting is unclear, but it comes at a time of heightened tensions and a spate of attacks by Palestinians on Israelis since early October. Israel has also been bracing for a possible attack by Islamic State, which has a small but growing following among Israeli Arabs. An Isis audio message circulated on social media last week threatened to strike at Israel “soon”. “All possible angles are being investigated,” Luba Samri, a police spokeswoman, told Reuters. “Large-scale police forces are conducting searches for him.” Surveillance footage of the shooting released by Israel’s Channel 10 and circulated online shows a group of men and women sitting outside the bar as the gunman opens fire. More footage from before the attack shows the suspect, wearing glasses and dressed in black, picking up items in a health food shop before putting them back and pulling a weapon from a backpack. He appears to be aged under 30. When emergency services arrived on the scene, bar stools were scattered across the pavement and wounded patrons were lying on the ground. The injured were taken to the city’s Ichilov hospital and Beilinson Wolfson medical centre. The victims were named as Alon Bakal, 26, the bar’s manager, and Shimon Ruimi, 30, from Ofakim. An eyewitness across the street from the attack, who was being treated for shock, described the scene to the media. He said the people inside the bar had been mainly young and had been drinking beer to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Another witness, Noah, told the Jerusalem Post he had come face-to-face with the gunman while he had been waiting for a sandwich in a coffee shop. “He had a black jacket, black hair, a goatee, and he was holding his rifle with two hands,” he said. “We dropped to the floor and I remember the smile on his face. He shot once again toward the cafe. Suddenly he fled and people began running after him.” The mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, visited the scene soon after the shooting and said he believed it was a “terrorist attack motivated by nationalism”. “Terrorism attempts to frighten us and disrupt our lives. I urge everyone to take a deep breath, relax and we will take care of this,” he said. It was the first attack in Tel Aviv since a stabbing on 2 November in which two people were killed. In the past three months, a combination of almost daily attacks by Palestinians and clashes with Israeli soldiers have killed more than 115 on the Palestinian side, 21 Israelis, a US citizen and an Eritrean. Thousands more have been injured.Lucca, Italy (CNN) US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has arrived in Moscow for crucial talks -- but without a game plan from key allies about how to deal with Russia's backing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. A meeting of G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday rejected a British plan to impose new sanctions on Syria and Russia in the wake of last week's chemical attack that killed more than 80 people. Britain had hoped the threat of sanctions would strengthen Tillerson's hand in talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. But the G7foreign ministers chose instead to wait for the outcome of an international investigation into the attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week, which prompted the US to launch a barrage of missiles on a Syrian airbase on Friday. Western nations blame the Assad regime for the attack. Tillerson flew straight from the G7 meeting in Italy to Moscow, where he will become the first member of Trump's cabinet to meet the Russian administration. But the mood in Russia was bleak. "It is obvious that Russian-American relations are going through the most difficult period since the end of the Cold War," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Here's the background to Tillerson's crucial trip to Moscow. Syria dominates G7 meeting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (center) and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (R) at the G7 meeting in Italy What happened at the G7? The regular meeting of foreign ministers from the G7 industrialized nations was dominated by the Syria crisis. In the wake of last week's chemcial attack, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson spearheaded a plan to impose targeted sanctions against Syrian and Russian military figures. The UK wanted to give Tillerson leverage in presenting an ultimatum to Moscow -- back away from Assad or face further penalties. Who opposed the plan? Other members of the G7 appear to have been lukewarm on the plan. "There is no consensus on additional new sanctions," the Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said, adding that sanctions would be counterproductive. Alfano said sanctions risked isolating Moscow: "We must have a dialogue with Russia and we must not push Russia into a corner," he said. What does the outcome mean? Tillerson, who had no experience of international diplomacy before being appointed Secretary of State, is facing a situation that would test the most seasoned of diplomats, heading to Moscow with only verbal messages of support from key allies. G7 ministers, in the face of conflicting signals on US policy towards Syria and Russia, appear to have chosen to postpone any big decision until after those talks. US President Donald Trump will attend NATO and G7 leaders' summits in late May -- in effect, the diplomatic can has been kicked down the road until then. Lack of clarity from US What's the US position? The Trump administration has sent mixed signals on Syria and Russia. But then came the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, which prompted Trump -- who had hitherto shown no inclination to get involved in international conflicts -- to launch a missile bombardment on a Syrian airbase less than three days later. Russia is Syria's main ally, and used the same airfield as a forward operating base. Where does the US stand on Syria now? The US position on Syria is still not clear. Trump has made no public statement on Syria since last week's missile attack and there have been no press briefings at the Pentagon. White House press secretary Sean Spicer The US position on Syria is still not clear. Trump has made no public statement on Syria since last week's missile attack and there have been no press briefings at the Pentagon. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said twice Monday that the Trump administration would respond if the Assad regime used barrel bombs against his own people, something that has been a regular occurrence in the six-year civil war. Aides later clarified that this "did not signal a change in Administration policy." US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley What about the role of Assad? US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley suggested regime change in Syria was inevitable. But Tillerson appeared more equivocal, saying on Sunday the US priority in Syria was the defeat of ISIS. Tillerson appeared to harden his stance on Assad after the G7 meeting. Pressed by reporters, he said: "In terms of the future of Bashar al-Assad, it is important to us that we undertake a political process that leads to the final conclusion of how Syria will be governed. It is our policy for a unified Syria that is governed by the people of Syria. I think it is clear to all of us that the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end," he said. Message for Moscow What's happening in Moscow this week? Tillerson will hold talks with Foreign Minister Lavrov on Wednesday. Early suggestions that he might meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin were dismissed when the Kremlin confirmed nothing was scheduled. The omens are not good: before Tillerson's plane was due to land in Moscow, emergency services were called to deal with a dumpster fire. Smoke billowed across the airfield. The strategy, telegraphed by the UK in advance, appears to be to persuade Moscow to drop its backing for Assad in the wake of worldwide revulsion at the chemical attack. Smoke rises behind a runway just before US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrival in Moscow's Vnukovo airport. What does Russia think? Moscow appears exasperated. When asked about accusations that the Syrian regime was behind last week's chemical attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded: "This is very tedious, this story." What has Tillerson said? Tillerson had strong words for Russia after the G7 meeting. He denounced Moscow's "failure" to uphold commitments it made in 2013 to ensure the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria, and said it had not made enough progress in peace talks to end the six-year civil war. He also laid down an ultimatum for Russia, saying that Moscow must think about whether to remain an ally with the Assad regime, the Iranians and Hezbollah. "Is that a long term alliance that serves Russia's interests? Or would Russia prefer to realign with the United States, with other Western countries and Middle East countries that are seeking to resolve the Syrian crisis?"Early in the 2014 season, Sporting Kansas City transferred Spanish defensive midfielder, Oriol Rosell to Portuguese side, Sporting Club de Portugal. At the time, the transfer was seen with disappointment and happiness that the club was losing one of their better players, but that he was going to one of the giants of Portugal and a perennial Champions League team. From the Portugal side of things it was thought that Rosell would eventually replace William Carvalho who was a target of clubs in the EPL. Carvalho hasn't left though and Rosell hasn't gotten a ton of playing time with the club. Last year he played just 482 minutes in league play, added another 500 in domestic cups, and 88 minutes in European competitions last year. This year, Rosell has yet to dress for his club as they started their 2015-2016 season a few weeks ago.With that lack of playing time, it's led to rumors of Rosell's departure from the club, including a rumored return to the States. A report today out of Portugal linked Rosell with not just a return to the US, but a return to Sporting KC. According to the article, KC has already shown interest in the Spaniard returning to the club he enjoyed enough success to earn him a move in the first place.The thought of Rosell returning to KC is certainly something that would be welcomed with open arms by the fans, Rosell had quickly become a fan favorite during his time in KC made even greater by his departure and KC's struggles to replace him. In reality though it seems that KC may have finally found someone that replaced him, in Haitian, Soni Mustivar. Since replacing Servando Carrasco, Mustivar has stabilized the defensive midfield position and the back line behind him. A returning Rosell would immediately create more competition for time in the midfield, but it'd also become a question of who starts and who sits. Right now KC's starting midfield when everyone is healthy is quite formidable with the likes of Mustivar, Roger Espinoza, and Benny Feilhaber. While having depth is good, there are also other areas that most fans would say need to be addressed before the midfield right now.Beside Rosell's place on the field, the bigger question may be how KC's acquires him should he return to the US. Since KC received a transfer fee for Rosell from Sporting Portugal, if Rosell returns to the US he would be subjected to the allocation rules. It's the same process that saw Kei Kamara return to the Columbus Crew late last year after being released from his contract by Middlesbrough. Currently KC is in sixth place in the allocation order behind the LA Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo, Philadelphia Union, and Portland Timbers. That means that KC would either have to hope for all five of those teams to pass on signing Rosell (which I really can't see happening), or KC is going to have to make a deal with someone in front of them to move up in the order to grab him. A trade would likely have to involve either allocation money (which rumor was KC had plenty of) or potentially the new targeted allocation money. The later might appeal greatly to the team at the top of the order, the Galaxy, as they've already used all of their TAM to buy down the contract of Omar Gonzalez to allow them to sign Giovani dos Santos as another designated player earlier this year. A way around the allocation order could be to make Rosell a designated player (if MLS were to agree to that contract).The other thing with this move to keep in mind is that it wouldn't help KC this year, the earliest Rosell could help is in 2016. The reason for this is that MLS's transfer window is closed, any player that KC signs between now and the September 16th roster freeze date have to be out of contract before the MLS window closed. If Rosell is released from his contract between now and the end of the MLS season, KC would only have to move up from sixth and he would officially be added to the roster when MLS' primary window opens in early 2016. Once the season ends though the order resets based on the 2015 finish that will likely see KC move further back in the order. This further article though makes it seem that Sporting CP isn't going to be letting Rosell go cheaply. Apparently they want to recoup the money that they'd spent on purchasing Rosell from KC last year. Sporting spending that amount for Rosell seems extremely unlikely, especially when Rosell would probably come with a larger contract than the one he left with. Over spending to get Rosell back would be counter productive, the same way over spending to get the first spot in the allocation order last year to get Kei Kamara wouldn't have been in KC's best interest (even with Kamara's goal output this year).Last night, International Fight Week took a major blow as Jon Jones was removed from UFC 200 for a potential anti-doping violation stemming from a USADA test administered on June 16. The UFC held an impromptu press conference to make the announcement and afterwards, it didn't take long for the takes to come rolling in. Shortly after the news broke, Chael Sonnen spoke briefly on ESPN to give his take on what was going on. "I can just tell you guys, I've been in his shoes. As a guy that lived in that world and took the banned substances and served the suspension, if there's one thing about us, we know our own. When a guy takes his shirt off I can tell you what he's on and how long he's been doing it and my first reaction was simply, what took them so long?" Sonnen is one of MMA's most well known PED users, having been very open about it since he was suspended in May of 2014 for failing multiple drug tests. Conversely, Jones has never failed a test for PEDs before; he was previously fined when an out-of-competition test came back positive for cocaine, but never for PEDs. However, this violation can't be for cocaine as USADA doesn't test for recreational drugs in out-of-competition testing. The banned substance Jones tested positive for hasn't been revealed yet and thus almost everything is speculative, something Sonnen admitted. "I think we need to be real fair. I'm as emotional as anybody because I'm a fan. I'm a big fan of this thing and I was looking forward to the match. We don't have the information yet. I do think - if we're just playing the speculation - if a guy takes cocaine, a substance that could kill him, a reasonable person will assume he's going to take a substance that could help him. I think that's reasonable but I must admit it is speculation at this point." The suggestion that recreational drug use and PED usage are correlated is specious at best, but that has never stopped Sonnen before and his penchant for saying provocative things is what earned him 3 title shots (1 against Jon Jones) and a job working as an analyst for ESPN. Perhaps this is just Sonnen trying to seize an opportunity for a rematch down the line; after all, he does come off of his suspension July 23. 5 MUST-READ STORIES Chaos. Jon Jones was pulled off of the UFC 200 card for a potential USADA violation. Sheer. The UFC gave an official statement regarding the removal of Jones from UFC 200. Chaos. Professional fighters react to the big tumult that happened last night. Well, it was a good line. Before his removal from UFC 200, Jon Jones said he beat Daniel Cormier in the prime of his partying days. Ivan Drago. Miesha Tate believes she can break Amanda Nunes in their fight this weekend. EXTRA CREDIT READING Jackson. Jonathan Snowden wrote this incredible thing about Greg Jackson for Bleacher Report. Jones-DC. The Naked Gambler wrote a very good piece on Jones versus Cormier 1 which now is less relevant. MEDIA STEW Reaction. Embedded is only half relevant now. Pre 200 Presser. Joe Lauzon doing a UFC 200 video blog. Conor rolling for his lifestyle brand thing he just started. Not really relevant to the influx of other news and things, but this was a nice tribute to a man taken too soon. LISTEN UP Heavy Hands with some more fight discussion. Sherdog Mega Pod breaking down every fight this weekend. And some more previews. TWEETS Last weekend, this dude made his Twitter to look like Ariel's and tweeted this. Holy hell is that coincidental. BREAKING: Jon Jones Flagged for potential USADA Anti-Doping Violation, UFC to Issues Statement on UFC 200 title fight — #TheKing (@Izi_Garcia) July 3, 2016 This is only gonna get worse for JBJ. This is peak MMA. Yes I'll definitely be smooth sailing to the weigh-ins. Im having quality meals and quality workouts https://t.co/9hl9UAV7Wb — Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) July 6, 2016 Good gracious. Man USADA really did a number on some of these guys — Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) May 15, 2016 No way they should give anyone a title shot on 3 days notice. DC should absolutely sit this weekend out. I was the last LHW Strikeforce Champion. I will be the next LHW @ufc Champion if given this fight. @danawhite — Gegard Mousasi (@mousasi_mma) July 7, 2016 I stand corrected. I would accept this one. Hey I'm already in town https://t.co/VEVO
ing film of 2014, one step above wherelanded. Captain Sabertooth and the Lama Rama Treasure Gross in Norway: $4,772,619 Captain Sabertooth looks like the Norwegian version of Pirates of the Caribbean or Peter Pan. It’s got the main villainous pirate figure, a strappy lad looking for adventure, driving orchestral music, and one location with a name that’s really fun to say: Lama Rama. The main gist of this film is that a young orphan boy named Pinky joins a pirate named Captain Sabertooth on his journey to find the treasure of the kingdom of Lama Rama. Along the way, Pinky hopes to discover the identity of his father. It was Norway’s third highest-grossing movie of 2014, coming just under the amount earned by that fart powder movie. $4,772,619looks like the Norwegian version ofor. It’s got the main villainous pirate figure, a strappy lad looking for adventure, driving orchestral music, and one location with a name that’s really fun to say: Lama Rama. The main gist of this film is that a young orphan boy named Pinky joins a pirate named Captain Sabertooth on his journey to find the treasure of the kingdom of Lama Rama. Along the way, Pinky hopes to discover the identity of his father. It was Norway’s third highest-grossing movie of 2014, coming just under the amount earned by that fart powder movie. Blended From Around The Web Facebook Back to topTyler Cowen, author of "The Complacent Class," came to Business Insider and discussed how Donald Trump's role as a "placebo president" has its benefits. Following is a transcript of the video. Josh Barro: You say that you are optimistic that dynamism will return to the United States. Does it — how much does it matter whether we have good or bad public policies? Is that a thing that's just cyclical and it'll come back or does the government have to do something specific to cause that to happen? Tyler Cowen: I think it matters a lot, but at this point I'm not optimistic about reform in many, if any, policy areas at all. I think we'll make further progress by inventing new things that aren't much regulated yet and outracing bad policy. I look at so many policy areas — regulation, regulatory reform, health care reform — it's all failing, we're not making improvements, we're going backwards. As we were discussing before, the new Republican health care plan appears to be a step backwards. Trump's getting rid of two regulations for every one passed. Maybe it's better than nothing. It's not going to be very effective compared to the total stock of regulation. It's not going to work. Barro: So does it matter that Donald Trump is president? Does that concern you about these trends? Setting aside his ideology, he does not seem like an especially competent manager of the government as a bureaucracy. Cowen: I sometimes call Trump the placebo president. He will talk a big game, but for domestic policy I think change remarkably little. I worry much more about foreign policy, not the topic of my book, but there I think the president matters much more. Barro: Can there be any benefits from Trump as a placebo president? Cowen: Absolutely. Barro: So, walk us through how that could help. Cowen: Here's a scenario, I'm not saying this is how things is, I'm just saying one possibility. Barro: And so, first of all, explain what you mean when you say he's the placebo president. Cowen: That people feel better because he says all kinds of things no one else would say and we get certain tendencies out of our system. So if attacking immigrants, say, is a substitute for doing something worse, there's at least a scenario under which that's a better alternative than something else that might have happened. Here's the positive scenario: that something has been going wrong in American society. You see it in wage growth, opioid abuse, many other social indicators, as you know. Sometimes it's better to get the bad reaction to that over with quickly while your civil society still is strong and you can react and respond and protest, and you know, four or eight years from now, make another decision, and maybe it's better to have that happen now than 20 years later when some of our problems are worse and our national mood is worse.1984: Miners strike over threatened pit closures Tens of thousands of Britain's miners have stopped work in what looks like becoming a long battle against job losses. More than half the country's 187,000 mineworkers are now on strike. Miners in Yorkshire and Kent were the first to down tools this morning - by tonight they had been joined by colleagues in Scotland and South Wales. The trouble began over an announcement by Chairman of the Coal Board Ian MacGregor six days ago that 20 uneconomic pits would have to close, putting 20,000 miners out of work. Miners at Cortonwood colliery in Yorkshire - the first earmarked for closure - walked out at midnight on 5 March in protest at the plans. National Union of Mineworkers president Arthur Scargill is calling on members across the country to join the action. He is relying on flying pickets to drum up support. 'Very lengthy strike' Today, violence flared on the picket line at Bilston Glen colliery in Scotland, when miners from the recently closed Polmaise pit tried to stop others going into work. Punches were thrown and one picket was hurt when a vehicle ran over his foot. At Harworth in Nottinghamshire, where miners are known to be more moderate, miners' wives turned out to support their husbands crossing the picket lines. In South Wales, initial soundings suggested miners were overwhelmingly opposed to a strike - and a number of pits were still working today. But local NUM spokesman Terry Thomas predicted support for the stoppage would grow. "Over the next 24 hours there is going to be a realisation by the members still at work that if 85% of the coalfield see fit to stand up and try to save their industry, I honestly believe they will be joined by the people now at work," he said. Mr MacGregor says he is ready to fight. "Our customers are prepared for a very lengthy strike. Judging by what our customers have done, they have put together large stocks because of their concern about the fairly wild statements that have been made," he said. About four months' supply of coal, or 22m tons, at the pitheads and more than 26m at the power stations, have been stockpiled in readiness for a prolonged stoppage. Mick McGahey, vice-president of the NUM, told a news conference the miners were not just fighting for their own jobs - but other industries too. He said: "I want to emphasise the knock-on effects of the closure in pits and the loss of miners' jobs, the effect that will have on railways, the steel industry, engineering and electrical industries, because we don't only produce coal."Computer cooling is the process of removing heat from computer components. Because a computer system's components produce large amounts of heat during operation, this heat must be dissipated in order to keep these components within their safe operating temperatures. In addition to maintaining normative function, varied cooling methods are used to either achieve greater processor performance (overclocking), or else to reduce the noise pollution caused by typical (ie. cooling fans) cooling methods (cf. [[ergonomics]]). Components which gain heat and are susceptible to performance loss and damage include [[integrated circuit]]s such as [[Central processing unit\|CPU]]s, [[chipset]] and [[Video card\|graphics cards]], along with [[Hard disk drive\|hard drives]] (though excessive cooling of hard drives has been found to have negative effects). Overheated parts generally exhibit a shorter maximum life-span and may give sporadic problems resulting in system freezes or crashes. Both integral (manufacturing) and peripheral means (additional parts) are used to keep the heat of each component at a safe operational level. With regard to integral means, CPU and [[GPU]]s are designed entirely with [[energy efficiency]], including heat dissipation, in mind, and with each advance CPUs/GPUs generally produce less heat (though this increased efficiency is always used to increase performance, producing similar heat levels as earlier models anyway). Cooling through peripheral means is mainly done using [[heat sink]]s to increase the surface area which dissipates heat, [[fan (mechanical)\|fans]] to speed up the exchange of air heated by the computer parts for cooler ambient air, and in some cases softcooling, the throttling of computer parts in order to decrease heat generation. ==Causes of heat build up== The amount of heat generated by an [[integrated circuit]] (e.g., a [[Central processing unit\|CPU]] or [[Graphics processing unit\|GPU]]), the prime cause of heat build up in modern computers, is a function of the efficiency of its design, the technology used in its construction and the frequency and voltage at which it operates. [[Image:Laptop dust.jpg\|right\|thumb\|200px\|The [[dust]] on the laptop CPU heat sink after three years of use has made the laptop unusable due to frequent thermal shutdowns.]] In operation, the [[temperature]] levels of a computer's components will rise until the temperature gradient between the computer parts and their surroundings is such that the rate at which heat is lost to the surroundings is equal to the rate at which heat is being produced by the electronic component, and thus the temperature of the component reaches [[thermodynamic equilibrium\|equilibrium]]. For reliable operation, the equilibrium temperature must be sufficiently low for the structure of the computer's circuits to survive. Additionally, the normal operation of cooling methods can be hindered by other causes, such as: '''Dust''' acting as a thermal insulator and impeding airflow, thereby reducing heat sink and fan performance. '''Poor airflow''' including [[turbulence]] due to friction against impeding components, or improper orientation of fans, can reduce the amount of air flowing through a case and even create localised whirlpools of hot air in the case. '''Poor heat transfer''' due to a lack or poor application of thermal compounds. ==Damage prevention== <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Pcprobe.png\|thumb\|200px\|Software showing Temperatures, Fan Speeds and Voltages are within threshold.]] --> It is common practice to include [[Sensor#Thermal\|thermal sensors]] in the design of certain computer parts, e.g. CPUs and GPUs, along with internal logic that shuts down the computer if reasonable bounds are exceeded. It is, however, unwise to rely on such preventative measures, as it is not universally implemented, and may not prevent repeated incidents from permanently damaging the integrated circuit. The design of an integrated circuit may also incorporate features to shut down parts of the circuit when it is idling, or to scale back the clock speed under low workloads or high temperatures, with the goal of reducing both power use and heat generation. == System cooling == [[Image:Ebm-papst-4650N.jpg\|thumb\|Fan from [[Papst]] for [[19-inch rack\|racks]].]] === Air cooling === {{see\|Computer fan}} While any method used to move air around or to computer enclosures would count as air cooling, fans are by far the most commonly used implement for accomplishing that task. The term ''computer fan'' usually refers to fans attached to computer enclosures, but may also be intended to signify any other computer fan, such as a [[CPU]] fan, [[Graphics processing unit\|GPU]] fan, a chipset fan, [[Power supply\|PSU]] fan, [[Hard Disk\|HDD]] fan, or [[Peripheral Component Interconnect\|PCI]] slot fans. Common fan sizes include 40, 60, 80, 92, 120, and 140 mm. Recently 200mm fans are beginning to creep into the performance market, as well as even larger sizes such as 230 and 240mm. ==== In desktops ==== [[File:Computer case coolingair flow.png\|thumb\|Typical airflow through a desktop ATX case.]] [[Desktop computer]]s typically use one or more fans for heat management. Almost all desktop power supplies have at least one fan to exhaust air from the case. Most manufacturers recommend bringing cool, fresh air in at the bottom front of the case, and exhausting warm air from the top rear. If there is more air being forced into the system than being pumped out (due to an imbalance in the number of fans), this is referred to as a "positive" airflow, as the pressure inside the unit would be higher than outside. A balanced or neutral airflow is the most efficient{{Fact\|date=April 2007}}, although a slightly positive airflow results in less dust build up if dust filters are used. Negative pressure inside the case can create problems such as clogged optical drives due to sucking in air (and dust). ==== In high density computing ==== [[Data center]]s typically contain many racks of flat [[Rack unit\|1U]] servers. Air is drawn in at the front of the rack and exhausted at the rear. Because data centers typically contain such large numbers of computers and other power-consuming devices, they risk overheating of the various components if no additional measures are taken. Thus, extensive [[HVAC]] systems are used. Often a raised floor is used so the area under the floor may be used as a large [[plenum]] for cooled air and power cabling. Another way of accommodating large numbers of systems in a small space are [[blade server\|blade chassis]]. In contrast to the horizontal orientation of flat servers, blade chassis are often oriented vertically. This vertical orientation facilitates [[convection]]. When the air is heated by the hot components, it tends to flow to the top on its own, creating a natural air flow along the boards. This [[stack effect]] can help to achieve the desired air flow and cooling. Some manufacturers expressly take advantage of this effect.<ref name=verariverticalcooling>[http://www.verari.com/cooling.asp Verari Systems uses vertical air flow for cooling]</ref><ref name=silverstoneravenstackeffect>The tower case [http://www.silverstonetek.com.tw/tech/wh08_0266.php Silverstone Raven RV01] has been designed to make use of the [[stack effect]]</ref> ==== In laptop computing ==== Most laptops use air cooling in order to keep the CPU and other components within their operating temperature range. Because the air is fan forced through a small port, it can clog the fan and heatsinks with dust or be obstructed by objects placed near the port. This can cause overheating, and can be a cause of component failure in laptops. The severity of this problem varies with laptop design, its use and power dissipation. With recent reductions in CPU power dissipation, this problems can reasonably be anticipated to reduce in severity. === Liquid submersion cooling === An uncommon practice is to submerse the computer's components in a [[thermal conduction\|thermally conductive]] liquid. Personal computers that are cooled in this manner do not generally require any fans or pumps, and may be cooled exclusively by passive heat exchange between the computer's parts, the cooling fluid and the ambient air. Extreme density computers such as the [[Cray-2]] may use additional [[radiator]]s in order to facilitate heat exchange. The liquid used must have sufficiently low [[electrical conductivity]] in order for it not to interfere with the normal operation of the computer's components. If the liquid is somewhat electrically conductive, it may be necessary to insulate certain parts of components susceptible to [[electromagnetic interference]], such as the CPU.<ref>Tom's Hardware - "[http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/01/09/strip_out_the_fans/ Strip Out The Fans]", [[9 January]][[2006]], presented as 11 web pages.</ref> For these reasons, it is preferred that the liquid be [[dielectric]]. Liquids commonly used in this manner include various liquids invented and manufactured for this purpose by [[3M]], such as [[Fluorinert]]. Various oils, including but not limited to cooking, motor and silicone oils have all been successfully used for cooling personal computers.<ref>[http://www.oilcooledcomputer.com oilcooledcomputer.com]</ref> Evaporation can pose a problem, and the liquid may require either to be regularly refilled or sealed inside the computer's enclosure. Liquid may also slowly seep into and damage components, particularly capacitors, causing an initially functional computer to fail after hours or days immersed. === Waste heat reduction === Where full-power, full-featured modern computers are not required, some companies opt to use less powerful computers or computers with fewer features. For example: in an office setting, the [[Information technology\|IT]] department may choose a [[thin client]] or a [[diskless workstation]] thus cutting out the heat-laden components such as hard drives and optical disks. These devices are also often powered with [[direct current]] from an external [[power supply]] brick which still wastes heat, but not inside the computer itself. The components used can greatly affect the power consumption and hence waste heat. A [[VIA Technologies\|VIA]][[EPIA]] motherboard with CPU typically generates approximately 25 watts of heat whereas a Pentium 4 motherboard typically generates around 140 watts. While the former has considerably less computing power, both types are adequate and responsive for tasks such as word processing and spreadsheets. Choosing a [[Liquid crystal display\|LCD]] monitor rather than a [[Cathode ray tube\|CRT]] can also reduce power consumption and excess room heat, as well as the added benefit of increasing work space. === Conductive and radiative cooling === Some [[laptop]] components, such as hard drives and optical drives, are commonly cooled by having them make contact with the computer's frame, increasing the surface area which can radiate and otherwise exchange heat. ==Spot cooling== In addition to system cooling, various individual components usually have their own cooling systems in place. Components which are individually cooled include, but are not limited to, the [[Central processing unit\|CPU]], [[Graphics processing unit\|GPU]], [[hard disk]], and the [[Northbridge (computing)\|Northbridge]] chip. Some cooling solutions employ one or more methods of cooling, and may also utilize logic and/or temperature sensors in order to vary the power used in active cooling components. ===Passive heat sink cooling=== [[Image:Harumphy.dg965.heatsink.jpg\|thumb\|170px\|Passive heatsink fitted on a [[Intel GMA]] graphics chip]]This involves attaching a block of machined metal to the part that needs cooling. An adhesive may be used, or more commonly for a personal computer CPU, a clamp is used to affix the [[heat sink]] right over the chip, with a [[Thermal grease\|thermally conductive pad]] or gel spread in-between. This block usually has fins and ridges to increase its surface area. The heat conductivity of metal is much better than that of air, and its ability to radiate heat is better than that of the component part it is protecting (usually an [[integrated circuit]] or CPU). Until recently, fan cooled [[aluminium]] heat sinks were the norm for desktop computers. Today many heat sinks feature [[copper]] base-plates or are entirely made of copper, and mount fans of considerable size and power. Heat sinks tend to get less effective with time due to the build up of [[dust]] between their metal fins, which reduces the efficiency with which the heat sink transfers heat to the ambient air. Dust build up is commonly countered with a [[gas duster]], which is used to blow away the dust along with any other unwanted excess material. Passive heat sinks are commonly found on older CPUs, parts that do not get very hot (such as the chipset), and low-power computers. Usually a heatsink is attached to the integrated heat spreader (IHS). It essentially is a large flat plate attached to the CPU (with conduction paste layered between). The plate is used to dissipate or spread the heat locally. Unlike a heatsink, its intent is to redistribute heat and not to remove it. In addition, the IHS offers protection to the fragile CPU. ===Active heat sink cooling=== [[Image:Tuniq_Tower_120_Installed.JPG\|thumb\|150px\|Active heatsink with a 120mm fan located inside the unit and attached fan controller in background]]This uses the same principle as a passive heat sink cooler, with the only difference being that a [[Fan (mechanical)\|fan]] is directed to blow over or through the heat sink. This results in more air being blown through the heat sink, increasing the rate at which the heat sink can exchange heat with the ambient air. Active heat sinks are the primary method of cooling a modern day processor or graphics card. The buildup of dust is greatly increased with active heat sink cooling as the fan is continually taking in the dust present in the surrounding air. As a result, dust removal procedures need to be exercised much more frequently than with passive heat sink methods. ===Peltier cooling or thermoelectric cooling=== {{main\|Thermoelectric cooling}} In 1821 [[Thomas Johann Seebeck\|T. J. Seebeck]] discovered that different metals, connected at two different junctions, will develop a micro-[[voltage]] if the two junctions are held at different temperatures. This effect is known as the "[[Thermoelectric effect\|Seebeck effect]]"; it is the basic theory behind the TEC (thermoelectric cooling). In 1834 [[Jean Charles Athanase Peltier\|Jean Peltier]] discovered the inverse of the Seebeck effect, now known as the "[[Thermoelectric effect\|Peltier effect]]". He found that applying a voltage to a [[thermocouple]] creates a temperature differential between two sides. This results in an effective, albeit extremely inefficient [[heat pump]]. Modern TECs use several stacked units each composed of dozens or hundreds of thermocouples laid out next to each other, which allows for a substantial amount of [[heat transfer]]. A combination of [[bismuth]] and [[telluride]] is most commonly used for thermocouples. Since TECs are active heat pumps, they are capable of cooling PC components below ambient temperatures, which is impossible with common radiator cooled [[water cooling]] systems and heatpipe HSFs. === Water cooling === {{main\|Water cooling}} [[Image:PC watercooling T-Line-2009-12-03.jpg\|thumb\|right\|200px\|DIY Watercooling setup showing 12v pump, CPU [[Waterblock]] and the typical application of a [[T-Line]].]]While originally limited to [[Mainframe computer\|mainframe]] computers, computer watercooling has become a practice largely associated with [[overclocking]] in the form of either manufactured "kits" or in the form of DIY setups assembled from individually gathered parts. Lately watercooling has seen increasing use in pre-assembled desktop computers. Water cooling can extract more heat from the cooled parts, which makes it suitable for overclocking, and opposed to air cooling it is less influenced by the ambient temperature. One of its disadvantages is the potential for a coolant leak, which can damage electronic components. An advantage is that a water cooling system is not limited to one component, so it can cool the CPU, GPU and other components at the same time. Another advantage to water cooling is the low noise-level output it provides when compared to that of fan cooling, which can become loud especially when using a higher clock rate processor. ===Heat pipe=== {{main\|Heat pipe}} [[image:Radeon 9600XT Heatpipe passive cooling.jpg\|thumb\|200px\|A graphics card with a heatpipe cooler design.]] A heat pipe is a hollow tube containing a heat transfer liquid. As the liquid evaporates, it carries heat to the cool end, where it condenses and then returns to the hot end (under [[capillary action]], or, in earlier implementations, under gravitation). Heat pipes thus have a much higher effective thermal conductivity than solid materials. For use in computers, the heat sink on the CPU is attached to a larger radiator heat sink. Both heat sinks are hollow as is the attachment between them, creating one large heat pipe that transfers heat from the CPU to the radiator, which is then cooled using some conventional method. This method is expensive and usually used when space is tight (as in small form-factor PCs), or absolute quiet is needed (such as in computers used in audio production studios during live recording). ===Phase-change cooling=== Phase-change cooling is an extremely effective way to cool the processor. A vapor compression phase-change cooler is a unit which usually sits underneath the PC, with a tube leading to the processor. Inside the unit is a compressor, the same type that cools a [[freezer]]. The compressor compresses a gas (or mixture of gases) which condenses it into a liquid. Then, the liquid is pumped up to the processor, where it passes through an expansion device, this can be from a simple capillary tube to a more elaborate thermal expansion valve. The liquid evaporates (changing phase), absorbing the heat from the processor as it draws extra energy from its environment to accommodate this change (see [[latent heat]]). The evaporation can produce temperatures reaching around −15 to -150 degrees [[Celsius]]<!--guessing at identity of unidentified "degrees", assuming same as below-->. The gas flows down to the compressor and the cycle begins over again. This way, the processor can be cooled to temperatures ranging from −15 to −150 degrees Celsius, depending on the load, wattage of the processor, the refrigeration system (see [[refrigeration]]) and the gas mixture used. This type of system suffers from a number of issues but mainly one must be concerned with dew point and the proper insulation of all sub-ambient surfaces that must be done (the pipes will sweat, dripping water on sensitive electronics). Alternately a new breed of cooling system is being developed inserting a pump into the thermo siphon loop. This adds another degree of flexibility for the design engineer as the heat can now be effectively transported away from the heat source and either reclaimed or dissipated to ambient. Junction temperature can be tuned by adjusting the system pressure; higher pressure equals higher fluid saturation temperatures. This allows for smaller condensers, smaller fans and/or the effective dissipation of heat in a high ambient environment. These systems are in essence the next generation liquid cooling paradigm as they are approximately 10 times more efficient than single phase water. Since the system uses a dielectric as the heat transport media, leaks do not cause a catastrophic failure of the electric system. This type of cooling is seen as a more extreme way to cool components, since the units are relatively expensive compared to the average desktop. They also generate a significant amount of noise, since they are essentially refrigerators, however the compressor choice and air cooling system is the main determinant of this, allowing for flexibility for noise reduction based on the parts chosen. ===Liquid nitrogen=== [[Image:2007TaipeiITMonth IntelOCLiveTest Overclocking-6.jpg\|thumb\|200px\|Liquid nitrogen may be used to cool an overclocked PC.]] As [[liquid nitrogen]] evaporates at -196 [[Celsius\|°C]], far below the freezing point of water, it is valuable as an extreme coolant for short overclocking sessions. In a typical installation of liquid nitrogen cooling, a copper or aluminum pipe is mounted on top of the processor or graphics card. After being heavily insulated against condensation, the liquid nitrogen is poured into the pipe, resulting in temperatures well below -100°C. By welding an open pipe onto a heat sink, and insulating the pipe, it is possible to cool the processor either with liquid nitrogen, which has a temperature below −196°C, or [[dry ice]]. However, after the nitrogen evaporates, it has to be refilled. In the realm of personal computers, this method of cooling is seldom used in contexts other than [[overclocking]] trial-runs and record-setting attempts, as the CPU will usually expire within a relatively short period of time due to temperature [[Stress (physics)\|stress]] caused by changes in internal temperature. ===Liquid helium=== [[Liquid helium]], colder than liquid nitrogen, has also been used for cooling. Liquid helium evaporates at -269 °C, and temperatures ranging from -230 to -240 °C have been measured from the heatsink.<ref name="liquidhelium">[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB0JodKgZ0A AMD Phenom II Overclocked to 6.5GHz - New World Record for 3DMark]</ref> ===Soft cooling=== Softcooling is the practice of utilizing software to take advantage of [[Power management\|CPU power saving technologies]] to minimize energy use. This is done using [[HLT\|halt]] instructions to turn off or put in standby state CPU subparts that aren't being used or by [[underclocking]] the CPU. ===Undervolting=== [[Undervolting]] is the practice of running the CPU or any other component with voltages below the device specifications. An undervolted component draws less power and thus produces less heat. The ability to do this varies by manufacturer, product line, and even different production runs of the same exact product (as well as that of other components in the system), but modern processors are typically shipped with voltages higher than strictly necessary. This provides a buffer zone so that the processor will have a higher chance of performing correctly under sub-optimal conditions, such as a lower quality mainboard (motherboard). However, too low a voltage will not allow the processor to function correctly, producing errors, system freezes or crashes, or the inability to turn the system on. (Undervolting too far does not typically lead to hardware damage, though in worst-case scenarios, program or system files can be corrupted) This technique is generally employed by those seeking low-noise systems, as less cooling is needed because of the reduction of heat production. ===Integrated Chip Cooling Techniques=== Conventional cooling techniques all attach their “cooling” component to the outside of the computer chip, or via IHS and/or heat sinks. This “attaching” technique will always exhibit some thermal resistance, reducing its effectiveness. The heat can be more efficiently and quickly be removed by directly cooling the local hot spots. At these locations, power dissipation of over 300W/cm<sup>2</sup> (typical CPU are less than 100W/cm<sup>2</sup>, although future systems are expected to exceed 1000W/cm<sup>2</sup> <ref>I. Mudawar, “Assessment of High-Heat-Flux Thermal Management Schemes,” IEEE Trans. -Components and Packaging Tech., Vol. 24, pp. 122-141, 2001.</ref>) can occur. This form of local cooling is essential to developing high power density chips. This ideology has led to the investigation of integrating cooling elements into the computer chip. Currently there are two techniques: micro-channel heat sinks, and jet impingement cooling. In micro-channel heat sinks, channels are fabricated into the silicon chip (CPU), and coolant is pumped through them. The channels are designed with very large surface area which results in large heat transfers. Heat dissipation of 3000W/cm<sup>2</sup> has been reported with this technique <ref>M.B. Bowers and I. Mudawar, “High Flux Boiling inLow Flow Rate, Low Pressure Drop Mini-Channel and Micro-Channel Heat Sinks,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, Vol. 37, pp. 321-332, 1994.</ref>. In comparison to the Sun power density of around 7400W/cm<sup>2</sup>. The heat dissipation can be further increased if two-phase flow cooling is applied. Unfortunately the system requires large pressure drops, due to the small channels, and the heat flux is lower with dielectric coolants used in electronic cooling. Another local chip cooling technique is jet impingement cooling. In this technique, a coolant is flown through a small orifice to form a jet. The jet is directed toward the surface of the CPU chip, and can effectively remove large heat fluxes. Heat dissipation of over 1000W/cm<sup>2</sup>has been reported <ref>M.K. Sung and I. Mudawar, “Single-phase and two-phase hybrid cooling schemes for high-heat-flux thermal management of defense electronics,” Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, 2008. ITHERM 2008,Issue 28-31, pp.121 – 131, 2008.</ref>. The system can be operated at lower pressure in comparison to the micro-channel method. The heat transfer can be further increased using two-phase flow cooling and by intergrading return flow channels (hybrid between micro-channel heat sinks and jet impingement cooling). ==Cooling and overclocking== Extra cooling is usually required by those who run parts of their computer (such as the CPU and GPU) at higher voltages and frequencies than manufacturer specifications call for, called [[overclocking]]. Increasing performance by this modification of settings results in a greater amount of heat generated and thus increasing the risk of damage to components and/or premature failure. The installation of higher performance, non-stock cooling may also be considered [[modding]]. Many overclockers simply buy more efficient, and often, more expensive fan and heat sink combinations, while others resort to more exotic ways of computer cooling, such as liquid cooling, Peltier effect heatpumps, heat pipe or phase change cooling. There are also some related practices that have a positive impact in reducing system temperatures: ===Heat sink lapping=== Heat sink lapping is the smoothing and polishing of the contact (bottom) part of a heat sink to increase its heat transfer efficiency. The desired result is a contact area which has a more even surface, as a less even contact surface creates a larger amount of insulating air between the heat sink and the computer part it is attached to. Polishing the surface using a combination of fine sandpaper and abrasive polishing liquids can produce a mirror-like shine, an indicator of a very smooth metal surface. However, it should be noted that even a curved surface can become extremely reflective, yet not particularly flat, as is the case with curved mirrors; thus heat sink quality is based on ''overall flatness'', more than optical properties. Lapping a high quality heat sink can damage it, because, although the heat sink may become shiny, it is likely that more material will be removed from the edges, making the heat sink less effective overall. If attempted, a piece of [[float glass]] should be used, as it self-levels as it cools and offers the most economical solution to producing a perfectly flat surface. ===Use of exotic thermal conductive compounds=== Some overclockers use special thermal compounds whose manufacturers claim to have a much higher efficiency than stock thermal pads. Heat sinks clean of any grease or other thermal transfer compounds have a very thin layer of these products applied, and then are placed normally over the CPU. Many of these compounds have a high proportion of [[silver]] as their main ingredient due to its high [[thermal conductivity]]. The resulting difference in the temperature of the CPU is measurable (several degrees [[celsius]]), so the heat transfer does appear to be superior to stock compounds. Some people experience negligible gains and have called to question the advantages of these exotic compounds, calling the style of application more important than the compound itself. Also note that there may be a'setting' or 'curing' period and negligible gains may improve over time as the compound reaches its optimum thermal conductivity. ===Use of rounded cables=== Most older PCs use flat [[ribbon cable]]s to connect storage drives ([[AT Attachment\|IDE]] or [[SCSI]]). These large flat cables greatly impede airflow by causing drag and turbulence. Overclockers and modders often replace these with rounded cables, with the conductive wires bunched together tightly to reduce surface area. Theoretically, the parallel strands of conductors in a ribbon cable serve to reduce [[crosstalk]] (signal carrying conductors inducing signals in nearby conductors), but there is no empirical evidence of rounding cables reducing performance. This may be because the length of the cable is short enough so that the effect of crosstalk is negligible. Problems usually arise when the cable is not [[Electromagnetic shielding\|electromagnetically protected]] and the length is considerable, a more frequent occurrence with older network cables. These computer cables can then be cable tied to the chassis or other cables to further increase airflow. This is less of a problem with new computers that use [[Serial ATA]] which has a much thinner cable. ===Airflow optimization=== The colder the cooling medium (the air), the more effective the [[Heat Transfer\|cooling]]. Cooling air temperature can be reduced by these guidelines: Supply cool air to the hot components as directly as possible. Examples are air snorkels and tunnels that feed outside air directly and exclusively to the CPU or GPU cooler. For example, the [[BTX (form factor)\|BTX]] case design prescribes a CPU air tunnel. Expel warm air as directly as possible. Examples are: Conventional PC ([[ATX]]) power supplies blow the warm air out the back of the case. Many dual-slot [[Video card\|graphics card]] designs blow the warm air through the cover of the adjacent slot. There are also some [[aftermarket]] coolers that do this. Some CPU cooling designs blow the warm air directly towards the back of the case, where it can be ejected by a case fan. Air that has already been used to spot-cool a component should not be reused to spot-cool a different component (this follows from the previous items). The ATX case design can be said to violate this rule, since the power supply gets its "cool" air from the inside of the case, where it has been warmed up already. The BTX case design also violates this rule, since it uses the CPU cooler's exhaust to cool the chipset and often the graphics card. Prefer cool intake air, avoid inhaling exhaust air (outside air above or near the exhausts). For example, a CPU cooling air duct at the back of a tower case would inhale warm air from a graphics card exhaust. Moving all exhausts to one side of the case, conventionally the back, helps to keep the intake air cool. Hiding cables behind motherboard tray or simply apply ziptie and tucking cables away to provide un hindered air flow. Fewer fans strategically placed will improve the airflow internally within the PC and thus lower the overall internal case temperature in relation to ambient conditions. The use of larger fans also improves efficiency and lowers the amount of waste heat along with the amount of noise generated by the fans while in
theories about the death of JFK continues to grow. November 19, 2013 Read \| Listen (12:48) The Secrets of MKULTRA (Skeptoid #373) - The urban legend that the CIA conducted unethical mind control experiments has a grain of truth. July 30, 2013 Read \| Listen (12:50) Listener Feedback: Conspiracies (Skeptoid #364) - Skeptoid answers questions sent in by listeners pertaining to conspiracy theories. May 28, 2013 Read \| Listen (12:56) Polybius: Video Game of Death (Skeptoid #362) - The infamous arcade game Polybius, said to drive players to suicide or madness, was never more than an urban legend. May 14, 2013 Read \| Listen (11:27) The Airplane that Wasn't There (Skeptoid #355) - A B-25 bomber ditched in a Pennsylvania river in broad daylight 1956 and, seemingly impossibly, was never found. March 26, 2013 Read \| Listen (13:27) The Pentagon and the Missile (Skeptoid #354) - Some say that it wasn't an airliner that struck the Pentagon on 9/11, but a missile. March 19, 2013 Read \| Listen (12:42) Pope Joan (Skeptoid #353) - This apocryphal Middle Ages pope said to be a woman in disguise probably never existed. March 12, 2013 Read \| Listen (12:42) Men in Black (Skeptoid #351) - A look at the mysterious government agents said to intimidate those who witness flying saucers. February 26, 2013 Read \| Listen (13:46) Trinity: Interview with Dr. Oz, Alex Jones, and Deepak Chopra (Skeptoid #350) - Skeptoid interviews three of the most popular and controversial figures in modern pseudoscience. February 19, 2013 Read \| Listen (6:18) The Cult of Nikola Tesla (Skeptoid #345) - The name of Nikola Tesla is associated with crazy conspiracy claims that have nothing to do with his real work. January 15, 2013 Read \| Listen (14:52) The Hollow Earth Theory (Skeptoid #343) - Throughout history there have been a number of different beliefs that the Earth might be hollow. January 1, 2013 Read \| Listen (13:00) Free Energy Machines (Skeptoid #341) - Someone somewhere is always claiming to have cracked the secret of free energy forever, no fuel needed. December 18, 2012 Read \| Listen (12:39) Listener Feedback: A Cacophony of Conspiracies (Skeptoid #340) - How you can convince your friends that their conspiracy theories are nonsensical. December 11, 2012 Read \| Listen (10:58) The Flat Earth Theory (Skeptoid #338) - The Flat Earth Theory has its origins not in alt-science but in Christian Fundamentalism. November 27, 2012 Read \| Listen (12:41) The Phantom Time Hypothesis (Skeptoid #332) - A number of theories claim that several centuries never actually happened, and were faked by the Church. October 16, 2012 Read \| Listen (13:17) Attack of the Nanobots! (Skeptoid #317) - A look at the belief that nanotechnology may result in an army of self-replicating machines that consume society. July 3, 2012 Read \| Listen (13:34) Deconstructing the Rothschild Conspiracy (Skeptoid #311) - Some believe that world governments and economies are secretly controlled by the Rothschild banking family. May 22, 2012 Read \| Listen (14:40) Finding Amelia Earhart (Skeptoid #295) - The disappearance of Amelia Earhart is one of the worst examples of television promoting pseudohistory. January 31, 2012 Read \| Listen (13:05) Wunderwaffen: Nazi Wonder Weapons (Skeptoid #293) - The true history behind the claimed Nazi "wonder weapons" like anti-gravity flying saucers. January 17, 2012 Read \| Listen (13:48) Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites (Skeptoid #283) - My list of the worst offenders on the web in the promotion of scientific and factual misinformation. November 8, 2011 Read \| Listen (14:50) Finding Shakespeare (Skeptoid #280) - The claim that someone else wrote Shakespeare's works is popular, but virtually indefensible. October 18, 2011 Read \| Listen (12:25) The Zionist Conspiracy (Skeptoid #271) - There is no plausible reason to think a conspiracy of Jews plans to take over the world's banks and governments. August 16, 2011 Read \| Listen (12:47) Conspiracy Theorists Aren't Crazy (Skeptoid #264) - We usually dismiss conspiracy theorists as crazy people; but that doesn't tell the whole story. June 28, 2011 Read \| Listen (11:52) Military Dolphins: James Bonds of the Sea (Skeptoid #260) - The facts behind the stories of military dolphins trained to attack divers and plant mines on ships. May 31, 2011 Read \| Listen (12:14) The Secret of Plum Island (Skeptoid #257) - This secret government lab was said to create genetic mutants. Here's what they actually did. May 10, 2011 Read \| Listen (12:26) Finding the POW/MIAs (Skeptoid #254) - American POW/MIAs are probably not still being held captive inside Vietnam. April 19, 2011 Read \| Listen (12:50) The Port Arthur Massacre (Skeptoid #253) - The 1996 mass murder in Tasmania was not secretly a plot by the government to get firearms banned. April 12, 2011 Read \| Listen (12:09) The History of Knowledge (Skeptoid #250) - A trip through the centuries to see how human knowledge is reflected through music. March 22, 2011 Read \| Listen (11:33) Beware the Bilderberg Group! (Skeptoid #225) - The annual meeting of the Bilderberg Group is not to plan global domination. September 28, 2010 Read \| Listen (11:56) Stalin's Human-Ape Hybrids (Skeptoid #219) - Josef Stalin did not order the creation of an army of half-ape, half-human hybrids. August 17, 2010 Read \| Listen (13:14) The Astronauts and the Aliens (Skeptoid #218) - A close look at some of the stories of UFOs said to have been reported by NASA astronauts. August 10, 2010 Read \| Listen (12:53) Attack on Pearl Harbor (Skeptoid #211) - The American government did not have advance knowledge of the Pearl Harbor attack, and did not allow it to happen. June 22, 2010 Read \| Listen (13:29) The North American Union (Skeptoid #210) - The United States, Canada, and Mexico are not planning to merge into a single huge police state. June 15, 2010 Read \| Listen (12:52) The Westall '66 UFO (Skeptoid #208) - 200 students watched a strange craft fly near their school in Australia in 1966 -- or so the story goes. June 1, 2010 Read \| Listen (14:35) Morgellons Disease (Skeptoid #206) - In this newly described condition, some patients report strange plastic fibers growing from their skin. May 18, 2010 Read \| Listen (11:57) The Georgia Guidestones (Skeptoid #198) - Dubbed "America's Stonehenge", this granite monument in Georgia appeals to all sorts of conspiracy theorists. March 23, 2010 Read \| Listen (12:33) Zeitgeist: The Movie, Myths, and Motivations (Skeptoid #196) - The Internet movie Zeitgeist uses dishonesty to make an ideological point that could have easily been made ethically. March 9, 2010 Read \| Listen (12:08) The Denver Airport Conspiracy (Skeptoid #194) - Is the Denver International Airport a headquarters for the New World Order? (Hint: no) February 23, 2010 Read \| Listen (14:25) The Bell Island Boom (Skeptoid #190) - This shattering boom in Newfoundland was more likely a natural phenomenon than a superweapon test. January 26, 2010 Read \| Listen (12:02) Vaccine Ingredients (Skeptoid #180) - The claims made about the dangerous chemicals in vaccines are all either false or misrepresented. November 17, 2009 Read \| Listen (12:50) Screwed! (Skeptoid #150) - A secret recording of an actual meeting of the Illuminati. April 21, 2009 Read \| Listen (9:40) FEMA Prison Camps (Skeptoid #145) - A skeptical look at the claim that FEMA maintains a network of prison camps in readiness. March 17, 2009 Read \| Listen (11:50) The Lucifer Project (Skeptoid #143) - Some believe that NASA is trying to turn Saturn or Jupiter into a small sun. March 3, 2009 Read \| Listen (12:33) The Rendlesham Forest UFO (Skeptoid #135) - Hard to believe, but it wasn't space aliens that caused blinking lights in Rendlesham Forest in 1980. January 6, 2009 Read \| Listen (16:08) The Bohemian Club Conspiracy (Skeptoid #131) - Wealthy and powerful men gather annually at the mysterious Bohemian Grove -- but not to plot global domination. December 9, 2008 Read \| Listen (12:56) The Truth about Aspartame (Skeptoid #127) - The artificial sweetener aspartame is falsely accused of being the cause of nearly every disease. November 11, 2008 Read \| Listen (12:29) Ten Most Wanted: Celebrities Who Promote Harmful Pseudoscience (Skeptoid #125) - A critical look at the pseudoscientific antics of some of today's celebrities. October 28, 2008 Read \| Listen (13:30) HAARP Myths (Skeptoid #122) - A close look at HAARP, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, and the claim that it's a superweapon. October 7, 2008 Read \| Listen (12:59) Search for the Missing Cosmonauts (Skeptoid #115) - A pair of young Italian brothers probably didn't uncover evidence of Soviet cosmonauts dying in space. August 19, 2008 Read \| Listen (13:38) Spy Radio: Numbers Stations (Skeptoid #107) - A look at mysterious shortwave "numbers stations" around the world. July 1, 2008 Read \| Listen (10:28) When People Talk Backwards (Skeptoid #105) - Some people believe that your brain encodes its actual meaning in reverse within everything you say. June 17, 2008 Read \| Listen (11:10) Reassembling TWA Flight 800 (Skeptoid #99) - TWA Flight 800 was not shot down by US friendly fire. May 6, 2008 Read \| Listen (11:22) World Trade Center 7: The Lies Come Crashing Down (Skeptoid #85) - The collapse of 7 World Trade Center was not a controlled demolition. January 29, 2008 Read \| Listen (10:17) Aliens in Roswell (Skeptoid #79) - Pop culture says it was an alien spaceship -- but history tells us what was really found in the New Mexico desert. December 18, 2007 Read \| Listen (12:48) Irradiation: Is Your Food Toxic? (Skeptoid #61) - Food that has been sterilized with irradiation is not radioactive and will not hurt you. August 14, 2007 Read \| Listen (8:32) All About Fluoridation (Skeptoid #58) - A few fringe activists claim that fluoridation of water carries more danger than benefit. July 30, 2007 Read \| Listen (9:20) The Twin Towers: Fire Melting Steel (Skeptoid #54) - The Oakland freeway collapse was not a government ploy to prove that the Twin Towers collapsed from fire. July 10, 2007 Read \| Listen (9:35) Support Your Local Reptoid (Skeptoid #46) - The conspiracy theory that reptilian beings control our governments has a fascinating history. May 21, 2007 Read \| Listen (9:52) The Alien Invasion of Phoenix, Arizona (Skeptoid #41) - Despite what many UFOlogists want, the famous Phoenix Lights were not alien spacecraft. April 26, 2007 Read \| Listen (11:25) Blood for Oil (Skeptoid #32) - The claim that the wars in the Middle East were about oil don't stand up to economic scrutiny. March 12, 2007 Read \| Listen (8:23) Chemtrails: Real or Not? (Skeptoid #27) - Some believe that airplane contrails are really dangerous chemicals being sprayed by the government. February 15, 2007 Read \| Listen (9:06) Skepticism and Flight 93 (Skeptoid #22) - Flight 93, which crashed in a field on September 11, was not shot down by the military. January 19, 2007 Read \| Listen (8:13) The Real Philadelphia Experiment (Skeptoid #16) - The US Navy did not make a warship completely disappear in 1943. December 24, 2006 Read \| Listen (6:50)For those who have seen Inception, you’ll know that one of the strongest parts of the film was its soundtrack. Grand, haunting, engaging and majestic, Hans Zimmer’s score accompanies the film perfectly. It kicks in at all the right moments and really enhances the film. If you’re hooked on the soundtrack and can’t stop listening to it, this video may be right up your alley. Shown in the video below is a live performance of some of the music from the film’s soundtrack. The performance is by Hans Zimmer himself and if you enjoyed the music in the film you’re going to love this video. The video starts off with some footage from the premiere of the film and at around the eight minute mark it transitions into the concert. Enjoy!If it were possible, ethical or even legal to give a shifty private detective a bag of money to find out what was being said in News International's London headquarters this week, it would take extreme moral fortitude not to bow to temptation. As the truly incredible phone-hacking scandal unravels yet further, Rupert Murdoch has forfeited fondue and self-congratulation at Davos in favour of a trip to the Wapping office. In recent years Murdoch has delegated matters outside the US to his son James, but his swift and unplanned detour carries with it the implication that there is more here than the usual awkward dynamic of a parental visit. The implication it is tempting to draw is that Murdoch thinks the situation is out of control and his very presence suggests a lack of faith in James's ability to sort it out. A more plausible scenario is that the scandal involves two things of which James Murdoch knows little and cares for less: journalism and mollifying regulators. Murdoch has to tame the generation of editors that includes senior executive Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson. Coulson has now both resigned as a newspaper editor and as the government's head of communications over a set of illegal practices in his newsroom he says he was completely ignorant of. As the power of News International grew throughout the 90s, the talented young editors found themselves in positions of ridiculous power and astonishing wealth. Tellingly, perhaps, they also became part of a social set, outside the workplace, with the younger Murdochs. This feeling of faux family has sometimes perhaps stayed the sword where previously it would have been wielded without a second thought. Boundaries in the newsroom were not sufficiently drawn, or, worse, not drawn at all because there was seemingly no accountability. Not from the top of the company, or from the politicians and regulators. Journalists became friendly with the establishment they reported, to an extent that would make Kelvin MacKenzie spin in his grave, if he were dead. Rupert Murdoch isn't known for allowing egregious errors in his staff go unpunished, but he has had his eye off the newspaper ball in the UK for quite some time, certainly since buying the Wall Street Journal in the US in 2007. Now the mess of the phone hacking threatens something that is extremely important to Murdoch: his business interests. It threatens to scuttle the buy-back of BSkyB shares, currently being scrutinised (although that is rather a strong word) by Jeremy Hunt, and although the story has not exactly been front-page news in every paper in the US, the hacking case certainly has the potential to dent Murdoch's reputation in his most important territory. So far Rupert Murdoch has been kept remote from the unfolding saga. Now he has put himself at the centre of it. Whether he can control it is an open question.This guest post, including picture and video, comes to us from Sophie Li. Sophie is deaf and uses cochlear implants. You can follow Sophie on Twitter at @papillonparle. Hailing from Australia, I wanted to find a place to travel solo and out of my comfort zone. Both for the first time and at the same time. I spontaneously picked Japan and before I realized what I was doing, a plane ticket was booked and my bank account was doing more poorly. As this post is about accessibility in Japan, I apologise in advance that I will not share my travel experiences here. Instead, I have only two tips for deaf – scratch that – everyone who plan to visit Japan. Understandably, one of the biggest challenges was understanding Japanese in speech and writing, so my lifesaver was a mobile wifi router that gave me unlimited access to Internet. The process to getting a loan was so smooth: I paid for the time I needed it and I was able to pick it up upon arrival at the airport in Japan and drop it off at a post office again at any airport in Japan. With the wifi router, I connected with my phone and was able to translate to and fro with ease to navigate my way across the country, translate English to Japanese (ie. Where’s the toilet in this massive underground train station/department store/maze – help!) and converse with Japanese people whom some have become friends. I have lost count of the times when my reliable wifi router saved the day. Now for those wanting to know how I found this gem, google Global Advanced Communications and look for standard pocket wifi and the loan is chunks of 7 days. Lastly, make sure you buy this BEFORE arriving in Japan. It is not available when in Japan, like many other deals for travelers. How did I discover this? Many ask and this leads me to my next tip for my fellow travelers: research. It’s true, when people say, ‘When traveling to Japan, research is your friend’. I’ll even go further and say it is ‘your best friend’. Japan is not a country to “wing” it. There’s too many to experience on top of the shock you will receive from cultural and language differences. Oh, I should probably mention that I am profoundly deaf so wear two cochlear implants and I sign and speak fluently. On this note, I leave one more piece of advice for deaf travelers out there: try to connect with deaf Japanese people if you can and learn their culture and language. I felt very humbled to be able to participate in their proud and sophisticated way of life and was fortunate enough to experience a famous deaf Japanese restaurant (Fusao http://fusao2000.wix.com/fusao) and a live theatre and film event, made and run by deaf people in Tokyo.ESPN will present approximately 100 men’s and women’s Division I Lacrosse games in the 2016 season, including the ACC, America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Ten and Ivy League conference championship games, the entire Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship and the semifinals and final of the Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship. ESPNU will televise more than 25 men’s division I games in the regular season, beginning this weekend when UMBC travels to Ohio State (Friday, Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. ET) and No. 11 North Carolina visits No. 8 John Hopkins (Sunday, Feb 28 at noon). The network’s industry-leading slate is highlighted by No. 1 Notre Dame hosting No. 2 Denver (Sunday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m.), the first of three top-five matchups scheduled for ESPNU: No. 3 Syracuse at No. 5 Duke (March 26), No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 3 Syracuse (April 2) and No. 5 Duke at No. 1 Notre Dame (April 10). Combined with ESPN3, ESPN offers more than 45 men’s games this season. Highlights: ESPNU: More than 75% of the games scheduled features a matchup of ranked teams 1 Notre Dame: Eight appearances, including five games vs. ranked teams and its regular season finale vs. Army (May 8) Defending Champions: 2 Denver Pioneers will be featured twice: at No. 11 North Carolina (March 5) and the previously mentioned showdown with No. 1 Notre Dame. Conference Championships: ACC (May 1), America East, Big Ten (May 7) and Ivy (May 8) championship games will be aired on ESPNU. The Ivy League’s semifinals will stream on ESPN3 (May 6) Top 5 Teams: Notre Dame, Denver, Syracuse, Maryland and Duke will make more than 30 combined appearances ESPN will carry more than 35 women’s lacrosse games, including No. 20 Loyola (Md.) at No. 15 John Hopkins (Wed. Feb 24 at 5 p.m.) and No. 17 Stanford at No. 15 John Hopkins (March 23 at 4 p.m.) on ESPNU. Combined with ESPN3, 12 ranked teams will be featured this season, including 11 total appearances by No. 2 Syracuse, No. 5 North Carolina, and No. 6 Notre Dame. Overall, 17 games feature a ranked team, including 12 games featuring ranked teams facing off, highlighted by No. 2 Syracuse vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (March 26) and vs. No. 5 North Carolina (April 16). The regular season concludes with complete coverage of the Atlantic Sun Tournament on ESPN3 (May 5-8). 2016 NCAA Championship ESPN will be the home of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship beginning with the selection show on May 8 at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. ESPN will have complete first-round coverage from campus sites, quarterfinal coverage from Providence, R.I. (May 21) and Columbus, Ohio (May 22) then semifinals (May 28) and finals (May 30) from Philadelphia. Complete coverage details will be announced at a later date. ESPN Commentators ESPN’s robust coverage is anchored by an accomplished list of commentators across its ESPNU schedule. Analysts include: Quint Kessenich –Two-time winner of the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award as the nation’s best goalie when he played for Johns Hopkins –Two-time winner of the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award as the nation’s best goalie when he played for Johns Hopkins Paul Carcaterra – All-American and national champion with the Syracuse Orangemen; played professionally with Major League Lacrosse’s New Jersey Pride and participated in the World Lacrosse Games. – All-American and national champion with the Syracuse Orangemen; played professionally with Major League Lacrosse’s New Jersey Pride and participated in the World Lacrosse Games. Ryan Boyle – Four-time All-American at Princeton, winning the national championship with the Tigers in 2001. Played professionally in both the NLL and MLL, most recently with the Boston Cannons. Four-time All-American at Princeton, winning the national championship with the Tigers in 2001. Played professionally in both the NLL and MLL, most recently with the Boston Cannons. Matt Ward – Won the Tewaaraton Trophy, was named the most standing player in the Men’s Lacrosse. Championship and won the national championship with Virginia in 2006. A year later, won Rookie of the Year in the MLL playing for the Washington Bayhawks. – Won the Tewaaraton Trophy, was named the most standing player in the Men’s Lacrosse. Championship and won the national championship with Virginia in 2006. A year later, won Rookie of the Year in the MLL playing for the Washington Bayhawks. Ryan Flanagan – Nation’s top defensemen in 2011 while playing at North Carolina; been named a MLL All-Star all five years he has played in the league, currently with the Charlotte Hounds. – Nation’s top defensemen in 2011 while playing at North Carolina; been named a MLL All-Star all five years he has played in the league, currently with the Charlotte Hounds. Mark Dixon – Helped Johns Hopkins reach the national semifinals in 1992 and 1993; current college lacrosse official Helped Johns Hopkins reach the national semifinals in 1992 and 1993; current college lacrosse official Sheehan Stanwick Burch: Four-time All American at Georgetown and finalist for the Tewaaraton Award. Eamon McAnaney, ESPN’s lead play-by-play commentator played lacrosse at Notre Dame. Anish Shroff, Mike Corey, John Brickley, Booker Corrigan and Mark Dixon will also handle play-by-play duties throughout the season 2016 Men’s College Lacrosse Schedule (subject to change; all ESPN3 games are exclusive) 2016 Men's Schedule Date Time (ET) Game Network Sat, Feb 27 1 p.m. No. 5 Duke at Jacksonville ESPN3 Sun, Feb 28 Noon No. 11 North Carolina at No. 8 Johns Hopkins ESPNU 4 p.m. Army at No. 3 Syracuse ESPN3 Tue, Mar 1 7 p.m. Mercer at No. 5 Duke ESPN3 Fri, Mar 4 5:30 p.m. No. 3 Syracuse at No. 10 Virginia ESPNU Sat, Mar 5 1 p.m. No. 2 Denver at No. 11 North Carolina ESPN3^ Siena at St. John’s ESPN3 Princeton at No. 8 Johns Hopkins ESPN3# Mon, Mar 7 7 p.m. Richmond at No. 5 Duke ESPN3 Sat, Mar 12 Noon No. 4 Maryland at Princeton ESPNU 2 p.m. No. 14 Towson at No. 8 Johns Hopkins ESPNU 4 p.m. St. John’s at No. 3 Syracuse ESPN3 Sun, Mar 13 5:30 p.m. No. 2 Denver at No. 1 Notre Dame ESPNU Wed, Mar 16 6 p.m. Albany at No. 4 Maryland ESPNU Sat, Mar 19 Noon Bellarmine at Jacksonville ESPN3 4 p.m. No. 3 Syracuse at No. 8 Johns Hopkins ESPNU 6 p.m. No. 10 Virginia at No. 1 Notre Dame ESPNU 7 p.m. Richmond at No. 11 North Carolina ESPN3 Tue, Mar 22 7 p.m. Air Force at No. 5 Duke ESPN3 Sat, Mar 26 Noon No. 3 Syracuse at No. 5 Duke ESPNU 1 p.m. Hofstra at St. John’s ESPN3 2 p.m. No. 11 North Carolina at No. 4 Maryland ESPNU Sun, Mar 27 1 p.m. No. 8 Johns Hopkins at No. 10 Virginia ESPNU 3 p.m. No. 1 Notre Dame at Ohio State ESPNU Fri, Apr 1 6 p.m. No. 11 North Carolina at No. 5 Duke ESPNU Sat, Apr 2 5 p.m. No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 3 Syracuse ESPNU Sun, Apr 3 Noon No. 12 Penn State at Ohio State ESPNU Sat, Apr 9 Noon Marquette at St. John’s ESPN3 2 p.m. Ohio State at No. 8 Johns Hopkins ESPNU Sun, Apr 10 Noon No. 5 Duke at No. 1 Notre Dame ESPNU 2 p.m. No. 10 Virginia at No. 11 North Carolina ESPNU Wed, Apr 13 4 p.m. Marquette at No. 1 Notre Dame ESPN3 Sat, Apr 16 4 p.m. No. 11 North Carolina at No. 3 Syracuse ESPN3$ Sun, Apr 17 Noon No. 5 Duke at No. 10 Virginia ESPNU Wed, Apr 20 7 p.m. Binghamton at No. 3 Syracuse ESPN3 Fri, Apr 22 7 p.m. Marquette at No. 5 Duke ESPN3 Sat, Apr 23 Noon No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 11 North Carolina ESPNU 1 p.m. Mercer at Jacksonville ESPN3 Fri, Apr 29 6 p.m. ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship: Semifinal #1 (Kennesaw, Ga.) ESPNU 8:30 p.m. ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship: Semifinal #2 (Kennesaw, Ga.) ESPNU Sat, Apr 30 Noon Cornell at Princeton ESPNU Air Force at Jacksonville ESPN3 1 p.m. Georgetown at St. John’s ESPN3 2 p.m. No. 4 Maryland at No. 8 Johns Hopkins ESPNU Sun, May 1 Noon ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship: Final (Kennesaw, Ga.) ESPNU Fri, May 6 5 p.m. Ivy League Lacrosse Semifinal ESPN3 8 p.m. Ivy League Lacrosse Semifinal ESPN3 Sat, May 7 10 a.m. America East Men’s Lacrosse Championship: Final (site of highest remaining seed) ESPNU 1 p.m. Colgate at No. 3 Syracuse ESPN3 6 p.m. Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Tournament: Final (Baltimore, Md.) ESPNU Sun, May 8 Noon Ivy League Men’s Championship: Final (Site of team with the best Ivy League record) ESPNU Army at No. 1 Notre Dame ESPN3 ^ – same-day tape delay on ESPNU (11:30 p.m.) # – tape delay on ESPNU (Sunday, March 6, 10 a.m.) $ – tape delay on ESPNU (Sunday, April 17, 10 a.m.) Schedule subject to change 2016 Women's ScheduleSkye Gould/Tech Insider There are several things you can do right now to clear up brain fog that makes it hard to keep up with everything you have to get done. You could go for a run or hit the gym — exercise has been shown to effectively boost cognitive ability. You could get a good night's sleep, something that refreshes energy levels, is essential for memory, and makes it significantly easier to focus. You could have a cup of coffee and benefit from that proven little helper, caffeine. But sometimes none of that seems like enough. It makes you want an additional solution, a pill that can boost you for long enough to get you over that hump. While students and overworked employees frequently experiment with substances like Adderall or Ritalin in an attempt to do just that, it hasn't been shown that most of these "cognitive enhancers" actually make anyone's brain work "better." But there's one substance that a recent review published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology found actually does improve attention, memory, learning, and other cognitive abilities — modafinil. Pharmaceutical cognitive enhancement isn't a new idea. People have used drugs to try to boost their brainpower for more than 100 years. Early in his career in the late 1800s, Sigmund Freud experimented prolifically with cocaine, which he described at the time as his "most gorgeous excitement." Mathematician Paul Erdős had such a serious relationship with amphetamines that when he once stopped taking them for a month to win a $500 bet, he immediately got back on drugs afterwards. He famously told the friend he bet: "You've set mathematics back a month." synapse on Flickr Those substances, however, come with significant negative side effects. That's what makes modafinil so interesting. In their review of the literature on modafinil, Oxford researchers Ruairidh Battleday and Anna-Katherine Brem found that it didn't seem to have any particularly serious side effects and didn't seem likely to cause dependency — though there are still unanswered questions there. How modafinil affects your brain Battleday and Brem reviewed 24 studies that assessed how modafinil affected healthy non-sleep deprived people's minds (they considered 267 studies, but rejected those that weren't placebo controlled, used unhealthy subjects, or tested animals and not people). The fact that subjects were healthy is an important distinction — many of the ways we look at drugs that affect thinking ability are designed to assess people with cognitive deficiencies. Most studies could be broken down into either "basic" or "complex" tests of cognitive function, Brem and Battleday tell Tech Insider. Basic tests assess just one sub-component of cognition and tend to be very simple tasks. On these tests, the effects of modafinil were mixed. It was on complex tests that the authors found consistent improvement, especially in terms of attention, the ability to focus on a task and process relevant information; learning and memory; and executive function, which includes the ability to take in information and use it to come up with plans or strategies. Films where characters suddenly gain access to new mental powers take the idea to an extreme, but cognitive enhancement is a real possibility. Universal These complex tasks are much better ways to answer the question of "does this substance actually improve cognitive ability" than the basic ones, the authors tell Tech Insider. "Rarely in life do we spend an entire day using a sole cognitive sub-domain - attention, for example. Rather, we constantly plan, predict, and problem solve - all of which involve marshaling subdomains of cognition and integrating their output - over varying tasks and difficulties," they wrote in an email. "It is in this sense that complex tasks can approximate everyday functioning better than simple." As for how modafinil works, we still really don't know. It was originally designed as a treatment for narcolepsy to keep people awake. But no one is entirely certain how it affects cognition. Matt Cardy/Getty "The best idea we have is that by directly altering the concentration of a group of chemicals in the brain - called 'catecholamines' - modafinil upregulates activity in attention and executive control networks in the brain," the authors tell Tech Insider. "These changes are then hypothesized to allow individuals to perform better on cognitive tasks: particularly those requiring good focus and problem solving." Can I take it? So, will your doctor write you a modafinil prescription? The answer for now is no, unless you have narcolepsy. But that may not always be the case. When it comes to safety, Brem and Battleday said that the studies they reviewed didn't note serious side effects. Most studies reported a slight boost to positive mood and no adverse effects. In the studies that found adverse effects, a small number of participants reported insomnia, headache, stomach ache or nausea, and dry mouth. That may not sound great, but in context, those effects aren't such a big deal. That's essentially like having an extra cup of coffee that you didn't need, UCLA clinical psychiatrist James McGough told The Atlantic's Olga Khazan. Only one study assessed the potential for abuse, and reported that it was low. Substances like Adderall have a higher risk of abuse. Alex Dodd/flickr But none of these studies tested long term use, so we don't know if it's safe for someone to take modafinil over an extended period of time. As the authors point out, most of these studies only tested one single dose, which comes nowhere close to assessing risks of regular use. Funding is scarce for drugs that help healthy people Interestingly, Battleday and Brem point out that there isn't much research on cognitive enhancement for healthy people and that there's a lack of funding and perhaps even a bit of a taboo on studying the topic. "It appears that funding for drug-based studies on healthy individuals fails to attract typically medical-oriented grants and awards," they say. That's why they say it was hard to find good complex tests of cognitive enhancement, and they hope that perhaps their work will encourage researchers to further investigate the topic. If that does happen, there may be surprises out there — perhaps some of the other drugs used for cognitive improvement, things like Adderall, work better for healthy people than we think they do despite their potential dependency risks. But even if modafinil were to be proven safe long term and its cognitive boosting ability affirmed by further studies, there are still reasons why — for now — doctors aren't going to start prescribing it to healthy people. At the recent annual meeting of the American Medical Association, the group decided to adopt a policy "discouraging the nonmedical use of prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals." There's little evidence so far that tells us how effective many other nootropics are or are not. Dylan Love Of prescription stimulants, they say that the cognitive effects appear limited for healthy people. Of other supplements and "smart drugs," known as nootropics, they say that there's limited research right now and that more analysis is needed before anyone can conclude that they are safe. So don't expect a modaf
ally of the Congress, had criticised Mr Maken's comment, tweeting, "To say that someone needs to be educated to be HRD Min is like saying one needs to be a pilot for Civil Aviation or a miner for Coal Min (sic),".An apparently abashed Congress also addressed the row today; with senior party leader Manish Tewari saying, "When we criticise the government, it should be on substance not superficiality". Incidentally, Ms Bharti, who had won the Lok Sabha elections from Jhansi, had openly stated that she also wanted to contest against Mrs Gandhi in Raebareli, but was dissuaded by the party from doing so. ( Also Read: Don't compare me to Priyanka, Rakhi Sawant tells UmaLinaro was established last year, and they are making rapid progress in bringing up Linux on ARM, the goal being to solve fragmentation, to catch up with Intel's x86 through consolidation and development of common ARM Linux code. Linaro's ultimate goal is to establish leadership in core technology open source innovation on ARM member SoCs. Linaro wants to accelerate time to market. Not just catch up with Intel, Linaro's goal is absolute leadership. Here's a 27 minute video update from Linaro CEO George Grey about the plans that they have got for this year, as they expect 2011 to be a huge year for Linaro, their software is rapidly making it possible to have fully optimized ARM powered Linux laptops and desktops released to the market this year. Basically, Linaro is a company build out of the ARM industry collaborating to bring to market ARM Powered Chrome OS laptops, ARM Powered Ubuntu Laptops, even for all of the Android and Meego stuff. This video was posted last month on the LinaroOrg YouTube channel. Linaro has grown to over 80 engineers in the first 6 months. They are still adding engineering talent every month. At launch it was stated that the company would grow to a little under 100 engineers. You can find more information at http://linaro.org. What do you think Linaro should do to make it easier for companies to build ARM based Linux products? You can post your info and ideas in the comments. Related articlesWant to go out in person and buy that quaintest of relics, an actual CD of a classical recording? Try anywhere but Manhattan. There are reports that J&R, the independent shop with the largest remaining dedicated classical department in the city, may be about to shut its specialist section (the sign on the door currently says merely "closed for renovations"; there are worrying signs that the whole store may be in its death throes). As it has seemed for the past couple of decades, the demise of physical product, especially in classical rather than pop, while apparently inevitable, has never quite come to the total-compact-disc-cataclysm that many have predicted. People - even if admittedly fewer of them - still want to buy physical product; the problem is knowing where to find it, apart from online. In London, thanks to the brilliant Harold Moores Records and the genius of Gramex, there are still at least a couple of dedicated places with knowledgeable staff to go for new and second-hand classical releases, while we still have a classical section in Foyles and the - alas! - ever-reducing collection stocked by HMV, as well as smaller departments here and there. But in New York, according to WQXR, Gotham residents have only the shop at the Metropolitan Opera, the Juilliard Store, Barnes and Noble at Union Square, and the used offerings of Academy on West 18th Street. Given the massive availability, as never before, of so much repertoire through streaming services, not to mention what's out there on YouTube, lamenting the passing of the browsing era in shops might seem like mere nostalgia for my own teenage years spent in Tower Records on Argyll Street in Glasgow, in my case, figuring out whether to buy Boulez's Webern or Jochum's Bruckner. (Crazy days eh?) But there's an ironic twist to the supposed last days of classical product: according to Nielsen Soundscan, in the US last year, sales of vinyl - vinyl! - jumped by 30% to six million units. Vinyl, often beautifully packaged, limited-edition vinyl, is resurgent in the UK too. The CD might be going the way of the dinosaur - but long live the new (old) flesh! This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that Skimlinks cookies will be set. More information.Guardian Headline – I tried to work all day in a VR headset and it was horrible. Our Heading – The No Shit Award! Or even… I absolutely love it when a wanker, wanks into a hairdryer and complains his balls are burnt. “I persuaded my editor to let me give it a go, doing a day’s work living in a virtual world created by the Oculus Rift.” Wait, why does this article bother me so much? I”ll explain why. Hooray! It’s lazy and screams “Oh shit… I just come back from ma’ holidays and I ain’t got nothin’!”. Saying that, being lazy doesn’t really bother me. It’s a fluffy puff-piece, it’s just a bit of fun, yeah. Not everything should be serious… Hang on, that doesn’t generally annoy me either. In fact, having a go at something like this is rather silly, isn’t it. Oh yeah… You forget, I am incredibly bloody silly! Oh, I know. It’s subversively mocking technology for the sake of mocking it, by a smug amateur in a position of privilege, who has no idea what he’s doing. There are plenty of legitimate VR gripes to take aim at; new technology comes with that proviso. Plenty of great questions to ask. Doors can be opened when a bonafide journalist gets his teeth into an idea. But for this particular question, all you really need to do is use the fucking thing for a few hours, all mysteries magically fade away. But no…. Snooty journalists telling you not to do a thing you wouldn’t ever consider doing, because you already know its a fucking stupid idea. Referencing a few good things doesn’t give the article a free pass. Do some real work, look into even more exciting concepts and technologies, some of which already exist! Give us real stories, stuff like this! The question could have been… what benefits are there to working in VR? People that have used Virtual Reality already have their answers. For those that haven’t entertained VR, articles like this drift into the stereotyped image that new technology is for NERDS, like those nerds on that Big Bang Theory. Those bloody nerds, with their silly ideas and trousers. They want to work in VR don’t they, those nerds. Not like us cool media types. If you haven’t entered a Virtual Reality before, and you have a read of an article like this, VR sounds pretty bloody terrible doesn’t it. They’ll never get me working in a make-believe fantasy castle will they! The nerds coming over here! TRYING TO GET ME IN VR! The bastards, whoever they are. It’s a light-hearted piece isn’t it. I pissed away a day doing something stupid, now I have to justify it to my boss. I wont bother with any conclusions other than “this was a stupid idea” and “how does this affect me, and me alone”. Can’t take a sip of drink with a fucking screen covering your face? No shit? Hurts the eyes with a fucking screen buried into your face for an entire day? No shit? Hard to type on a keyboard when you fucka fucking screen over your fucking face? Fuck. No shit? No software for the type of work you want to carry out within a Virtual Environment? Why do you think that is then? It’s like the journalist Darwin awards and media nonsense like this happens all the time. No really. I’m sure we’re due a newspaper campaign denigrating the evils of the computer game industry. That bloody Manhunt game was a bloody disgrace! It was like a snuff film, those bloody idiot kids can’t tell the difference. Down with this sort of thing. In fact this bloody VR nonsense is a child’s toy isn’t it. You can’t write Othello in it can you, can you, you silly little oinks. Hang on… I’ve just realised you can watch porn in some form of Realty! A Virtual one! THINK OF THE CHILDREN! Not that I’ve watched it all and reduced my penis to a nub, but this 360-degree filth must be banned! Oh, also you can’t drink your cafe ultra cappuccino deluxe in VR. Handy List Time: Try to persuade your boss to allow you to do the following: – “I tried replacing my keyboard with trained badgers and it mostly ended in disaster.” “I was allowed to report on the state of the arcade scene in London, but couldn’t find any! My heartbreaking tale. – Mr R Peston” “An in-depth interview with CGI Tarkin ended with the primer-dona storming off set. That’s enough. Disclaimer – Ok, this was mostly tongue in cheek… but I trust you had a lot of fun with the meandering rant. But c’mon, these lazy articles are a load of ol’ shit, innit.Bellator's Pat Curran will have a new fighting home on Fridays this fall. (Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images) Bellator's Pat Curran will have a new fighting home on Fridays this fall. (Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES – To avoid the NFL crush, Bellator MMA will move from Thursday to Friday nights this fall, Spike TV president Kevin Kay exclusively told SI.com during a screening this week for Fight Master, its original MMA reality series debuting on June 19. Following a rare Saturday night launch on Sept. 7 –- which will also double as Fight Master’s live finale -- Bellator’s ninth season will settle into the 9-11 p.m. ET slot on Sept. 13. Thursday nights were a fruitful home for Bellator’s eighth season of tournament-style events, which concluded in early April. They averaged 862,000 viewers over 11 events on Spike (available in 100 million homes) -- by far, the promotion’s most-watched season to date. Bellator previously aired on Friday nights on MTV2, another Viacom cable property in 80 million homes without HD capability, where it averaged approximately 155,000 and 162,000 viewers for its sixth and seventh seasons. Despite the California-based promotion’s tangible growth this past season, Kay said the NFL’s return this fall (with the NFL Network securing a fair share of premium games on Thursday nights) precipitated an obligatory move for Bellator, which Viacom purchased a majority stake of in 2011. Through a process of elimination, Kay landed on the new night, and said Bellator’s previous Friday run on MTV2, which doesn’t have the visibility of Spike, isn’t an indicator of the promotion’s potential this fall. TNA Impact Wrestling, which previously served as Bellator’s lead-in, has already been moved back into Thursday’s 9 p.m. slot, where Kay said pro wrestling’s dedicated audience will hold up better against sport’s greatest juggernaut. Kay said the strength of WWE’s Monday Night Raw and Spike’s Tuesday night original programming eliminated an early-week slot for Bellator, which left Wednesdays or Fridays. Fox Sports 1, the rebranded Speed channel, announced in May that it would feature UFC programming on Wednesdays. “I don’t want to see Bellator going head to head with the UFC,” said Kay. “I don’t think that makes any sense for fans. No matter who would win in that scenario, you don’t want to not give the fans the choice to watch both.” The Ultimate Fighter reality series, which flipped between live and taped fights during its three seasons on FX, earned some of its lowest ratings on Fridays, yet Kay is optimistic that Bellator will grow a following on the new night, in the vein of boxing’s Friday Night Fights on ESPN. “The Ultimate Fighter on Fridays was doing over a million viewers a week. I’ll take that, and with live fights, I think we’ll do even better,” said Kay. “There’s a lot of young men at home across [the] 18-49 [age demographic]. Gold Rush on Discovery does 4 million viewers on Friday nights. [The viewers] are there. You just have to give them the right thing and I think live fights on Friday, without competition, is going to be the best place for Bellator.” -- Loretta HuntHELSINKI, FINLAND - SEPTEMBER 2: Lauri Markkanen of Finland during the FIBA Eurobasket 2017 Group A match between Finland and Slovenia on September 2, 2017 in Helsinki, Finland. (Photo by Norbert Barczyk/Press Focus/MB Media/Getty Images) Former Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler opens up for in-depth profile after trade by Michael Whitlow Lauri Markkanen’s play as of late not only in EuroBasket 2017, but late in games period has been encouraging for Chicago Bulls fans to witness. That trend continued on Wednesday against Iceland when Markkanen helped slam the door on a potential upset. Through one half of play on Wednesday against Iceland in the final group stage game for Finland at EuroBasket 2017, Chicago Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen had only logged 7:30 of game time. It took a Sasu Salin half-court prayer at the first half buzzer to give Finland a lead. It made a little sense. Finland had already clinched a spot into the tournament’s knockout round, so why risk the 20-year-old’s health in a seemingly meaningless game? He’s already played 29.5 minutes a game in the previous four games, so why bother? The third quarter didn’t really change much for Finland after some more second quarter struggles in the tournament, resulting in just 10 points in the quarter and trailing 59-52 after three quarters of play to the Icelanders. Then, the Finns woke up. Salin continued to shoot the lights out of the arena, going 5-for-8 from the 3-point line on the day and Finland clawed right back into the game as crunch time approached. Salin’s fifth 3-pointer — his third of the quarter alone — gave Finland a 69-67 lead with 5:20 left to go. That’s all that Lauri Markkanen needed to finish off Iceland. With 3:15 left, Markkanen made a good read from the right wing and received a good bounce pass on his cut to the basket for a slam to put the Finns up 73-71. It was the type of plays he’s been making throughout this whole tournament that earned him the “Magic Markkanen” nickname from the ESPN stream commentating booth. On the very next possession, Markkanen drew a foul and hit two free throws to put Finland up 75-71 with 2:48 left. Then came the dagger. Markkanen set the screen to engage the pick-and-pop that got him a completely open look. He missed, but just like Salin did in the entire fourth quarter for Finland, he made the play they needed. Salin got the offensive rebound, kicked it to Teemu Rannikko, who made a good drive to draw the Iceland defense in for Markkanen to throw the final dagger into the Icelanders. Finland was able to hold off Iceland and finish the group stage of EuroBasket at 4-1 in Group A with their lone loss coming in a tight one to Goran Dragic, Luka Doncic and Slovenia. Notables before Markkanen and Finland play in the knockout stage Finland’s next game is Saturday, Sept. 5 against Italy in EuroBasket 2017’s Round of 16. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:45 CT and you can watch that game on the WatchESPN app. Here’s Markkanen’s final numbers from the EuroBasket group stage for Finland: 22.6 points on 55.1 percent shooting overall, 6.2 rebounds, 50 percent from 3 on 4.4 attempts per game and 89.7 percent shooting from the line. Bleacher Report‘s Andy Bailey noted Markkanen’s per-36 numbers in the group stage against another exciting European prospect: current New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis. EuroBasket 2017 Kristaps Porzingis: 28.3 PTS, 7.1 REB, 2.4 BLK per 36,.608 TS% Lauri Markkanen: 28.6 PTS, 7.9 REB, 1 BLK per 36,.691 TS% — Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) September 6, 2017 If you want stock in Lauri Markkanen, it might not be a bad idea to buy it now. Markkanen hasn’t been perfect. There’s been some struggles establishing post position and being strong on the blocks, protecting the ball, being in the right place defensively and being a better rim protector on defense. Still, his performance has much more positives than negatives. He’s been Finland’s best player so far and has become a Finnish folk hero already among their fans. What’s been really encouraging to see has been Markkanen’s play late in the games. Like many, I’m excited to see Netflix release The Punisher series for the world to see. Markkanen has earned a similar nickname: “The Finnisher”. He’s been so good down the stretch of games. He’s basically the go-to guy for Finland in this tournament. Finland still has plenty left they can accomplish, which means more opportunities for Markkanen to show that maybe the Bulls didn’t folly this top-10 draft pick after all. We’re still a long way from having a clear answer, but for right now, this kid looks like he’s going to be a good one and it’s really showing.CONTRARIO La teoria darwiniana dell’evoluzione rende conto in maniera scientificamente soddisfacente dell’apparenza del finalismo in natura senza ricorrere alla causalità trascendente. L’estensione del principio antropico forte (accostato all’argomento della fitness of the cosmos for life, della corrispondenza ottimale fra cosmo e vita), ovvero l’affermazione per cui, nelle condizioni che hanno dato luogo alla nascita dell’Universo, era inscritta necessariamente l’evoluzione della vita intelligente, mostra la sua assurdità se accostato in maniera ironica ad un analogo principio “felinico” (Rovelli); l’idea di progressività dell’evoluzione è d’altronde estranea al darwinismo (Gould, Pievani, Rovelli), e così un sistema fondato sulla connessione fra progresso ed evoluzione, che mescola volutamente le carte fra teismo ascientifico e la teoria (che intende porsi come scientifica) dell’Intelligent Design, rientra a buon titolo sotto la categoria di “ideologia” (Pievani). Né l’antropologia cattolica si concilia più facilmente con l’evoluzionismo di Mancuso: può “l’unica creatura che Dio ha espressamente voluto per se stesso” (Ratzinger) essersi evoluta in maniera contingente?PM May Vows 'Country That Works For Everyone' PM May Vows 'Country That Works For Everyone' Theresa May has pledged to create "a country that works for everyone" as she took office as the UK's second female Prime Minister. Speaking to the world's press outside Number 10, she said the decisions of her administration would be driven not by the interests of "the privileged few" but those voters struggling with the pressures of modern life. In an address to the nation, the 59-year-old stressed her determination to keep the Union between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. :: LIVE: May Plotting New Cabinet Inside Number 10 She vowed to "rise to the challenge" of negotiating an exit from the European Union and forge a "bold new positive role" for Britain in the world. Image: Theresa May and husband Philip wave outside 10 Downing Street Her strongest message was of her intention to serve as a "One Nation" leader acting on behalf of all voters, not just the Conservatives' traditional supporters. In a direct message to voters, she said: "I know you are working around the clock, I know you are doing your best and I know that sometimes life can be a struggle. :: Cabinet: Hammond Chancellor, Johnson Foreign "The Government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours. We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives." She then posed for pictures with her husband Philip, laughing and waving for the cameras, before heading inside. Image: Staff clap as Theresa May walks into 10 Downing Street for the first time Mrs May is now picking her first Cabinet - and she is expected to choose a record number of women for senior Government positions. :: Cameron: Being PM Was 'Greatest Honour' David Cameron formally tendered his resignation to the Queen earlier, which Buckingham Palace said Her Majesty had "graciously accepted" after his six years in power. The brief audience with Mr Cameron was followed within minutes by the arrival of Mrs May to be appointed by "kissing hands" with the monarch. She arrived at the Palace by ministerial car, having set off from the House of Commons only after receiving the signal that Mr Cameron's resignation had been accepted by the Queen and that he had advised her to appoint Mrs May in his place. Theresa May's To-Do List :: Cameron Signs Off: I Was The Future Once Mrs May's elevation to lead the country completes a whirlwind rise which was triggered by the unexpected EU referendum result on 23 June that forced Mr Cameron to resign. In her address Mrs May paid tribute to her predecessor, saying she was following in the footsteps of a "great modern Prime Minister". "Under David's leadership the Government stabilised the economy, reduced the budget deficit and helped more people into work than ever before. "But David's true legacy is not about the economy but about social justice. Theresa May: Who Is Our New PM? "From the introduction of same sex marriage to taking people on low wages out of income tax altogether, David Cameron has led a One Nation government and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead." Reacting to Mrs May taking office, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "I welcome Theresa May's acknowledgement that, after six years of Tory government in which she was a senior minister, the economy is not working for working people. "Her promise to give workers a say in boardrooms and act against exploitative zero hours contracts is also a step in a better direction. "But most important is for the new administration to abandon the destructive austerity policies which have damaged our economy and undermined living standards for most people." World leaders have been congratulating Mrs May on becoming PM. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the EU Commission, said he "looked forward" to working closely with her in the wake of the Brexit vote, and wished Mrs May "every success". Mrs May spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande within hours of taking office. She told them her new Government would need time before beginning talks on Britain's EU exit.The sixth edition of the Nehru Cup in 1987 was a special one for Indian football for more than one reason. Until then, the team was known as the whipping boys of the tournament. And when they were drawn in a group featuring seasoned opposition in Bulgaria, Denmark and China, the odds were clearly stacked against them. Calicut (now Kozhikode), however, witnessed their best performance until then. It featured two draws (against China and Denmark) and a resolute display in their 0-2 loss against Bulgaria. It was the closest India had come to qualifying for the knockouts. This was a hearty performance from a team led by a man who had infected others with his fervour and grit. While players from Goa and Bengal dominated that Indian squad, donning the captain’s armband was Abdul Majeed Kakroo—the first Indian skipper from the Kashmir Valley. The game had a dedicated following in that part of the country and had thrown up players of repute every now and then. After all those years, here was a man from the Valley who had reached the pinnacle of Indian football against all odds. However, at a time when Kashmiri football seemed poised for greatness, there came shock that undid it all. From battling it out on the field, it became a fight for survival for players such as Kakroo. “Normalcy" is a word still alien to Kashmir. But after all those years of turmoil, Kashmiris today are not only dreaming of those palmy days once again, but also inching closer to it through a collective effort. * Back in the day when the maharajas ruled Kashmir, football was a source of entertainment for the people after toiling all day at work. The accessibility of the game made it popular among the masses—all that was needed was a ball that they could chase in the many fields that dot the countryside. “Since the people enjoyed it, the king enjoyed it. He hosted tournaments like the Maharaja Gold Cup, in addition to other competitions on special occasions such as his birthday. From those times, football picked up in Kashmir. Subsequently, we formed the Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) in 1966 to take the game forward," says the association’s former president N.A. Khan. It was all building up to what is considered the golden period of football in the Valley. Between 1976 and 1988, Kashmir hosted Junior and Senior Nationals, the All India University Championship, and tournaments for the civil services and the police, in addition to the Federation Cup. “We produced 19 international players—from the school level to the senior team. Then we had players representing top clubs such as Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, the Railways teams and clubs from Bombay," Khan says. Before Kakroo, players such as Mohammed Yousuf Dar and Farooq Ahmad Bhat had drawn a lot of attention from the football fraternity. Teams such as the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC, later just RTC) and Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K Bank) were considered the nursery of Kashmiri football, and enjoyed a lot of success in those days, despite the lack of anything in the way of quality infrastructure. Kakroo, for instance, remembers never owning a football during those early days playing in the bylanes of Srinagar’s Koker Bazaar. A few locals recall his mother selling vegetables in the market to make ends meet. Abdul Majeed Kakroo. Her son, in the meantime, was busy collecting paper and stuffing them in a polythene bag to conjure up his first football. The facilities were scant—the row of plants in the local garden doubled up as posts to practice dribbling; a few salvaged leather balls were dipped in water to make them heavier, in order to practice shooting at targets made of used tyres. To recuperate, a pit was dug and filled with water to replicate an ice bath of sorts; players would exercise in the same water pit to build up muscle. Nutrition came in the form of anything that was found on the long walk home—from raw milk and eggs to “mooli and shalgam (radish and turnip)". Starting out with the local Court Road mohalla team, Kakroo went on to play for RTC, and later Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. “In 1979-80, we went to play the Durand Cup with RTC (SRTC) where I scored 18 goals on debut. The newspapers called me Kashmir ka sher (the lion of Kashmir). I was asked to join the India team camp in Bangalore, with an eye on the 1982 Asian Games," Kakroo says. Back home in Srinagar, the Bakshi stadium became the hub of all activity. Tariqa Darzi, a football aficionado who continues to support the sport today, fondly remembers a Santosh Trophy game in 1985 between Hyderabad and Goa. “Our culture was similar to that of the Hyderabadis, so there was tremendous support for them. When Hyderabad won that tie, they were gifted garlands of money, which is a tradition in Kashmir to welcome the bride and bridegroom during weddings. It was a token of our love and respect for the team which had outstanding players such as Khizar Ali and Gaffar," says Darzi. The homegrown heroes then were showered with affection. Kakroo remembers being carried all the way to his home by a delirious mob of 20,000, all chanting his name. From those days of battling contemporaries on the local ground, Kakroo moved on to becoming a regular feature on the India side. Then one fine day, everything changed. This was at the end of the 1980s, when anti-India sentiments were on the rise and militancy was taking root in Kashmir. At the peak of his career, when he was earning adulations in the maidans of Kolkata, he received a simple message to come back home. “They said if I represented India, I would find life difficult in Kashmir. I received regular threats (from militant/separatist groups) and had little choice but to quit," he says. Playing international football like Kakroo was now a distant dream for a number of other talented players. Just keeping the game alive in the Valley would become a challenge, leave alone donning the national jersey. The golden period of Kashmiri football was fading away to a bitter end. * The period of militancy in the 1990s wreaked havoc on life in Kashmir and continues to be an ailment that rears its head time and again. Back then, it was a battle for survival on a daily basis, as attacks and curfews hampered livelihoods. There was no question of playing football, given the circumstances. The local league was discontinued and most government teams shut shop, giving players no avenues to continue their pursuit of the beautiful game. “Footballers had to simply quit playing—so many careers stalled because of the unrest. I was once being interviewed by a news channel at Polo Ground in 1990. Everybody evacuated the ground, assuming that bullets would soon be flying since I was talking to Indian media. One courageous man even walked up to wish me well, saying that this was perhaps the last time he was seeing me," Kakroo recalls. Others have a similar story. In 1991, Zahoor Haroon returned from a stint with the junior India team that had turned out at the Asian Schools Football Games in China. A year later, at 19, he had received offers from Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. “I felt insecure about playing outside of Kashmir. Anyone I asked for an opinion would advise me against it. Clubs in Kashmir had even started paying their players, but it all stopped during this time. I had no choice but to drop the idea of playing professionally," says Haroon, who went on to become a veterinarian. Khan was then the head of the RTC. side, which was the top team in Kashmir. “Many footballers left us to join other ranks; a few even took to militancy. RTC was considered a government team and playing for them was against the Kashmiri sentiment. To bypass this problem, we gave our teams local names based on areas in Srinagar—Rambagh, Barzulla, Eidgah. The game was kept alive locally through these mohallas," he says. The next generation too had shown potential at the national level. Six schoolchildren had been handed football scholarships by the Sports Authority of India to help develop their game. Majid Yousuf Dar, whose father Mohammed Yousuf Dar had played for India in 1977, was a part of that batch that was making rapid progress. “The coach just stopped coming one day; then, the funds stopped for our food and boarding. We were lucky to have the support of the principal, Parwez Samuel Koul, at the Tyndale Biscoe School, who encouraged us to continue playing. We usually played among ourselves, but when the situation improved, he helped us form a team called YMCA. Though the team survived for just a year, we won every local tournament there was as we gelled well together. We were 14- and 15-year-olds, playing against men. The crowd loved us," Dar recalls. Majid Dar playing for the YMCA team dribbles the ball. Photo courtesy Majid Dar This bunch featured the likes of Ishfaq Ahmed and Mehrajuddin Wadoo, who went on to play for the national side and top clubs around India. Though they had their own progress hampered at times, they were well aware of the power of football. In the years to come, they would go on to form the core of the group that would change things for football in Kashmir. *** The situation in Kashmir improved towards the end of the ’90s. Besides Ishfaq and Wadoo, a player or two would make it out of the state after 2000, usually for a season or so. Players were still looking at football as a means to earn two square meals, as a result of which many chased “department teams"—as the name suggests, these were sides fielded by various departments of the state government—in search of job security. The professional mindset was missing; then again, opportunities were few. In 2012, J&K Bank started an academy that today has around 22 boys in Jammu and 30 in Srinagar, aged 12-17. By the time they were 19, they were released. Most turned out for the J&K Bank senior team, which has built a formidable side ever since and are the current league champions in Srinagar. “What happened was that the average age of the players on the senior side dropped from 34 to 23 years. The quality improved since they trained around the year. This set up has made a massive contribution to football development, especially when the situation was bad in Kashmir," Dar says. The JKFA managed to run the league, but disturbances time and again—in addition to the 2014 flood that wreaked havoc in Srinagar—meant frequent disruptions. There was little need for government departments to run a football team during such times, and footballers were usually called on during the odd private tournament. “We had no way of exposing our top players to the Indian arena. Our best team at that time was J&K Bank. But this was a team run by a bank and its orders (for instance, the team was disbanded during demonetization last year). “So we could not send this team to all-India competitions. SRTC disbanded, a good team called Food and Supplies shut shop. Those that survived too could afford to operate only to a certain limit," Khan says. After the I-League and I-League 2 were launched, Khan approached people to invest in a private team that aspired to play on these platforms. Iftikhar Lone, who had just returned to Srinagar after decades in the Middle East, shared this vision and Lonestar Kashmir came about in October-November 2013. Three years later, it was followed by Real Kashmir, which is funded by Shameem Meraj, owner of the Kashmir Monitor newspaper. The team visited Scotland in July for pre-season training. These private clubs had licensed coaches in Hilal Rasool Parray (Lonestar Kashmir) and David Robertson (Real Kashmir), who were familiar with the world of professional football. As the economy improved in Kashmir, department teams such as SRTC and Power Development Corporation (PDC) too restarted and featured in the local league. “Since so many clubs have come up, we have healthy competition in the state as well," Lone says. The focus was to provide opportunities to homegrown players and hire local management. The two private clubs went on to play in the second division (I-League 2), based on a core comprising Kashmiri players—both from within the state and from elsewhere. “Football is a great distraction for youngsters in the Valley. You bring them back through football. It is difficult to run the whole show on your own. But we don’t want sponsorship from anybody—it has to be someone who understands our philosophy," Lone adds. In their third year in 2016, Lonestar played the qualifiers of I-League 2 with local players, and only added a few from outside that included foreigners in the final round. The scouting for Kashmiri talent continues—a few weeks ago, Shoaib Hilal Mir, a 14-year-old from Bandipora who lives in the UK, joined Lonestar, while another teenager, Dawar Iqbal Bhat from Jammu was also added to the roster. Football is also healing old wounds that have their roots in those disruptive days. For a few like Dashyanng Kachru, it was an emotional moment when he decided to play in Kashmir a season ago. When the Kashmiri Pandits fled the Valley during the ’90s, a few of his relatives were among them. A Mumbai boy at heart, his mother was a nervous wreck when the opportunity to play for Lonestar came up. “I’ve heard stories of my family (that) left in the middle of the night with no belongings, just happy to escape in a truck full of people. My mom was a bit scared (when Lonestar approached); my grandparents were totally against it. They said go to any part of India but don’t go to Kashmir," Kachru says. He was made to feel at home, though, and has since re-signed with the club this season, dominating the midfield during the recently played out league. “Everyone relates to me here due to our history and I’ve received tremendous support. They consider me a long-lost brother. I met a Kashmiri Pandit family in Hyderabad once. They told me that they felt good that I had decided to go back to Kashmir; it gives them confidence to send their children as well," he says. With a system—of sorts—up and running, there was a need to think long-term and focus on the grassroots. That catalyst came from an unlikely source. Waheed Ur Rehman Para, youth president and spokesperson of the People’s Democratic Party, led
that's your hope!—and rescuing them depends upon two things. First, you must do your best to stay On Track (Beneath the Sands, 80). Then, once you find your way to the spiders' nest, you must draw your weapons and defeat the vermin in battle. On Track exists as one side of a double-sided Search objective, the back of which wanders Off Track (Beneath the Sands, 79). Placed into the staging area during setup, this Search objective introduces an idea that's completely new within The Lord of the Rings—it is possible to quest in the wrong direction. Regardless which side of the Search objective is faceup, you'll suffer all the same penalties should you fail to quest successfully. However, if the Off Track side is faceup, you cannot place progress on the main quest because your heroes are searching in the wrong direction. As a result, should you ever end up headed Off Track, you'll need to find your way back On Track by traveling to a location with the Track X keyword. Whenever you travel to a location with the Track X keyword, like Blocked Passage (Beneath the Sands, 72), you'll discard a number of cards from the top of the encounter deck equal to the location's Track value. So if you were to travel to Blocked Passage, you would discard two cards from the top of the encounter deck. If either of those cards then had the words "On Track" printed in the lower right, you would find your way back On Track, flipping the Search objective to that side. Keep Your Eyes Open In addition to its clever take on the game's mechanics for questing and exploration, Beneath the Sands offers a renewed focus on the game's Traits and side quests. Throughout the Haradrim cycle, you'll find a range of new events that reward creative deck-builds by offering powerful effects to players able to pair specific combinations of Traits. Meanwhile, the cycle's new side quests introduce lingering effects that trigger from your victory pile, meaning the sooner you complete them, the more impactful they will be. These side quests become even more valuable in Beneath the Sands since they allow you to derive benefits from the progress you make while questing, even if that progress cannot be placed on the main quest. When you consider this alongside the fact that the scenario's Spiders become deadlier as you remain On Track, you may find that your trip Beneath the Sands is a perfect reason for including the new side quest Keep Watch (Beneath the Sands, 59) in your deck. Once added to your victory display, Keep Watch applies a one-point penalty to the Attack Strength of each non-unique enemy engaged with a player. Given how wounds tend to add up, this could be the difference between taking no wounds from your engagements with enemies, or watching your characters bleed one point at a time, until the next point of damage would eliminate a hero. And as for Traits? There are a number of different cards that target your Traits—or provide you with a Trait—including a new card that rewards you for building your deck around characters with both the Warrior and Scout Traits. Still, for many players, given how many of them come to the game first through their love of Tolkien's novels, the gem of the lot may very well prove to be The Free Peoples (Beneath the Sands, 64). At a cost of five resources, this event is undeniably expensive, but it is also unquestionably powerful. Like the Core Set event Grim Resolve (Core Set, 25), The Free Peoples allows you to ready all characters in play. The more players and allies you have in play, the more powerful this card becomes, especially since it also provides the secondary benefit of granting a one-point boost to each character's Willpower until the end of the phase. Commit every character in play to the quest, and play The Free Peoples; suddenly, you have every character ready to travel and fight, and they're all gaining the equivalent of a boost from Core Set Faramir (Core Set, 14). The catch, of course, is that you have to spot nine different Traits to trigger the card. You can get a head start on this through the careful selection of heroes with multiple Traits. For example, Leadership Denethor (Flight of the Stormcaller, 1) and Elfhelm (Temple of the Deceived, 57) have six different Traits between the two of them, leaving you in need of only three more. Add a couple of allies, or one of the attachments from the Haradrim cycle that adds a Trait, and you'll find it relatively easy to meet the event's requirement. The Broodlings Are Hungry Can you stay On Track and find your way to the spider's den? Will you draw upon the collective wisdom of The Free Peoples to do so? How will you make use of the game's side quests? When you head Beneath the Sands, you'll want a plan that not only builds on your successes but that accommodates your setbacks. How will you fare in your efforts to save the spiders' unwitting victims? You'll have yet another chance to prove yourself as one of Middle-earth's greatest heroes when Beneath the Sands arrives to retailers early in the first quarter of 2017!Posted 15 May 2016 - 07:17 PM POPULAR Welcome to a simple write-up and general repair/reference thread for the Battle Max Sceptor MarkerBall v1.0, usually just called the Sceptor. I've been using one of these blasters since 2012 and have a lot of experience with them, so when Zorn's Lemma asked me to pick one up for him and modify it for Armageddon, I figured I would write it up here alongside a couple of noteworthy elements of the blaster. As of the original post date and time, red Sceptors are available on Amazon for $21.60 with free shipping; there are Prime-qualifying Sceptors for $29.99 (red) and $34.99 (blue). In the past month I've bought three red ones, but one blue one came instead of a red one. There are no differences between the colored versions. One was leaky, probably because these have been sitting in a warehouse for four years and the lubrication dried out. If yours is leaky out of the box, the easiest thing to do is return it; Sceptor leaks are possible to fix, but a hassle. The first post in this thread is a modification guide, and the second post is general stuff with which I've had experience (such as fixing leaks or tank replacement). If you want to jump to the guide, use this link. These are the tools and parts I used for this modification: Sceptor 1-1/4" to 1/2" PVC bushing Hacksaw Hot glue, hot glue gun Super glue Small-mouth wire cutters Hammer Sandpaper This is as bare-bones as it gets, pretty much. These are all things I had available when I started into this hobby in 2003. Rotary tools can be used in a few places to make things go more quickly, but this is a blaster someone can buy for thirty-ish bucks and get rewarded with a highly competitive blaster (if your wars are okay with them). Start with your stock blaster. You can play around with the stock inline ball system; it's pretty fun. Unfortunately, the Sceptor balls and the new Rival balls are not quite the same size. I send my Sceptor balls and inline barrels to Draconis so he can use them at his wars. (Click to embiggen the pictures, I'm uploading them via NH's file attachment system so we don't lose the photos to some stupid change of service.) Remove the pump system. It's four screws. Put it aside for the time being; it can be used to make a pump handle for later on, and it has a few nice little springs inside of it you can harvest if you're like me and like to Frankenstein blaster parts for other projects. Unscrew the blaster. There's a sticker saying you'll void your warranty if you open the blaster. You can cut it down the seam of the blaster, peel it off (which will leave the word VOID written on the plastic until later in this write-up), or just pull the blaster apart without paying attention to it (it's not strong enough to hold up to shell-pulling forces). The internals are pretty simple. There are three main components: the trigger, the air tank (the fake paintball hopper), and the mechanism body. Go ahead and pull off the orange-tipped clear plastic tube and pull the white tube out of the back. Feel free to keep them for future projects, or throw them out; they're not necessary for any part of this mod in the future. You have two options when it comes to the ball pusher rod: you can leave it in the blaster and glue it down at the front later, or you can remove it by cutting the metal. The latter is more work, but you can get slightly better airflow to the bushing, so it's up to you. If you decide to cut the rod, go ahead and do that, taking care not to damage the actual firing pin. It doesn't take too long to do with a hacksaw, even if you don't clamp it down. Be careful not to touch the metal rod right afterwards, because it'll be very hot. Now, this is what the front of the internals should look like once you're removed the pusher. Notice that the air port is kind of buried; be careful not to get anything in there. I like to leave a little pressure in the system while I'm working on it, just to keep the stopper closed and make sure nothing gets into it. The shell will need to be modified in order to make room for the new bushing. Take the internals out of the blaster and screw the shell together if you're going to cut it with a hacksaw; if it's screwed together, it'll be easier to get a clean and consistent cut. Line up the hacksaw with the major part of the shell, where the pump emerges. (At this point, I decided that I wanted to make Zorn's shell two tone, so one half will be red and one half will be blue from here on.) Removing the little hook part that latched onto the stock pump system will be helpful when you put on a different pump handle, so go ahead and cut that part off too. The only downside of cutting the blaster back at this point is that there is no longer any shell support for the air tank, but it's very stable sitting in the shell so the performance trade-off is worth it in my opinion. If you want to see a modification that leave the tank support intact, please look at TantumBull's write-up. It takes almost no time at all to do this with a hacksaw. If you have a bandsaw or scrollsaw, it's probably even faster, but this way means free arm workouts. After you're done, clean up the edges of the cut with some sandpaper or a hobby knife or even just your fingernails (not pictured here, I cleaned it up later). Put all the internals back into the shell. It should be pretty intuitive, but if it isn't, the trigger is the only place where things can go wrong. Make sure you've aligned BOTH trigger springs (the one that rests on the shell, and the one that rests under the trigger's black ramp at the top, there's a little post for it inside its channel). A 1-1/4" to 1/2" bushing fits PERFECTLY inside the remaining black stub at the front of the blaster. If you're skeptical, feel free to take your Sceptor internals to a hardware store and check for one that fits the best. On all the ones I've modified like this, I've managed to get perfect seals just from press-fitting them to the blaster, but we need to a little bit of work for optimal performance before we get there. Take your hacksaw and cut the stem with the o-ring back to even with the rest of the black piece. This is a good time to make sure the blaster is pressurized a little, since you don't want those little plastic shavings to fall into the system. Wash it out with a little bit of water afterwards. After that, take your wire cutters (or rotary tool) and shave down the wall of the center ring near the dump valve. I just bit off chunks with the cutters and that was more than enough, but a rotary tool can shave it down further if you're anal about it. You can remove the center stem piece with pliers, or leave it in; it does not matter at all. Heat up your hot glue gun and fill up the center hole area enough to pool up towards the top. You only need to fill the front hole where the pusher exited; the back hole doesn't get impacted by airflow if you fill this one. If you've done all this, then if you press your bushing in far enough, the rear wall should nearly make a seal with the area you just filled with hot glue. The airflow will pass through the channel you cut and out of the bushing, but even if you don't make that channel, this blaster puts out a lot of air sufficiently quickly that you'll still get great performance. Run a bead of superglue or goop around the seam of the bushing to make sure it stays put. The last thing to do is figure out a way to add a pump handle. Back when these things were the flavor of the month, CaliforniaPants started the trend of putting a wye on the front of the pump. Admittedly, this makes an incredibly comfortable handle, and at least one of my Sceptors used that idea. Anyways, take your hacksaw and cut off the little wings from the front of the pump shaft. I actually put this handle on the edge of a block of wood and smashed off the wing with a hammer, or you can do it neatly with a rotary tool or scrollsaw or bandsaw or whatever. In order to fit 1/2" PVC fittings over the pump, you'll need to shave any of the remaining wings down to the body of the pump. This is pretty easy even with just sandpaper. After you've done so, you can slip on whatever fitting you like best. TED found this "trap wye" and it makes for an amazing handle. You can glue it on, or take advantage of the soft plastic and drill in a hole and put a screw through it. If you saved the original pump exterior part, you can cut off the bottom of it and use that as your pump handle. I have seen at least two people do this in the mods/paint thread, so here are those photos of it that I could find (from Pause and DICE134). Put the pump back in. Your blaster is now finished. If you pump it up until the OPRV kicks in (usually between 35 and 40 pumps), you should get four shots out of a hopper at more or less full strength. It takes a little while to pump up to full from empty, but if you only fire one or two shots, it doesn't take long to get back up full. I have two recommendations at this point: Put a stock on it. Steal an N-Strike stock attachment point and glue it on the back. Fashion one out of PVC. Do whatever. It makes the blaster more comfortable to use. PLEASE do something to modify the appearance of the tank. Try and disguise the fact that it looks like a paintball hopper. Cover it in tape that is a bright color, cover it in felt stickers, cover it in denim. I still have yet to choose something for this blaster, but on my 4JAX Sceptor I plan on covering the tank in as many googly eyes as possible (I bought 600). Now go out and enjoy your blaster.There are Super Bowl parties, and then there are Super Bowl parties that have a mini edible stadium on display. After this step-by-step tutorial on how to make one, you should strive to host or attend the latter. Our mission was to construct an all-edible stadium (well, minus the cardboard box and foil) with foods we'd actually want to eat. We used the classic partytime snacks, particularly stuff that only involved opening a jar or bag. Refried black beans, Tostitos salsa con queso, pre-made guacamole, Chex Mix... Of course you can take this to the next level with more homemade ingredients, but since the construction was labor-intensive enough, we skipped that. Another rule: Only savory foods were allowed. This distinction meant no Twinkies buttressing the stadium or Gummi Bear players on the field. Four and a half hours and many grocery store runs later (zoiks, we desperately need more pretzel rods!), we had our stadium. It also became a race against the clock to finish before the guacamole turned brown! You Will Need A cardboard box X-Acto knife or box cutter Packing tape Aluminum foil Squeeze bottle Tiny piping bag or zipper-lock bag Cream cheese Guacamole Sour cream Cilantro Refried black beans Queso Dip Chex Mix Pretzel Rods Skinny pretzel sticks Goldfish Black and green olives Note: Quantities vary with size of box. We didn't end up using all of the items pictured here. The savory-only rule was made about five minutes after shooting this photo, so the Oreos hiding behind the sour cream were never opened. It also helps to have someone with an architecture degree from MIT on hand. Luckily Kenji does! The view from behind the Packers end zone. Ed's game face. There are two more bonus shots of him in the slideshow! On that note, let's jump to the slideshow for the step-by-step construction » Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Lee of NachosNY for the brainstorming sesh at the International SE Day meet-up, where this idea was born. We also checked out this one from the blog Holy Taco during the initial strategy round. This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.The Nature Conservancy of Canada has launched a fundraising program in the Maritimes over Christmas to help moose find their way to some cross-border love. The program, dubbed "The Moose Sex Project," is aiming to raise $35,000 to buy a narrow strip of the Chignecto Isthmus — a strip of land between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Andrew Holland, spokesman for the conservation group, says creating a corridor for wildlife may allow more of the New Brunswick moose population to cross over to Nova Scotia and find mates. The Nova Scotia mainland moose have been endangered since 2003, and the conservancy says that ensuring corridors between provinces may help preserve the declining population. He says the total purchase would create a corridor of about 100 hectares along the narrow strip of land. The group currently has secured five properties in the Chignecto Isthmus Natural Area, which total more than 332 hectares, and is awaiting the funds to complete several purchases to complete the corridor. New Brunswick a source of moose mates Holland says Cape Breton moose haven't been finding their way to the mainland due to the difficulties of crossing the Strait of Canso and the population is concentrated in the north of the island. That means the agency is looking to New Brunswick's healthy population as a potential source of mates for the Nova Scotia moose. "Moose populations in New Brunswick are quite healthy and continue to be healthy," said Holland. "Our hope for this narrow section of land... is we keep it open for large animals so the moose in New Brunswick can go over and make friends with the moose in Nova Scotia." The conservation group notes that in addition to moose, other mammals and bird species such as Canada lynx, bobcat and northern goshawk can use the corridor between the two Maritime provinces. Holland says the area is also a potential nesting site for American black duck, green-winged teal and wood duck. Rare plants are found on the Nova Scotia side of the Chignecto Isthmus including the Halberd-leaved tearthumb and lesser wintergreen.Taranaki health bosses and community leaders have joined the chorus of condemnation for Crate Day after it caused chaos for police and medical staff in the region. Crate Day, promoted by The Rock FM, involves drinking a "swappa crate" – 12 large (745-millilitre) bottles of beer – to mark the beginning of summer. Taranaki District Heath Board (TDHB) emergency department nurse manager Sharon Crowe said the event resulted in 23 more patients arriving at hospitals in New Plymouth and Hawera resulting in extra pressure on staff. FAIRFAX NZ The Rock FM says Crate Day proactively promotes responsible drinking but apparently not all punters are paying attention. "Patients were treated for various alcohol related injuries and illnesses including stab wounds, cuts, head injuries, vomiting, falls, assaults and broken bones," Crowe said. READ MORE: National Crate Day - already past its use-by date Man wakes from coma after Crate Day fall Participating in Crate Day? Save me a spot in hospital Complaint laid with SPCA about crate day plans to roast miniature horse TDHB medical officer of health Jonathan Jarman said the region already had a problem with hazardous drinking with 20.3 per cent of adults having patterns that carry a risk to themselves or others compared to 17.1 per cent nationally. "It is always sad when something that should be a fun time with your mates turns into people getting hurt," Jarman said. "Alcohol has the unenviable reputation of being a drug that can hurt other people as well as harming the person who does the drinking." Alcohol-related injuries presenting to the emergency department at Taranaki Base Hospital cost the DHB more than $345,000 annually. Jarman said it was a shame the organisers and sponsors of Crate Day didn't have more of a social conscience. While police Taranaki area commander Inspector Keith Borrell would not comment on the event he said feedback from staff indicated it had been a very busy night around the region. "We know that we were dealing with a lot more intoxicated people than normal and a lot of the people were grossly intoxicated," Borrell said. The additional work had put a strain on police resources, he said. Grant Coward, a member of the New Plymouth district council's alcohol advisory committee and the former head of the CIB, described the event as pathetic. "When we have all of these issues around alcohol abuse and we are promoting a day where people are encouraged to binge drink, I think we need to grow up a bit and realise it's not a good thing to do," Coward said. "Anything that is going to promote binge drinking is going to cause harm, there is no question, it's a no brainer." Coward said alcohol consumption created a lot of dangerous situations. "I saw it in the police where people were intoxicated to the point where they've had a bit of a scuffle, the next thing they smack someone, they fall down and crack their head and they die. I saw that at least twice. "It's just unhealthy and it's time we grew up and got away from this sort of nonsense." Although crates are marketed to be shared, many participants saw the event as a challenge to drink 9 litres on their own. In 2005/06 the total social cost of harmful alcohol use cost the country $4.437 billion. More than a third of all crimes, including violence and homicides, are committed by an offender who had been drinking.The CBI on Saturday searched residences and offices of flamboyant business tycoon Vijay Mallya and his now-grounded Kingfisher Airlines in the case of a Rs 900 crore loan by state-run IDBI Bank and now declared a non-performing asset (NPA) and registered a case against him and others. A case of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by public servant and corruption, was registered against the airline as well as its director Mallya, who is an independent Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, chief financial officer A Raghunathan and unnamed bank officials following raids at five places - at the airline's offices and at residences of Mallya and others in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Panaji, said agency officials. "The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against then director of Mumbai- based airlines, his said company; then CFO of said private company and other unknown officials of IDBI Bank," a CBI statement said. "It is alleged that officials of IDBI colluded with the promoters/directors and CFO of said airlines and sanctioned credit limits of Rs 900 crore (approx) in violation of banking norms, thereby causing loss to the said bank by such fraudulent act," it said. It said that searches were conducted on Saturday at three places in Mumbai and one each in Bangalore and Goa in the offices and residences of the accused. "Several incriminating documents found during searches are being scrutinized. Further investigation is in progress," the statement added. In Goa, a CBI team from Mumbai raided the Kingfisher Villa, Mallya's expansive property in the tony Candolim beach area, located 15 km from Panaji. The Bengaluru-based United Breweries, the holding company with substantial equity stake in the airline, admitted that CBI officials visited its office in Bengaluru, Mumbai and near Panaji. "We cooperated with the officials and provided required documents and will continue to offer cooperation," it said in a statement. The loan was advanced by the IDBI bank despite the fact that there was uncertainty about huge loans earlier extended by a 17-member consortium of banks to the airlines being paid. Some of the banks in the consortium have already declared Mallya as a "wilful defaulter". Sources said what raised suspicion was the fact that it was the first exposure of the Kingfisher to the bank and the big loan was granted despite negative rating and net worth of the airlines. While registering the preliminary enquiry in 2014 into the questionable sanction of loan by IDBI, the CBI had said: "There was no need for the bank to take the exposure outside the consortium when already other banks loans were getting stressed." Debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines was virtually grounded on October 1, 2012 as the passenger carrier cancelled all 50 flights after a section of its employees went on strike leaving thousands stranded, while it failed to pay dues running into crores to its service providers, including state-run oil firms, Airport Authority of India (AAI) and consortiums of Mumbai and Bengaluru airports. It lost its operator's licence on October 20, 2012. A string of Indian banks have an exposure of nearly Rs 7,000 crore in loans to the airline, with State Bank of India (SBI) leading with Rs 1,600 crore. Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of India and Bank of Baroda have loan exposure in the range of Rs 800 crore, Rs 650 crore and Rs 550 crore. The consortium led by SBI was formed to recover the money. The United Bank of India (UBI), which was owed Rs 400 crore by Kingfisher, first declared Mallya a wilful defaulter in May 2014. But Mallya's lawyers managed to convince the Calcutta High Court in December that the process of declaring him so was faulty. However, after apex bank Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended ambit of the term "wilful" defaulter to include not only the primary defaulting entity, but also the guarantors of loans, and individuals on the boards of companies declared to be in wilful default, Mallya was again declared a wilful defaulter this year. (IANS)The U.S. Census Bureau's Population Division recently released updated population estimates for 533 Maine municipalities for the year 2013. These data, compared with population counts from the 2010 Census, indicate which Maine towns and cities are growing in population, and which are shrinking. In the 2010 census, Maine's population was 1,328,361. The Census Bureau estimates that Maine as a whole lost 59 residents over the 2010-2013 interval – less than a hundredth of one percent of its population. Still, some municipalities, especially in southern and coastal Maine, are seeing significant growth, while many others, mostly in rural areas of the state, are losing residents. Mouse over the map to explore town-by-town estimates. Or scroll down to explore different regions in greater detail. Greater Portland Greater Portland saw the state's greatest population growth. While the city of Portland itself saw a modest gain in population (124 new residents between 2010 and 2013), most of the growth occurred in the city's suburbs. The five municipalities that posted the state's biggest population gains are all in this region. Maine's five fastest-growing cities and towns Town 2010 population 2010-2013 gain Gorham 16,381 458 Windham 17,001 442 Scarborough 18,919 424 Saco 18,482 395 Falmouth 11,185 320 The Census Bureau estimates that Cumberland and York Counties each gained 3,782 and 2,300 new residents, respectively, in the 2010 to 2013 period. With the exceptions of Bridgton and Frye Island, every town in these two counties posted population gains. Greater Bangor In the Bangor area, population gains in the towns of Hermon, Ellsworth and Orono were largely offset by losses in the city of Bangor, which had an estimated loss of 366 residents. Penobscot County as a whole lost an estimated 559 residents in the 2010-2013 period, but Hancock County gained 427 people, with significant growth in Ellsworth. Town 2010 population 2010-2013 gain/loss Bangor 33,039 -366 Orono 10,362 311 Brewer 9,482 -120 Ellsworth 7,741 134 Hermon 5,416 278 Northern Maine According to the Census Bureau, tiny Springfield, Maine in eastern Penobscot County was the northernmost municipality registering any population growth between 2010 and 2013, with a gain of 8 residents. Aroostook County lost an estimated 1,815 residents. Presque Isle and Caribou, the county's two largest cities, trailed Augusta and Bangor in the ranks of Maine towns with the largest population losses. Municipalities with the 5 largest population losses, 2010-2013 Town 2010 population 2010-2013 loss Bangor 33,039 -366 Augusta 19,136 -343 Presque Isle 9,692 -290 Caribou 8,189 -237 Bath 8,514 -157 Small towns, big impact Another view of the data looks at population gains and losses in terms of annual percentage rates, which gives an idea of population changes on a per-capita basis. This emphasizes the effects of population gains and losses in comparatively small towns. For instance, Hope, in Knox County, gained 115 new residents between 2010 and 2013 — almost as many as Portland – in a town of only 1,651. That's more than 7 new residents moving in for every 100 residents who lived in Hope in 2010. By contrast, Portland's 124 new residents, in a city of 66,318, add up to a paltry 0.06% annualized growth rate. 5 fastest-growing towns, relative to current population Town 2010 population 2010-2013 gain Annualized growth rate Hope 1,536 115 2.4% Waldo 762 50 2.1% Hermon 5,416 278 1.7% Perry 889 34 1.3% Acton 2,447 74 1.0% Census estimates of population changes in such small towns are less statistically reliable than for larger towns, and so this list excludes towns with fewer than 500 residents, such as Burlington in Penobscot County, where the estimate of 34 new residents out of 397 would have yielded a 3.0% annualized growth rate. 2010-2013 population growth, by countyTurbulent Jet ignition pushes engine combustion efficiency It has recently emerged that Turbulet Jet Ignition (TJI), and not HCCI, is one of the key technologies that Scuderia Ferrari is using in Formula One engines to push the power unit's efficiency further forward. Confirmation has come from Mahle, one of Ferrari's suppliers, that at least the Italian team is now using TJI in its power unit. The company's latest annual report quotes Fred Turk, head of Mahle Motorsports as saying: “The Mahle Motorsports engineers have found the right solution for Scuderia Ferrari. More than five years of development preceded that crucial phone call to Maranello with the proposal: ‘We’ve found an interesting new solution for you.’ Mahle Jet Ignition is the name of the innovation that gives the engines from Maranello a boost. Within a few weeks, in spring 2015, we adapted our solution to the Formula 1 requirements, allowing Ferrari to compete in Canada with this solution for the first time.” Since the Canadian Grand Prix of 2015, in which Ferrari was reported to have made a solid step forward, Mahle's new Jet Ignition system is in use to improve combustion efficiency, and as such power - given that Formula One regulations currently limit performance by limiting the amount of fuel that can be used. The jet ignition system is a new combustion technology, patented as US20120103302 on 1 Nov 2011 that replaces the standard spark plug in SI engines with a jet ignition chamber assembly. It facilitates the implementation of ultra lean-burn operation in gasoline engines, improving their efficiency and reducing the formation of pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and particulates. One of the main benefits of the system is that, depending on the specific design of the cylinder heads, the jet igniter can be a drop in replacement for the traditional spark plug. The jet igniter itself includes a small ignition chamber with a direct injector (DI) that provides a small amount of auxiliary fuel (<5% of the total system fuel) and a spark plug to ignite that charge. The ignition chamber is connected to the main chamber by a number of orifices which allow jets of partially combusted products to ignite the main charge. The smaller orifice size causes turbulence in the hot gas jets which then penetrate deeper into the main combustion chamber and cause an evenly distributed ignition effect. The main chamber is fuelled through a conventional port or direct-injection injector. With 4-8 ignition jets, depending on the application, the main charge is extensively ignited and a faster burn-through and pressure build-up is generated. Furthermore, this process allows increased compression ratios (a 4 point increase in some applications) combined with lower combustion temperatures and reduced throttling / pumping losses to achieve peak indicated thermal efficiencies up to 45% - not to be confused with the reported > 48% thermal efficiency that Mercedes is achieving for its entire F1 power unit. The details of how Mahle has adapted the TJI system for Ferrari or obviously still held anxiously secret, but results from the various testing beds have shown promising measurements. Mahle have for instance tested various prototypes with on a visual test bed, as well as a single-cylinder engine, and found fuel efficiency gains of more than 17% over spark ignition. Apart from this increased efficiency, the potentially reduced cooling needs will be equally interesting for F1 designers, as that could allow tigher cooling packages and improved aerodynamics. Mahle says the new design results in much quicker ignition that with standard spark ignition, "enabling the engine to operate at optimum spark timing as the knock limit is extended significantly. In car engines, high fuel savings are achieved by the higher, almost diesel-like efficiency. Engine tests show specific consumption below 200g / kWh and significant related reductions in CO2 emissions". The German powertrain designer also states that in addition to providing efficiency and fuel consumption advantages, the system also brings considerably reduced emissions, with a reduction of NOx emissions by more than 99 percent in ultra-lean mode. The latter is obviously less relevant for Formula One and the Scuderia, but certainly interesting for future mass market exploitation as emission norms become more and more stringent.Doctors in Washington, D.C. are beginning to write prescriptions for their patients to spend time in parks to improve their health. Shenandoah National Park. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock The initiative known as D.C. Park Rx is a partnership spearheaded by the National Park Service (NPS), whose Healthy Parks Healthy People program aims to connect people to parks through health promotion while creating the next generation of park stewards. D.C. Park Rx’s greatest champion is Dr. Robert Zarr, a practicing primary care pediatrician at Unity Health Care’s Upper Cardozo Community Health Center. Dr. Zarr has persuaded 27 of his colleagues to prescribe parks to their patients, and over 500 prescriptions have been made in the past nine months. Last year a searchable database of 350 city parks was linked to Electronic Medical Records. Those parks are rated based upon access, cleanliness, level of activity and safety. Mapping all of D.C.’s green spaces was an effort that involved volunteers as well as several organizations including the NPS and the National Environmental Education Foundation. NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis, Dr. Robert Zarr, Dr. Maria Cristi Rueda and a patient holding her park prescription. Photo credit: HealthIT.govAdam “Nergal” Darski’s involvement with the new music reality TV show “The Voice of Poland” has been criticised and protested by the Catholic Association Of Journalists. An excerpt from the statement: The participation of Adam Darski – a Satanist and outspoken enemy of Christian values – contradicts the missionary nature of Polish television The Bishop, Wiesław Mering, who read this statement also called forth for a protest of TV fees from all Polish citizens. Nergal’s opinion about his “flirtation with the mainstream”: “It’s going to be fun. The first black metal judge ever in history doing a mainstream thing, you know? People are going to freak out! Some are going to love it, some are going to fucking hate it. But that’s what this music has always been about, right? To provoke, to cause different opinions. The more extreme opinions, the better, I think.” “This so-called celebrity life is not my environment at all, but I am a part of it if I want it or not. So it’s been crazy. Then the whole case with my sickness and me getting out alive [Nergal was diagnosed
published neuroimaging studies to examine dysfunctions underlying negative emotion processing in borderline personality disorder. A thorough literature search identified 11 relevant studies from which they pooled the results to further analyze, providing data on 154 patients with borderline personality disorder and 150 healthy control subjects. Ruocco commented, "We found compelling evidence pointing to two interconnected neural systems which may subserve symptoms of emotion dysregulation in this disorder: the first, centered on specific limbic structures, which may reflect a heightened subjective perception of the intensity of negative emotions, and the second, comprised primarily of frontal brain regions, which may be inadequately recruited to appropriately regulate emotions." Importantly, reduced activity in a frontal area of the brain, called the subgenual anterior cingulate, may be unique to borderline personality disorder and could serve to differentiate it from other related conditions, such as recurrent major depression. "This new report adds to the impression that people with borderline personality disorder are'set-up' by their brains to have stormy emotional lives, although not necessarily unhappy or unproductive lives," commented Dr. John Krystal, Editor ofBiological Psychiatry. "Given that many of the most effective psychotherapies for borderline personality disorder work to improve emotion regulation skills, these findings could suggest that dysfunctions in critical frontal 'control' centers might be normalized after successful treatment," concluded Ruocco.ADVERTISEMENT: By: Jared Yost Now that Conspiracy is fully spoiled and the first drafts have started firing from the set, I’d like to share with you all what I will be watching moving forward from this set. It won’t be anything besides foils, at least for now. Here’s my thinking – why do I care about non-foil prices of a product like this when it can just be printed into oblivion like Commander 2013? Remember when our good friend True-Name Nemesis was $50+ when Commander 2013 was released? That sure didn’t last very long. It took an especially huge nose dive when Wizards announced that they would be cutting a random Commander deck in the next wave of the products to make way for two of every Mind Seize for every other one of the other Commander 2013 decks that were released in the new wave. I bought two sealed boxes of the Commander 2013 product first wave (that’s two of each deck) and I’m honestly not sure if that was a good purchase looking back on it now. I have no idea how long it is going to take for those decks to rise past the point that I purchased them at – there are so many of them out there now that the market has become fully saturated with no end to that saturation until the next product. I have a feeling I’m going to be holding onto them for a long time before I can resell them. I predict that Conspiracy sealed product will be following a similar trajectory. If this product even shows a whiff of popularity, you can bet your Mox Emerald that we’ll be seeing wave after wave after wave of these boxes. I would stay away from Conspiracy sealed product for some time as Wizards has proven with Commander 2013 that they have no problem with mass printings of a product when there is demand in the market. What isn’t really affected by these mass reprints? Foils. Therefore, foils from Conspiracy will be best to target since mass reprints of the set (which is fairly large coming in at 210 cards) will hardly even budge many of these prices for the first year, and beyond that they will only continue to gain value since the set certainly isn’t lacking unique cards. A few have even seen their first foil printing like Exploration. However, sometimes foils can drop in value as demand dries up for the first few months to a year after the product has been released. This is because the people that want the foils get them, and then there isn’t any demand for the foils until a new crop of players comes along looking for them. Once this period is over the foil prices will start creeping back up again. Let’s take a look at the MTGPrice listing for the top 25 foils by value in the set. These are the foils that will see movement one way or another. Dack Fayden – Surprisingly the first foil on the list is one that you should watch out for. Not in a good way – in a “If this guy doesn’t put up any results over the next few months, abandon ship!” kind of way. Does anyone know if Dack Fayden is even any good at this point? I haven’t seen any decklists that utilize him yet in Legacy or Vintage. It could be too early to tell but I’m not going to hold my breath. His abilities are cool though they don’t really provide an end game like Jace, the Mind Sculptor or Liliana of the Veil. Brainstorm – Here’s a foil we can all get behind! There are several foil printings of Brainstorm already available to the MTG populace but giving us another definitely won’t hurt, especially with that awesome new art. Don’t get me wrong, I love the first foil version’s Masques art yet the new Izzet themed Brainstorm is great as well! This is the first time that this art has had a foiling so I expect this foil version of Brainstorm to maintain its value and then continue to gain value as the years go on. Actively trade for these copies when you can. Exploration – A first time foil and found as a playset in a well known Legacy archetype? Sounds like a recipe for a winning pick up. Years down the road, players will wish that they were able to pick up these foils for $60 – however, in the short term I could see this price dropping a bit. Once the players that want these foils pick them up, since the Lands Legacy archetype isn’t a popular choice (you can thank Tabernacle’s insane price for that) and casuals have their fix for EDH the price could easily dip down for a bit while demand is low. Once the dip happens, that will be the time to move on these foils. As these foils continue to sit in people’s EDH and Legacy decks without moving back into the market, the price will re-adjust itself accordingly and I can definitely see these hitting $100 and continue to trend upwards once they become really hard to find. Council’s Judgment – Ahem, I’ll have to reserve judgement about this particular sorcery’s foil price until I start seeing some TNN’s being exiled with regularity in Legacy. LSV puns aside, $60 for foils of this while normal copies can be had for as low as $8 on TCGPlayer seems greedy. This ain’t Abrupt Decay. It can be countered, costs three mana, requires a heavy commitment to white to cast, and is a sorcery – four serious strikes against it in a format defined by counterspells. Golgari Charm feels better than this most of the time. Maybe I’m severely underestimating this card but you won’t see me buying this for $60 foil. Stifle – $50 for a foil that has been printed in foil twice already? And we’ve already had a foil printing of this art before in the form of a judge promo? No thanks, I think I’ll pass on this one. There isn’t a reason that this particular foil version will continue to go up and it has every reason to decline in value once more Conspiracy is opened – just like Commander 2013 there will be no end to this product for quite a while, so I expect this foil to be one of the foils that drops in price over time. ADVERTISEMENT: Misdirection – Similar to Brainstorm, we haven’t had a Misdirection foil since Masque’s block and we’ve got new art to boot as well. The new art is pretty badass, and even though the old art is iconic I can definitely see players wanting to get their hands on some Conspiracy foils of this card. $48 is a bargain compared to the $140 it will cost you for a Masques foil. In the long term, this price will probably only continue to go up as it seems that Misdirection will have a place in Legacy as long as Sneak and Show exists in the format. Barring any bannings, such as Show and Tell and/or possibly Sneak Attack being banned, expect this foil version of Misdirection to go up over time. Speaking of which, judge foil Show and Tells feel very underpriced to me – they are almost the same price as the regular copies! Marchesa, the Black Rose – “I’m not even sure if this card is even good in commander.” I thought to myself at first. The thing with Marchesa is that you need to look past the Dethrone stuff, which honestly isn’t going to be that relevant all the time (when is Grixis ever an aggro deck?) and instead focus on that last line of text. “Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it dies, return that card to the battlefield at the beginning of the next end step.” That’s sweet, pretty much constant recursion of your creatures if you build a deck around +1/+1 counters with her! Is it $44 sweet for the foil version though? Honestly, I think the answer is probably. She is in popular commander colors in addition to being a great attrition commander. I’m not sure if that $40 mark will budge for a quite a while (and if it does it won’t go down that much) and I believe in the long term you only stand to gain with a foil of her. She’s also mythic which helps to maintain the high foil price. Pernicious Deed – For a $35 foil, you aren’t getting a bargain but you could do worse. Deed already has two foil printings and this one keeps the old art with a new border? Not sure if I like that combination. At least with the judge promo they recreated the art to better match the updated card border for multicolored cards. I don’t think the new card border looks good with the old art, though that could just be my nostalgia kicking in since I started playing when Invasion was legal in Standard and Deed is a fond memory from that era. Regardless, I don’t think I want to be picking up foil deeds of this variety right now. I can’t see the foil price increasing long term and it can only go down in the short term. Muzzio, Visionary Architect – I foresee this guy replacing a lot of Arcum Dagsson’s as commander so that players will be less inclined to think that you are going to combo off on them at any given moment if you’re currently running an Arcum commander deck. Muzzio was a great way for R&D to design a new Arcum without making it busted – he is powerful in his own right but there is a still a randomness to your artifact selection which nerfs most combo shenanigans. Speaking of Arcum Dagsson, foil versions of him can be had for $25 – cheaper than Muzzio is currently. I recommend you stay away from foils of this card for a while until he at least matches Arcum in price or even falls a little bit lower than him. ADVERTISEMENT: Reflecting Pool – I’m not sure if I am a fan of this foil at $30. It’s not really played in Modern or any other eternal formats, so its demand comes strictly from commander. There are already Shadowmoor foils out there for Reflecting Pool at $70, so like Deed you can get the bargain foil from Conspiracy if you wish. Unfortunately I wouldn’t really expect this to rise in price for quite a long time, if ever. Scourge of the Throne – I’m not really a fan of this card. No haste, Dethrone (not a thrilling ability outside of casual and Commander), and requiring you to attack the highest life total to take another combat phase during your turn seems underwhelming to me. However people will collect this card simply because it is a dragon, so maybe my impressions of the card have nothing to do with how awesome it might be to the casual crowd – maybe $30 for a foil of this will be a bargain several years down the line. I’m not going to actively pick up foils of this but if someone offers me the right price I’m not going to turn it down. Mirari’s Wake – See my review for Deed and Reflecting Pool. Another card with some foil printings that won’t be moving in price any time soon. I would not pick up this foil expecting it to go up significantly over time. Basandra, Battle Seraph – Similar to Scourge of the Throne, I expect this to maintain value purely due to being an angel. Casuals love their angels and people collect them, especially foil versions. Basandra isn’t that powerful yet this is the only foil version of her, so the price will reflect that accordingly. Hydra Omnivore – This guy is insane in commander and will be a great target for foil. The non-foil version from Conspiracy is $5 which is significantly lower than the commander counterpart. I think its odd that they reprinted it at mythic even though it was only a rare in the Commander set. Regardless, since this is the first foil version of the card it will command a premium like Basandra. Unlike Basandra, this foil has a chance of taking off as the years go on because it packs quite a punch. Brago, King Eternal – In my opinion he is only a marginal commander. Even if he is in your commander deck, his stats are pretty underwhelming for something that needs to attack and deal combat damage in order for his effect to go off. His nonfoil version is only about $1.50 on TCGPlayer. I would stay away from this foil for a while and wait for it to dip down a bit. Rout – Since this has brand new art, and the art happens to center around Elesh Norn, I predict that many people will want the foil version of this art simply because they are fans of Elesh Norn. It is sitting around $20 right now, which I think is a fair price for a card that is really good in commander. It has the chance to dip down in price once the casual crowd has fulfilled their demand for the time being (the first year the product is out) but over time the foil version featuring this art could become quite collectable. Coercive Portal – Even though it says that this foil is $20 on the sheet, I’ve checked on TCGPlayer and the foils are basically all sold out already. There were two listings left on Friday and they were at $50 and $220 respectively… hmm, what is going on here? Did someone find some tech for Legacy MUD decks that they want to utilize? Is this a better version of Nev’s Disk and/or Staff of Nin? I guess if you were able to buy the foil for $20, congrats you’ve made a killing on the price jump. I don’t think it’s staying there though. With regular copies being listed for around $2 on TCGPlayer I don’t see how this foil can be over $50 already so quickly. Wait for the hype spike to die down before trying to get foil copies of this. Swords to Plowshares – Even though Swords has several foil printings already (judge promo, FTV 20, and FNM) the Conspiracy foil will be the first with the latest art that isn’t in the FTV foiling style. This will appeal to many players as the new art is quite awesome even if it isn’t Jeff Menges – Terese Nielsen is just as good, if not better right? $20 is a good starting point but I would expect this to climb higher as the years go on. Swords is always a solid card, just like Brainstorm, so foil copies whatever they look like will always be sought after. Grenzo, Dungeon Warden – Grenzo is probably the most unique B/R card designed since Cauldron Dance. First of all, he is a B/R creature with an X in it’s mana cost – the first time something like this has been designed. Second, his activated ability is weird yet powerful. It makes your opponents think twice before casting Hallowed Burial or Terminus – or even Spell Crumple! Grenzo will break your guys free from the bottom of your library and put them right back into play. Price wise, at $19 for foil it seems a bit expensive at the moment. Wait a while for Conspiracy to continue to be released. Once his foil drops a bit then it will be the time to pick him up since his effect is so unique. Altar of Dementia – A first time foil and a great casual card, Altar of Dementia foils will be sought after by those trying to foil out commander decks. I feel that $16 is a pretty fair price and that it will only go up over time. Once the foils start increasing, I could definitely see this going up to $40 and even surpassing it one day. Dack’s Duplicate – A very unique twist on Clone. I love this card! Copying a creature with haste and Dethrone is no joke, all for that R in it’s mana cost. This is a great Clone variant and will be sought after for years to come. $15 seems like a great deal for foils of this, so I would look to pick up a few copies for your EDH decks and not let them go. Edric, Spymaster of Trest – Edric is an awesome commander, but being banned from Duel Commander really stifles the price. $15 is pretty good for foil versions since Commander Arsenal versions are around $20. I can foresee this version hitting $20 over time and probably even going past it once the CA version starts to pick up steam. If you don’t have a foil Edric by now, I would pick him up as I don’t think over time he is going to get any cheaper. Selvala, Explorer Returned – I’m not a huge fan of this card as I don’t feel it does anything spectacular. It’s no Rofellos and requires white mana to generate a bunch of green mana which is awkward. I like the life gain, however letting everyone draw a card seems kind of bad in G/W. $15 feels like too much, wait a bit for it to drop in price and then go in on the foil if you want her. Magister of Worth – A great casual card, but the promo is really going to hurt the regular foil price for quite some time. Don’t get in on this foil for a while if you want a Conspiracy foil version. Instead trade it into another foil like Muzzio or Grenzo which are sure to go up over time. Phage, the Untouchable – She is a reprint foil like several others on the list, so I would recommend picking this foil up only if you are looking for a bargain and not looking to make a profit on her some day. She’s only a collector’s item at this point as she can’t be a general and is really hard to get into play in a casual game. I’d rather have the original Legion’s foil as it is only $4 more. Foils Abound I think that looking at foils from Conspiracy will be much better in the long run than looking at non-foils simply because the price of all the non-foils will be severely depressed by the wide distribution of this product. My predictions could be severely off if this product is nowhere near as popular as everyone predicts, in which case if you decided to pick up regular copies of cards you would have made more money in the long run than picking up foils. However, I do think the product will be very popular and will be drafted for quite a while by casual players that make up the majority of the MTG population. There are both competitive and casual foil targets that can be acquired that I think will only keep going up in the future. Conspiracy is an awesome set, and if Wizards decides to do something like this again then this first generation Conspiracy could even hold value based on being an original – just like the first Commander product and Duel Deck product command a premium. Only time will tell! ADVERTISEMENT:Oct 20, 2016 This week’s theme Words that appear to be coined after someone (but aren’t) This week’s words ruminate bushwa obambulate trumpery hilarity Spread the love to friends & family Words that appear to be coined after someone (but aren’t) “You have to fall in love with hanging around words.” ~John Ciardi A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg trumpery PRONUNCIATION: (TRUHM-puh-ree) MEANING: noun: 1. Something showy but worthless. 2. Nonsense or rubbish. 3. Deceit; fraud; trickery. ETYMOLOGY: From French tromper (to deceive). Earliest documented use: 1481. USAGE: “The room was crowded with a chilly miscellany of knick-knacks and ornaments, gewgaws, and trumpery of every kind.” Leo Bruce; Case for Three Detectives; Academy Chicago; 1980. “History, made up as it is of so much trumpery, treachery, and tyranny, needs deeds of valor, of sacrifice, and of heroism if it is to be palatable.” The Medal of Honor: A History of Service Above and Beyond; Zenith Press; 2014. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: I have three ex-wives. I can't remember any of their names, so I just call 'em Plaintiff. -Lewis Grizzard, humorist (20 Oct 1946-1994) We need your help Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere DonateMy submission for the EqD contest seen here: [link] This is all three pieces displayed together as they should be.Cut paper has always been my favorite media for 2D art so this contest gave me an excuse to make something neat and pony related and take a little break from sewing. It was pretty challenging to work with the limited color pallet of the construction paper I had. I even "borrowed" some from my after-school care job because my construction paper package didn't have any pink or purple in it and only had light green and light blue. Even with those few extra colors though my choices were limited. I think it turned out quite well considering that!Alas, not even honorable mention. There were some really nice entries. Everyone should go look at them.Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. He is the author of “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform – Why We Need It and What It Will Take.” Most Republicans and conservatives despise the British economist John Maynard Keynes and believe his theories are the root of all evil in economic policy. Yet when push comes to shove, Republicans are happy to fall back on Keynesian theories when it suits them. Today's Economist Perspectives from expert contributors. As David Frum, a speechwriter for George W. Bush, recently put it, “We’re all Keynesians during Republican administrations.” The latest evidence comes from Mitt Romney, in an interview with Time magazine, during which he expressed concern about the impending fiscal contraction on Jan. 1, 2013, when the Bush-era tax cuts expire and various large cuts in spending are scheduled to take place – a result of last summer’s budget deal. A May 22 report from the Congressional Budget Office estimated that these actions would reduce the federal budget deficit by about 4 percent of gross domestic product next year. One would think that Mr. Romney would embrace this huge deficit reduction and say, “Bring it on!” After all, his party has long asserted that deficits drain capital from the economy that would better be put to use by the private sector. Indeed, many conservatives claim that deficits are destabilizing and the principal impediment to economic growth. In Europe, conservatives have been successful in making fiscal consolidation the principal means of stimulating growth. Keynesians, including the Times columnist Paul Krugman, have been highly critical of the Europeans for impeding growth rather than stimulating it with contractionary fiscal policies. For example, with an eye on Europe, Professor Krugman has written, “Slashing spending in a depressed economy depresses the economy even more, and if you don’t have to, you shouldn’t do it — you should wait until the economy is stronger.” Consequently, it is somewhat heretical to hear Mr. Romney express grave concern about the potential economic impact of embracing the conservative consensus and slashing the deficit quickly. As he told Time’s Mark Halperin: If you take a trillion dollars, for instance, out of the first year of the federal budget, that would shrink G.D.P. over 5 percent. That is by definition throwing us into recession or depression. So I’m not going to do that, of course. Continuing, Mr. Romney said: I don’t want to have us go into a recession in order to balance the budget. I’d like to have us have high rates of growth at the same time we bring down federal spending, on, if you will, a ramp that’s affordable, but that does not cause us to enter into an economic decline. According to the C.B.O., Mr. Romney is in the ballpark with his estimate. It projects that the fiscal tightening already programmed into law will reduce the deficit by $560 billion next year, which will reduce real G.D.P. growth to −1.3 percent from 5.3 percent in the first half of next year if all the fiscal tightening is postponed. Generally speaking, economists define a recession as two back-to-back quarters of negative real growth. The problem is that this forecast makes sense only if one accepts Keynesian economics — something the C.B.O. has long been accused of doing. Partly for this reason, Newt Gingrich referred to it as a “reactionary socialist institution” and called for it to be abolished. Mr. Romney is not the first Republican to embrace Keynesian economics. The free-market economist Milton Friedman, who advised the G.O.P. presidential candidate, Barry Goldwater, in 1964 told Time in 1965, “We are all Keynesians now.” (Dr. Friedman later complained that the Time reporter truncated his full quotation, which was, “In one sense, we are all Keynesians now; in another, nobody is any longer a Keynesian.”) In 1971, Richard Nixon famously told the broadcaster Howard K. Smith that he was “now a Keynesian in economics.” Mr. Smith expressed shock at Nixon’s statement. He likened it to a Christian saying, “All things considered, I think Mohammad was right.” In 1975, Gerald Ford responded to the recession that began in November 1973 by supporting a one-shot tax rebate of 10 percent of a taxpayer’s 1974 tax liability, with a minimum rebate of $100 and a maximum of $200 (between $418 and $836 in today’s dollars). This was pure, unadulterated Keynesian economics — just put money in people’s pockets, and they will immediately spend it and growth will ensue. Although Ronald Reagan never expressed sympathy with Keynes, many economists have asserted that his economic policies were de facto Keynesian. They point to the sharp rise in federal spending to 23.5 percent of G.D.P. in 1983, from 21.7 percent in Jimmy Carter’s last year, which significantly softened the blow of the 1981-82 recession and helped restore growth. In 2001, George W. Bush responded to the recession that began in March by proposing another tax rebate of $300 to $600, even though extensive research by the economists Alan Blinder and Franco Modigliani and Charles Steindel showed that the 1975 rebate had very little impact on growth. According to the journalist Ron Suskind, when Mr. Bush’s economic advisers tried to tell him that the rebate was bad policy, he told them, “If I decide to do it, by definition it’s good policy.” Although research by the economists Joel Slemrod and Matthew Shapiro in 2003 found that the 2001 rebate had minimal stimulative effect, Mr. Bush supported yet another rebate in 2008 of $300 to $1,200, depending on one’s income and filing status, to counteract the recession that began in December 2007. Subsequent research by the C.B.O. and the Bureau of Labor Statistics once again found that it had a minimal impact. My view is that sometimes Keynesian policies are right and sometimes they are wrong; it all depends on the economic circumstances. Historically, many Republicans have apparently agreed.Posted 06 November 2017 - 08:43 AM I have to respond to Kinesis because I cannot stand this kind of ideology, and this kind of dangerous misunderstanding of mental health conditions is at the very core of the field of psychiatry. Anhedonia is a standalone condition from depression. The neuropathological origins of anhedonia are separate from those of depression. They can also be comorbid. Just like anxiety and depression. This isn't even up for debate. If you are using the DSM as a benchmark of mental health conditions, you are part of the problem that is perpetuated by psychiatry. Yes, anhedonia can be a symptom of depression. But depression can exist without anhedonia, and anhedonia can exist without depression. Either one could precede the other. An inability to enjoy or feel anything anymore could make you lose hope and become depressed. Being depressed can wind up making you feel like nothing matters anymore and lose interest in things you used to enjoy. A symptom, at face value, can overlap with any number of conditions. That does not mean that the ORIGIN of the symptoms are the same. Fatigue is a symptom of many conditions but the origin of it is vastly different across the board. Anhedonia and depression can produce similar symptoms, impact peoples' lives in similar ways, but for entirely different reasons. By only taking their symptoms at face value without viewing them contextually, you misunderstand the entire point. Instead, read some medical papers on the conditions that actually discuss the underlying pathologies of the disorders. Just as one instance, you can read this study that shows weakened pVMPFC connectivity with reward-related brain regions is uniquely associated with anhedonia. This paper is on point with the fact that "complex psychiatric disorders such as MDD need to be more fully characterized by identifying potentially distinct neurobiological mechanisms associated with individual symptom clusters." Someday, "symptoms" that were previously lumped under depression will undeniably be proven as having neurobiologically unique pathologies that are separable from depression. Anhedonia is for certain, one of these prominently incorrectly generalized conditions. But, we don't even have to get this technical and specific to figure this stuff out. It's obvious enough if you take the time to listen to people and understand, there are people that have depression without anhedonia, and people who have anhedonia without depression. That in itself should tell you the two are separable and distinct. I primarily have anhedonia and emotional numbness, and I often have no symptoms of textbook depression. Any symptoms of depression I have are usually caused by the emotional numbness and anhedonia -- I cannot cry, feel anything with any depth, care about anything that should matter, and that makes everything hopeless and pointless. It is not the distress of depression that takes the joy out of activities that were once enjoyable, as is the case for many primarily depressed people with symptoms that could also overlap with anhedonia at face value. If you need more convincing, just ask yourself why there are so many anhedonic "depressed" individuals who are labeled "treatment resistant depression." The article I linked here discusses this as well, saying that “anhedonia is a predictor of poor treatment response in MDD.” The reason for this is obvious: because many of these people are probably individuals that have been persistently misclassified as depressed patients. They did not FAIL depression medication (that phrasing makes it seem as though the patient's lack of response to a medicine renders them incurable). The reality of it is that these medications are not meant to address neurobiological origins of anhedonia and should never be expected to WORK on someone with this condition -- they are improperly prescribed to anhedonic individuals and then these individuals are consequently written off as untreatable. Suddenly, ketamine comes along and everyone's mystified how it miraculously helps many people with "treatment resistant depression." The answer to this is obvious as well - it's one of the first major mainstream treatments that actually had a glutamatergic mechanism that significantly and instantly addresses the origin of anhedonia in the mPFC. At some point, you have to ask yourself why depression medications don't address anhedonia. It's not because the depression medications "leave something to be desired." It's because the medications fundamentally are not designed with the underlying neurobiology of anhedonia in mind. You cannot compare this with something like cancer or diabetes that is more easily united as one condition by physical, observable symptoms. Mental health symptoms are much more easily misunderstood because they are not as concrete. Because these conditions are often only defineable by subjective interpretation of another person's mental experience, they are also subject to being misconstrued by the misinterpretations of horrible people that are not very empathetic or understanding of what goes on in other peoples' brains. With conditions like cancer or diabetes, the diagnoses are obviously much more clear cut. And so it is clear that the shortcomings of the treatments for these disorders are for other reasons - not because the diagnosis is wrong (i.e. not yet discovering an ideal solution to treat the problem, progress being slow in the medical system due to red tape and needing to go through safety/testing for years, etc.) Whereas the inadequacy of the medications prescribed for anhedonia are due to a misunderstanding of the origin of the condition altogether as a "symptom of depression," in which the depression needs to be "fixed first" for the anhedonia to go away. The problem with people who think like you about this stuff (almost every psychiatrist thinks this way) is that you are being overly pedantic about this instead of using some common sense. In the end, the DSM does not matter - what treatments you respond to will reveal the actual neurochemical origins of what is going on in your brain and that is the only thing that matters and should unite conditions as falling under a specific diagnosis. You think that our brains care and respect the DSM outlines? You think those are any way of properly understanding these conditions? Some old white guy who understands nothing about what it feels like to have depression or anhedonia or any of these mental conditions wrote it on a paper years ago, and it's somehow the unquestionable authority now that governs all of psychiatry. I'm not even going to attempt to measure myself by some inaccurate standard, because it’s a disservice and insult to peoples’ actual complex mental conditions. The DSM is hardly worthy of being toilet paper. Psychiatry will never acknowledge the fact that their diagnoses are not accurate, and so they prescribe based on the medications available for each of these categories, stuffing you under one that sounds most like you (a poor fit, at best.) Instead, they should be only paying attention to the mechanisms of their medicines and how you respond to them, how they change how you feel, to try to deduce the neurochemical origin(s) of your condition(s). At that point, we can come to understand the separate diagnoses that exist on this basis. In mental health, the treatment is a better diagnostic tool than the misinterpretation of your symptoms by a soulless psychiatrist according to an ancient rule book. Let people speak for themselves on what they feel the heart of their condition is, because they know themselves and are the authority on what applies to them. If you have anhedonia, doctors just cannot help you right now. What Kinesis said about consulting a doctor and not self-diagnosing and experimenting is a joke. People like to play make believe doctors can help you because, I don’t know why, it helps them sleep at night? Anyone who has been through the hell that is psychiatry with a condition like this knows that, at this point in time, you are far better off and safer trying supplements and medications on your own to find ones that work for your condition, so long as you are willing to take the responsibility upon yourself to do your research well -- and it is not at all difficult to exceed the knowledge of your average psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are dangerous and they will only lump you under a category that doesn't really fit you and play russian roulette with which medication at their disposal that they can try on you next. I would never recommend seeing one, I have been through many psychiatrists as well, and like Deaden says, this is not an uncommon experience. All of them have made me worse, all of them I regret seeing, none of them understood my condition and placed assumptions on me based on the closest fit DSM diagnosis which was "depression" instead of truly understanding the heart of my issue as anhedonia and an inability to feel emotions. All of the standard medications commonly prescribed for depression - and I'm including ones that they will off-label prescribe for depression that "treat" other conditions like anti-psychotics, stimulants, and mood stabilizers - have mechanisms that neurologically end up numbing you even more. By aiming to suppress negative emotions or extreme moods, they suppress all emotions. I also agree with what Deaden said earlier in this topic. Let’s stop pretending we don’t know the origins of anhedonia in the brain. Psychiatrist have this hands-off attitude about medications where they pretend that no one understands why they work and how they will affect people. They treat medications like some whimsical fanciful thing that might magically work for some people and not others - which is just blatantly a lie that covers up for their laziness and inability to keep up with any research on the brain and mental health conditions despite all of the research, studies, information, and anecdotal evidence out there. And that because even psychiatry doesn’t know why or how these work, you, the patient, can’t possibly know. Only “experts” have the authority to know this stuff. If I could go back, I would have never seen a psychiatrist. And I wouldn't recommend to anyone with my type of condition to see a psychiatrist, unless you are using them to get some sort of medication or treatment that you have researched to be right for yourself. But never to blindly gamble with the medication they will prescribe you without even understanding the neurological origin of your problem and the mechanisms you respond to. I had a psychiatrist who told me SSRIs couldn't be bad because even bananas have serotonin in them, and another who looked at me with a blank, dead stare when I started discussing glutamate (a trained psychiatrist could not discuss the mechanisms of the mood stabilizer she was more than happy to prescribe improperly for my already, flatline-stabilized mood) - this is completely “normal” and (for some fucked up reason) accepted behavior for the morons who worship the DSM and
't be as strong in a new game,and thus, this new game is basically a reset button and whoever practices more and such will be the best. Even the older players who were going to leave / force them to quit when SC1 was going to be around now have hope to continue the game. 15) SKT's team has rumors that they have NUMEROUS GM players right now, and so will win next proleague. But SKT's coach denies it and says most of his players are diamond leaguers. I'll post more after this. Class ended Some quick notes on the translations:1) I think a scary point got jumped across. But SKT and STX coaches mention that there are numerous players who actually JUST played SC2 during the Proleague season in hopes that they can show up on TV later on. But when the coaches can't tell the players when SC2 will be on proleague, many actually just leave and rumors of teams kicking out players begin to spread. so they're very worried about this becoming a bigger problem later on.2) some coaches agree that SC2 seemed boring in comparison to BW.So when they have to force the players to play this game later on, they feel like players wouldn't be doing it for fun anymore = it actually will be forcing it.3) When they had players practice SC2 and then switch back to SC1 and then back again to SC2, the players seem to have a really hard time adjusting. They say the games are completely different. Even players who switch races later on for SC2 actually say it's just too hard to adjust and so they switch back to their original SC1 race later on.4) Coaches feel they need to make Proleague even more spectator friendly than before in order to promote SC2 when the switch occurs. They also think that while fans will either adjust or leave the scene, they feel most of them will just adjust.5) Reason why KT coach wants the English version (since it wasn't covered), is that they want the fans to feel as accommodated as possible when the switch occurs. High templar should be called a high templar; scv as an scv. Fans will just get confused if they start calling it with the Korean names, and so this should be a big issue.6) SKT actually had a test where they had an actual paper test with the names of the units in Korean on it and they had pictures to match the units. Results = led to hilariousness.7) Some coaches don't want the switch = but they feel it's inevitable due to sponsor problems and such.8) Team8 Coach wants SC1 to exist as a "Living Legend", but they feel that when the SC2 switch occurs, then it will lead to people saying later on in life, "why the hell did we play this shitty old game SC1 for so long". This is because SC1 only really existed in Korea and nowhere else. He doesn't want SC1 to be just thrown away after leaving such a mark in the community, and wants some form of existence for SC1.9) Another coach is worried that since the industry is so young, if they just switch the game as such, the same problems that they had in the past (the mistakes and other such incidents) will simply occur AGAIN with the new game.10) Coaches are sad that SC1 only grew in Korea. They really wanted it to grow like how SC2 is with MLG. However, they believe that a foreign community (i.e. mentioning Team Liquid) still exists for BW and they were hoping that this community will always exist. They see that while the eSports community has grown with SC2, in actuality, they feel like the Korean eSports Community has simply grown smaller due to this growth.11) The coaches REALLY WANTED to approach the foreign scene apparently. Like no other. But because of the strong idea that 'BW is ours and proleague is ours', the coaches couldn't approach the foreign scene. They see that the foreign community is there with the comments, team liquid, and youtube videos, but they just couldn't do anything about it. (tone of regret does exist here) They were happy that the previosu finals was done globally, but still sad that it's so late.12) In terms of 'practice', in comparison to the GSL and other SC2 tournaments, their players are just screwing around. Coaches are also worried that while they have to make SC2 'theirs', the splitting of fans is very worrisome.13) SKT VS TEAM8 SC2 HAPPENED TROLOLOLOL. Every player was like: wtf is this new hotkey shit? and then when it came down to it, Team8 whopped ass against SKT 4:2. TROLOLOL. One good thing was that because SC2 battles are so much faster, the player's mechanics increased because they needed faster reactions.14) coaches see that SC2 is a brand new opportunity for the lower tier players= TBLS won't be as strong in a new game,and thus, this new game is basically a reset button and whoever practices more and such will be the best. Even the older players who were going to leave / force them to quit when SC1 was going to be around now have hope to continue the game.15) SKT's team has rumors that they have NUMEROUS GM players right now, and so will win next proleague. But SKT's coach denies it and says most of his players are diamond leaguers.I'll post more after this. Class ended Link: Since it's FOMOS, I'll just try and summarise the points I can understand. Do note, there WILL be innacuracies in my translation as my Korean is far from perfect. People with more proficiency in the Korean language, feel free to add or clarify on some of the things I've written. It's a long fucking interview/article.Adding to that, I wasn't really sure whether to put this in SC2 or here, but since it's with the KeSPA teams, I'm siding with BW General for now.Link: http://www.fomos.kr/board/board.php?mode=read&keyno=124138&db=issue&cate=&page=1&field=&kwrd= OpticalShot's full translation can be read off-Teamliquid, here (click me!) Commentator Twitter: @GTR1H Stream: http://www.twitch.tv/GTR1HGREEN BAY, Wis. -- Aaron Rodgers is keeping some unusual company these days. You'll find the two-time NFL MVP with the Ryan Fitzpatricks and Case Keenums of the NFL quarterback world. The Green Bay Packers star ranks last in the league in completion percentage. It's true. You'll find Rodgers at the bottom of the list. At 56.1 percent, he’s looking up at the Jets' Fitzpatrick (57.8 percent), the Rams' Keenum (57.9 percent) and every other quarterback who has enough attempts to qualify among the league leaders this season. "Well it's certainly different for him because he's been at the top of the league in every category since his first start many years ago," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, whose team comes to Lambeau Field on Sunday. How much of that is on Rodgers is debatable. Right off the bat, you can look at six dropped passes -- that's how the coaches graded the tape, according to one player -- from Sunday's win over the New York Giants, a game in which Rodgers barely completed 50 percent of his passes (23-of-45). But every team has drops. Still, the receivers accept their share of the blame -- not just for dropped passes. Inaccurate Aaron Aaron Rodgers' completion percentage since 2008. Year Percentage 2008-14 65.9 2015 60.7 2016 56.1 "We have a job to do of creating separation and getting open," said Jordy Nelson, who had two drops in what he called an "embarrassing" performance against the Giants. "So we try to make it as easy as possible on Aaron, I'm sure he does the same for us. Sometimes we've got to make plays, and sometimes we've just got to make the easy play. So, it's all part of it, just being in rhythm and timing and everyone doing their job gets that accomplished." The so-called separation problem started last season, when Nelson was out all year because of a knee injury and receivers struggled to win one-on-one matchups. Rodgers' completion percentage experienced a sharp decline in 2015 to his lowest mark (60.7) since he became a starter in 2008. In his first seven seasons, he completed 65.9 percent of his throws, including a career-best 68.3 percent in the first of his two MVP seasons in 2011. "Completion percentage is really a complexion of all your components in your passing game," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "To me, there's two ways to throw the football: you either drop back and throw it or you do it off the action game. So we're able to get into more action passes last week, created some more downfield throws. So you look at that and how it fits the run game this week. "But at the end of the day, we're trying to play more players in the perimeter group. Last week was our first real attempt at that, so we'll see how this week shakes out with game-planning. But we need to spend a little more time on the passing game then we've had in the past, and we're doing that particularly in our meeting structure." McCarthy's right: Rodgers threw the ball down the field more last week. He attempted 16 throws that traveled 10 or more yards in the air against the Giants, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He had tried more than 10 of those throws just once in the previous three games. However, Rodgers completed just four of them against the Giants for his lowest percentage on such throws this season. Rodgers has been off-target on more throws -- short and long -- this season. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he has underthrown or overthrown a pass for an incompletion on 24 percent of his attempts this season compared to 17 percent from 2008-15. Rodgers, for his part, accepted a share of the blame. "You catch the ball, you throw it a little more accurately and don't throw it away as much," he said. "Maybe I should start taking some more sacks. No, you know what? I've got to be more accurate, and I will. We've got to make the most of the opportunities on 50-50 balls and the balls we should catch and complete." It's one reason the Packers rank just 27th in passing yards heading into Sunday's game against the Cowboys, who have seen the best of Rodgers over the years. He has thrown 205 career passes against the Cowboys, including playoffs, and doesn't have an interception. He has 10 touchdowns and a 67.3 completion percentage. "He's obviously one of the elite players in the game and to me a Hall of Fame quarterback," Garrett said. "So we watch the tape, we don't really look at the numbers as much as other people, and he's just an outstanding player."The first man-made plastic was created by Alexander Parkes who publicly demonstrated it at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London. The material, called Parkesine, was an organic material derived from cellulose that once heated could be molded and retained its shape when cooled. Celluloid Celluloid is derived from cellulose and alcoholized camphor. John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid as a substitute for the ivory in billiard balls in 1868. He first tried using a natural substance called collodion after spilling a bottle of it and discovering that the material dried into a tough and flexible film. However, the material was not strong enough to be used as a billiard ball, not until the addition of camphor, a derivative of the laurel tree. The new celluloid could now be molded with heat and pressure into a durable shape. Besides billiard balls, celluloid became famous as the first flexible photographic film used for still photography and motion pictures. Hyatt created celluloid in a strip format for movie film. By 1900, movie film was an exploding market for celluloid. Formaldehyde Resins - Bakelite After cellulose nitrate, formaldehyde was the next product to advance the technology of plastic. Around 1897, efforts to manufacture white chalkboards led to casein plastics (milk protein mixed with formaldehyde) Galalith and Erinoid are two early tradename examples. In 1899, Arthur Smith received British Patent 16,275, for "phenol-formaldehyde resins for use as an ebonite substitute in electrical insulation," the first patent for processing a formaldehyde resin. However, in 1907, Leo Hendrik Baekeland improved phenol-formaldehyde reaction techniques and invented the first fully synthetic resin to become commercially successful with the trade name Bakelite. Here is a brief timeline of the evolution of plastics. Timeline - Precursors 1839 - Natural Rubber - Method of processing invented by Charles Goodyear 1843 - Vulcanite - Invented by Thomas Hancock 1843 - Gutta-Percha - Invented by William Montgomerie 1856 - Shellac - Invented by Alfred Critchlow and Samuel Peck 1856 - Bois Durci - Invented by Francois Charles Lepage Timeline - Beginning of the Plastic Era with Semi-Synthetics 1839 - Polystyrene or PS discovered by Eduard Simon 1862 - Parkesine - Invented by Alexander Parkes 1863 - Cellulose Nitrate or Celluloid - Invented by John Wesley Hyatt 1872 - Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC - First created by Eugen Baumann 1894 - Viscose Rayon - Invented by Charles Frederick Cross and Edward John Bevan Timeline - Thermosetting Plastics and Thermoplastics[St Jerome after Albrecht Dürer, AD 1514] Search the [text] of all the chapters. Search the [mirrored] files. News and [recent] updates. 1: Introduction and Background Chapter 1: Introduction. (index.php, 60K) Contents: What this site is about; the history of objections; collation and synthesis; the starting premise of this text; who I am, why I wrote this text; accolades; file hits. Chapter 2: A Synopsis. (syn.php, 63K) Contents: A synopsis of the website; verification of notions by others; items completely missed by other researchers. Chapter 3: The Osiris Mystery. (intro.php, 71K) Contents: The Osiris mystery; David Talbott's "Saturn Theory"; Wal Thornhill's plasma connection; the combined model and objections. Chapter 4: The Nevada Conference. (nevada.php, 49K) Contents: The Nevada Conference; a comet's path; ice cover; seasonal plants; periodic extinctions; a new set of postulates. Chapter 5: The Absu and Speculation. (cos.php, 67K) Contents: The equatorial rings detailed; methods of forming postulates; accusations of speculation; Peratt's wrench in the works. Chapter 6: Alternate Cosmology. (planets.php, 61K) Contents: The standard and some alternative cosmologies; Saturn as a misfit in the Solar System; life on Earth. 2: Established Archaeology Chapter 8: Tunguska and Chicxulub. (tung.php, 128K) Contents: preliminary planet interactions; stratospheric dust; Tunguska; Chicxulub; Grand Canyon; a Great Lakes atomic detonation. Chapter 9: Event of the Younger Dryas. (dryas.php, 130K) Contents: Firestone's paper of 2007; the Laurentide Ice Sheet; a likely sequence of events; the Great Lakes; the Carolina Bays. Chapter 10: The Peratt Column. (peratt.php, 105K) Contents: The Peratt Column; the Opossum; Nazca lines; Ley lines; Job; Carnac; Manu; Lepenski Vir; Sheela Na Gigs; Mari; Neith; Oannes; Kojiki; Cerberus. Chapter 11: A Timeline and Gimbutas. (gim.php, 84K) Contents: Earth placed below Saturn; the Hypsithermal; the Saturnian planet stack, a time line, Marija Gimbutas and Neolithic figurines. Chapter 12: Saturn and Archaeology. (arch.php, 91K) Contents: Revisiting the Acheulean Hand Axe; the caves of Lascaux and others; Catal Hoyuk transitional period. 3: Mythology and Remote Antiquity Chapter 13: The Creation. (polar.php, 99K) Contents: Starting from Chaos; an unexpected flood; the egg; creation; the eye of Ra; petroglyphs; the city on the horizon. Chapter 14: The Start of Time. (time.php, 62K) Contents: The God visits Earth; the start of time; the first land; Horus the Hawk; gifts of the Gods; living in paradise. Chapter 16: The World Flood. (flood.php, 84K) Contents: The worldwide flood of 3147 BC; the battle of the Gods; the Absu. Chapter 17: The Gods Leave. (leave.php, 62K) Contents: The Gods leave; return of the Axis Mundi; a new era. Chapter 18: Pyramids and Henges. (oldk.php, 122K) Contents: Horus on his mountain; the Palermo Stone; the pyramids; barrows after 3100 BC, henges after 3100 BC. 4: Narratives of Ancient History Chapter 19: The Midnight Sun. (sun.php, 104K) Contents: The Midnight Sun; histories; something is missing; developing consciousness; the flood of Noah. Chapter 20: The Flood of Noah. (noah.php, 123K) Contents: The flood of Noah reconsidered; the fall of the Absu; a flood from the Sky; the Moon on fire; the extinction of Jupiter. Chapter 21: Day of the Dead. (jup.php, 162K) Contents: Blood and alcohol; the ten suns; Day of the Dead; Tower of Babel; Return of Mars; Sodom and Gomorrah. Chapter 22: The Exodus of Moses. (moses.php, 145K) Contents: The terror of Venus; Moses and Yahweh; the Ark; the psychosis of Yahweh; Joshua. 5: The Start of Modern History Chapter 24: The Tablets of Ammizaduga. (bolt.php, 107K) Contents: The Tablets of Ammizaduga; the bolt from Jupiter; the fall of Phaethon; the twins. Chapter 25: The Hour of Phaethon. (hist.php 110K) Contents: Dating the thunderbolt of Phaethon; the start of history; the sky in disarray; change in the equinox. 6: The Parallel Mesoamerican Record Chapter 29: The Maya Calendar. (maya.php, 76K) Contents: The beginning of time; the first calendar; Tzolkin; Haab; Long Count; Katun Cycle, four ages. Chapter 30: The Chilam Balam Books. (chil.php, 230K) Contents: The Katun cycle, the Thirteen, the Nine; Nine Lives; 2349 BC; the burning tower; 8th century; Katun 3-Ahau; Nine Fragrances. 7: Long Range Mesoamerican Astronomy Chapter 31: The Olmec Record of the Past. (rec.php, 144K) Contents: A 40,000 year record; the three-cornered stone; the endless nights; God wakes up; survey of the world; the Third Creation. Chapter 33: The Day of Kan. (kan.php, 106K) Contents: The Day of Kan; the course of the "may"; the third conquest; summary. Chapter 34: The Popol Vuh. (popol.php, 152K) Contents: Northern Gods, southern Gods; Seven Macaw; Zipacna and Earthquake; Hunahpu and Xbalanque; the ballgame in Xibalba; Tulan. Appendixes Appendix B: The Celestial Mechanics. (mech.php, 190K) Contents: Asteroid belt; outer orbits, inner orbits; plasma interactions; 52-year cycle of Venus; close encounters of Mars. Appendix C: Mesoamerican Site Alignments. (align.php, 92K) This is the file of alignment calculations referenced in Chapter 32, "Olmec Site Alignments" above. Appendix D: Change in the Axis. (axis.php, 35K) Contents: A 25-degree inclination; megalithic construction in response to disturbances in 2000 BC by Mars. Appendix E: Polar Relocations. (flip.php, 62K) Contents: The source of the problem; Earth as a gyroscope; flipping the pole; frozen mammoths; other polar relocations. Appendix G: Deep Impact. (deep.php, 32K) Comet Tempel 1; Deep Impact; predictions; the fireworks; the aftershocks; weeks later; months later; years later. Appendix P: List of Links. (links.php, 16K) Links pertaining to the Saturnian theories. Search the [text] of all the chapters. Search the [mirrored] files. News and [recent] updates. Feel free to email me with any comments or corrections. Find an email [address] here.One of the Beatles’ most famous tunes gets a rethinking in Mark Vidley’s latest mashup. Photo by Peter Skingley Producer Mark Vidler is a known master of the mashup, a mix-and-match savant who for years has released whole albums of material under his Go Home Productions banner. His latest such album, Spliced Krispies Vol. 2, doesn’t disappoint, and one of the standout tracks is a brilliant, propulsive mashup of “Paperback Writer” and “My Sharona.” It’s not an intuitive pairing: in particular, that circular, distorted “Paperback Writer” riff is so familiar that it’s somewhat disconcerting to hear McCartney’s vocal without it. But Vidler masterfully matches the Knack’s power-rock hook and heavy beat to the Beatles’ soaring melody, creating a whole that is perhaps greater than the sum of its already great parts. (via Dangerous Minds.)Monitoring and maintaining SharePoint Server 2013 15 minutes to read Contributors In this article APPLIES TO: 2013 2016 2019 SharePoint Online This article discusses monitoring and performance counters for SharePoint Server 2013 farms. To maintain SharePoint Server 2013 system performance, you must monitor your server to identify potential bottlenecks. Before you can monitor effectively, you must understand the key indicators that will tell you if a specific part of your farm requires attention, and know how to interpret these indicators. If you find that your farm is operating outside the targets you have defined, you can adjust your farm by adding or removing hardware resources, changing your topology, or changing how data is stored. The information in this section is intended to help administrators manually configure performance counters and other settings. For more information about health monitoring and troubleshooting using the health monitoring tools built into the SharePoint Central Administration website interface, read the following articles: Before you read this article, you should read Capacity management and sizing overview for SharePoint Server 2013. Configuring monitoring Below is a list of the settings that you can change to monitor your environment in its early stages, which will help you determine whether any changes are needed. Increasing your monitoring capabilities will affect how much disk space that your usage database will require. Once the environment is stable and this detailed monitoring is no longer required, you may want to reverse the settings below to their default settings. Setting Value Notes Event Log Flooding Protection Disabled The default value is Enabled. It can be disabled to collect as much monitoring data as possible. For normal operations, it should be enabled. Timer Job Schedule Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Usage Data Import 5 minutes The default value is 30 minutes. Lowering this setting imports the data into the usage database more frequently, and is especially useful when troubleshooting. For normal operations, it should be 30 minutes. Diagnostic Providers Enable all diagnostic providers Enabled The default value is Disabled except for the "Search Health Monitoring - Trace Events" provider. These providers collect health data for various features and components. For normal operations, you may want to revert to the default. Set "job-diagnostics-performance-counter-wfe-provider" and "job-diagnostics-performance-counter-sql-provider" Schedule Intervals 1 minute The default value is 5 minutes. Lowering this setting can poll data more frequently, and is especially useful when troubleshooting. For normal operations, it should be 5 minutes. Miscellaneous Enable stack tracing for content requests Enabled The default value is Disabled. Enabling this setting allows diagnosis of content requests failures using the process stack trace. For normal operations, it should be disabled. Enable the Developer Dashboard Enabled The default value is Disabled. Enabling this setting allows diagnosis of slow pages, or other problems by using the Developer Dashboard. For normal operations, and as soon as troubleshooting is no longer necessary, it should be disabled. Usage Data Collection Content Import Usage Content Export Usage Page Requests Feature Use Search Query Use Site Inventory Usage Timer Jobs Rating Usage Enabled Enabling the logging of this set of counters allows you to collect more usage data across the environment and to better understand the traffic patterns in the environment. Performance counters If you are using the usage database, then you can add the performance counters that assist you in monitoring and evaluating your farm's performance to the usage database, in such a way that they are logged automatically at a specific interval (by default, 30 minutes). Given that, you can query the usage database to retrieve these counters and graph the results over time. Here's an how to use the Add-SPDiagnosticsPerformanceCounter PowerShell cmdlet to add the % Processor Time counter to the usage database. This only has to be run on one of the web servers: Add-SPDiagnosticsPerformanceCounter -Category "Processor" -Counter "% Processor Time" -Instance "_Total" -WebFrontEnd There are several generic performance counters that you should monitor for any server system. The following table outlines these performance counters. Performance Counter Description Processor You should monitor processor performance to ensure that all processor usage does not remain consistently high (over 80 percent) as this indicates that the system would not be able to handle any sudden surges of activity. And that in the common state, you will not see a domino effect if one component failure will bring the remaining components to a malfunctioning state. For example, if you have three web servers, you should make sure that the average CPU across all servers is under 60% so that if one fails, there is still room for the other two to absorb the additional load. Network Interface Monitor the rate at which data is sent and received via the network interface card. This should remain below 50 percent of network capacity. Disks and Cache There are several logical disk options that you should monitor regularly. The available disk space is important in any capacity study, but you should also review the time that the disk is idle. Dependent on the types of applications or services that you are running on your servers, you may review disk read and write times. Extended queuing for write or read function will affect performance. The cache has a major effect on read and write operations. You must monitor for increased cache failures. Memory and Paging File Monitor how much physical memory is available for allocation. Insufficient memory will lead to excessive use of the page file and an increase in the number of page faults per second. System counters The following table provides information on system objects and counters that you could add to the set of counters monitored in the usage database using the SPDiagnosticPerformanceCounter on a web server. Objects and Counters Description Processor % Processor Time This shows processor usage over time. If this is consistently too high, you may find performance is adversely affected. Remember to count "Total" in multiprocessor systems. You can measure the utilization on each processor also, to ensure balanced performance between cores. Disk - Avg. Disk Queue Length This shows the average number of both read and write requests that were queued for the selected disk during the sample interval. A bigger disk queue length may not be a problem as long as disk reads/writes are not suffering and the system is working in a steady state without expanding queuing. Avg. Disk Read Queue Length The average number of read requests that are queued. Avg. Disk Write Queue Length The average number of write requests that are queued. Disk Reads/sec The number of reads to disk per second. Disk Writes/sec The number of writes to disk per second. Memory - Available Mbytes This shows how much physical memory is available for allocation. Insufficient memory leads to excessive use of the page file and an increase in the number of page faults per second. - Cache Faults/sec This counter shows the rate at which faults occur when a page is sought in the file system cache and is not found. This may be a soft fault, when the page is found in memory, or a hard fault, when the page is on disk. The effective use of the cache for read and write operations can have a significant effect on server performance. You must monitor for increased cache failures, indicated by a reduction in the Async Fast Reads/sec or Read Aheads/sec. - Pages/sec This counter shows the rate at which pages are read from or written to disk to resolve hard page faults. If this increases, it indicates system-wide performance problems. Paging File - % Used and % Used Peak The server paging file, also known as the swap file, holds "virtual" memory addresses on disk. Page faults occur when a process has to stop and wait while required "virtual" resources are retrieved from disk into memory. These will be more frequent if the physical memory is insufficient. NIC - Total Bytes/sec This is the rate at which data is sent and received via the network interface card. You may have to investigate further if this rate is over 40-50 percent network capacity. To fine-tune your investigation, monitor Bytes received/sec and Bytes Sent/sec. Process - Working Set This counter indicates the current size (in bytes) of the working set for a given process. This memory is reserved for the process, even if it is not being used. - % Processor Time This counter indicates the percentage of processor time that is used by a given process. Thread Count (_Total) The current number of threads. ASP.NET Requests Total The total number of requests since the service was started. Requests Queued SharePoint Server 2013 provides the building blocks for HTML pages that are rendered in the user browser over HTTP. This counter shows the number of requests waiting to be processed. Request Wait Time The number of milliseconds that the most recent request waited in the queue for processing. As the number of wait events increases, users will experience decreased page-rendering performance. Requests Rejected The total number of requests not executed because of insufficient server resources to process them. This counter represents the number of requests that return a 503 HTTP status code, which indicates that the server is too busy. Requests Executing (_Total) The number of requests currently executing. Requests/Sec (_Total) The number of requests executed per second. This represents the current throughput of the application. Under constant load, this number should remain in a certain range, barring other server work (such as garbage collection, cache cleanup thread, external server tools, and so on). .NET CLR Memory # Gen 0 Collections Displays the number of times the generation 0 objects (that is, the youngest, most recently allocated objects) are reclaimed by garbage collection since the application started. This number is useful as a ratio of #Gen 0: #Gen 1: #Gen 2 to make sure that the number of Gen 2 collections does not greatly exceed Gen 0 collections, optimally by a factor of 2. # Gen 1 Collections Displays the number of times the generation 1 objects are reclaimed by garbage collection since the application started. # Gen 2 Collections Displays the number of times the generation 2 objects are reclaimed by garbage collection since the application started. The counter is incremented at the end of a generation 2 garbage collection (also known as a full garbage collection). % Time in GC Displays the percentage of elapsed time that was spent performing a garbage collection since the last garbage collection cycle. This counter usually indicates the work done by the garbage collector to collect and compact memory on behalf of the application. This counter is updated only at the end of every garbage collection. This counter is not an average. Its value reflects the last observed value. This counter should be under 5% in normal operation. SQL Server counters The following table provides information on SQL Server objects and counters. Objects and Counters Description General Statistics This object provides counters to monitor general server-wide activity, such as the number of current connections and the number of users connecting and disconnecting per second from computers that are running an instance of SQL Server. User Connections This counter shows the number of user connections on your instance of SQL Server. If you see this number increase by 500 percent from your baseline, you may see a performance reduction. Databases This object provides counters to monitor bulk copy operations, backup and restore throughput, and transaction log activities. Monitor transactions and the transaction log to determine how much user activity is occurring in the database and how full the transaction log is becoming. The amount of user activity can determine the performance of the database and affect log size, locking, and replication. Monitoring low-level log activity to gauge user activity and resource usage can help you identify performance bottlenecks. Transactions/sec This counter shows the number of transactions on a given database or on the whole SQL Server instance per second. This number is to help you create a baseline and to help you troubleshoot issues. Locks This object provides information about SQL Server locks on individual resource types. Number of Deadlocks/sec This counter shows the number of deadlocks on the SQL Server per second. This should typically be 0. Average Wait Time (ms) This counter shows the average amount of wait time for each lock request that resulted in a wait. Lock Wait Time (ms) This counter shows the total wait time for locks in the last second. Lock Waits/sec This counter shows the number of locks per second that could not be satisfied immediately and had to wait for resources. Latches This object provides counters to monitor internal SQL Server resource locks called latches. Monitoring the latches to determine user activity and resource usage can help you identify performance bottlenecks. Average Latch Wait Time (ms) This counter shows the average latch wait time for latch requests that had to wait. Latch Waits/sec This counter shows the number of latch requests per second that could not be granted immediately. SQL Statistics This object provides counters to monitor compilation and the type of requests sent to an instance of SQL Server. Monitoring the number of query compilations and recompilations and the number of batches received by an instance of SQL Server gives you an indication of how quickly SQL Server is processing user queries and how effectively the query optimizer is processing the queries. SQL Compilations/sec This counter indicates the number of times the compile code path is entered per second. SQL Re-Compilations/sec This counter indicates the number of times statement recompiles are triggered per second. Plan Cache This object provides counters to monitor how SQL Server uses memory to store objects such as stored procedures, impromptu and prepared Transact-SQL statements, and triggers. Cache Hit Ratio This counter indicates the ratio between cache hits and lookups for plans. Buffer Cache This object provides counters to monitor how SQL Server uses memory to store data pages, internal data structures, and the procedure cache and counters to monitor the physical I/O as SQL Server reads and writes database pages. Buffer Cache Hit Ratio This counter shows the percentage of pages found in the buffer cache without having to read from disk. The ratio is the total number of cache hits divided by the total number of cache lookups since an instance of SQL Server was started. Removing bottlenecks System bottlenecks represent a point of contention where there are insufficient resources to service user transaction requests. These may be physical hardware, operating environment, or application-based. Often, the reason for the bottleneck will be inefficient custom code or third-party solutions, and a review of those could yield better results than adding hardware. Another common cause of bottlenecks is a misconfiguration of the farm, or an inefficient solution implementation that structures data in a way that requires more resources than necessary. For a system administrator, you should manage bottlenecks by constantly monitoring performance. When you identify a performance issue, you must assess the best resolution for removing the bottleneck. The performance counters and other performance monitoring applications, such as SCOM, are the key tools in tracking and analyzing problems, so that you can develop a solution. Physical bottleneck resolution Physical bottlenecks are based on processor, disk, memory, and network contention: too many requests are contending for too few physical resources. The objects and counters described in the Monitoring Performance topic indicate where the performance problem is located, for example, hardware processor or ASP.NET. Bottleneck resolution requires that you identify the issue and then make a change or changes that mitigate the performance problem. Problems seldom happen instantaneously; there is usually a gradual performance degradation that you can track if you monitor regularly, using your performance monitor tool or a more sophisticated system, such as SCOM. For both of these options, to varying degrees, you can embed solutions within an alert, in the form of advisory text or scripted commands. You may have to resolve bottleneck issues by making changes to hardware or system configurations, once you have determined that they are not caused by a mis-configuration, inefficient custom code or third party solutions, or inefficient solution implementation. The following tables identify problem threshold and possible resolution options. Some of the options suggest hardware upgrades or modifications. Objects and Counters Problem Resolution Options Processor Processor - % Processor Time Over 75-85% Upgrade processor Increase number of processors Add additional server(s) Disk Avg. Disk Queue Length Gradually increasing, system not in a steady state and queue is backing up Increase number or speed of disks Change array configuration to stripe Move some data to an alternative server % Idle Time Less than 90% Increase number of disks
accounts on, I wouldn’t be much of an early adopter, now would I? Even with Facebook and Twitter email pings off, there are dozens of social media notifications neatly bundled into one line in my Inbox. Pinning Important emails – ex Staring I’m assuming pinning is supposed to be a feature that users can mark important emails with, to get to them easily in via a blue pin icon positioned instinctively in the top right-hand corner. Because my emails are now already neatly bundled and the important stuff separated from the stuff that can wait, it took me just a day or two of playing with Inbox to start using the pin feature to bookmark stuff that isn’t so important but that I do want to read later. News, updates from my industry, and newsletters particularly get pinned often in my Inbox. Snooze emails for later – Boomerang main feature Yes, I’m the type that needs a snooze button on everything. Not because I procrastinate but because I’m usually doing at least three things at once. When a fourth or fifth flies in, I need that precious snooze time to get to it. Now there are several Gmail apps that do that better than Google itself (Boomerang for Gmail) and that I won’t stop using anytime soon, but Google finally seems to be going in the right direction (again) with email functionality. Reminders For Simple Tasks I hope you’re able to keep up with all of the features I’m listing here. And speaking of keeping up with things, Inbox also includes one of Google Now’s simple yet useful features – reminders. This feature doesn’t seem to have been perfected yet and I’m assuming Google will connect it to Google Calendar in the future, but right now it’s basically like adding sticky notes to your Inbox, just so you don’t have to glue Post-It notes to your screen or desk anymore. Your Old Folders Are Now Your Own Bundles All those folders and filters you’ve spent years creating and organizing in your classic Gmail are still there. All still neatly packed up in the menu and your Inbox. So you get to keep your folders and your bundles too. Done – Marking Emails as Done is The Sexiest Feature So Far This is such a simple and necessary feature that I really can’t understand why Google hasn’t added it to Gmail before. Since emails are like task, by marking those as done (read, executed, whatever) make sense in cleaning your inbox. All “done” tasks are not gone for good. You can find them all in the “Done” menu option in the left sidebar and always get to through the left sidebar menu. Speaking of the left sidebar menu, it leaves something to be desired in the web version. It’s available right there on the top left side, but as soon as I click on anything else on the page, the menu closes, unlike in classic Gmail. Inbox by Gmail has obviously been created for use on smartphones and tablets, in which case the left sidebar being constantly open would block half your screen. Conclusion – To Switch or Not to Switch? In order for me to switch over entirely from classic Gmail to Inbox, I would need the option of keeping the menu in the left sidebar open at all times. That one (pretty major, in my case) flaw aside, Inbox by Gmail is a Google product I can finally really be excited about. We’re all looking forward to seeing how far it goes.Glyphosate was deemed ‘probably carcinogenic’ by WHO but draft law has been drawn up to grant new 15-year lease The European commission plans to give a new 15-year lease to a controversial weedkiller that was deemed “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A draft implementing law seen by the Guardian says the commission has decided it is appropriate to renew the licence for glyphosate after a lengthy review, which sparked a scientific storm. Glyphosate is a key ingredient in bestselling herbicides such as Monsanto’s Roundup brand and is so widely used that traces of its residues are routinely found in British breads. The EU’s food watchdog, the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) ruled in November that the substance was unlikely to be carcinogenic, in a move welcomed by the agricultural industry. EU scientists in row over safety of Glyphosate weedkiller Read more But that advice triggered a backlash, with 96 prominent experts, including almost the whole IARC team, taking the unusual step of calling for the Efsa decision to be disregarded. The Efsa ruling had relied on six industry-funded and partly unpublished studies and was “not credible because it is not supported by the evidence”, the scientists wrote in a letter (pdf) to the EU’s health commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis. Earlier this week, another 14 scientists signed a consensus statement in the Environmental Health journal, saying regulatory estimates of tolerable exposure levels for glyphosate were based on outdated science. The Labour party’s shadow environment secretary, Kerry McCarthy, said the public had understandable concerns about the possible impact of substances such as glyphosate on their health. She told the Guardian: “Public policy should always be evidence based and guided by the best available science. There must be transparency and accountability throughout the process, with the evidence behind the policy making published and made available, so that the public can have full confidence in – or the information they need to challenge – this decision.” The commission’s draft renewal says there was an “extraordinarily high” number of comments from the public and member states during the review. The paper does propose some restrictions on the use of glyphosate. National authorities should enforce risk-mitigation measures such as protective clothing for crop sprayers, and ensure the glyphosate used in herbicides they may authorise is the same variety as was tested by Efsa. The renewal calls for further studies on the endocrine disrupting potential of glyphosate to be completed before August. Glyphosate is a 'probably carcinogenic' pesticide. Why do cities still use it? Read more However, environmentalists said the proposal flew in the face of a censure of the commission by the EU ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, earlier this week for accepting proof of a pesticide’s safety after its use had already been authorised. Franziska Achterberg, Greenpeace EU’s food policy director, said: “Glyphosate was once described by Monsanto as ‘safe as table salt’. Now science is telling us that it’s a serious threat for our health and the environment. Ignoring the evidence for another 15 years will cost us dearly. Europe needs an exit strategy from chemical pesticides.” EU national representatives will vote on whether to relicense glyphosate at a meeting in Brussels on 7 March. A spokesman for the European Crop Protection Association said: “If the European commission deems a renewal appropriate, we would hope that EU member states would then support such a proposal.” Public fears about glyphosate were evident again this week as about 3,000 boxes of “organic” women’s panty liners were removed from store shelves in France and Canada after they were found to contain traces of glyphosate.A cama is a hybrid between a male dromedary camel and a female llama, and has been produced via artificial insemination at the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai.[1] The first cama was born on January 14, 1998. The aim was to create an animal capable of higher wool production than the llama, with the size and strength of a camel and a cooperative temperament.[2] Breeding [ edit ] An adult dromedary camel can weigh up to six times as much as a llama, so the hybrid needs to be produced by artificial insemination. Insemination of a female llama with sperm from a male dromedary camel has been the only successful combination. Inseminating a female camel with llama sperm has not produced viable offspring.[3][4] The first cama showed signs of becoming sexually mature at age four, when he showed a desire to breed with a female guanaco and a female llama. He was also a behavioral disappointment, displaying an extremely poor temperament. A more recent story suggests that his behavior is generally more gentle, as was hoped for.[4] The second cama, a female named Kamilah, was successfully born in 2002. As of April 2008, five camas have been produced.[5] Food and drink [ edit ] Much like camels, camas are herbivores that eat shrubs and other plant matter. As they can drink large amounts of water at a time, camas can survive with little or no water for long periods. Comparison of camelids [ edit ] The camelid family consists of the Old World camelids (the dromedary camels, Bactrian camels, and wild Bactrian camels) and the New World camelids (the llama, vicuna, suri alpaca, huacaya alpaca, and guanaco). Though there have been successful and fertile hybrids within both major groups of camelids, the cama marks the first instance of cross-breeding. The following is a table comparing some of the characteristics of camelids.[1][6][7][8] Common name Scientific name Life span Adult weight Height at shoulder Length of fur Load-bearing capacity Dromedary camel Camelus dromedarius 40–50 years 450–540 kg (990–1,190 lb) 180–210 cm (5.9–6.9 ft) 7.5–10 cm (3.0–3.9 in) 150–230 kg (330–510 lb) Bactrian camel Camelus bactrianus 40–50 years 450–680 kg (990–1,500 lb) 180–210 cm (5.9–6.9 ft) 25 cm (9.8 in) 150–270 kg (330–600 lb) Llama Lama glama 20–30 years 130–200 kg (290–440 lb) 90–120 cm (3.0–3.9 ft) 8–25 cm (3.1–9.8 in) 30–50 kg (66–110 lb) Vicuña Vicugna vicugna 20–25 years 35–65 kg (77–143 lb) 70–90 cm (2½–3 ft) 1–4 cm (0.39–1.57 in) 10–15 kg (22–33 lb) Alpaca Vicugna pacos 15–20 years 46–84 kg (101–185 lb) 90–120 cm (3.0–3.9 ft). 20–40 cm (7.9–15.7 in) 10–20 kg (22–44 lb) Guanaco Lama guanicoe 20–25 years 70–90 kg (150–200 lb) 105–120 cm (3½–4 ft) 5 cm (2.0 in) 15–20 kg (33–44 lb) Cama Camelus dromedarius × Lama glama Unknown 50–70 kg (110–150 lb) 125–140 cm (4 1/10-4 3/4 ft) 6 cm (2.4 in) 25–30 kg (55–66 lb)Adelaide great Ben Hart was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 THE AFL Hall of Fame ceremony will be held outside of Melbourne for just the second time, with Adelaide set to host this year's prestigious function. Canberra is the only other city to host the event – staged in 2013 for the centenary anniversary of football in the ACT - since the Hall of Fame's inception in 1996. This year's ceremony will be held on June 20 at Adelaide Oval, which also hosted the 2014 season launch. "Induction into the Hall of Fame is recognised across the country as the ultimate acknowledgement that you have been deemed to be one of the elite in our game’s history," AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said. "Since the Hall of Fame was established more than two decades ago, each induction has been an emotional highlight for every player/coach/administrator/umpire or media representative who has had the privilege to be recognised by our game. "As Australia’s only indigenous sport, with a national competition comprising games played in every state and territory, it is only proper that our major events should be spread across the country. "And we are delighted that Adelaide will host the Hall of Fame this year, alongside its previous successful stagings of national drafts, the AFL season launch and numerous finals matches." Nigel Lappin, Verdun Howell, Paul Bagshaw, Ben Hart, Maurice Rioli and Ray Sorrell were last year's Hall of Fame inductees. The game's greatest goalkicker Tony Lockett was the most recent Legend to be unveiled at the 2015 Hall of Fame function, joining 25 others in the exclusive club.California announced legal action Wednesday to suppress a "reprehensible" ballot initiative to outlaw homosexuality -- on pain of execution -- in the famously liberal US state (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad) Los Angeles (AFP) - A California lawyer has submitted a referendum proposal to outlaw homosexuality in the famously liberal western US state, on pain of execution. The proposal -- unlikely to advance, as it requires over 360,000 signatures to proceed -- was submitted by attorney Matthew McLaughlin to the California Attorney General's office last week. "The abominable crime against nature known as buggery, called also sodomy, is a monstrous evil that Almighty God, giver of freedom and liberty, commands us to suppress on pain of our utter destruction even as he overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha," reads the proposal, registered for comment on the attorney general's website. "Seeing that it is better that offenders should die rather than that all of us should be killed by God's just wrath against us... the people of California wisely command, in the fear of God, that any person who willingly touches another person of the same gender for purposes of sexual gratification be put to death by bullets to the head or by any other convenient method," he wrote. McLaughlin, who submitted the "Sodomite Suppression Act" ballot initiative proposal with the required $200 fee, was not immediately for available for comment. The lawyer's address registered with the proposal is in Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles in Orange County, known as a Republican stronghold in otherwise overwhelmingly Democratic and socially liberal California. California, like other US states, regularly holds elections on ballot initiative -- effectively referendums on proposed issues which must gather a minimum number of signatures to get on the ballot.Outer Space Theme Learn and Play Outer Space theme. We've been doing a ton of Space, planet, and galaxy activities recently...and sharing them, too! Our Summer Camp at home will be complete with Space crafts, Space snacks, Space sensory, fine motor, and gross motor learning and play. This summer, create a home summer camp with an. We've been doing a ton of Space, planet, and galaxy activities recently...and sharing them, too! Our Outer Space sensory activities were a huge hit, as were our Constellation crafts. Which to do first when you've got a little space fan! You can betcha we've been pinning to our Outer Space Awesome pin board a lot! We even grabbed up a handful of our all-time favorite Outer Space books from the library to share with you. If you're looking for activities to do with the kids this summer, a space theme will be a sure hit. Yourwill be complete with Space crafts, Space snacks, Space sensory, fine motor, and gross motor learning and play. Summer Camp at Home: Outer Space theme activities These activities are set up by theme (books, snacks, crafts, solar system models, sensory play, and movement learning activities) so that you can pick and choose activities for each day of your themed camp. Make the week work for you! Choose just one or two activities for each day, or go all out and do one from each category. It's totally up to you and your little campers! Outer Space Books Start off your daily activities during a week of Space activities with a Space book. Some of our favorites are ones we read weekly and others are ones we love to check out from the library. (We're including affiliate links for these books and other links in this post.) Stop back soon! This book list is coming to the blog tomorrow! Outer Space Snacks space snack while doing a little space reading. Kids will gobble up the stars and planets. We even made it a fine motor sorting activity by sorting the stars and planets from the snack mix. This outer space themed snack will be a hit during your Summer Camp at home or space themed week. We used a cup of and a cup of to make our stars and planets snack mix. Have the kids sort the planets and stars into seperate bowls for fine motor practice that Toddlers and young Preschoolers will love. We quickly made thiswhile doing a little space reading. Kids will gobble up the stars and planets. We even made it a fine motor sorting activity by sorting the stars and planets from the snack mix. This outer space themed snack will be a hit during your Summer Camp at home or space themed week. We used a cup of Cheerios Cereal and a cup of Puffs snacks to make our stars and planets snack mix. Have the kids sort the planets and stars into seperate bowls for fine motor practice that Toddlers and young Preschoolers will love. More Space themed snacks to fill the rest of your week: Rocket Ship Wrap from Creative Kid Snacks Eat the Moon snack from Things to Share and Remember Outer Space Solar System Models: We made this Outer Space model using pipe cleaners. We didn't get into planet size, but rather checked out the size of each planet compared to the others from The Planets book and crafted them based on the pictures in the book. we strung the pipe cleaner planets along fishing line and taped it between two walls. This was a fun way to explore how the planets are spaced from the sun. More Solar System Models for Kids for the rest of the week: Make a solar system mobile like Artsy Craftsy Mom Create a balloon solar system model from Creekside Learning Use recycled plastic lids to create a solar system like Still Playing School Make a solar system with Legos like Kitchen Counter Chronicles. Outer Space Crafts (make one a day for the week): Make a Rainbow Rocket ship like Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Create a Textured Moon craft from Fantastic Fun and Learning Make Q-tip Star Art like Mess for Less Kids will love this Launching Rocket Ship toy from Lalymom. This Moon mobile will be a hit. (from Fantastic Fun and Learning) Outer Space Sensory Play: Lots of ideas are to be found on our Outer Space sensory round up! Space Themed Move and Learn Activities: I love the rocket ship in this space themed party! Climb in and out of a cardboard rocket ship for lots of movement and play. Then, use another cardboard box to make this like Lalymom. Nurturestore made a great Space math game Any kid would love these recycled plastic bottle jet packs Have fun with your Outer Space themed week of fun! Be sure to follow our Outer Space Awesome pinterest board for more ideas. This post is part of a HUGE resource for you! We're joining 10 other bloggers in 11 weeks of themed Summer Camp at Home activities. These themed activities will fill the weeks of summer with learning, fun, and play. Check out all of the Summer Camp at Home themes below: Week 1: Outer Space theme from Sugar Aunts (that's us!) Week 2: Ocean theme from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Week 3: Colors theme from Still Playing School Week 5: Science Activities for Kids from Little Bins for Little Hands Week 6: Legos theme from All Done Monkey Week 8: Dinosaur theme from The Pleasantest Thing Week 9: Rainforest theme from JDaniel4's Mom Week 10: Secret Spy School Activities theme from Coffee Cups and Crayons Also, be sure to check out our Circus themed summer camp at home activities from last year.Disparaging comments by adults about a children’s presenter have led to an angry backlash in support of Cerrie Burnell, the 29-year-old CBeebies host who was born missing the lower section of her right arm. One man said that he would stop his daughter from watching the BBC children’s channel because Burnell would give his child nightmares. Parents even called the broadcaster to complain after Burnell, with Alex Winters, took over the channel’s popular Do and Discover slot and The Bedtime Hour programme last month, to complain about her disability. And some of the vitriolic comments on the “Grown Up” section of the channel’s website were so nasty that they had to be removed. Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month “Is it just me, or does anyone else think the new woman presenter on CBeebies may scare the kids because of her disability?” wrote one adult on the CBeebies website. Other adults claimed that their children were asking difficult questions as a result. “I didn’t want to let my children watch the filler bits on The Bedtime Hour last night because I know it would have played on my eldest daughter’s mind and possibly caused sleep problems,” said one message. The BBC received nine other complaints by phone. While charities reacted angrily to the criticism of the children’s presenter, calling the comments disturbing, other parents and carers labelled the remarks as disgraceful, writing in support of Burnell and setting up a “fight disability prejudice” page on the social networking site Facebook. “I think that it is great that Cerrie is on CBeebies. She is an inspiration to children and we should not underestimate their ability to understand and accept that all of us have differences – some visible and some not,” wrote “Surfergirlboosmum”. Other websites were flooded with equally supportive comments. “I feel we should all post counter complaints to the BBC and I’m sure they will receive more complaints about the fact they have even considered accepting these complaints,” wrote Scott Tostevin on Facebook. “Its a disgrace that people still have such negative views against people who are ‘different’,” he added. Burnell, who described her first television presenting role as a “dream job”, has also appeared in EastEnders and Holby City and has been feted for performances in the theatre while also worked as a teaching assistant at a special needs school in London. She also has a four-year-old child. “I think the negative comments from those few parents are indicative of a wider problem of disabled representation in the media as a whole, which is why it’s so important for there to be more disabled role models in every area of the media,” she said in response yesterday. “The support that I’ve received … has been truly heartening. It’s brilliant that parents are able to use me as a way of talking about disability with their children and for children who are similarly disabled to see what really is possible in life and for their worlds to be represented in such a positive, high profile manner.” Charities said that much still needed to be done to change perceptions in society. “In some way it is a pretty sad commentary on the way society is now and that both parents and children see few examples of disabled people. The sooner children are exposed to disability in mainstream education the better,” said Mark Shrimpton at Radar, the UK’s largest disability campaigning organisation. “She is a role model for other disabled people.” Rosemary Bolinger, a trustee at Scope, a charity for people with cerebral palsy, said: “It is disturbing that some parents have reacted in this way … Unfortunately disabled people are generally invisible in the media and wider society.”One of the most exciting things every year regarding development is annual Google Summer of Code program that helps students around the world getting involved with free software projects. A week ago many software projects submitted an application to participate in GSoC2011 and today we finally know which ones are in. Here is the list of the graphics related ones: Blender Foundation BRL-CAD CGAL Crystal Space darktable GIMP Hugin Inkscape OGRE OpenICC OpenImageIO Processing Scribus If you are into web development, you might also like: Django Software Foundation Drupal Plone Foundation TYPO3 Association Maps? Mapnik OpenStreetMap OSGeo Traditionally, GNOME and KDE that are also participating this year work as umbrella organizations for projects like F-Spot and digiKam. Finally, if you are interested in other multimedia tools, the list ends with: FFmpeg/Libav Freeseer video recording and streaming suite GStreamer Simple DirectMedia Layer MetaBrainz Foundation Inc. Mixxx VideoLAN XMMS2 This page has the full list of accepted organizations. As soon as all the information is filled, you'll be able to browse complete information for every organization, including links to project ideas. Half of the projects have already provided this information. Which means I really have to go and do it for darktable right now :) So, if you are student who is interested to be paid ($5000) for working on his/her favourite free software project since end of May till late August, check the list and contact the team to introduce yourself and pick one of the ideas or suggest your own one.O’Malley: There’s a hope that there might be some reaction to this concept from the East. We have a lot of fans in Asia, like in China, but we’ve never played there. I don’t even know what it’s like. There’s a lot of people who think of concepts like [the ones explored on Kannon] on a daily basis, but probably less so here than there; in many Asian countries, it’s a fundamental thing. We’re in a position where people are looking at what you’re doing, and listening to what you’re saying, so what are you going to talk about? You have the opportunity to make statements, whether they be philosophical or political ones. Though, as a band, you have to share a message or you’ll just splinter. When we were invited to play in Israel in 2006, some of the band members didn’t want to go. So Attila, Oren, and I went, and performed as a sort of side project to Sunn O))) called Gravetemple, which we created just to go and have that experience. But while we were there, war broke out with Lebanon. It was crazy. There’s something about going to a country as an artist, where you’re not a political ambassador or endorsing the beliefs of the government so much as you are there for your fans. They’re so grateful for you to go past politics and just be there with your music. Maybe it’s a bit irresponsible to think about it that way, but it’s also important to remember that these things don’t always have to be tied up in the political media frenzy and fear—this paranoia and all this racist shit that gets programmed by the media. A place like Israel is just so intense on that level—but I’ve also met amazing people there, who try to avoid all that and make art. Anderson: Even the attitude of the metal community can be polarizing, though it has significantly progressed toward openness since we first started. Back then, in the late '90s, it was a much more rigid and narrow-minded community. If you didn’t dress a certain way, or play a certain way, or even shared the same beliefs, than you weren’t metal, and therefore not really accepted. No one understood us, or really cared to. People just said it was garbage and noise. But it never deterred us from exploring our own sound within a metal palette, and now we have a huge following and sell out shows because we didn’t conform to doing metal by the book. This has caused some people within the metal community to ask if we still respect and love it, and the answer is absolutely. Stephen and I are extremely obsessed with, and incredibly influenced by metal. We eat, breathe, and sleep metal. Even if we don’t wear it on our sleeves, we have it in our hearts. And maybe that won’t satisfy everyone. Certainly people have tried to expose us: “They claim they’re making metal, but they’re not. They’re not metal!” Or they want to know what kind of metal that we play. That’s why we get these awkward descriptions of our sound, like “avant-garde drone doom metal.” I understand that people have these terms so that they can easily describe us, but talking about something just in terms of labels also prevents people from forming independent thoughts about our music. So if people ask, at the end of the day, I always just say that we’re experimental. It’s a broad enough term to satisfy most people and they can make what they want of it.Diethylstilbestrol (DES) in the US Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is an artificially created hormone first synthesized in the late 1930s. Doctors widely prescribed DES first to pregnant women to prevent miscarriages, and later as an emergency contraceptive pill and to treat breast cancer. However, in 1971, physicians showed a link between DES and vaginal cancer during puberty in the children of women who had taken DES while pregnant. Consequently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned its use during pregnancy. In the late 2000s, several studies showed that the grandchildren of women who had consumed DES also suffered medical issues. By the early decades of the twenty-first century, roughly ten million people in the US had been exposed to DES, and three generations of individuals had suffered medical issues due to DES exposure. Researchers class DES as an endocrine disruptor, which affects the form and function of the hormone (endocrine) system. In the early 1900s, scientists worked to isolate estrogen, a female sex hormone, and to produce it in the lab. Estrogen, or estrogen-like chemicals, stimulate the female reproductive system and the development of female sex characteristics like breasts and pubic hair. Scientists said that the production of a synthetic estrogen would enable them to treat hormonal problems caused by lack of estrogen, like various cancers and difficulty getting pregnant. Sir Edward Charles Dodds specialized in biochemistry and worked at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. His biographer and colleague, Francis Dickens, said that Dodds aimed to create artificial estrogen to simulate the effects of the natural hormone. In 1934, Dodds and colleagues synthesized the first artificial estrogen with a chemical base almost identical to that of the natural hormone. However, the compound was minimally effective and had to be administered to subjects through injection, making its widespread use unfeasible, because it required individuals to visit a physician for frequent injections. In 1938, Dodds's lab, along with the lab of Robert Robinson at Oxford, synthesized a new synthetic estrogen, called stilbestrol, and soon called DES. DES acted three times more powerfully then natural estrogen and was effective when subjects took it orally. Researchers produced it as a lightweight powder, and many of the male workers in the lab developed breasts due to inhaling DES. DES cost about two dollars per gram to produce, rather than the three hundred dollars to produce natural estrogen. Furthermore, because DES was synthesized in a laboratory that was publically funded, the product could not be patented, further reducing its cost. Several months after the synthesis of DES in 1938, Dodds published a paper showing that DES, when given to rats and rabbits, could prevent or end pregnancies, making it a viable birth control or emergency contraceptive pill. However, Dodds said that the human female reproductive cycle was too delicate to introduce foreign substances into it, and he denounced the use of DES to prevent or end pregnancies. Dodds stressed the possible cancerous effects of DES and other synthetic estrogens. Even with early signs of problems that arose when women took DES, such as miscarriages, many people used the hormone to treat a variety of hormonal problems. In 1941, the US FDA, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, approved DES as a treatment for menopausal symptoms, postpartum lactation suppression, gonorrheal vaginitis, and atrophic vaginitis. That same year, physicians Charles Huggins and Clarence V. Hodges at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, used DES to treat metastatic prostate cancer. Huggins won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1966 for his use of hormones like DES to treat prostate cancer. In 1949, scientists observed that pregnancy complications, like premature birth and fetal death in the womb, correlated with low estrogen levels in the urine of pregnant women, indicating that women with a history of miscarriages could be treated with an estrogen mimic like DES to prevent those complications. Many used DES to treat what they deemed as excessive height in adolescent girls during the 1950s, and in 1960 researchers showed that DES helped treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Physicians around the world prescribed DES to millions of individuals. However, the use of DES quickly became problematic, as Dodds had predicted. A 1953 study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, found that the use of DES during pregnancy did not prevent miscarriages. In 1970, researchers linked DES to the development of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina in the daughters of those women who ingested DES while pregnant. Throughout 1971, researchers published more studies that linked DES to the development of irregularities in the glands of the daughters of DES users and, in November of 1971, the FDA banned the use of DES during pregnancy in the US. However, that year, a study reported that DES was an effective post-coital contraceptive, spurring the off-label use of DES as an emergency contraceptive pill on many college campuses. In 1975, to prevent its off-label use, the FDA approved DES as a contraceptive in emergency situations such as rape and incest. Later that year, the FDA withdrew that approval. It removed the large dose prescriptions of DES from the market, and it required DES manufacturers to label both the DES container and the physician insert, an insert included with the drug that tells physicians what the drug can be prescribed for, with a statement prohibiting the use of DES as an emergency contraceptive. However, during the 1970s, researchers created a non-estrogen emergency contraceptive that largely replaced DES prior to the FDA's actions. By the late 1970s, the FDA approved DES in the US only to treat postmenopausal breast cancer, post-partum lactation repression, and metastatic prostate cancer. In 1977, the FDA approved a new drug, tamoxifen, to treat breast cancer, which produced better results than DES. Tamoxifen had fewer side effects, and it replaced DES. In 1978, the FDA banned the use of DES for post-partum lactation suppression. Later, in 1985, a new drug, GnRH agonist leuprolide, which mimicked DES, replaced DES as a treatment for prostate cancer. Finally, in 1985, the FDA listed DES as a known carcinogen. Between 1938 and 1971, an estimated four million women in the United States took DES while pregnant. DES affected women who took DES while pregnant, the daughters and sons exposed to DES prenatally, and the children of those daughters and sons. But for many years, researchers could little explain the long-term effects of DES, either on those who had ingested DES or on those exposed to DES as fetuses of pregnant women who had taken DES. One effect seen in women who took DES while pregnant is a higher risk for breast cancer. In 1978, research indicated a link between those women who took DES during pregnancy and breast cancer. However, subsequent studies found no increase in breast cancer rates in DES mothers. Over the next twenty years, researchers published studies both supporting and refuting the link between DES ingestion and breast cancer. In 2001, researchers found a modest association between breast cancer and DES mothers. Researchers found that DES seems to cause more adverse effects in daughters exposed to DES prenatally than in daughters not exposed to DES prenatally. Daughters exposed to DES as fetuses had an increased risk for certain cancers of the vagina, cervix, and breasts. The first effects of DES on female offspring were documented in 1970, when Arthur L. Herbst and Robert E. Scully at the Vincent Memorial Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, found a link between prenatal exposure to DES and the development of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and cervix in the daughters of women who had taken DES. Vaginal clear cell adenocarcinoma is a cancer that causes lesions in the vagina and cervix, and the cells of those lesions the cells look clear under a microscope. Usually, that kind of cancer develops in postmenopausal women, but in DES daughters, the cancer begins during puberty and into the early twenties, though some cases manifest in women in their thirties and forties. Researchers said that one in every thousand DES daughters will develop clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina. As of 2014, studies also showed an increased risk of breast cancer in DES daughters. Within the reproductive tract of DES daughters, several structural abnormalities are common, and those abnormalities often make pregnancy more difficult than normal, both in terms of getting pregnant, and in carrying a pregnancy to term. A quarter of DES daughters are infertile, which is often due to abnormal reproductive tracts. Approximately one third of DES daughters have cervical abnormalities and vaginal adenosis, an abnormal tissue found on the surface of the vagina. A T-shaped uterus is also common in DES daughters, where the uterine cavity is shaped like a T, as opposed to a pear-like shape. This structural difference causes two thirds of the infertility seen in DES daughters. DES daughters also have higher than normal rates of miscarriages, premature births, and ectopic pregnancies, pregnancies where the embryo implants outside the uterus. Compared to DES daughters, researchers found fewer health effects in males exposed prenatally to DES, though some health effects do exist. DES sons have an increased rate of epididymal cysts (lumps on the epidydimus) compared to the general population. Scientists also indicated that other genital abnormalities, like the underdevelopment of the testes (testicular hypoplasia), the absence of one or both testes (cryptorchidism), and a penis under two inches in length (microphallus), may link with DES exposure. However, in animal studies, older subjects showed more of the effects of
department welcomed Mr Ai's release, adding: "But there's obviously more individuals who are being held, so we want to see the release of all these people." Baroness Ashton, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said Mr Ai's case had been "the subject of widespread concern" and featured in recent EU-Chinese discussions on human rights in Beijing. She said she welcomed the news "while regretting the circumstances of his detention". In a statement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said his release "can only be a first step" and that China must now fully explain to Mr Ai the accusations against him. The German director of Human Rights Watch said it was "not by accident" that Mr Ai had been released shortly before Mr Wen's European visit, but warned he could now be facing further restriction on his movements. "Examples from the past of other dissidents that were released have shown that released opponents of the system face strict restrictions and many have been silenced," said Wenzel Michalski. Rights group Amnesty International said Mr Ai's long detention without charge had violated China's own legal process. "It is vital that the international outcry over Ai Weiwei be extended to those activists still languishing in secret detention or charged with inciting subversion," said Amnesty's Catherine Baber. The circumstances of one of Ai Weiwei's relatives, his accountant and driver, who were detained at the same time as him, remain unknown. British sculptor Anish Kapoor, who had led criticism of Beijing over the detention, called for the artist to be given a fair trial. "While I am thankful that he has been released, I do not think that artists should present their work in China until the situation has been resolved," said Mr Kapoor. The Indian-born sculptor had dedicated his monumental Leviathan art installation in Paris, unveiled last month, to Mr Ai. Ai Weiwei gained international recognition in the early 1980s for his monolithic brick sculptures. Last October, he unveiled a carpet of 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds at London's Tate Modern, which he said questioned the role of an individual in society.Police capture two ISIL bombers in Turkish capital ahead of New Year’s Eve ANKARA - Anadolu Agency HÜRRİYET photo Counter-terrorism police units captured two Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) suicide bombers in Ankara preparing for a New Year’s Eve attack in an operation conducted in the capital’s Mamak district on Dec. 30, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has stated.The two ISIL suicide bombers, identified as M.C. and A.Y., entered Turkey from Syria and were scouting the capital’s central Kızılay square and nearby bars, the location of many New Year’s Eve celebrations, for two separate attacks.Police also seized suicide vests and explosives reinforced with steel balls and sticks during the raid.The suicide bombers had reportedly prepared more effective bomb set-ups than those used in the Oct. 10 Ankara bombings and aimed to injure more people.A total of 103 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in two explosions by ISIL that shook a road junction in Ankara on Oct. 10, the largest single terror attack in the country’s history, ahead of a “peace” meeting.I was issued one at work to allow me to hook 2 IPS monitors to my generic i5 laptop which only had one hdmi. Now for my co workers using windows, this was fairly simple. Where as I found it a little harder but mostly because of how hidden the drivers were. Problems I Experienced Screens coming and going as they pleased Wrong Resolutions Occasional Freeze DisplayLink Support Root cause for these problems have been identified as a result of the recent changes in X.org window system, which do not work with evdi correctly out of the box. Modesetting driver assumes page flips are not supported by devices using USB transport (e.g. udl - an opensource inbox driver for DisplayLink DL2 devices). However, evdi being a platform device, is not detected correctly by the logic in modesetting, and as a result page flipping is enabled for its screens." Unfortunately, other parts of X are not yet ready to do page flip on PRIME slave outputs - c.f. the code in present: These areas were changed just before releasing X from 1.18 and 1.19 branches - and the area is still being actively modified. Page flipping is again allowed on PRIME slave outputs on trunk (not yet released) version of X. Now I tried several different drivers suggested for Ubuntu, mainly from the display link wesbite, but it took a few days of hit and miss before I found out there was some hidden tweaks needed to rectify the issue. For my own reference, and for anyone experiencing this issue, here is how to remedy. The file we are modifying is 20-displaylink.conf which will most likely need creating. 1) Download the Ubuntu Driver and install 2) Create the config file as root sudo touch /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-displaylink.conf 3) At the following section to the file Section "Device" Identifier "Intel Graphics" Driver "intel" EndSection 4) Reboot sudo reboot 5) If Problems persist, add the following to the file then rebootAustrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner gets set to leap from his capsule at an altitude of roughly 71,500 feet on March 15, 2012. An Austrian daredevil is gearing up to make the world's highest skydive on Monday (Oct. 8), a high-flying leap from 23 miles above Earth that promises to break more than one record if all goes according to plan. Veteran skydiver Felix Baumgartner, 43, will make the jump, thereby becoming the first person ever to freefall faster than the speed of sound. His skydive will also be the highest ever, superceding a record set in 1960 by U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger by more than 3 miles (5 kilometers). But what's the physics of this situation? A helium-filled balloon will lift Baumgartner, sitting inside a custom-built capsule, to an altitude of 120,000 feet (36,576 meters). At that altitude, which registers in the upper echelons of the stratosphere, the atmosphere is a mere inkling of its sea-level self, exerting a pressure less than 0.5 percent of its value near the ground. Even if gradually acclimated, humans cannot survive long above 26,000 feet without an oxygen tank, so a much loftier Baumgartner will definitely require supplemental oxygen. [8 Craziest Skydives of All Time] When the skydiver steps out of his capsule and plunges into the void, he'll accelerate for approximately 30 seconds before reaching his peak speed, explained Michael Weissman, a physicist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Weissman estimates that Baumgartner's speed will max out just above the sea-level speed of sound, which is about 760 miles per hour (1,225 kilometers per hour). Baumgartner stops accelerating because of collisions with air molecules. Called a "drag force," air resistance opposes a falling body's downward motion, counteracting the downward force of gravity by pushing the body upward. The faster the body falls, the greater the air resistance it experiences, and so at a certain maximum velocity, called the terminal velocity, the drag force becomes equal and opposite to the gravitational force. With the two forces balanced, the body no longer accelerates. Under normal circumstances, reaching terminal velocity means one's speed subsequently stays constant, but that's only true when external forces remain constant. In the case of this skydive, explains the physicist Louis Bloomfield of the University of Virginia, the surrounding atmosphere thickens dramatically as Baumgartner falls, so the upward drag force exerted on him by the air steadily increases. Consequently, the local terminal velocity drops as his altitude drops. [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom] "As he descends, the local terminal velocity will decrease and so he will slow down gradually until he reaches the 100-200 mph of near-sea level skydiving," Bloomfield told Life's Little Mysteries, a partner site to SPACE.com. At that point, Baumgartner enters safe waters: The fall turns into an ordinary skydive. But what will happen to his body before that point, as he plunges through the stratosphere at the speed of sound? For one thing, according to Bloomfield, a shock wave, also known as a sonic boom, will envelop his body. "He'll be colliding with the gas so fast that it can't flow out of his way because it effectively doesn't know that he's coming," he said. [Can You See a Sonic Boom?] Secondly, those high-speed collisions with the air will generate a huge amount of heat. "When he's near the maximum speed, almost all the gravitational potential energy he loses [from] falling gets converted to heat," Weissman said. If he and his suit together weigh in the neighborhood of 220 pounds (110 kilograms), he'll produce around 300 kilowatts of heat when falling at sonic speeds. "If that heat was simply dumped into the skydiver, he'd heat almost 1 degree Celsius [1.8 degrees Fahrenheit] per second, which would be rapidly fatal," he said. "Of course most of that heat goes into the atmosphere, but it doesn't sound like a good idea to be around the equivalent of 200 high-power hairdryers for very long without some protection." Assuming Baumgartner's suit offers the protection he needs, he should survive the fall. But Weissman pointed out that the very act of making that assumption suggests this stunt is dangerous. "As a general rule I'd say that anything extreme and unprecedented has special dangers," he said. "In this case the long period reliant on oxygen and heat protection from the suit raises issues not faced by an ordinary skydiver. In other words, there's more 'assuming' required here." If Baumgartner is worried at all, he's not showing it. "I feel like a tiger in a cage waiting to get out," he said in a statement. Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter @nattyover or Life's Little Mysteries @llmysteries. We're also on Facebook & Google+.It's no secret that Frozen Ever After is (somewhat ironically) the hottest attraction at Epcot, regularly commanding wait times in excess of three hours. After shuffling along this attraction’s queue for a good percentage of your park day, its easy to feel a little bit anxious when you finally get to the loading area and board that boat. Will you be able to truly appreciate the three minute ride you just waited several hours for? Will it be as magical as you hoped? Will you miss something if you even blink once? Well, we’ve been on Frozen Ever After a number of times, and can tell you exactly what details to look for and what you can’t miss on this new attraction. And, believe us, the impact of these effects is truly impressive. SPOILER WARNING: From here on we'll be presenting a photo ride-through of Frozen Ever After that contains specific ride elements of this attraction in depth. If you want to experience this attraction completely unspoiled, turn back now! Otherwise, scroll on... Olaf and Sven welcome you to Frozen Ever After This scene is one dark ride aficionados will recognize right off the bat. Olaf and Sven are setting the scene for us, and are telling us why we’re on a boat headed to see Anna and Elsa. It’s a Summer Snow Day in Arendelle, and you’re going to see Anna and Elsa as part of the celebration. Yay! In this scene, guests will want to look exclusively to the right, as Sven and Olaf are the only occupants in this room. And you’ll definitely want to keep your eye on the Olaf animatronic as he bounces around his platform, showing off a wide range of movement and following your boat, just until you make a turn to see… Trolls, trolls and more trolls! Though the former Maelstrom ride featured a number of trolls behaving badly, the only trolls you’ll find in Frozen Ever After are the nice “fixer upper” kind. There are a mixture of animated and static trolls, and eagle-eyed riders will want to keep their gaze to the left on Grand Pabbie as he regales younger trolls with the story of Anna and Elsa. Some projected images from the Frozen film will grace the space next to the trolls, but these aren’t really that important to see, so don’t bother squirming in your boat if your neighbor is blocking your view. Time to climb the mountain… From here your boat will ascend a lift hill into Elsa’s ice palace. There’s not much to see here, but you can see a miniature version of the castle at the top of the hill as you get ready to go see the star of the show. But first, supporting characters! Though you make it to the top of the mountain with record speed, it’s not quite time to see Elsa yet, as Olaf will great you while ice skating. Though this animatronic isn’t as impressive as the Olaf seen earlier in the ride, the way he glides around effortlessly is definitely worth a look. Olaf will start off in front of the boat and then as you turn the bend you’ll be able to get a closer look before heading in to see Kristoff, Anna and Sven, again on the right side of the boat. Both human characters are singing a reprise of For the First Time in Forever, with lyrics that have been changed for the ride. As your boat glides forward you’ll finally be ready for this attraction's big moment...Cesar Vitale was born in 1989, and has since been struggling to get his head around that event. At the age of eleven, he won a nation-wide creative writing award for an essay on how good he thought Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was. The prize was an edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He was not amused. Thirteen years later, he graduated in Communications from ESPM-SP College. He has still to learn how to use his diploma in any productive way, and welcomes any advice on the subject. Vitale currently lives in Los Angeles, where he studies screenwriting, occasionally eats shrimp and takes long walks. You can check out his creative writing personal page at reddit.com/r/psycho_alpaca, where he publishes short stories and interacts awkwardly with people who read them. Published Work: http://cesarvitale.com/work/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alpacavitale (Like me, I'm needy) Reddit (for more stories): http://www.reddit.com/r/psycho_alpacaFar Cry 5 will introduce airplanes to the open world shooter series for the first time - as well as an attempt to satirise the rise of the far-right with its representation of fanatics in North West America. It'll launch for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ("including Scorpio") on 27th February 2018. The PS4 version will get extra content for free, thanks to the game's marketing deal with Sony. Montana offers the backdrop, with Far Cry 5 making the most of the picturesque setting that takes in grand national parks and the Rocky Mountains. The area in hand is called Hope County, its small towns and grand vistas presenting a slice of Montana that's now explorable by airplane. You play as a deputy sheriff who's sent to arrest Joseph, the head of a deeply strange family of religious fanatics who run what's known as Eden's Gate. Joseph's family - - Jacob, John and Faith, known collectively as "The Heralds" - represent some of Far Cry 5's antagonists, while you'll also have friendly NPCs such as Pastor Jerome, a gun-toting man of the cloth, and Mary May, landlord of a bar who's stuffed all her spirit bottles with rags for an impromptu arsenal of molotov cocktails. Each character has their own motivations, and they're said to play a large part in Far Cry 5's campaign. That whole campaign can be played in co-op. There will also be a map editor. You can play as either a man or woman, and pick your skin colour. Ubisoft has also released a trio of clips focusing on three main characters: Far Cry 5 is the first numbered entry in Ubisoft's series since 2014's Far Cry 4 - although we did get spin-off Far Cry Primal last year. The recently released in-engine trailer remains slim on gameplay details, although it does feature glimpses of fishing, aeroplanes and a taste of the environment. Who's betting Montana's Republican house representative and part-time journalist wrestler Greg Gianforte will feature?Spending restraint has been the hallmark of Conservative fiscal policy in the post-recession years, and the federal public service — whose unionized members are represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) — has been obliged to bear almost the full brunt of it. Unsurprisingly, PSAC has decided to work against the re-election of the Conservatives: the reasoning is presumably that once the Conservatives go, so does the austerity. The opposition parties have not made any great effort to disabuse anyone of this belief, but there’s little reason to think that a government led by the NDP, the Liberals (or some combination) will deviate significantly from the spending agenda that the Conservatives have put in place. The most useful way to measure public spending is as a share of GDP, for both the level of services provided and the government’s ability to pay for them. Since GDP is a measure of economic activity, it’s useful as a proxy for the available tax base. And since changes in GDP reflect inflation, population increase and real economic growth, GDP also captures the costs of providing a given level of public services. (There is not universal agreement on this last point: Andrew Coyne, for one, prefers real per capita spending.) For a given level of services, public spending should increase in proportion with GDP. The deficit incurred under the Conservatives was mainly due to the recession: a weakened economy generates reduced revenues, and the stimulus package increased spending. Most of the deficit would have gone away on its own as revenues recovered and the stimulus package was unwound. Most, but not all. According to both the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Department of Finance, the structural budget — that is, adjusted for the business cycle — was roughly in balance when the Conservatives took power. (The actual budget was in surplus, thanks to a pre-crisis economy that was operating well above capacity.) Reducing the GST by two percentage points created a structural deficit that the government has closed by gradually reducing federal spending expressed as a share of GDP. There’s little reason to think that a government led by the NDP, the Liberals (or some combination) will deviate significantly from the spending agenda that the Conservatives have put in place. More precisely, direct program expenditures have been reduced. Spending on transfer programs — which accounts for half of all program spending and basically involves sending out cheques — have continued to grow with GDP. Payments to individuals (Employment Insurance, Old Age Security, Universal Child Care Benefit, etc.) have remained at about four per cent of GDP, in line with their share before 2006. Transfers to provinces have also held steady at about 3.2 per cent, also in line with their share before the election of the Conservatives, and higher than they were under Jean Chrétien’s last mandate. (Anyone familiar with these data is puzzled by claims that Stephen Harper’s government has cut transfers to provinces; the opposite is true.) Even as transfer payments continued to grow with GDP, nominal direct program expenditures — mainly spending on public-service wages — have either declined or been held constant. As a result, direct program spending expressed as a share of GDP has fallen. Since the costs of providing public services more or less rises with GDP, constant nominal spending means real cuts. And these cuts have been borne almost entirely by public servants, by some combination of reduced employment and reduced benefits. Conservatives would doubtlessly — and not without some justification — respond by noting that expressed as a share of GDP, direct program spending has simply been returned to the levels they inherited from Paul Martin’s Liberal government. This brings us up to date: the membership of the Public Service Alliance of Canada has borne the lion’s share of the Conservatives’ recent spending restraint. According to the 2015 federal budget, the budget balance will move into surplus in the current fiscal year, and small surpluses are projected over the four subsequent years. So does the elimination of the deficit also eliminate the need for further austerity? No, it doesn’t. Those projected surpluses are a bit of a patch job, held together by baling wire and duct tape: they depend on some conveniently timed asset sales (e.g., the divestment of the federal government’s GM holdings) a delayed reduction in EI contribution rates — and continued spending restraint. Continued restraint on direct program spending, meaning a continued reduction of its share of GDP, is baked into those projected surpluses. Even if all of the spending and tax-reduction measures announced in the 2015 budget were cancelled — and no opposition party has yet gone so far as to promise that — that still would not be enough revenue to prevent a return to deficit. If the next government were to let direct program spending increase with GDP after the current fiscal year, it would have to find an extra $6.6 billion in 2016-17, $9.4 billion in 2017-18 and $11.3 billion in 2018-19. Actually reversing the Conservatives’ previous cuts would cost even more. So far, there’s little reason to think that the opposition parties are prepared to offer much more than lip-service to the anti-austerity cause. As it is, the Liberals’ fiscal proposals are underfunded; one presumes that the difference is to be made up by those surpluses that depend on continued spending restraint. And the NDP’s hints about raising the corporate income tax are unlikely to be enough to offset future austerity, much less finance any new spending that they have in mind. Going on what we know now, all three major parties are explicitly or implicitly campaigning on a platform of continued restraint in direct program spending. Regardless of who wins the next election, the Public Service Alliance of Canada may have to get used to being disappointed. National PostThe mother of a 14-year-old boy held onto wooden stairs early Sunday as she asked her son for forgiveness. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I wasn't there for you. Oh, my baby. I'm so sorry. Get up, please." Officers surrounded the woman as she clung to the staircase and looked up. It led to the body of her son, Damien Santoyo, who was slumped over in the middle of the steps. A blanket covered his body, though one of his legs was visible. About 2:35 a.m., her son was with two other boys outside of a home in the 1700 block of South Newberry Avenue in Pilsen when people inside a passing car yelled gang slogans at them. Someone in the car opened fire, fatally striking her son in the head. Damien, of the 3600 block of West 81st Street, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers eventually moved the boy's mother and others farther south as other officers arrived to gather evidence. The mother stayed nearby. "I want my son's clothes," she yelled. "Please, that's mine." A crowd had been gathered outside the crime scene for hours when a handful of gunshots were heard just before 5 a.m. One woman ordered a teen boy to stand closer to the crime scene. The slain boy's mother called out for her own mother to get closer to the police tape. Commuity activists Andrew Holmes and Raul Montes Jr. speak Aug. 6, 2017, about the recent shooting death of 14-year-old Damien Santoyo in the 1700 block of South Newberry Avenue in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) Commuity activists Andrew Holmes and Raul Montes Jr. speak Aug. 6, 2017, about the recent shooting death of 14-year-old Damien Santoyo in the 1700 block of South Newberry Avenue in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) SEE MORE VIDEOS The sound of the sirens from an ambulance led to the 800 block of West 19th Street, less than half a mile from the crime scene. A 19-year-old man had been shot in the abdomen while he was standing at the edge of the Guadalupe Reyes Park. The shooter was in a passing red vehicle, police said. Paramedics took the 19-year-old man to Stroger Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition. A detective pulled over two men in a gray vehicle that was near the 19th Street shooting. Braulia McWilliams, a longtime Pilsen resident, woke up to a loud bang in her neighborhood. Using her binoculars, she looked outside of her window and saw the commotion. It wasn't the first time that violence had struck her block. "It's calmed down a lot," she said. "These kids probably don't even live around here." When gang graffiti was plastered outside her home, she painted a Christmas tree to cover it up. "This is my property," McWilliams said. "I pay the taxes." Photos of weekend violence from various locations throughout Chicago from Aug. 4, 2017, through Aug. 6, 2017. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune) (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune) Nearby, a 27-year-old woman grew worried for her brother, who works late, after she woke up to the gunshots. It was the third consecutive day she had heard gunfire in the neighborhood. "Not been this bad in a long time," she said. From 18th Street, which divided the shootings, the cries of the 14-year-old boy's mother and grandmother echoed. The boy's grandmother, Erlinda Criado, had spent much of the time sitting on a curb crying. A woman at one point sat next to her and rubbed her back. Her grandson had been in her Ashburn home when, at some point in the night, he sneaked out with a friend and ended up in Pilsen, she said. "My baby," Criado said. "These (expletive) streets took my baby." Damien, one of five children, had moved from Texas to Chicago less than a year ago and expected to start high school in the fall. He played football in Texas, and she insisted that her grandson wasn't tied to a gang. "I always told him don't let the streets call you," Criado said, using Spanish and English. "Please, don't waste away." Only hours after the fatal shooting, Andrew Holmes, who often works with the families of Chicago crime victims, met with his mother and grandmother in their Southwest Side home “They’re very distraught,” Holmes said, outside the family home Sunday afternoon. “I just talked to (his mom) before I came out here. She just wants to find out why and who did it. … It took her nine months to give birth to that child and it took a fool a second to take that child’s life.” Afterward, Holmes visited the scene of the shooting to pass out flyers asking for tips. Along his route, where mothers pushed children in strollers and neighbors walked their dog, were only subtle signs that a shooting had taken place. Outside the fenced-in yard where Damien was fatally shot, a single Catholic candle with the image of Jesus stood as a makeshift tribute. And, about 50 feet away, a black SUV with two gaping bullet holes in the hood was parked on the street. “These are large holes, like an assault rifle,” Holmes said, measuring one hole with his thumb and index finger. “Look at the size of these holes. He didn’t have a chance when that bullet hit him.” By Sunday evening, family friends had set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral expenses. Six blocks away, outside of a block party fundraiser for a local parish, community activist Raul Montes Jr. called a news conference demanding a heavier police presence in the neighborhood. Montes Jr. also offered a $500 reward in exchange for information leading to an arrest in the fatal shooting. Anyone with information on the shooting can call Chicago Police Department’s Area Central detectives or 1-800-U-TELL-US to submit a tip anonymously. “He was young,” Montes Jr. said. “He probably had potential. He could’ve been the next mayor. He could’ve been the next senator. It’s a shame we’re losing the youth to crime and violence.” emalagon@chicagotribune.com tbriscoe@chicagotribune.comAt Mobile World Congress this morning, Google's Sundar Pichai said that Titan, the drone company Google acquired in April of 2014, would be conducting its first test flight later this year. Google bought the company after it was widely reported Facebook had made an offer. Both were interested in the drone's ability to stay aloft for long periods of time with little energy and to carry a payload capable of providing internet connectivity to people down below. Pichai says Titan is about where Project Loon, Google high altitude balloons, was a couple of years ago. The Titan team is building a new type of super lightweight solar-powered airplane that would be capable of hovering in one area of the stratosphere. This could provide a way to beam internet down to a targeted area on the ground below, supplement existing services with extra bandwidth, or providing access in an area that’s suddenly offline, like after an earthquake or other disaster. Loon and Titan could complement each other, providing what Pichai described as a mesh of flying cell towers circling overhead. While the balloons can be tricky to steer and cover a wide area, Titan aircraft could be maneuvered to provide capacity to particular areas based on demand. In both instances, Google's plan is to partner with carriers to provide overlapping service to people on the ground so that they don't have to worry about exactly where it's coming from. Pichai said the hope is to begin connecting some of the roughly 4 billion people on earth who currently don't have reliable internet access.(Image: BBC/Twitter; file photo) The UK's home secretary Theresa May has refused to confirm how many fellow lawmakers have had their communications intercepted by British intelligence agencies. In a brief confrontation in the parliament's House of Commons on Monday, fellow Conservative Peter Bone MP said May's refusal to answer was an "indication" that some members of parliament (MPs) have been subject to surveillance by UK intelligence agencies. The emergency session follows a ruling last week that determined the so-called Wilson Doctrine, a promise made by former prime minister Harold Wilson that said members of parliament won't have their mail opened or phones tapped by the intelligence agencies without his direct knowledge, was no longer valid. May said the doctrine "still applies," but confirmed that devolved members of parliament in Scotland (MSPs), Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as members of the European Parliament (MEPs), are not protected by the doctrine. Joanna Cherry MP, a Scottish member of parliament, criticized May's response, asking why the government thinks the Scottish parliament is "less deserving" of the doctrine's protection. She added that the home secretary's "caveated" comments about the doctrine in 2014 suggested the doctrine may have been partly suspended around the time of the Scottish national independence referendum, a national vote that saw Scotland remain as part of the United Kingdom. Caroline Lucas MP, who brought the case under debate to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, said lawmakers had been "misled" over the level of protections MPs are afforded under the doctrine. Doctrine 'cannot work sensibly' Until last week, the doctrine was kept in force by every prime minister since Wilson, but was expanded in 2002 when former prime minister Tony Blair said the doctrine applied to "all forms" of communications. But last week, James Eadie QC told the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), which hears complaints against the intelligence agencies, that the doctrine "simply cannot work sensibly" in an age of bulk data collection and mass surveillance, and did not have the force or weight of the law. The IPT said that the UK's spy agencies MI5, MI6, and GCHQ -- the eavesdropping agency whose activities were detailed in an extensive range of documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden -- have their own separate policies that do not require for the prime minister to be informed where parliamentary communications were collected. MPs were quick to respond with anger, amid concerns that emails sent to and from parliamentary offices may have been collected or spied on. In a letter to the prime minister David Cameron, Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon asked for clarification, arguing "the confidentiality of communications between parliamentarians and their constituents is of the utmost importance," according to The Guardian. MPs not 'above the law' Many of the lawmakers on Monday argued that the need to protect their communications from surveillance was to protect whistleblowers, and not about driving a wedge of privilege between them and the public. David Davis MP, a Conservative politician known for being pro-civil liberties, and who has almost always voted against requiring the mass retention of information about communications, said MPs need the doctrine's protections against government surveillance because their job is to "hold the government to account." He argued that MPs often "deal with campaigners, journalists, whistleblowers, and our own constituents" in bringing to light wrongdoing disclosed by members of the public, including police and public-sector workers, and employees of big corporations. Chris Bryant MP, who called for the emergency debate following last week's ruling, argued that MPs "cannot ever be above the law," a sentiment echoed by others, including the home secretary. Bryant, a Labour MP with a long record of voting in favor of data retention and communications collection legislation, accused May of withholding any public statement about a change in the doctrine's standing because it wasn't "compatible" with the current state of national security. Davis, in agreement with Lucas and others, said the the doctrine must be enshrined into law. May will "soon" introduce the so-called "snoopers' charter," first mentioned earlier this year in the Queen's annual speech. Known as the Investigatory Powers Bill, the Conservative government said the draft law would give authorities "tools" to keep the public safe by addressing gaps in existing intelligence gathering. Dominic Grieve MP, chair of the Security and Intelligence Committee which oversees the intelligence agencies, said the committee will examine how parliamentarians will be treated under the new draft bill.Amazon WorkSpaces is a fully managed, secure Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution which runs on AWS. With Amazon WorkSpaces, you can easily provision virtual, cloud-based Microsoft Windows desktops for your users, providing them access to the documents, applications, and resources they need, anywhere, anytime, from any supported device. Amazon WorkSpaces offers the flexibility to pay hourly or monthly without any up-front commitment. To help customers with unpredictable WorkSpace usage patterns monitor their Amazon WorkSpaces usage and optimize costs, AWS offers the Amazon WorkSpaces Cost Optimizer, a solution that analyzes all of your WorkSpace usage data and automatically converts the WorkSpace to the most cost-effective billing option (hourly or monthly) depending on the user's individual usage. This solution is easy to deploy and uses AWS CloudFormation to automatically provision and configure the necessary AWS services. The following section assumes basic knowledge of architecting on the AWS Cloud, virtual desktops and Amazon WorkSpaces.It is already very serious for three teens who were suspects in a Scranton armed robbery Saturday night. But when an officer's foot pursuit of the suspects led to his death in a fall, things could get a whole lot more serious, still. The Citizens Voice newspaper reports that the three 17-year-olds -- Tanner Curtis and Nasiir Sheldon Jones of Scranton and Isiah Malik Edwards, whose address is listed as homeless - could face additional charges related to the death of Scranton Patrolman John Wilding. Already, the three are charged as adults with felony counts of robbery, gun possession and making terroristic threats following a holdup about 2:45 that morning. But since the officer sustained fatal injuries in a fall while chasing the suspects, the three could also face charges in his death, up to felony murder, the newspaper reports, adding: Assistant District Attorney Gene Talerico said that the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are forthcoming. He did not comment on whether he would be seeking second-degree murder charges, which on conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.The cartoonist’s homepage, azcentral.com/opinions/benson (Photo: Steve Benson, The Arizona Republic) Some of our media friends gripe that Iowa is the wrong state to start the GOP presidential race because it’s full of social conservatives. The real reason it’s a bad place to start is because it’s the heartland of Republican corporate welfare. Witness this weekend’s pander fest known as the Ag Summit, in which the potential 2016 candidates competed to proclaim their devotion to the Renewable Fuel Standard and the 2.3-cent per kilowatt hour wind-production tax credit. The event was hosted by ethanol kingpin Bruce Rastetter, co-founder of Hawkeye Energy Holdings, who interviewed the candidates and made sure each one had a chance to light a votive candle to his cause. “Don’t mess with the RFS,” declared Iowa’s GOP Governor Terry Branstad at the start of festivities, referring to the mandate that requires a minimum amount of renewables be blended into transportation fuels. Two of the biggest enthusiasts were Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee, the social conservatives who won the last two Iowa presidential caucuses before sputtering in New Hampshire. The fuel standard “creates jobs in small town and rural America, which is where people are hurting,” said Mr. Santorum, who must have missed the boom in farm incomes of recent years. Scott Walker, who in 2006 said he opposed the renewable fuel standard, did a switcheroo and now sounds like St. Augustine. He’s for ethanol chastity, but not yet. The Wisconsin Governor said his long-term goal is to reach a point when “eventually you didn’t need to have a standard,” but for now mandating ethanol is necessary to ensure “market access.” Jeb Bush at least called for phasing out the wind credit, which was supposed to be temporary when it became law in 1992. But he danced around the renewable standard, which became law when his brother signed the energy bill passed by the Nancy Pelosi-Harry Reid Congress. “The law that passed in 2007 has worked, for sure,” the former Florida Governor said, though he reckoned that the mandate may at some point prove moot because “ethanol will be such a valuable” product. Ethanol Nirvana is always just around the corner. Chris Christie wouldn
, philosophers like William Galston and Will Kymlicka have proven Walzer correct. The ambivalence of the liberals of anxiety toward the sixties runs even deeper. Though they often argue for a revival of community and civic virtue by reference to Aristotle or Machiavelli, their vocabulary is often drawn from the very individualist ethos they question. The anxious liberals care much for the fate of the self, which they believe rights-based liberalism has deprived of full agency and force. They do not praise community and civic culture as goods unto themselves: community is worthy in their eyes because it lends a necessary theater to the self’s appearance. According to Etzioni, “Individuals who are bonded into comprehensive and stable relationships and into cohesive groups and communities are much more able to make reasoned choices, to render moral judgments, and to be free.” Kymlicka claims, “Cultures are valuable, not in and of themselves, but because it is only through having access to a societal culture that people have access to a range of meaningful options.” Membership in a common culture, particularly a culture of diverse subcultures, helps us make “intelligent judgments about how to lead our lives.” Without close-knit communities, writes Walzer, the individual suffers a radical “decline in ‘the sense of efficacy.’” Anxious liberals thus do not spurn the individualism of the 1960s: they question its political sociology. For them, social order—which can range from the nation, a common culture, or subculture, to an institution, a voluntary association, or a local community—is the seedbed of the self. It provides the deep grammar of individualism, the nurturing ground upon which the self learns who she is and what she believes. From preestablished moral prescriptions and social ties—that which is given, as opposed to that which she chooses—the individual learns to express herself and her needs in a publicly intelligible language. Once she has internalized these prescriptions and ties, she can think and act for herself. She no longer requires an authoritative structure to direct her every step; she can take her own steps, even steps that contradict or challenge those assigned to her, for a properly pluralist social order offers the individual a variety of scripts—doctor, lawyer, Christian, Muslim, Democrat, Republican, and so on—to perform. It even tolerates her efforts to revise or write new scripts. Like parents and teachers, the agents of social order use their power to guide rather than repress, with the goal of turning the student or child into a rational, autonomous adult. But the liberalism of anxiety also stows a darker, more subversive account of social order. Recalling an argument made by everyone from Tocqueville to the Frankfurt School to Christopher Lasch, anxious liberals quietly cherish social order as a necessary antagonist of the self. Social order makes demands upon the self, they claim, exacting obedience, asking the individual to abide by its rules. Such constraints often provoke the appearance of a more fractious, defiant self, who knows what she believes and is willing to risk all to pursue it. A Martin Luther or Anna Karenina—those great refusals of history and literature who declare, “Here I stand. I can do no other.” In the revolt against constraint, the self defines her own beliefs, articulates her own principles—far more vigorously than she would under the soporific gaze of an excessively tolerant parent. The prerequisite of such a deeply felt intransigence is a social structure that weighs heavily upon her. Without that structure, rebellions will be shallow and trivial, freedom an empty gesture. “Radical freedom,” Walzer insists, “is thin stuff unless it exists within a world that offers it significant resistance.” He adds, “the easier the easiness” of breaking loose, the less strong the individual will be. Or, as Galston writes, “Rational deliberation among ways of life is far more meaningful (I am tempted to say that it can only be meaningful) if the stakes are meaningful—that is, if the deliberator has strong convictions against which competing claims can be weighed.” The radical pursuit of freedom, these critics argue, and corresponding decline of social order, breed anxiety, crippling the self. The “vaunting of ‘free individuality,’” writes Kymlicka, “will result not in the confident affirmation and pursuit of worthy courses of action but rather in existential uncertainty and anomie, in doubt about the very value of one’s life and its purposes.” “Self-determination,” he adds, “has generated more doubt about the value of our projects than before.” It destroys the personal intimacy and social proximity we need to become full individuals. The result, writes Walzer, are identities “mostly unearned, without depth.” This observation does not prompt conservative nostalgia. Instead, it asks us to make good on the promise of comprehensive individuality and robust agency that the sixties were supposed to deliver. If we were once again “participants in a common life,” we would witness a true flourishing of human capacities, for men and women “are stronger, more confident, more savvy” when they “are responsible to and for other people.” In the 1950s, at a comparable moment of political retreat, American intellectuals responded in like fashion to the end of the New Deal and a rampant McCarthyism. Like our contemporary liberalism of anxiety, the Cold War version took its cues from Tocqueville. Intellectuals argued that the average American felt isolated and alienated, that the greatest threat to individual agency was the anxiety of anomie. “A fluid social structure,” wrote David Riesman, “creates anxiety and bewilderment.” The solution was not to return to the past, but to create what Talcott Parsons called an “institutionalized individualism,” to situate the individual within institutions. A “strong emphasis on freedom and responsibility,” Parsons insisted, required “a framework of both normative order and collective organizations.” The Cold War intellectuals did not see the quiescence of the 1950s or McCarthyism as the product of a resurgent Republican Party in Congress, the overthrow of a dynamic labor movement, or the capitulations of liberal Democrats to red baiting. Instead, they assumed that it was the continuing momentum of liberalism that generated anxiety and crippled individual agency. For liberalism, in the words of Lionel Trilling, was “at this time... not only dominant but even the sole intellectual tradition” in the United States. Like other reactions to failed emancipations past—one also thinks of Tocqueville’s diagnosis of democracy after the French Revolution, Arendt’s meditations on spent modernity after World War II—the liberalism of anxiety is the voice of a ruined insurgency. It conveys the promise of liberated human capacity, and the disappointment of seeing that promise betrayed. But what makes the liberalism of anxiety a reaction against the insurgencies of the 1960s—as opposed to a symptom of their decline—is its peculiar understanding of the threats to the self’s agency, an understanding drawn from Tocqueville’s analysis of anxiety. Where Hobbes understood the fearful self as a being of fixed contour, frightened and threatened by forms of external power that thwarted it, the liberalism of anxiety imagines a weak self of almost vaporous indeterminateness. This weak self, rather than external coercion or repression, is the Trojan Horse of unfreedom. What makes the self so weak and anxious, in this view, is the absence of external structure and order, the absence of coercion and repression. What would make the self strong? A revival and strengthening of integrative institutions like churches and families, which could once again press upon the individual and propel her to be a full self. The insurgents of the 1960s presumed that the self was an agent who knew, and was passionately committed to, her interests and beliefs. Indeed, it was this knowledge and commitment that hurled her against the barriers of constraint—Jim Crow, the family, the Pentagon—for she believed those barriers prevented her from achieving her aims. If the self did not act, it was because these barriers—or her fear of them—stopped her from doing so. Challenging barriers meant taking risks and making sacrifices, resulting perhaps in the loss of career and opportunity, or, in some cases, life itself. Knowing that danger made men and women afraid, sometimes to the point of not acting. Fear thus required two actors of real presence—a determinate self and the agents of social order. But the liberalism of anxiety has turned the self’s knowledge of her beliefs and interests into a problem, the agents of social order into an indeterminate ether, and, with that, fear into anxiety. Because anxious liberals believe contemporary America lacks integrative institutions, they imagine the self to be a thin figure of disintegration. Conversely, because the self has grown thin, she cannot participate in integrative institutions. Where there was presence, now there is absence; where there was fear, now there is anxiety. One of the most telling symptoms of this shift from fear to anxiety is the discussions over the last two decades about the problem of identity. The occasions of these discussions have been various: pitched battles over political correctness, scholarly debates about nationalism and ethnicity, meditations on the politics of recognition versus the politics of distribution. But the underlying vocabulary and assumptions of these arguments have been consistent. The most pressing questions of politics, according to many participants in these debates, concern not the distribution of power and resources or the aggressive contest for equality and expropriation. Politics instead involves those agitated questions of membership and exclusion—of who belongs and who does not, who I am, who you are, and the unrelenting anxiety over borders (of self and society, group and nation) that such questions entail. In the words of David Miller: “It matters less, it seems, whether the state embraces the free market, or the planned economy, or something in between. It matters more where the boundaries of the state are drawn, who gets included and who gets excluded, what language is used, what religion endorsed, what culture promoted.” “The negotiation of identity/difference,” writes Seyla Benhabib, “is the political problem facing democracies on a global scale.” Unlike “the struggles over wealth, political position, and access that characterized bourgeois and working-class politics throughout the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century,” she claims, today’s struggles are about what Jürgen Habermas calls “the grammar of forms of life.” Or, as Samuel Huntington puts it, “In the post–Cold War world, the most important distinctions among peoples are not ideological, political, or economic. They are cultural.” Though oppositional intellectuals during the 1960s were not uninterested in identity, they spoke of it as an instrument of rule. Dominant groups, these earlier thinkers believed, organized differences—of race, class, and gender—vertically, placing one group on top of another, distributing more resources, status, and power to those at the top. As late as 1982, feminist theorist Catharine MacKinnon gave voice to this dispensation in a debate with Phyllis Schlafly. Feminists, according to MacKinnon, had little interest in socially generated differences as desirable or undesirable in themselves. They worried about differences that “enforced subordination, limited options,” and generated “social powerlessness.” This political understanding of difference prompted an interest in fear, rather than anxiety, for fear arose from and reinforced society’s vertical cleavages. Fear was a tool of the powerful against the powerless, and a reaction of the powerful to the possibility that the powerless would one day dispossess them of their privileges. But contemporary theorists of identity conceive of society horizontally, which is why anxiety is their preferred emotion. We are divided into groups not at the bottom and the top, they argue, but at the centers and the margins. Whether the group is a race, ethnicity, religion, nation, or culture, it is never sure of the coherence or durability of its borders. It worries that its perimeter is too permeable, that foreigners will slip through its porous frontiers and jeopardize its existential character and basic unity. Because men and women are not sure where they begin and end, there is a pressing need to “differentiat[e] oneself from what one is not.” The struggle for identity, in other words, results from the anxiety over borders, which produces a redoubled effort to guard those borders. Reviving unwittingly an argument from an earlier moment of political retreat, theorists of identity ascribe a nagging political salience, trumping all other conflicts, to anxieties about self and other, in group and out group, nation and enemy. To be sure, intellectuals did not initiate these arguments over identity in a vacuum: with post–Cold War debates over inclusion and exclusion threatening to dissolve entire societies into chaos, theorists felt legitimately called upon to offer some guiding intelligence. But these theorists have gone further, interpreting identity claims as the political return of the deepest, most elemental disquiet of the human condition. Huntington writes that “peoples and nations are attempting to answer the most basic questions humans can face: Who are we?” Identity, argues Taylor, “designates something like an understanding of who we are.” Those who struggle on its behalf are roused by the sense that “there is a certain way of being human that is my way.” When we refuse to recognize that way of being, we harm the person, imprisoning her “in a false, distorted, and reduced mode of being.” Politics should accommodate men and women who seek to identify themselves with a nation or some other culturing grouping, explains Miller, because “identifying with a nation, feeling yourself inextricably part of it, is a legitimate way of understanding your place in the world.” Or, put more strongly, politics is the effort to define oneself with the nation or some other cultural grouping. Because the liberalism of anxiety values the expressive self of the 1960s—but worries about its disruptiveness—it seeks a politics that allows for individual expressiveness without its disintegrative consequences. For that reason, anxious liberals prize institutions of civil society that are nonpolitical or antipolitical, and cares and concerns that are social and cultural, but not ideological or partisan. It is these institutions and concerns that combine the virtues of expression and connection, allowing the individual to disclose who she is without provoking disorder and disintegration. Civil society is valuable, according to Etzioni, because it encourages us to “attend to nonpolitical institutions.” Local communities should be supported, Elsthain suggests, because they are not ideologically maximalist: their “ethos is preserving, not acquiring,” their goal is “to defend and sustain what remains of a way of life.” Civic associations, writes Taylor, are important because they are “often dedicated to ends which we generally consider nonpolitical.” The ideal form of civil society is a conversation between two people: “A conversation is not the coordination of actions of different individuals, but a common action in this strong, irreducible sense; it is our action. It is of a kind with—to take a more obvious example—the dance of a group or a couple, or the action of two men sawing a log.” Conversations can range from Mozart to the weather, for “in human terms, we stand on a different footing when we start talking about the weather.” In conversation, we don’t just impart information to a separate self. Instead, we create a shared universe of intimate meaning between ourselves. Conversations model the ideal form of politics, which should be expressive and embedded, collective but not divisive. “What has all this [talk of conversation] to do with republics?” Taylor asks. “It is essential to them,” for “they are animated by a sense of a shared immediate common good.” This bias against political action and debate is by no means uniform among proponents of the liberalism of anxiety. Some, like Walzer, praise the rough and tumble of democratic politics. But even when Walzer embraces disruptive and redistributive organizations—labor unions, for instance—it is partially their integrative function, their support for “cooperative coping,” that he praises. And when the state supports unions, he adds, it helps men and women overcome their isolation. For Walzer, the 1935 Wagner Act, which gave workers the right to organize and join unions without fear of employer retribution, does more than protect workers from intimidation by their employers: it also “counter[s] the dissociative tendencies of liberal society,” protecting “communities of feeling and belief” from the centripetal force of individual mobility. It is these quietist tendencies within the liberalism of anxiety—the love of intimate conversation, the praise of non-ideological associations, the embrace of integration over conflict—that ultimately render it an inadequate philosophy of politics. The liberalism of anxiety was aroused by remorse over the disappearance of the passionate conviction and crusading movements of the 1960s, and still longs for the individual and political vitality of an earlier age. It seeks a stronger self, a more defiant individual. But little of that is to be found in the PTAs and Rotary Clubs it so fulsomely praises. Whatever their value as modes of social integration, these organizations are not weapons of social conflict or training grounds of strenuous selfhood. They may be partial to conversation and cocktails, perhaps some cooperative coping, but they eschew antagonism, conflict, and political confrontation. Civil society must thus remain an object of permanent disappointment for its defenders. Because it disappoints, its advocates are driven to embrace an alternative ethos, the liberalism of terror. Formulated by a different group of writers in response to a different set of concerns, the liberalism of terror provides the bracing resolve and militant politics liberals of anxiety seek but cannot find in private associations, civil society, and conversations about the weather.Note to self: don’t leave Rebecca Bunch at the altar. Clearly, Josh missed the memo, because that’s precisely what he did at the end of season 2. And no Rebecca is going to get revenge. In her latest interview, Rachel Bloom said that these revenge plots will include everything from poop to sex tapes. “These are revenge fantasies that I’ve had and never done. And I think what’s interesting is, the thrill of living them out is fun, but also the imagining of what happens. It’s like, ‘OK, I’m glad I never did these things because this ends in disaster.'” But apparently, Rebecca isn’t the only one having all the fun this season — Paula gets to get her own revenge as well! While chatting with Vanity Fair, actress Donna Lynne Champlin said, “Everyone’s pretty pissed off at Josh. What’s really fun this year for me is I’m getting thrown in with other characters I don’t usually get to play with. It’s a mixing-and-matching kind of game that’s happening.” YAS! YAS! YAS! I am so here for this. Especially because it means there will probably be some amazing revenge dance numbers. Other things to expect this season? More facets of Rebecca’s craziness (but of course!). Bloom said, “She says, ‘OK, you left me at the altar, you called me crazy, great. I’m crazy. I’m crazy and I’m f—king sexy and I’m a dynamo.’ She’s going to come in with this persona, but again, it’s the same mistake she keeps making, which is like, Rebecca, what do you really want? Who are you really?” Crazy Ex-Girlfriend returns to The CW on Friday, October 13. Game on.Teacher released from hospital after stabbing on Elsie Allen campus The 12:50 p.m. incident occurred at the end of the lunch break toward the north end of the Elsie Allen campus in an area that houses Midrose, a small alternative school for students trying to make up academic credits. The suspect, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, attends Midrose, which has about 70 students. During the brief and bloody attack, another student tried to intervene and "pull the teacher and the other kid apart," Linscomb said. That student wasn't hurt in the scuffle, and the teacher and the boy who attacked him both fled out of the classroom and into a courtyard. The teacher called 911. Students who witnessed the attack told police they saw the boy head north to a gate in the campus fence that led into the Bellevue Ranch neighborhood, Linscomb said. Police found the teen about three blocks north of campus at a relative's home on Silver Spur Drive. Officers found what appeared to be the boy's bloody clothes in the neighborhood along the youth's "escape route," Linscomb said. Late Wednesday, police had not yet found the pencil, he said. A man who answered the door where the boy was taken into police custody said he was a relative and the boy lived elsewhere in Santa Rosa with his parents. The man, who didn't want to be identified, said his family was struggling to understand what took place with the youth and that he was "sorry it had gotten to this point." Police don't yet understand what might have motivated the attack, Linscomb said. The boy didn't have a known history of violence, he said. The stabbing elicited a large-scale police response. The entire 980-student campus was on lockdown. Students were quarantined in classrooms with the blinds drawn, lights off and doors locked. They were instructed to stay quiet. Wednesday afternoon, an officer placed yellow police tape around beams in the northern courtyard outside a door under the Midrose High School sign as a police dog sniffed around the bushes. The Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter flew circles above the eerily quiet campus. Abigail Suarez, 16, said she and her classmates in a public safety class sat silent, some doing homework but most typing messages to each other and to their families on their cellphones. "My Dad texted me after the school called," Suarez said, referring to an automated message school officials sent out to parents. "I was a little nervous." Oman Morales, 15, said he was about to take a test in a human anatomy class, but it was postponed. "I was never scared because I knew what was happening," Morales said. At just after 2 p.m., Stablein informed teachers via the campus intercom that lessons could resume, but that students were required to remain in class. "You must keep all students in the classroom at this time," she said over the loudspeaker. "You may turn on the lights and you may return to instruction, but you need to keep all students inside the classroom." "If any student witnessed the incident that happened at lunch today... you are to tell your teacher immediately," she said. Many students contacted home by cellphone and text message, prompting parents and relatives to begin lining up outside the school almost two hours before the final bell, worried about the students inside.Bill Belichick probably doesn't care whether you agree with the reasoning behind the New England Patriots' surprising decision to trade Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns, or instead find the whole thing rather preposterous. But with that said, Skip Bayless and the “Undisputed” crew know one thing: Even the most successful coach in NFL history is open to criticism. FOX Sports NFL insider and former Patriots front-office employee Michael Lombardi joined FS1 on Friday to talk Belichick, the Patriots, and much more. Skip shared his perspective: “Yes, it is fair [to question Belichick], but I preface this by qualifying, or disqualifying myself. I'm a much bigger Brady fan than I am a Belichick fan, as Shannon (Sharpe) knows. We can talk for days about the whys or why nots of getting rid of Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins. Bottom line, all I know is that the two most-talented players on last year's defense are now not on this year's defense. Is that fair to say? And all I know for sure is that Jonathan Cooper, whom Bill got back from Arizona [in the Jones trade], did not work out. …” Article continues below... Lombardi responded that in that trade, the Patriots also received the draft pick that became starting guard Joe Thuney, which Skip conceded. The larger point for Skip is that Belichick's general coaching and decision-making stand to be called into question: “But what I don't get and what I cannot forgive Bill for — what I cannot fathom — is what happened last year in the final two regular-season games. I haven't gotten over those, so maybe you can talk me through these. But against the Jets, remember, at the Jets last year, Tom Brady leads a 66-yard, 11-play drive … to tie the score at 20 with 1:55 left, which leads to overtime, during which — the coin goes up, Patriots win the coin toss, and Bill decides to defer. “And I'm sitting in my living room thinking, 'Wait a second. You have No. 12 on your side, and you just gave the ball to the other team?' I get it, it's Ryan Fitzpatrick … but for once, Ryan Fitzpatrick goes five plays, 80 yards, boom, boom, boom, 6 yards to Eric Decker, game over. And I was just dumbfounded by it, which led to the final game, which was at Miami last year.” Skip goes on to criticize Belichick for his game plan in that season finale, which in his mind cost the Patriots home-field advantage in the playoffs — and the AFC Championship. “So it's hard for me to defend Bill on those two counts, even though I get your points on the two counts of Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins.” Lombardi, who was working for the Patriots at the time of those games, explained why Belichick made the decision to defer in overtime and pointed to injuries against Miami for the game plan, noting that Brady nearly suffered a major injury in Week 17: “Where people miss the boat on Bill often, and this is not because he said wonderful things about me … but this is from the Bill that I know from 1991, the minute he walked in the Cleveland Browns offices. Bill makes no decision based on his own ego. … So when he makes a decision with Jamie Collins, it is truly what he believes to be in the best interest of the team. And Jamie, for all the rhetoric that has gone around, when you really study what was going on on the field, they were not producing.” The knee-jerk reaction is that Belichick hasn't lost his touch, but consider the nuanced take. As one of the game's best ever, the Hoodied One could be off his game and still remain an outstanding coach — he just wouldn't be at the same elite level he'd established for himself and his team. And if you're wondering why the Collins trade might have made sense in the first place, check out Lombardi's explanation below:As many of you know, this week’s issue of Famitsu has a feature on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. While there are new screenshots, the magazine itself doesn’t share any new details. But there is one interesting and noteworthy change that can be found in one of the images featured in the article. Above is a photo from the new HD version. Can you spot anything different? Well, it seems there are fewer Tears of Light needed to be collected in Lanayru Province. The original Wii and GameCube versions had 16, but this version only appears to ask for 12. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this change extended to Faron Province and Eldin Province as well – we’ll just have to wait and see! Share this: Twitter Facebook Reddit Tumblr Google More Email Print LinkedIn Pinterest PocketAny serious effort to repair criminal justice in New York City must do something about Rikers Island, the jail complex in the East River where justice goes to die, or at least be severely beaten. The City Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, acknowledged this in her State of the City address this month, when she announced that the state’s former chief judge, Jonathan Lippman, would lead a commission to comprehensively examine the city’s criminal justice system. Its mission will be to reduce the jail population, now at about 10,000, enough to make it possible to consider shutting Rikers down for good. Mr. Lippman is newly retired from the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, after a distinguished career advancing justice for the poor. His involvement lends credibility to Ms. Mark-Viverito’s intriguing proposal. Fixing Rikers has been talked about, fruitlessly, for years. Studies have been commissioned, consultants paid, lawsuits filed. Mr. Lippman, now with Latham & Watkins, says he will lead an open-minded investigation, but it’s hard to imagine a conclusion more foregone: The sensible thing to do with Rikers is to close it. The Times has reported for years on the savagery there. The Justice Department has investigated its corrupted, poisoned culture. The department’s report on the abuse of teenage inmates is horrific reading. In a long history of often-fatal violence, incompetence and neglect, one tragic case stands out: that of Kalief Browder, who was 16 when he was taken to Rikers, accused of stealing a backpack. Because his mother could not make bail, he spent three years there, including about two in solitary confinement. He was assaulted by a guard and beaten by inmates. He tried repeatedly to kill himself, and after his release he succeeded. He was 22 years old.The White House on Tuesday condemned a ruling from U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick III that blocks the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order to withhold federal funds from cities that refuse to comply with federal immigration laws. “Today, the rule of law suffered another blow, as an unelected judge unilaterally rewrote immigration policy for our Nation,” the White House statement read. “This case is yet one more example of egregious overreach by a single, unelected district judge. Today’s ruling undermines faith in our legal system and raises serious questions about circuit shopping,” the statement continued. “But we are confident we will ultimately prevail in the Supreme Court, just as we will prevail in our lawful efforts to impose immigration restrictions necessary to keep terrorists out of the United States.” Orrick issued the preliminary injunctions for two lawsuits brought by California counties Santa Clara and San Francisco against the executive order. “Federal funding that bears no meaningful relationship to immigration enforcement cannot be threatened merely because a jurisdiction chooses an immigration enforcement strategy of which the president disapproves,” Orrick said. San Francisco and Santa Clara County said the order threatened billions of dollars in federal funding for each of them. “It’s not like it’s just some small amount of money,” John Keker, an attorney for Santa Clara County, told Orrick at the April 14 hearing. “The Constitution vests the spending powers in Congress, not the president, so the order cannot constitutionally place new conditions on federal funds,” Orrick reportedly ruled. The Trump White House has repeatedly seen its executive orders blocked and challenged in U.S. courts, and the White House’s subsequent statements have reflected its mounting frustration. Tuesday’s White House statement accused Orrick of endangering the lives U.S. of citizens with his ruling. “This San Francisco judge’s erroneous ruling is a gift to the criminal gang and cartel element in our country, empowering the worst kind of human trafficking and sex trafficking, and putting thousands of innocent lives at risk,” the statement read. Trump and other Republicans have long railed San Francisco and other “sanctuary cities” for their loose immigration enforcement, saying such policies endanger American citizens. Republicans also blasted the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals after its decision to block Trump’s immigration restrictions on several terror-prone nations. Trump took to Twitter Wednesday morning to blast Orrick and the 9th Circuit Court. First the Ninth Circuit rules against the ban & now it hits again on sanctuary cities-both ridiculous rulings. See you in the Supreme Court! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2017 Out of our very big country, with many choices, does everyone notice that both the “ban” case and now the “sanctuary” case is brought in … — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2017 …the Ninth Circuit, which has a terrible record of being overturned (close to 80%). They used to call this “judge shopping!” Messy system. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2017 The White House statement included a sobering indictment of those opposing enforcing immigration laws. “Those city officials who authored these policies have the blood of dead Americans on their hands,” the statement said. Like us on Facebook – USA Liberty News What do you think? Scroll down to comment below. Source: westernjournalism.comMy SS nailed it. But, first, let's talk about the trip it had to take to get here - it traveled from the Midwest to the West Coast. My SS dropped it with the USPS on the 20th with plenty of time to get here. As soon as I got the tracking number, I began wearing out my F5 key. Then, on the 23rd, I saw the update - DELIVERED! To a city about 45 minutes north of me. WTF? I wrote to confirm she sent it to the right address. She not only VERY quickly responded to confirm that, yes, it should be at the correct address, but she then spent 20+ minutes on the phone with USPS (!!!) on FRIGGIN' CHRISTMAS EVE!!! They assured her it would be delivered that day. They were wrong. So, Christmas comes and no SS gift, but I was full in the confidence it would be here soon. And, the next day - today - it was. And it was worth the wait. For our reaction to all of the gifts, see the descriptions below the images. Needless to say, though, I'm not only TOTALLY excited by our gifts, I'm even more excited by the personal touch she applied to each one. Even the stuffed Millenium Falcon, which I supoose is for my son, but I may sneak in a "pew pew" with it, too. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!BARRING DISASTER Trump Will Win Nomination by End of May – Needs Only 7 of 11 Winner-Take-All States to Wrap It Up Businessman Donald Trump leads all Republican candidates with at least 678 delegates after Tuesday’s big night. 1,237 delegates are needed for the nomination. There are 20 contests left. Donald Trump needs 559 delegates to wrap up the nomination. 11 of those states are winner-take-all states. If Donald Trump wins the states marked red-orange he will add an additional 435 delegates to his total. Via No Quarters: That means he would only need 129 more delegates in the final eight proportional states to wrap up the nomination. Trump will likely wrap up the election by the end of May. No Quarters reported: There are 312 delegates at stake in the final eight contests (New Mexico, Oregon, Washington State, West Virginia, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut and Utah). That means Trump only needs to win 42% of the delegates in each of those states. Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and West Virginia account for 176 votes. Anyone believe that Ted Cruz will do better than 20% in those states? Are the pundits stupid or liars? They are one or both. Otherwise I have no explanation for their refusal to clearly and simply explain the delegate math to the public. It appears they deliberately want to keep people in the dark and on edge about a potential war in Cleveland, Ohio. The facts are clear–the delegate numbers are trending in Trump’s favor and, barring a disaster, he will continue to close the deal by the end of May.ADVERTISEMENT: It’s been almost eight years since the planeswalker card type was introduced. Before that, the lore of the game cast planeswalkers as legendary pseudo-gods that were almost always too powerful to print. I mean, we got Nicol Bolas back in Legends, but he felt like more of an “attack with big dragon that roars” instead of “archmage that casts multiple spells to obliterate his opponents.” We never got a card for Urza, because Wizards claimed that he would be far too powerful to see play. Neither did we ever get Serra or Leshrac from the pre-Mending era. Planeswalkers were basically gods that would far overpower the “normal” creatures of the time, and WOTC didn’t yet have the design knowledge to make world-crushing nigh-unstoppable beings in card form. During the Time Spiral block, we saw the last of the “planeswalkers imagined as creatures.” Jaya Ballard had multiple activated abilities to show the versatility of her spell weaving, but it wasn’t enough to make her feel awesome. Teferi controlled the flow of time by slowing down his opponents, but he was still just a creature. I’m not going to write an entire lore column, because you guys aren’t here for that, but the Mending was Wizards’s way of fixing and adjusting the walkers to a power level where they were more feasibly printed. October of 2007 Enter Lorwyn. With a brand-new card type that was hinted at by Tarmogoyf itself, planeswalkers and the rules surrounding them were the talk of the town. At least, I assume they were. I barely knew how to play Magic at the time, and I wasn’t paying attention to new set releases until closer to Shards of Alara. But as a casual player, I fell in love with planeswalkers as soon as I saw them. Ironically, I was the last person in my small casual group to actually attain one, and that was only because my friend took pity and traded Garruk to me because he had two from the Garruk vs. Liliana Duel Deck. Anyway, the point here is that the planeswalker card type was a home run on pretty much all fronts. Casuals foamed at the mouth at the chance to summon an ally to the battlefield and cast spells every turn, and the Spikes of the world enjoyed how difficult to remove and mana-efficient they were. While there were balancing issues over the first few years, ‘walkers as a whole were appreciated by the entire community. Savvy traders who navigated the rift between casual and competitive caught on quick, and learned that converting tournament staples into undervalued loyalty counters was a quick way to make a profit. This mantra has held true for as long as I’ve been in this business. If your trade partner’s binder is stretched thin, just target pretty much any planeswalker ever. I’ve sold more Vess than Veil in my time buying and selling Magic, and it’s not close. Hell, even Tibalt is worth trading for because he’s so goddamn infamous. There are multiple people out there who collect exclusively Tibalt because he’s regarded as the first “obviously bad” planeswalker. I’ve traded for a Tibalt before, and it was intentional. I wanted that Magic: The Gathering card because I knew another human being on this planet actually wanted to own it, even though the card is obvious garbage and is basically a recurring joke at this point. ADVERTISEMENT: In years past, $5 was always the benchmark for “cheap planeswalker that you should probably buy, because it’s going to rebound back like an
techniques. The hope is that this will make it easier to understand the language and techniques used in publications. My general approach will be to concentrate on key practical points, keep posts short(ish) and where possible use well known trials to highlight these ideas. With that in mind I wanted to make my first post about CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials). CONSORT Statement and the CONSORT Flow Diagram CONSORT is a group of researchers that published a 25 point check-list in 2010. This highlighted the key points that should be included in the write up of a clinical trial. They are an excellent framework for structuring and writing a paper and I would encourage anyone in the process of conducting clinical research to use them. Occasionally they are presented as a way to critique published papers. This is generally a flawed idea as you end up assessing the write up rather than the experiment. The same group also produced a similar statement for systematic reviews called PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). Both checklists detail what should be in a write up and where it is appropriately located. Part of this checklist is a flow diagram. The CONSORT Flow Diagram is a simple box diagram that details the passage of participants (or papers in the case of PRISMA) through the trial from initial screening, all the way to follow up. Every published article should produce one of these flow diagrams; they will likely be located somewhere within the published material and are a useful source of information when assessing a paper. This diagram details patient numbers at each stage of the process, allowing assessment of components of the conduct of the trial such as those receiving intended allocation, those lost to follow up and the numbers included in the final analysis. In it’s best form the flow diagram will include an explanation as to why patient numbers changed at each stage such as reasons for patient exclusion after screening. One of the main benefits is that it allows readers to assess external validity in more detail. One of the fundamental aspects of external validity is the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The problem is that it can often be hard to understand the effect that they have on the size and make up of the final trial population, and how relevant the trial patients are to the broader population. An excellent example of the benefits of the flow diagram can be found in the DECRA study. DECRA (Decompressive Craniectomy in Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury) DECRA was published in NEJM in 2011 and is an exceptional study. The fact that they were able to conduct an RCT on such an invasive procedure is impressive enough, but it was also well conducted with robust methodology. In the DECRA trial researchers assessed the difference between a conservative approach to craniotomy with a very aggressive one in the management of elevated ICP (>20mmHg sustained for more than 15 minutes) in the first 72 hours following closed traumatic brain injury. The primary outcome measure was revised to disability level at 6 months as defined by the Extended Glasgow Outcome Score. Their findings were in favour of a conservative approach. 70% in the surgical group had unfavourable outcomes compared with 51% in the conservative group. This has lead to many clinicians being more cautious with the use of this surgical procedure than they would have been before its publication. There are several remaining controversies with DECRA regarding surgical technique, timing of intervention, trigger of ICP and how these findings should be extrapolated into clinical practice. One of the concerns was how applicable the results are to all patients with significant brain injury. This is a test of the external validity. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were as follows. Inclusion Criteria: Age 15-59y Suffering severe, non penetrating traumatic brain injury defined as GCS 3-8 or Marshall class III on CT Exclusion Criteria: Not suitable for full active treatment Had dilated, un-reactive pupils Mass lesions (unless too small to require surgery) Spinal cord injury Cardiac arrest at the scene The write up states that of the 3478 patients assessed (likely to meet inclusion criteria) only 155 patients were enrolled in the study. This already suggests findings are only directly applicable too a small percentage of severe head injuries. However this doesn’t give much of an idea as to why patients were excluded, e.g. refused consent, age, spinal injury etc. In the supplement, made freely available online, the authors included a CONSORT Flow Diagram. This provides a lot of information about the patients screened and those included in the study, in a simple format. The first point to note is that only 21 patients’ families declined consent. For such an invasive procedure, in such sick patients, this is a staggering achievement. I would love to know what information was provided to families as getting patients to consent to comparatively simple treatments for a study can often be challenging. The second point is that the majority of patients were either excluded on the basis of mass lesions (sub or extradural haematoma) or their ICP was controlled with medical therapy alone. This means that the findings are harder to extrapolate to patients who have a craniectomy for removal of a mass lesion or patients that have sustained elevated ICPs after the first 72 hour period (although this isn’t particularly common). It does not mean that the study findings are irrelevant to these patients, just that we have to think more carefully about how they should be applied. It is also worth noting that the trial team did an excellent job of maintaining study protocol with only 7 of the 155 patients receiving the incorrect treatment, in very difficult circumstances. All patients enrolled in the study completed it with no losses to follow up. Summary DECRA demonstrated that not every patient with a raised ICP benefits from this form of craniectomy, and those that receive it require ongoing medical management. The effects of DECRA have been a more holistic approach to the management of ICP in the severely brain injured patient. Rather than simply lifting the lid, we now concentrate on optimal medical therapy and a more detailed consideration as to why the patient may have an elevated ICP. This can only be of benefit to our patients. The CONSORT diagram demonstrates which patients we should be more cautious about blindly applying the findings of DECRA to. Hopefully RESCUE ICP will answer some of the remaining questions more clearly when it finally meets its recruitment targets. CONSORT diagrams are increasingly included as part of the main publication but they are often found in the supplemental material. I would encourage people to look for them in any publication of significance as they highlight a lot of information in a very accessible format. The CONSORT and PRISMA checklists are an excellent resource and freely available online. References CONSORT Flow Diagram Generator.[ Cited 5 Dec 2014.] Available from URL: https://depts.washington.edu/hrtk/CSD/ CONSORT Statement.[Cited 5 Dec 2014.] Available from URL: http://www.consort-statement.org Cooper DJ, Rosenfeld JV, Murray L, Arabi YM, Davies AR, D’Urso P, Kossmann T, Ponsford J, Seppelt I, Reilly P, Wolfe R; DECRA Trial Investigators; Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Clinical Trials Group. Decompressive craniectomy in diffuse traumatic brain injury. N Engl J Med. 2011 Apr 21;364(16):1493-502. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1102077. Epub 2011 Mar 25. Erratum in: N Engl J Med. 2011 Nov 24;365(21):2040. PubMed PMID: 21434843. [Free Full Text] [Supplementary material] Finfer S. The light and dark side of research and publication. Intensive Care Network. [Cited 5 Dec 2014.] Available from URL: http://intensivecarenetwork.com/finfer-the-dark-side-of-research/ PRISMA Statement.[Cited 5 Dec 2014.] Available from URL: http://www.prisma-statement.orgDespite the Obama Administration's promise to respect state law and leave medical marijuana patients alone, its attack on patients and providers operating legally under state law is rapidly escalating. At least 16 landlords in California this week received letters stating that they are violating federal drugs laws and that state law will not protect them. The four US Attorneys in California are holding a press conference in Sacramento today in which they are expected to announce a broad crackdown on medical marijuana. A series of administration actions in the past month makes it clear that they are engaged in a full scale assault on medical marijuana patients' rights and their ability to access medicine and that they have reconsidered their willingness to allow states with medical marijuana laws to implement those policies without federal interference. The Treasury Dept. is forcing banks in Colorado to close accounts of medical marijuana businesses operating legally under state law. The IRS now says it will not recognize legitimate business expenses of dispensaries and is requiring owners to pay taxes required of no other businesses; the result will be closure of the most well regulated dispensaries and loss of millions of dollars in tax revenue for local governments. And the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives last week ruled that state-sanctioned medical marijuana patients cannot legally possess firearms. "The Obama administration's latest moves strongly suggest that their medical marijuana policies are now being driven by over-zealous prosecutors and the anti-marijuana ideologues who dominated policymaking in past administrations," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "Barack Obama is betraying promises made when he ran for president and turning his back on the sensible policies announced during his first year in office. Instead of encouraging state and local authorities to regulate medical marijuana distribution in the interests of public safety and health, his administration seems determined to re-criminalize as much as possible. It all adds up to bad policy, bad politics and bad faith."The planned mandatory National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) system has been presented in a largely positive light, with suggestions that it will bring cost-savings and convenience (MOH wants to make national patient database mandatory; Nov 9). The downsides of this system have, unfortunately, not been adequately explained. The forced implementation of the NEHR carries a cost which will likely be passed on to patients - not only do private doctors have to bear the cost of setting up electronic medical record (EMR) systems, they have to pay Internet subscriptions and EMR subscription fees, as well as the cost incurred in data entry. If the emphasis had been on convenience, then all public healthcare institutions should long have implemented the practice of releasing to patients their investigation results. Instead, they continue to withhold such results, and require patients to ask for their release. More significantly, there is a need to consider the right to privacy, which we should all enjoy. Singapore has implemented the Personal Data Protection Act. Yet it is stated that even patients who do not wish to have their NEHR accessed will have their data stored in the system. More significantly, there is a need to consider the right to privacy, which we should all enjoy. Health information constitutes one of the most important domains of personal data - so surely those who choose not to have their data accessed should have their privacy respected. The potential for health insurance claims to be scuttled by medical reports based on the NEHR should also not be overlooked, especially when inaccurate data may be recorded in the system or when patients forget past history that may be found in the NEHR. One perceived advantage, observing NEHR systems elsewhere, is the potential to tap such data for medical research - can the public be assured that the information will not be so utilised without their consent? To mandate the implementation of the NEHR, while threatening punishment for non-compliance, also seems high-handed. Sitoh Yih Yiow (Dr)Holiday season may be better classified as spending season—not just for the gifts you'll likely be purchasing but for food, travel and all of the other little things that add up to a very big bill. What's different about this particular holiday season is that it's easier to do much of that spending via the burgeoning digital currency bitcoin. Websites dedicated to bitcoin sales are popping up at the same time as increasing numbers of established retailers, both online and offline, are accepting bitcoin. Here is a guide on how to make holiday purchases—from the oddest stocking stuffers to the most practical cost savers—for the growing consumer class of bitcoin bugs. We've compiled eight ways to spend while invoking Ebeneezer Scrooge's "bah humbug" when thinking about the world of central banks, paper money and inflation and dreaming of making them a ghost of holiday spending past. —Nicholas Duva, special to CNBC Posted 25 Nov. 2014Read the Very Personal Letter That Got 'Room' Director Lenny Abrahamson His Oscar-Nominated Gig READ MORE: How Lenny Abrahamson Beat Out the Rest of Hollywood to Direct ‘Room’ When Lenny Abrahamson read Emma Donoghue’s New York Times bestselling novel “Room,” he knew he was the right director to turn it into a movie. “I thought, ‘I have to make it. Somebody else is going to make a mess of it,” Abrahamson told Indiewire back in October. The problem was that, in early 2011, Abrahamson had only directed two small and little-seen feature films set in Ireland, and had not yet started working on the 2014 Sundance hit (and Michael Fassbender-starrer) “Frank.” Meanwhile, “Room” was a very hot property and Donoghue was being approached by a number of A-list directors. For months now, Abrahamson has been telling reporters that he got his foot in the door with Donoghue by writing her a carefully crafted letter that detailed not only his deep appreciation for her book, but also how he would propose adapting it into a film. Indiewire asked the now-Oscar-nominated director if we could see the letter, and he not only shared it with us, but gave Indiewire permission to publish it. The letter is a fascinating insight into “Room,” but it is also an important lesson in how successful directors must be able to share their vision for a movie before they start making it. You can read Abrahamson’s full five page letter to Donoghue at the bottom of this page. The first two pages of Abrahamson letter are a deep analysis of the book that highlight his understanding, especially as a parent himself, of the mother-son relationship between Ma (Brie Larson) and Jack (Jacob Tremblay). Abrahamson writes: “It’s one of the strengths of ‘Room’ that the relationship of mother and son is not shown in any idealized way. Ma’s occasionally intense frustration with Jack – desire to be away from him, not to have his needs, his demands constantly tugging at her – is something any parent will recognize. One of the brilliant insights of the novel is that, while inside room, where she is under the most intense pressure and can have no space of her own (except by psychologically shutting down) Ma is better able to control this reaction than when she is on the outside.” Once establishing his nuanced understanding of the book’s text, Abrahamson tackles how he would adapt the book’s point of view and emotional core: “The territory explored in ‘Room’ should have made for a relentlessly bleak novel. The author’s brilliant choice of Jack as narrator is what prevents this. Jack shields us from a too raw encounter with the terrible facts of room which might otherwise reduce the expressive range of the novel to a single note of horror. Thinking about this, the main challenge which arises for me in imagining a film adaptation is how to achieve something similar without a first person narrator. In the end, it won’t be any single stylistic choice which will answer this question. There will be many things that will make this Jack’s film. At the most basic, physical level, we should always be with Jack, never seeing or hearing anything he wouldn’t be able to see or hear; when he’s in the wardrobe, we’re in the wardrobe with him, when he’s wrapped in the rug playing dead we’ll be with him, on his face, or seeing what little he can see, and not relieving the claustrophobic closeness with a wide shot until he frees himself and is assailed by a vast and overwhelming outside world.” As Abrahamson explained to Indiewire, one of the more brilliant aspects of the letter is that in describing to Donoghue how he would protect her voice, he subtly undercuts other approaches — and in essence, other director’s pitches — to adapting “Room”: “Of course, something which could also be used to make this very definitely Jack’s story is voice-over; Jack’s inner voice speaking directly to us as it does in the novel. My feeling is that perhaps this could be made to work, but it would need to be handled with a lot of care. Voice-over in film does something very different to first person prose narrative. In prose there must always be a voice – the voice is the medium. In film, on the other hand, a voice speaking directly to the viewer runs in parallel with the much more immediate flow of sound and image; film voice-over will always feel like a device and the effects of this would have to be taken into account very carefully.” One of the challenges of adapting “Room” into a movie is the fact that the two main characters, Ma and Jack, are trapped in a small backyard shed. Abrahamson’s solution to this is to embrace the essence of the book, and he warns Donoghue against directors who will try to solve this problem with a robust use of their camera: “Visually, shooting such a large proportion of a film inside a single, small room might seem like a problem – after all, don’t films rely on scale, movement, shifting locations and so on? In the case of ‘Room’ I have no worries. Room is small in dimension, but in meaning it is a fantastically rich, story filled and ritualized space. Every object has its history and is marked by multiple stories from Jack and Ma’s past. And room is full of different locations – under the table where Jack sees mouse, inside wardrobe, bed, bath… each for Jack, is a separate world. And room can be transformed for Phys Ed, for washing, for cleaning. Scale is not absolute in film any more than in any other visual medium. Room is a small place but it has been painted in fascinating detail on a big canvas. And there are so many brilliant images from the time inside room – doing ‘corpse’ as part of daily exercises, singing rain songs when skylight shows wet, washing their clothes together in the bath. Any film version of ‘Room,’ which imposes an over-energized camera style, or any other self-conscious visual device, in the mistaken belief that the physical constraint of location need to be somehow compensated for, will fail because it will lose the taste of reality on which the power of the novel depends. In general, the tone of the film – across the entire story – should be low-key and natural; shifts in emphasis, moments of suspense, pathos, horror, catharsis have to achieved without the viewers’ attention being drawn to the mechanics. Any appropriation of easy genre techniques has to be avoided… Narrative simplicity and integrity of voice are two of the great strengths of the novel; moments of significance are seamlessly embedded into the unfolding story without any showy stylistic fanfare. The same must be true of the film.” Without even mentioning his Hollywood competition, Abrahamson does a brilliant job of making the case that Donoghue must protect against the compromise of going the “safe” route: “Serious films can reach big audiences – there’s ample precedent for this over the last few years – but only when they are made boldly and without nervy compromise. My determination would be to stick honestly to the audacious structure, and brilliant content of the book. This is why having a company like Film4 on board is so important. They have a track record of making films of scale and impact without hobbling the material in the belief that it’s somehow a safer bet to make a more conventional film. They will allow me to keep ‘Room’ safe from harm. I love this book, I feel I understand how it works, and I believe I have the skill and sensitivity to do it justice on film.” Abrahamson’s full letter can be read below: READ MORE: 2016 Oscar Prediction: Best Actress Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.Barely a month into the new academic year, a Long Island high school community is reeling after four of its students were found dead, victims of what police suspect is gang-related violence. Police discovered the body of 15-year-old Nisa Mickens first, when on Sept. 13 a passing driver reported seeing her body on a road in Brentwood, a Long Island enclave about 45 miles east of Manhattan. Nisa had suffered lacerations and head trauma, police said. The county police commissioner would later say that her injuries were some of the worst he had ever seen. It was the day before Nisa’s 16th birthday. The following day, Suffolk County, New York, police found the body of her lifelong best friend, 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, also apparently beaten to death with similarly extreme injuries. Within a week, as they continued combing the town, Suffolk County police would find two more bodies of Brentwood High School students: One was Miguel Garcia-Moran, whose remains were found Sept. 20 in a wooded area just north of the Long Island Railroad tracks. The 15-year-old had been missing since February. The other was 19-year-old Oscar Acosta, who was reported missing in May. His remains were found near Garcia-Moran’s body, police said. The only common link among all four students – besides them having attended Brentwood High School – is county police’s suspicion that their deaths are gang-related, though they have not elaborated on why. {snip} “They don’t play around. If they don’t like you and if you do something to them, they will come after you,” one teenager told the Associated Press about the gangs. He did not give his name for fear of retaliation. “I’m not going to walk anywhere. We’re definitely more cautious about that. I don’t go out at night anymore.” The Brentwood Union Free School District sought to reassure its students that their schools were safe, saying in a Sept. 15 statement that it was taking steps to “ensure the safety and welfare of our students,” including increasing police presence on the district’s campuses. {snip} “It should have never happened.... It’s not fair to take away what future these two girls had.” Nelly Miranda, a nutrition teacher at Brentwood High, told New York Newsday at the vigil. “And it’s just very heartbreaking.... How do you say goodbye to babies?” For the vigil, the district encouraged all students to wear green and white, Brentwood High’s colors. About a week later, the district distributed a letter to its students, telling them to avoid wearing colors that might be associated with gangs, according to CBS New York. A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that police suspect the Salvadoran gang MS-13 is behind the violence. The official was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The MS-13 street gang has ties to El Salvador and Los Angeles, and its many cliques have maintained a notorious and violent presence on Long Island for nearly two decades, according to WYNC. {snip} Two weeks ago, the Suffolk County Crime Stoppers increased to $15,000 a reward for the first tip leading to an arrest in the girls’ deaths. {snip} Original Article Share ThisRANDY BLYTHE Back In Court Tags: Randy Blythe, Lamb of God Jason Fisher February 04, 2013 February 04, 2013 The Prague City Court trial began today with Lamb of God frontman arriving at the courthouse about 30 minutes early."And so it begins. I am calm and prepared," Randy wrote on his Instagram account. "Everyone, thanks for your good thoughts and prayers. Have a nice day, y'all!"Speaking in court, Randy said: "I've kept my word. I said that I would come back to court today and I did. I do not shy away from responsibility. I'm not a person who runs away from problems. But I do not want to be punished for something I did not do."Randy explained that fans are normally prohibited from jumping on stage, but the Prague show was different. People climbed up on stage and found themselves standing next to bandmembers."The fan's death breaks my heart," Randy said."I never saw Daniel and I never came in contact with him," he added in court."The parents of the victim are asking for $530,000 USD for the loss of their son.Blythe is accused of pushing the victim off the stage at a concert in which he died 30 days later.* Added 10 more Audiobook sites to the existing list, making it 35 (9th March 2009) * Added 1 more, making it 36 (22nd August 2009) * Added 5 more, making it 41 (22nd February 2011) From books to ebooks to audiobooks. Depending on your daily schedule and personal preferences, you might opt for something different, something which is somehow the most convenient for you. Although speed can be a factor, getting audiobooks as an alternative medium to get your readings done can be an enjoyable experience. Podcasts EPNWeb – The Education Podcast Network (Podcast) PodcastDirectory – Various Categories Sources (Ilounge’s Forum, MightBargainHunter, Pickthebrain & Google) We hope you enjoy another long list of compilation, and feel free to leave your comments if I’ve left anything good. Cheers and happy reading listening! 🙂It's over a year since we successfully launched our Atheist Shoes project on Kickstarter. And, thanks to the support and encouragement of our backers, we were able to give up our jobs and launch a small business; www.atheistberlin.com (also Facebook/AtheistShoes). We've since sold shoes all over the world and we hope to do so for a long time to come! But we have a new idea... to make baby shoes. And we wanted to come back to Kickstarter, to run the idea past everyone and see if we can get the support we need to make it happen. Our baby shoe is just as snuggly and comfy as our grown-up shoe, handmade with a very soft, untreated leather and 100% cotton teddy bear fur. It also has a soft sole, not too restricting for quickly growing feet and allowing older babies to learn to walk as nature intended. But the real magic happens on the underside, where we've screen-printed homages to the only supreme beings a baby knows... "I believe in Mummy", "I believe in Daddy" and "I believe in Booby". We'll be making the baby shoes by hand in Germany and also in Portugal, which is where we make our grown-up shoes. We'll also be making a vegan-friendly version, which you can order the same way as the others - check out the £45 reward to the right! I BELIEVE IN... We're pretty sure all babies are born atheists and, rather than commit them to some religion before they're old enough to have a say (let alone control their pooping functions) we'd rather celebrate their undoubted belief in Mummy and Daddy. CONSTRUCTION, MATERIALS & SIZING Our baby shoe is pretty much a mini version of our grown-up shoe, with the same Bauhausy design and a little black hole on the heel. But it's also a lot easier to make than the grown-up's shoe, because there's no rubber sole to attach. Nonetheless, the leather still requires careful stitching and, thankfully, we've gained a lot of experience in that over the last 18 months. The leathers we use are all naturally treated and the lining is 100% cotton, so the entire shoe is completely natural. The vegan baby shoes will be made from an artificial, but recycled, material, typically the reincarnation of plastic bottles and television set casings. They will likely be a fetching grey colour, rather than creamy white, but it will still look and feel great and we'll have photos in due course. There will be 4 sizes, for babies aged 0 to 24 months.... you don't have to choose the size until later, after you've pledged, and we'll help you to do that. Ultimately, a lot of care and craftsmanship goes into our Baby Shoes, so the quality is much higher than what you'll find on the high street. And we do hope your baby's feet will appreciate that. WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE We'd love to see babies with great looking feet, free to enjoy the bliss of babyhood, and parents holding-off on handing the souls of their offspring over to deities, at least until the child is old enough to say "hang on, that's mine!" REWARDS You can pre-order a pair of baby shoes by pledging £45 (see the column on the right). But we have other rewards too...The Formula 1 supremo also says that he believes the Azerbaijan event has set a standard for others to match. "Not really," he said when asked by Motorsport.com if he would do anything differently with the Baku street track in 2017. "We need to have a good think about it, but I don't think so. "They could open the streets a bit more. They're going to do that for sure. This year was difficult, because they didn't know. "I'd like to see a 7pm start. We'll find out, they're looking at it." He added: "It's super, very, very good. If all the places that we go to made the effort that these people have made here, it would be fantastic, they've done an incredible job. "The circuit's turned out to be really good as well. When we laid out the circuit, there were one or two ways we could have changed it, but I wanted to go past the old castle. It looks good." The race promoter has estimated the cost of lighting at €20m, and it would add to what is already a build and take-down process of more than six months. Meanwhile, Ecclestone downplayed teething problems with kerbs and so on that disrupted the schedule on Friday: "This is prototype, this is the first race."Republican leaders including Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee and Rick Perry like to trumpet the work of pseudo-historian David Barton despite his long record of blatant dishonesty and anti-gay bigotry. Back in January, Barton and WallBuilders Live co-host Rick Green denied the existence of bullying against LGBT youth and said that anti-bullying laws represented “homosexual indoctrination.” On today’s program, Barton continued to press his extreme views that students are becoming gay because of “indoctrination,” citing a discredited far-right doctors’ group. Barton cited the American College of Pediatricians, a right-wing group that split off from the much larger and mainstream American Academy of Pediatricians because of the ACP’s stringent opposition to LGBT rights, particularly the right of gay and lesbian couples to adopt children. According to the AAP, the ACP’s “campaign does not acknowledge the scientific and medical evidence regarding sexual orientation, sexual identity, sexual health, or effective health education.” The ACP also endorsers ‘ex-gay’ reparative therapy, saying, “therapy to restore heterosexual attraction can be effective for many people.” Barton wrongly cites the ACP as “the leading pediatric association in America” and then repeats its anti-gay rhetoric, arguing that courses against bullying and that affirm non-heterosexual orientations are simply “indoctrination.” Discussing how schools should attend to LGBT students, Barton said: “If you’ll just let this develop naturally, they’ll end up being heterosexual unless you force them to be homosexual.” He goes on to say, “Let it run its course. If you let it run its course it’s gonna turn out normal and natural unless you guys intervene and make the unnatural stuff natural, it’s gonna run its course.” Barton goes on to say that classes that promote a positive view of the LGBT community and condemn bullying will cause more students to become gay in the same way anti-suicide courses supposedly made more students commit suicide:President Trump has perfect genes. That's according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who sat for a wide-ranging interview with news site Axios on Friday in Washington. When he wasn't discussing economic growth and tax reform, Mnuchin riffed on the president's "incredible" stamina and his improved White House diet. Here are the highlights. Mnuchin on the president's genes and diet Asked about Trump's White House style, Mnuchin said Trump is constantly on the phone or talking to people. "This guy's got more stamina than anybody I've ever met," he said. How is that possible, he was asked, given Trump's predilection for fast food? "He's got perfect genes," Mnuchin said. But the president is off the greasy stuff, he said. "Since he got to the White House, he doesn't eat KFC anymore and McDonald's," Mnuchin said. "There is great food there. Let me tell you." Related: Mnuchin: Trump's new tax reform plan coming'very soon' Mnuchin at the movies In his former life, the former Goldman Sachs banker financed Hollywood movies like "Suicide Squad" and "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." But he wasn't cheering for Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013's "The Wolf of Wall Street." "Complete misrepresentation," he said when asked whether he had seen the film. Same goes for "The Big Short." So what's a good film, according to the treasury secretary? "I am not promoting any product, but you should send all your kids to 'Lego Batman,'" he said. (Mnuchin was one of the movie's executive producers.) Related: Mnuchin talks tech: 'I don't understand these valuations' Mnuchin on Snapchat Mnuchin said he doesn't use the app himself, but his kids are big fans. "They use it all the time, so that's why, I guess, it's as big as it is," he said. Snapchat held its IPO to much fanfare earlier this month. It took in $3.4 billion from the public offering and is worth more than Target (TGT) and CBS (CBS). In general, Mnuchin said he thinks tech stocks may be worth too much. "I don't understand these valuations," he said when asked for his thoughts on Silicon Valley.(Published October 25, 2008) Note: The following sermon To the Rich was probably delivered in the year 368, when most of Asia Minor was struck by a severe drought which caused great hardship, intensified by the greed of some who held back grain to inflate prices. At this time, St. Basil was a priest in the diocese of Caesarea, overseeing a very active ministry to the poor and ill; St. Gregory the Theologian describes Basil’s hospital at the gates of Caesarea as a virtual “city” (or. 43.63). The Greek text of Basil’s sermon is found in J.-P. Migne’s Patrologia Graeca, vol. 31, cols. 277C-304C. Ὁμιλία πρὸς τοὺς πλουτούντας : Sermon to the Rich And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:16-22.) 1. We heard about this young man the day before yesterday, and, if you were listening attentively, you should be able now to remember the things we were examining then. First, that this is not the same person as the lawyer we read of in Luke (Lk 10:25). For that man was a tempter, inquiring insincerely; but this one asks soundly, though he fails to accept the answer with a ready obedience. For he would not have gone away sorrowful after receiving such an answer from the Lord if he had put forth his questions cynically in the first place. Hence, it seemed to us that this man’s behavior was confused: partly commendable, as the passage shows, and partly wretched and altogether hopeless. For to know the one who is truly the Teacher, and, disregarding the Pharisees’ posturings, and the lawyers’ opinion, and the mob of scribes, to ascribe this name to him who is the only true and good Teacher, so much is praiseworthy. And moreover it is a worthy endeavor to show concern over how one is to inherit eternal life: this, too, must be accepted. But what in fact proves that his whole intent was not to seek what is truly good, but only to snoop about for what would please the crowd, is this: when he had learned from the true Teacher saving truths, he didn’t write them in his heart, nor did he put the teachings to practice, but he went off depressed, clouded by a schooling in avarice. Again, this demonstrates moral inconsistency and self-contradiction. You call him teacher, and you won’t do his lessons? You acknowledge him to be good, and what he gives you you throw away? But, surely, he who is good supplies good things; this is obvious. Although what you ask about is eternal life, you give proof of being utterly addicted to the enjoyment of this present life. What, after all, is this hard, heavy, burdensome word which the Teacher has put forward? “Sell what you have, and give to the poor.” If he had laid upon you agricultural toils, or hazardous mercantile ventures, or so many other troubles which are incidental to the life of the wealthy, then you’d have had cause for sorrow, taking the order badly; but when he calls you by so easy a road, without toil or sweat, to show
of, who leaves office this month, and has leased a 3,500-square-foot home for $9,950 a month in Oakland for Napolitano - who could choose to live in the mansion once it is restored. 'Not currently adequate' "Blake House's main floor of large rooms is a perfect venue for certain types of university functions, but the upstairs residential floor is not currently adequate to meet the needs of the president of the system," UC's staff memo says. UC officials say the cost of renting facilities will exceed the cost of renovating Blake House within 15 years. They said the money to renovate and maintain the mansion comes from the $188 million Edward F. Searles Fund, set up nearly 100 years ago as a gift for UC to pay expenses the state won't cover, such as maintaining chancellors' facilities, fundraising activities, and the rent for UC's presidents.Not to be confused with Brian Blessed Brân the Blessed (Welsh: Bendigeidfran or Brân Fendigaidd, literally "Blessed Crow") is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. He appears in several of the Welsh Triads, but his most significant role is in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Branwen ferch Llŷr. He is a son of Llŷr[1][2] and Penarddun, and the brother of Brânwen, Manawydan, Nisien and Efnysien. The name "Brân" in Welsh is usually translated as crow or raven. Role in the Mabinogion [ edit ] The Irish king Matholwch sails to Harlech to speak with Bran the Blessed high king of the Island of the Mighty and to ask for the hand of his sister Branwen in marriage, thus forging an alliance between the two islands. Bendigeidfran agrees to Matholwch's request, but the celebrations are cut short when Efnisien, a half-brother to the children of Llŷr, brutally mutilates Matholwch's horses, angry that his permission was not sought in regard to the marriage.[1] Matholwch is deeply offended until Bran offers him compensation in the form of a magic cauldron that can restore the dead to life. Pleased with the gift, Matholwch and Branwen sail back to Ireland to reign. Once in Matholwch's kingdom, Branwen gives birth to a son, Gwern, but Efnysien's insult continues to rankle among the Irish and, eventually, Branwen is mistreated, banished to the kitchen[1] and beaten every day. She tames a starling and sends it across the Irish Sea with a message to her brother Bendigeidfran, who sails from Wales to Ireland to rescue her with his brother, Manawydan and a huge host of warriors, mustered from the 154 cantrefs of Britain. The Irish offer to make peace and build a house big enough to entertain Bendigeidfrân but hang a hundred bags inside, supposedly containing flour but actually containing armed warriors. Efnysien, suspecting treachery, reconnoiters the hall and kills the warriors by crushing their skulls. Later, at the feast, Efnysien, again feeling insulted, murders Gwern by burning him alive, and, as a result, a vicious battle breaks out. Seeing that the Irish are using the cauldron to revive their dead, he hides among the Irish corpses and is thrown into the cauldron by the unwitting enemy. He destroys the cauldron from within, sacrificing himself in the process. Only seven men survive the conflict, among them Manawydan, Taliesin and Pryderi fab Pwyll, prince of Dyfed, Branwen having herself died of a broken heart.[3] The survivors are told by a mortally wounded Bran to cut off his head and to return it to Britain.[3] For seven years the seven survivors stay in Harlech, where they are entertained by Bran's head, which continues to speak. They later move on to Gwales (often identified with Grassholm Island off Dyfed) where they live for eighty years without perceiving the passing of time. Eventually, Heilyn fab Gwyn opens the door of the hall facing Cornwall and the sorrow of what had befallen them returns. As instructed they take the now silent head to the Gwynfryn, the "White Hill" (thought to be the location where the Tower of London now stands), where they bury it facing France so as to ward off invasion. The imagery of the talking head is widely considered to derive from the ancient Celtic "cult of the head"; the head was considered the home of the soul.[1] Other associations [ edit ] According to the Welsh Triads, Brân's head was buried in London where the White Tower now stands. As long as it remained there, Britain would be safe from invasion. However, King Arthur dug up the head, declaring the country would be protected only by his great strength.[4] There have been attempts in modern times to link the still-current practice of keeping ravens at the Tower of London under the care of Yeomen Warder Ravenmaster with this story of Brân, whose name means crow (cigfran means Raven). Several scholars have noted similarities between Brân the Blessed and the Arthurian character the Fisher King, the keeper of the Holy Grail. The Fisher King first appears in Chrétien de Troyes's 12th century French romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail; he has been dealt a mortal wound in the leg (Brân's wound was in his foot) but stays alive in his mystical castle due to the effects of the Grail, waiting to be healed by Percival. A later author who took up the story, Robert de Boron, describes the history of the Grail in ancient times, and says the first Fisher King was a man called "Bron". Additionally, the Welsh story Peredur son of Efrawg, a version of the Percival story with several striking deviations, features the hero visiting a mysterious castle, but he does not find the Grail there, but rather a severed human head. Additionally, some works attribute to the Grail the power to restore the fallen, making it somewhat similar to Brân's cauldron. Others have identified Bendigeidfran with the Irish hero Bran mac Febal.[5] John T. Koch proposes a number of parallels between the mythological Bendigeidfran and the historical Celtic chieftain Brennus, who invaded the Balkans in the 3rd century BC.[6] He goes on to suggest an association between Brân and Brancaster, a fort on the Norfolk coast, while Rachel Bromwich suggests that Castell Dinas Brân in Denbighshire is similarly related.[5] Count Nikolai Tolstoy proposes that Brân's original function was that of a psychopomp, guiding the souls of the dead to the Otherworld.[7] Brân is praised in the poetry of 12th century bard Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr, in which he is described as "a good commander of the host; in battle, in hostile territory, in the contest, in stress", while, in his elegy for Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, Bleddyn Fardd compares the overthrow of the prince to the deaths of Llywelyn Fawr, King Arthur and Brân.[8] A poem found in the Black Book of Carmarthen refers to Bendigeidfran's death in Ireland, claiming that Gwyn ap Nudd was present at the battle, either as a warrior or in his traditional role as a psychopomp.[9] Name [ edit ] The Welsh mythological texts of the Mabinogion were recorded between the 14th and 15th centuries in Middle Welsh. As a result, there are discrepancies regarding the spelling of names, because English translations maintain Middle Welsh orthography whereas Modern Welsh versions use Modern Welsh orthography. In Middle Welsh, there was some variation on the name Brân; other grammatical forms (following the rules of Welsh mutations) include Vran and Uran (Fran in Modern Welsh orthography). In the Mabinogion, the character is referred to virtually exclusively as "Bendigeituran"; that is, with the epithet "Bendigeit" (blessed or praiseworthy) attached. The only exceptions are in the patronymic of his son Caradog ap Brân and a single reference to his gathering in Ireland as Gwledd Brân, "The feast of Brân (or 'Crow')". This usage is followed in the Welsh Triads. Bendigeituran becomes "Bendigeidfrân" or "Brân Fendigeid" in Modern Welsh; Bendigeidfran is the form used in many Modern Welsh adaptations of the Mabinogion.[10] However, earlier references generally do not include the epithet, instead calling the character Brân fab Llŷr or simply Brân.[11] Ifor Williams thought Bendigeit was a late addition, perhaps a replacement for a word that had become obsolete by the time the Mabinogi was recorded.[11] "Vran" appears in an old poem in the Book of Taliesin,[12] while Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr and Prydydd y Moch mention Brân fab Llŷr several times in their poetry, under different spellings. However, Bleddyn Fardd refers to "Benigeitran" in his elegy for Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, demonstrating that the epithet "Bendigeit" had been attached to Brân since the late 13th century.[11] In West Penwith the name Bran is associated with Caer Bran a Cornish Round and the Men Scryfa which records a Brittonic RIALOBRANI CUNOVALI FILI ('royal raven' son of 'Famous Leader') suggesting a local leader carried the name of the famous hero, the son of a Cynfawl. Notes [ edit ] References [ edit ]Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. Nov. 16, 2017, 10:23 PM GMT / Updated Nov. 16, 2017, 10:23 PM GMT / Source: Reuters UNITED NATIONS — Russia cast its 10th veto on Thursday of United Nations Security Council action on Syria since the war began in 2011, blocking a U.S.-drafted resolution to renew an international inquiry into who is to blame for chemical weapons attacks in Syria. The mandate for the joint inquiry by the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which found the Syrian government used thebanned nerve agent sarin in an April 4 attack, expires at midnight Thursday. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Russia, Britain or China to be adopted. The U.S. draft received 12 votes in favor and abstentions by China and Egypt. Syrian ally Russia withdrew its own rival draft resolution to renew the inquiry, formally known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), shortly before the council vote on the U.S. draft. Diplomats said the Russian draft text had little support among the 15-member council. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told reporters before the vote that she had been unable to speak to her Russian counterpart Vassily Nebenzia this week about the inquiry's renewal. She said the United States had amended its draft several times in a bid to win Russian support for measure. "For some reason the phones at the Russian mission aren't working. We have tried to get a call with them and they've been too busy to talk to us this week and when I have tried to call Vassily for some reason he's not available," Haley said. Ahead of the council vote, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday urged the U.N. Security Council to renew the inquiry, saying it was needed to prevent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from using chemical weapons. "Need all on the U.N. Security Council to vote to renew the Joint Investigative Mechanism for Syria to ensure that Assad Regime does not commit mass murder with chemical weapons ever again," Trump said in a note on Twitter. By using the veto to kill a mechanism in Syria that holds users of chemical weapons accountable, Russia proves they cannot be trusted or credible as we work towards a political solution in Syria. — Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) November 16, 2017 While Russia agreed to the 2015 creation of the JIM, it has consistently questioned its findings, which also concluded that the Syrian government used chlorine as a weapon several times. From June: Chemical Weapons in Syria: What We Know After White House Statement Russia has now vetoed 10 resolutions on Syria since the conflict started in 2011, including blocking an initial U.S. bid on Oct. 24 to renew the JIM, saying it wanted to wait for the release two days later of the inquiry's report that blamed a sarin gas attack on the Syrian government. Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Russia and the United States.There have been many jokes about people’s relationships with their in-laws in the past, but this lady from India took matters far more seriously. She disliked her husband’s parents so much that when they visited, she urinated in her in-laws’ tea. Rekha Nagvanshi, 30, was recently caught in the act, squatting over the teapot, urinating in her in-laws tea, when her mother-in-law entered the kitchen. Nagvanshi then admitted she had been doing the same thing every time they visited for the last year. Woman caught peeing in mother-in-law’s tea… she’d been doing it for a year http://t.co/RE5tLBKhZz — News Source 24 (@NewsSource24) April 2, 2015 According to the Daily Mail, Rekha was unhappy with her arranged marriage to her husband Deepak, 34. She left the home in the Indore district of central India, telling him she would rather live with her parents. According to a friend of hers, 32-year-old Alia Kohli, Deepak had treated Rekha like a slave, and finally the woman had had enough. However, Kohli added that Deepak then begged Rekha to return home for the sake of their 4-year-old daughter. After much cajoling, Rekha agreed, but she made the condition that her husband do the cooking, wash the dishes, and also massage her feet. Sounds like a fair deal indeed. However, Deepak’s parents, Suraj, 60 and Ajith, 55, were not happy about the arrangement and tried to put a stop to it. I’m a little wee-pot: ‘Slave’ wife urinates in in-laws’ weekly cuppa for a YEAR: A WIFE took revenge on her in… http://t.co/Rr5V6Gy9Y1 — UK News Links (@dlUKnewslinks) April 2, 2015 According to the Irish Mirror, Kohli explained that Rekha is a strong-minded person and likes to be independent. She said the thought of Rekha being dictated to by her in-laws was just too much. “So I guess that’s when she decided to start doing what she did, and urinating in their tea.” However, she was caught in the act of urinating in her in-laws’ tea and mother-in-law Suraj was disgusted, saying they used to go and visit Rekha and Deepak once or twice every week. “… although we knew she didn’t like us we had no idea she was doing this. She always smiled and offered us tea and we accepted. But one day I went into the kitchen and found her urinating into the teapot.” Apparently the horrified couple went to the police but found they couldn’t lay a charge against Rekha for urinating in her in-laws’ tea. They then decided to go for a private prosecution against Rekha, with Suraj saying she can’t get away with it. “You cannot urinate into someone’s tea for a year and get away with it. We want justice.” Whether the couple will get the justice they require or not is unknown, but apparently Rekha and Deepak are once again living apart. It is also unknown whether her in-laws have gone off drinking tea altogether. In other related news, the Inquisitr reported the story of how a mother-in-law may have taken revenge from the grave, when a man was killed by her tombstone while decorating it for the Easter holiday. [Image: Indian teapot CC BY 2.0 Lydia Liu]API are nice guys too. We love the VPR Alliance. XQP 545 Optical Disrupter $420 XQP 545 Optical Disrupter. The XQP 545 Optical Disrupter is a feed-forward optical compressor that creates an asymmetrical waveform resulting in very smooth distortion as found in single-sided circuits. Primarily induced by low frequencies, the top half of the waveform is increasingly sloped as compression increases. The signal is not clipped at all. As distortion is the object, there is no gain reduction meter - a single LED glows in proportion to Disruption. News Flash: Xvive VTL5C1 optocouplers have been tested positive for use in the Disrupter!. Read Scott Evans' Tape Op review on the 535 & 545. The 545 Optical Disrupter was nominated for Pro Audio Review's 2012 PAR Excellence award. Read Russ Long's 2011 PAR Review at Pro Sound Network. Watch the video Discussing the Disrupter on YouTube. Watch an Interview w/ Dane by Peterson Goodwyn of DIYRE on YouTube. Photos Data Sheet User Guide Schematic 10-Year Warranty Like all XQP products, the 545 Optical Disrupter is covered by our stupid-length ten-year warranty. You don't even have to return the warranty card. But how else will we know your favorite ice cream? The XQP 545 Optical Disrupter has been approved by the VPR Alliance. User CommentsBearingPoint, Daynix, Linaro Limited and Systena Expand International Reach of Linux-based Solutions SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2014 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux and collaborative development, today announced that BearingPoint GmbH, Daynix, Linaro Limited and Systena are joining the organization. Nearly every industry worldwide leverages Linux for high-performing, mission-critical enterprise computing today. Opportunities with next-generation chips and ARM architectures offer ample expansion for open source as the foundation for Internet of Things connectivity, connected car innovation and hyper-scale computing delivered as cloud services. These developments also offer plentiful development, training and consulting engagements for third-party IT professionals with Linux skills. Based throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East, today’s new Linux Foundation members are tapping into these computing trends and newly hatched market opportunities. More information about today’s newest Linux Foundation members: BearingPoint is a management and technology consulting firm with European roots and a global reach. The company’s consulting network of 9,200 people serves clients in more than 70 countries and engages with them for measurable results and long-lasting success. Its consultants deliver real results by combining their collective industry, operational and technology expertise and tailoring solutions for each client’s individual challenges. This adaptive approach has led to long-standing relationships with many of the world’s leading companies and organizations across numerous industries, including commercial, insurance, financial, government, manufacturing among others. BearingPoint also joined the Linux Foundation’s Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) Steering Committee comprised of automotive, communication, semiconductor, electronics and academic contributors working to create a Linux-based platform to meet the security and performance requirements of the automotive industry. “BearingPoint is committed to making available to AGL our leading Open Source Software management methodology and automotive experience, which has successfully enabled our customers to safely and efficiently leverage the business benefits of Open Source Software,” said Matthias Loebich, Partner at BearingPoint and leader of the firm-wide Automotive segment. “Our Linux Foundation membership will be a major asset as we further expand our Open Source Software management portfolio with new and innovative services, especially for the automotive sector that’s eager to leverage open source for massive productivity and competitive differentiation.” Daynix provides software development and consulting services for cloud infrastructure and virtualization technologies. Based in Israel, its services range from hypervisors and paravirtualized devices development to cloud infrastructure. The company is working closely with open source communities on cloud related technologies. “Linux and open source technologies are entrenched in modern data center infrastructures and cloud computing environments,” said Yan Vugenfirer, Chief Executive Officer at Daynix. “Joining the Linux Foundation will help us grow cloud infrastructure and virtualization consulting services beyond our server roots into emerging areas like open network virtualization, microservers and lightweight virtualization.” Linaro Limited is a collaborative engineering organization with more than 200 engineers working on consolidating and optimizing open source software for the ARM architecture, including developer tools, the Linux kernel, ARM power management, and other software infrastructure. Representing the world’s leading technology companies, Linaro’s engineer members are defining the future of Linux on ARM. Linaro is distribution neutral: its goal is to provide the best software foundations to everyone, and to reduce non-differentiating and costly low-level fragmentation. “Linaro has been focused on Linux development and open source contributions for the ARM architecture since its foundation,” said Rob Booth, Chief Operating Officer at Linaro Limited. “The Linux Foundation’s philosophy aligns well with our goals to accelerate industry-wide innovation using shared resources to advance the ARM ecosystem. We’re excited to see Linux developers using open source in such a wide variety of creative of ways, from wearable and mobile solutions right through to transportation, energy and server infrastructure projects. Linaro looks forward to working closely with the Linux Foundation to help accelerate innovation across all of these markets.” Systena Corporation is global software provider with more than 30 years experience. The company supports eight lines of business, including solution sales, IT service, product solution, service solution, financial application infrastructure-system, cloud, consumer services and overseas divisions. Based in Japan, Systena joins BearingPoint as a member of the AGL Steering Committee. “Our membership is another step toward maximizing our Linux investment and delivering technology solutions with the highest quality and value on behalf of our customers,” said Kazuhiro Murata, Division Manager of the New Growth Business Promotion Division at Systena. “AGL involvement is an asset to Systena as we delve further into Linux-based infotainment applications and mobile and embedded devices.” “Linux Foundation membership is a strategic investment that goes well beyond preserving the world’s most successful open source project,” said Amanda McPherson, Chief Marketing Officer at The Linux Foundation. “Today’s new members illustrate how powerful Linux is in all corners of the world as a source for R&D efficiencies, partnership growth, market exposure and revenue possibilities.” About The Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux and collaborative software development. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system and collaborative software development by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Collaborative Projects, Linux conferences including LinuxCon, and generating original research and content that advances the understanding of Linux and collaborative software development. More information can be found at www.linuxfoundation.org. ### Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen, and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has declined options on five players, including: defenders Ramiro Corrales, Ike Opara and Tim Ward and midfielders Joey Gjertsen and Khari Stephenson. Corrales, 35, scored two goals and had seven assists in 22 games played during the 2012 season. The defender is a 14-year MLS veteran and the last remaining active player from the league’s inaugural 1996 campaign. Opara, 23, scored three goals in 35 career appearances with the Earthquakes. The Generation adidas product missed most of 2010 and 2011 with foot injuries, but came back to appear in 16 games during the club’s most recent campaign. Ward, 25, played in 16 games during three seasons in San Jose. He spent much of 2011 and all of 2012 on San Jose’s injured list. Gjertsen, 30, has two goals and four assists in 36 games since signing with the Earthquakes in 2010. He missed the 2012 season after having surgery to repair damage to his right knee. Stephenson, 31, scored eight goals and had eight assists in 69 games with the Earthquakes after joining the club in 2010. The Jamaican international found the net twice and chipped in with three assists during the Earthquakes’ 2012 campaign. Transaction: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) – San Jose Earthquakes decline options on D Ramiro Corrales, D Ike Opara, D Tim Ward, M Joey Gjertsen, M Khari Stephenson.The SpaceX Falcon 9 spacecraft is being put through its paces in preparation for a launch next week. This afternoon, a full rehearsal will take place starting at 2:30pm EDT, culminating in the Falcon's nine engines firing at full power for two seconds. The actual event will occur at Cape Canaveral in Florida but will be streamed live on the SpaceX site; the rocket is expected to fire around 3pm. If all goes well, the Falcon 9, carrying a Dragon supply capsule, will launch into low-Earth orbit on May 7th, and SpaceX will attempt to dock with the International Space Station. The Falcon and Dragon spacecraft are designed as replacements for the defunct Space Shuttles, and a successful docking would make the Dragon the first commercial craft ever to land at the ISS. However, the launch has already been delayed several times, and SpaceX cautions that it may not be able to successfully dock on the first trip. Today's test run will be the precursor to the first SpaceX flight since 2010, when a Dragon capsule was launched into orbit and successfully recovered.Pakistan plays double game when it comes to militants, analysts say Osama bin Laden's having been in Abbottabad aggravates a U.S. suspicion: that Pakistan paints itself as a reliable ally against militants even while helping some when it suits its interest. But analysts say Pakistan's willingness to reach an accommodation with militants who further its national aims is a cornerstone of the country's regional strategy, and is unlikely to change. Just as constant is its mutual dependence with the United States, despite a long history of anger and frustration. Pakistan needs U.S. aid; Washington needs Pakistan's help winding down the war in Afghanistan. Pakistan's security establishment and government have always vehemently denied playing such a double game, particularly in the case of Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda figures. Osama bin Laden's use of the military city of Abbottabad as his final hide-out aggravates a familiar suspicion among U.S. policymakers: that Pakistan paints itself as a reliable ally against militants even while officials help some of them behind the scenes when it suits their interest. Photos: Osama bin Laden's death And U.S. officials do not want to see Pakistan turn into a failed state that is home to both a broad array of extremist groups and an arsenal of nuclear weapons. "No one has any illusions about this alliance, especially now," said a senior U.S. military officer. "But the reality remains: We are much more likely to achieve our aims by working with them where we can." U.S. officials have refrained from directly accusing Pakistani security forces of harboring Bin Laden, but they say he could not have remained hidden so long without a network of supporters, possibly within Pakistan's largest intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, or ISI. Pakistan, in turn, lashed out at the U.S. on Tuesday for conducting the raid that killed Bin Laden without first seeking permission. "Such actions undermine cooperation and may also constitute a threat to international peace and security," the Foreign Ministry said. Some U.S. lawmakers have raised the prospect of trimming back billions of dollars in economic and military aid Washington has pledged to Pakistan. "The usual U.S. pattern is to delay the aid by raising accountability issues," said Lahore-based security analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi. "Still, I don't expect the Pakistani military to change its dual policy of taking action against some militant groups, while giving space to others." Pakistani officials say they regard Al Qaeda as being every bit as dangerous as the Americans do, and point out their role over the years in apprehending a number of key figures. Among them was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who claims to have planned the Sept. 11 attacks. Its approach to other groups is more nuanced. Pakistani intelligence agencies are widely suspected of keeping close relations with groups that target rival India, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is accused of organizing the attack on Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166 people. One of the best examples is its handling of the Al Qaeda-allied Taliban factions that maintain strongholds in the country's tribal regions along the Afghan border.US President Donald Trump's lawyers are reportedly looking into the president's authority to grant pardons to his aides, family members and himself in connection with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Mueller is currently investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties between Trump's team and Moscow. Citing one person in connection with the effort, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, 20 July that Trump apparently spoke to advisers about his ability to grant presidential pardons. However, one adviser cautioned that Trump's inquiry was expressed in curiosity. "This is not in the context of, 'I can't wait to pardon myself,' " the adviser told The Post. The president's lawyers have also reportedly been discussing presidential pardons among themselves as well. The revelation also comes amid reports that Trump's attorneys are exploring any potential conflicts of interest of Mueller to undercut the investigation or discredit the special counsel. These include any donations to Democratic candidates or his relationship with former FBI Director James Comey whom Trump fired in May who previously led the Russia investigation. Earlier his week, Trump told The New York Times that Mueller would be crossing a "red line" if he investigated the president's personal business ties. Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Mueller is expanding the prove to examine a broad range of transactions involving Trump's businesses as well as those of his associates. Amid the intense scrutiny into the embattled White House, Twitter has blasted Trump for reportedly trying to discredit and derail the investigation while reviewing potential ways to pardon himself. While some called it the "biggest admission of guilt yet", others slammed the president saying he "can and should be impeached" should he decide to "use that power corruptly." Democratic Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia tweeted: "If aides, family members, and Trump himself have done nothing wrong, as the Trump Administration keeps saying... nobody would need a pardon." "If Trump were to pardon himself, he would only lengthen the shadow of illegitimacy that already stalks his presidency", MSNBC's Joy Reid wrote. "Is Trump now tired of winning?" one Twitter user wrote.The greatest blow to the system of political checks and balances in Wisconsin did not come in the form of a politically biased, legally vacant, and ethically bankrupt Supreme Court Decision. The State’s High Court rendered a hastily and poorly constructed decision that was lambasted by the Chief Justice and legal scholars. While its decision sent a message that the Conservative majority was willing to recognize Walker as Sovereign; the true coronation came on May 23, 2011 – published on June 7, 2011. The Legislative Branch forfeited its role as a Constitutional check of power to the Executive Branch in passing revisions to Act 21. The recent Court and Legislative action has succeeded in creating a modern-day monarchy in Wisconsin under Scott Walker, King. Wisconsin Act 21 began its life as Assembly Bill 8 in the 2011 January Special Session. The bill was introduced by the Joint Committee on Organization at the request of Governor Walker and Rep. Thomas Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst). The sweeping implications of the bill received little public scrutiny, in light of current events. There was one public hearing in the Assembly and none in the Senate(the meeting was waived by the rules committee). There was a suspension of rules during debate in both houses, and Democrats offered multiple amendments to moderate the bill in vain. This nefarious Act deals with the rule-making authority within the Executive branch of State Government. In the past, Governors have had authority to make rules that were subject to Legislative scrutiny and oversight. The scope of these rules is wide and far-reaching, so there has always been both legislative and judicial checks to this power. The 2011 Act 21, published on June 7, repeals the balance of power from the Legislature over the Chief Executive. The Governor now has the authority to originate and author any Administrative or Emergency rules. He also has the final authority to decide which are enacted, and which are not. In the past, the Legislature could suggest alterations or changes to rules, and send them back to the Governor for revision. The Joint Rules Committee could even prevent a rule from taking effect. Under the new Act 21, the Legislature has given Governor Walker free reign over any rules he may choose to enact. When reached for comment, an Erpenbach staffer verified that under Act 21 Scott Walker has the authority to “write and originate any rules,” and that the Legislature has “no oversight.” There is no limit to the scope of a rule. The only remaining Constitutional challenge against unlimited rule-making authority at this time lies in the courts – and most of Wisconsin knows how that would play out. Welcome to the Kingdom of Fitzwalkerstan. The courts and legislature have voluntarily neutered themselves, relinquishing power to Scott Walker. The Wisconsin Constitution provides for three co-equal and separate branches of Government, each with checks and balances against the other. Our elegant Constitution was written to preserve the rights and freedoms of the minority against the tyrannical will of the majority – as our forefather’s had experienced in fleeing their homelands for a newer, freer nation. In present day Wisconsin, however, the tyrannical majority party has fulfilled its mission of a bloodless coup d’etat. The minority party is now under the rule of a single, authoritarian branch of Government – the representative of a tyrannical majority that forfeited any constitutional oversight within a matter of weeks. It can be understood why people voted for Scott Walker – they were afraid. The constant drum beating of fiscal doom, the thought that our “way of life” itself is threatened has scared people into relinquishing their basic rights in a Constitutional State for financial and physical security. The majority party has gone too far. The Constitution lies shredded on the Assembly, Senate, and Supreme court floors. Shredded by the lies, laziness, and ideology of the Corporatic Republicans. The time for the peaceful Revolution is now. The time to communicate the truth to the people is now. Spread the word – we will not be subjugated by the tyrannical majority. The minority is, in reality, the majority. Organize, tell the truth of the story, take back the principles of Democracy for everyone. The recalls are the Revolution – take part in Democracy, you are the future of Wisconsin. AdvertisementsThis afternoon, photos of the Mercedes-Maybach G650 4×4² Landaulet leaked throughout social media. It appears that the car was uncovered recently in Namibia with the photos shared through several instagram channels. It gives us a complete view of the latest G-Wagen set for a Geneva Motor Show 2017 release. Given its size, it does not surprise that we are seeing leaked photos ahead of the official launch. We are not sure why the Mercedes-Maybach G650 4×4² Landaulet was spotted in Namibia. It follows on from the recent Grand Tour episode which exposed the stunning scenery of the west African country. The photos reveal that the car that most people thought was a G 4×4² Pick-up is in fact the first Maybach SUV. The Landaulet is a famous body-style championed on previous high end Mercedes-Benz and Maybach models. It separates out the driver from the passengers with a convertible top allowing for an open top experience. From the name, it is evident that the Mercedes-Maybach G650 4×4² Landaulet gets the same engine as the new Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet. That engine is a 6.0-litre V12 with an output of 630 PS. The Carbiolet is limited to just 300 examples, expect the Landaulet to be even more exclusive. Mercedes-Maybach G650 4x4² Landaulet 1 of 6 There is no word on when Mercedes-Benz actually intended to release official details on the Mercedes-Maybach G650 4×4² Landaulet. We hope that we will be able to share full details very soon. We will of course make sure we bring you a closer look at this incredible machine when we see it in Geneva next month!El Paso\| A group of minutemen watching the Mexican Border for illegal migrants and drug traffickers, have proceeded to the citizen arrest of two men in an SUV, carrying 1300 pounds of cocaine. The volunteers were completely astonished when the two arrestees pulled out CIA ID cards and explained they were actually carrying the drug as part of their duties and that the cargo belonged to the Central Intelligence Agency. The incident took place last night, in the Chihuahuan desert, near the Texan city of El Paso. A group of seven minutemen saw a large black SUV drive rapidly across the border. They chased the vehicle in their own trucks and achieved to immobilize it after a chase of more than 15 miles. The vigilantes arrested the two men on board and called the border patrol, who proceeded to search the vehicle. They discovered dozens of packages of cocaine, totaling an incredible 618.4 kilograms (1363 pounds). The search of the vehicle revealed 36 packages of cocaine, all marked with the symbol of the Sinaloa Cartel, representing a black scorpion. The two men claim to be CIA operatives based in Mexico and explained that the drug was actually part of an operation of the agency. They presented identity cards that seem to validate their claim, but the CIA spokesperson, Dean Boyd, has officially denied any link between the organization and the

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